Rochester Riverside Church of England Primary School

About Rochester Riverside Church of England Primary School

Parents considering Rochester Riverside Church of England Primary School will find strong signals of satisfaction from those already in the community. In the most recent Parent View survey, covering the period from September 2024 to September 2025, 88% of the 74 respondents said they would recommend the school. That’s a solid vote of confidence. The picture is reinforced by the school’s popularity on the ground: for the 2025/26 academic year, the school received 133 applications for just 58 places, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.29. Of those, 54 families listed it as their first preference, and all 54 were offered a place. Parents responding to the survey were particularly positive about their children’s happiness, with 81% strongly agreeing that their child is happy at the school, and 80% strongly agreeing that their child feels safe. The school’s Church of England character is woven into its facilities, which include a chapel, and it offers nursery provision for children from age three.

Academically, Rochester Riverside was rated Good in its most recent Ofsted inspection in July 2025, with every graded category — quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, early years provision, and leadership and management — all judged Good. The school’s overall effectiveness was not judged on that occasion, but the consistency across the board is encouraging. The school serves a community where 22.2% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, slightly above the national average, and it has capacity for 446 pupils but currently enrols 238, meaning it is operating well below capacity. This may reflect its relatively recent opening or local demographic trends. While the data does not include specific Key Stage 2 SATs results for the school, the local authority average for KS2 attainment in Medway is 62, which provides a benchmark against which to compare future published outcomes.

The school offers a practical, well-resourced environment. Facilities include a library, forest school area, sensory room, playing fields, and art studios, and the sports programme covers cricket, football, swimming, rounders, tennis, cross country, and dance. There is a good range of clubs, from art and science to coding, gardening, film club, and chess. For families with children who have special educational needs, the school lists provisions for moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, hearing impairment, multi-sensory impairment, and other difficulties. However, the Parent View data on SEND support is mixed: while 58% of respondents strongly agreed that the school gives SEND children the support they need, 19% strongly disagreed, and a further 19% disagreed, suggesting some families feel provision could be stronger. This is a school that clearly appeals to local families, as the oversubscription figures show, but it is worth visiting to see if its particular blend of faith-based ethos, outdoor learning, and community feel matches your child’s needs.

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