St Neots special school Riverside Meadows Academy improved

Riverside Meadows Academy in St Neots, a special school for pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs, was found to be taking "effective action" to address concerns raised in a previous inspection.

The June 30, 2026 visit focused on leadership, teaching, the curriculum, attendance and behaviour. It followed a graded inspection in July 2025 that found the school to “require significant improvement”.

Riverside Meadows Academy in St Neots is making progress in making improvements identified by an Ofsted inspection, according to the latest report by the Government watchdog. (Image: Google Maps/Street View)

Ofsted inspectors said leaders and trustees are moving the school in the right direction after introducing a new senior leadership structure.

The report said: "Leaders and trustees continue to move the school forward on its journey of improvement.

"The trust has taken decisive action in establishing a new senior leadership structure to streamline its function and with clearly defined roles.

"Leaders have had a positive impact in a short period of time on the areas of improvement identified at the last inspection."

Staff were “positive about the work of leaders” and were “now working as a unified team across the two sites”.

Curriculum planning, behaviour and attendance have all improved.

Leaders have developed new curriculum pathways due to launch in September 2026 and are training staff to deliver them.

The curriculum has been updated to better support the social, emotional and mental health needs set out in pupils’ Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans.

The report said: "Leaders have made the most improvement in raising attendance and improving behaviours of pupils at risk of prolonged disengagement.

"Since the last inspection, leaders have ensured that pupils are only accessing alternative provision most suitable to meet their needs."

But inspectors said more work is needed, especially in reading and mathematics.

The writing curriculum is clearly mapped out, but reading and mathematics lack the same level of detail.

Ofsted said: "The reading and mathematics curriculum do not currently have the detailed knowledge pupils will need to know mapped out with the same clarity as seen in the writing curriculum.

"The updated curriculum is not due to start until September 2026.

"Therefore, it is not possible currently to see the impact of this change on pupils’ outcomes, including how well pupils achieve their EHC plan targets."

Attendance is improving, but leaders are only beginning to analyse individual pupil data.

Inspectors said more work is needed to extend the gains to more pupils.

At the previous inspection, safeguarding was evaluated as being effective.

The school has introduced a system to monitor pupils with high absence or repeated behavioural incidents.

Targeted mentoring has sharply improved these pupils’ attendance, and the gains have been sustained.

Suspensions have also decreased.

The improvements are still at an early stage, but leaders plan to extend the approach to more pupils.

Overall attendance and lesson engagement are improving.

Inspectors said pupils were more engaged in class than at the previous monitoring visit.

They credited the improvement to more consistent use of agreed teaching and behaviour strategies.

Pupils also reported fewer instances of disruptive behaviour.

Staff support also helped pupils manage assessments and exams more confidently.

The section 8(2) monitoring inspection under the Education Act 2005 did not give the school new grades.

Riverside Meadows Academy has 119 pupils and an executive headteacher overseeing both sites.

Each site now has its own head of school and assistant headteacher.

In 2021, then-headteacher Sarah Anderson–Rawlins received a Pearson Teaching Award for Excellence in Special Needs Education, while the academy also received a bronze Lockdown Hero Award.