River Academy
Secondary · Free schools · Mixed · Reading
7 Richfield Avenue, Reading, RG1 8EQ
–
headline score
Ranking (England)
—
No ranked results
Ofsted
—
No graded inspection
Application demand
78%
1st preference success · Oversubscribed
Attendance
94.9%
9.9% persistently absent
At a glance
Pupils on roll
373
Capacity used
Has space31%
1,200 places
GCSE rank (England)
—
KS2 rank (England)
—
Application demand
Secondary entry · official council applications and offers
78%
1st preference success rate
141 of 181 families who put it first got an offer
171
Places offered
612
Total applications
3.6
Applications per place
| Preference (Sept 2025 entry) | Applications | Offers | Success |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st preference | 181 | 141 | ● 78% |
| 2nd preference | 189 | 24 | ● 13% |
| 3rd preference | 155 | 4 | ● 3% |
| 4th preference | 87 | 2 | ● 2% |
| Total | 612 | 171 | 28% |
Reading lets families list 4 preferences. 7 applications came from outside the council area (1 offered). Source: Department for Education, school-level applications and offers. Offers are made on each school's admissions criteria (e.g. siblings, distance, faith), so check the school's policy.
Details
- Type
- Free schools
- Phase
- Secondary
- Age range
- 11–18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Sixth form
- Yes
- Nursery
- No Nursery Classes
- Boarding
- No boarders
- Headteacher
- Andrew Hartley
- Address
- 7 Richfield Avenue, Reading, RG1 8EQ
- Phone
- 01182160400
- Local authority
- Reading
- Ward / constituency
- Thames · Reading Central
- Area
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- URN
- 150728
Pupils
| Measure | School | LA | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free school meals | 33% | — | — |
| English as additional language | — | — | — |
| SEN support | — | — | — |
Local deprivation (IDACI quintile 3 of 5)
1 = least deprived area, 5 = most deprived. Context only.
Academy trust: MAIDEN ERLEGH TRUST
373 pupils · 1,200 places. Intake figures describe the school's community — they aren't good or bad.
Ofsted inspections
No state-school Ofsted inspection on record (independent schools are often inspected by ISI).
View all Ofsted reportsAttendance
2024/2025 school year · 192 pupils
Attendance
94.9%
Share of sessions attended · England 91.1%
Overall absence
5.1%
Sessions missed, any reason · England 8.9%
Persistent absence
9.9%
Pupils missing 10%+ of school · England 26.7%
Severe absence
0.5%
Pupils missing 50%+ of school · England 2.3%
Unauthorised absence
1.3%
Absences the school didn't approve
Source: Department for Education, pupil absence by school (pupils aged 5–15). Lower absence is better. England figures are approximate 2023/24 averages.
GCSE results over time
Attainment 8 by year (2020 and 2021 exams were cancelled)
| Result | School | England (approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| Pupils in cohort | 0 | — |
Oxbridge
No Cambridge applications recorded for this school in 2020–2025.
House prices near the school
Typical sold prices (Land Registry) within 1 km, last 12 months.
Loading prices…
Key application dates
National deadlines in England. Apply through Reading council, not the school.
| Entry | Deadline | Offer day |
|---|---|---|
| Year 7 (secondary) | 31 October | 1 March (or next working day) |
Admissions policy: Non-selective. Check the school's own admissions rules on its website.
Source: Get Information About Schools and the DfE school and college performance tables (2023-2024); Oxbridge figures from the University of Cambridge's admissions by UCAS apply centre (Oxford doesn't publish per-school figures). Read the method.