Hello - I'm Catherine Le Roux, the Head teacher at Riverside. Welcome to our wonderful school. We are a primary school for pupils who have special educational needs, including those with social and communication difficulties, autism, speech and language difficulties, and learning difficulties. We currently have places for 149 pupils spread across our 14 classes for pupils from Reception to Year 6. One of our Reception classes is based at the Mill Hill School site.  

We are really proud of our pupils and all that they achieve. We work hard to ensure that all pupils flourish during their time at Riverside. We prioritise pupils wellbeing and mental health by providing a learning environment where they feel safe and happy. Each day, our pupils spend lots of time learning in different ways and in lots of different areas on the school grounds.  We ensure that pupils have a safe and predictable day through school wide systems such as visual timetables and individual schedules.  We provide a communication rich environment, using Makaton, visuals, prompts, choose boards and alternative augmentative systems. Our curriculum is tailored to meet pupils needs and learning experiences are unique for our different pupil groups.

We spend some parts of our lesson time in small groups, practising our skills, learning to work with other pupils, developing our interests and working with our staff members so that we remain safe and happy. As a school we have gained the Wellbeing Award - recognising our commitment to supporting positive mental health and emotional wellbeing. 

Please ring the office to request a parents visit if you are thinking about looking for a future placement for your child. These are group visits and take place during the school day at allocated times. All school placements for September 2025 have been allocated by the Hampshire SEN department. Currently, we are unable to book visits for parents who would like a place for September 2025, as we do not operate a waiting list. Parents wishing to view for placements in 2026 should contact the office during the autumn term 2025 - please ring the office to speak with Mrs Stephanie King who can take your details. Spaces on visits are limited and we prioritise pupils who live in the local area. 

Please help to keep our staff and pupils safe by only visiting the school site if you are feeling well. 

Please contact the school office if you have any questions. We look forwards to welcoming you to our outstanding school - where everyone is proud of what they can do.

Riverside School - Achieve, Belong, Celebrate