Riverbank Primary School
Unit 2 Ripponden Mill, Ripponden, Halifax, HX6 4DHOpen in maps (opens in a new tab)
Riverbank Primary School is a special school in Halifax for ages 5 to 11. It is one of the 112 schools in Calderdale. Its latest Ofsted rating is Good, from an inspection in December 2024.
Ofsted inspection
Inspected 10 December 2024, report published 16 January 2025
- Overall effectiveness
- Good
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Outstanding
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Met
What Ofsted said
From the inspection on 10 December 2024
Pupils belong to a caring and welcoming school. The school understands pupils' needs. It works in close partnership with parents and carers in the very best interests of pupils. Pupils enjoy school. They build trusting relationships with staff. The school values every pupil for who they are and what they can become. The school has high expectations for what pupils can achieve. It helps pupils to overcome significant barriers to their achievement. In lessons, staff give pupils the individual help they need to succeed. Pupils respond well. They work hard and show highly positive attitudes to their learning. Pupils show respect and kindness to all. They are polite and friendly and support each other's well-being. Pupils benefit from the school's expertise in social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs. As pupils progress through the school, they take responsibility for their own behaviour. They behave in an exemplary manner. The school provides pupils with a wide range of opportunities to develop their talents and interests. Pupils enjoy visits to local places of cultural interest. The school council plays an active role in developing the school environment. Pupils give back to others through charity work.
What the school should improve
- In some subjects, the curriculum does not provide pupils with a suitably ambitious and appropriately sequenced body of knowledge. This means that pupils do not build a coherent body of subject specific knowledge. The school should ensure that it identifies the essential knowledge it wants pupils to know in these subjects. It should also order that knowledge in a way that helps pupils to develop a clear understanding of these subjects.
- Sometimes, teachers do not check pupils' understanding well enough. This means that pupils' misconceptions are not identified consistently and they sometimes find it difficult to build on their prior learning. The school should ensure that it provides teachers with the training they need to identify pupils' misconceptions consistently and address those misconceptions in a timely way, so that pupils build a secure body of knowledge.
Pupil numbers and mix
15 pupils on roll, with places for 20
Schools near Riverbank Primary School
| School | Distance | Ofsted | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compass Community School Willow Park | 3 miles | Ofsted: Outstanding | Attainment 8: 5.9 |
| Ravenscliffe High School | 4 miles | Ofsted: Outstanding | Attainment 8: 0.3 |
| Wood Bank School | 4 miles | Ofsted: Good | 0% met the expected standard |
| Brearley Hall School | 4 miles | Ofsted: Good | Not published |
| Compass Community School North | 4 miles | Ofsted: Good | Not published |
School details
- School type
- Other independent special school
- Sector
- Independent
- Age range
- 5 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Miss Lianne De Villiers
- Phone
- 01422415529
- Address
- Unit 2 Ripponden Mill, Ripponden, Halifax, HX6 4DH
- Local authority
- Calderdale
- URN
- 141608
School details from Get Information about Schools, 17 September 2026. Ofsted outcomes published to 31 August 2026. Pupil mix from the school census, 2025/26.