Riverside Bridge School is a special free school in Barking, Barking and Dagenham, for children and young people aged 4 to 16. It supports speech and language, autism, moderate learning and 2 other needs.
- Ages 4–16
- 291 pupils
- Ofsted: Good
School details
- Type
- Special free school
- Ages
- 4 to 16
- Boys and girls
- Boys and girls
- Pupils
- 291 (places for 270)
- Headteacher
- Ms Leila Amri
- Part of
- Partnership Learning
- Opened
- 1 September 2015
- Free school meals
- 36% of pupils eligible
- Council
- Barking and Dagenham
- School reference (URN)
- 142134
Needs it supports
5 needs: speech and language, autism and 3 more
As listed by the Department for Education, grouped the way EHC plans describe needs.
Communication and interaction
- Autism Other schools for this in Barking and Dagenham (18)
- Speech, language and communication Other schools for this in Barking and Dagenham (5)
Cognition and learning
- Moderate learning difficulty Other schools for this in Barking and Dagenham (9)
- Severe learning difficulty Other schools for this in Barking and Dagenham (4)
- Profound and multiple learning difficulties Other schools for this in Barking and Dagenham (4)
How to get a place
4 steps, starting with an EHC plan
- An EHC plan
Places at schools like this usually come through an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan. If your child doesn’t have one yet, you can ask the council for an assessment yourself.
- Visit and ask questions
See whether the school feels right and whether it can meet your child’s needs. Our list of questions below can help.
- Ask for the school to be named
Tell the council that looks after the plan (often Barking and Dagenham council) that this is the school you want, and ask them to consult it.
- Named in the plan
If the school is named in your child’s plan, it must admit your child. Free home-to-school transport is often part of the arrangement.
Questions to ask when you visit
8 questions to tick off as you go
Ticks stay on this device, so you can use them on the day.
Ofsted
Rated Good, February 2020; standards maintained (March 2025)
Rated Good at its last graded inspection, in February 2020.
- Quality of educationGood
- Behaviour and attitudesGood
- Personal developmentGood
- Leadership and managementGood
- SafeguardingEffective
Since then: Standards maintained (ungraded inspection, March 2025).
Contact and getting there
Renwick Road, Barking, IG11 0FU
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Directions: Walk Public transport Drive
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The school’s details, how to get a place and the questions to ask, in your inbox.
Other SEND schools nearby
- George Carey Church of England Primary School Mainstream + base · Ages 3–11 · Ofsted: Good 0.4 miles
- Thames View Infants Mainstream + base · Ages 3–7 · Ofsted: Outstanding 0.8 miles
- Jo Richardson Community School Mainstream + base · Ages 11–19 · Ofsted: Outstanding 0.9 miles
All SEND schools in Barking and Dagenham
By need in Barking and Dagenham: Autism (19) · Moderate learning (10) · SEMH (6) · Speech and language (6) · Severe learning (5) · PMLD (5)
Questions about Riverside Bridge School
How do I get a place at Riverside Bridge School?
There’s no catchment area or application round. Places usually come through an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan: ask the council that looks after the plan to consult Riverside Bridge School. If it is named in the plan, the school must admit your child.
What needs does Riverside Bridge School support?
Speech, language and communication, autism, moderate learning difficulty, severe learning difficulty and profound and multiple learning difficulties. Every child is different, so ask the school how it would meet your child’s needs.
What ages does Riverside Bridge School take?
Aged 4 to 16, boys and girls.
What is Riverside Bridge School’s Ofsted rating?
Rated Good by Ofsted in March 2025 at its last graded inspection. Newer inspections no longer give a single overall grade, so read the latest report for the full picture.
Where is Riverside Bridge School?
Renwick Road, Barking, IG11 0FU, in Barking and Dagenham.
School data: DfE Get Information About Schools, under the Open Government Licence. Postcode lookups by postcodes.io: contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right, Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right, and National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right. Distances are as the crow flies. Always check details and admissions with the school and your council.