Free school · Reading
River Academy
- Secondary
- Ages 11–18
- Sixth form
- Term dates checked
Term dates
This school's own term dates broadly match Reading council's, so the council's dates are shown here. INSET days can differ, so check the school's calendar for those.
2026/27
2027/28
Admissions
Places for Year 7 are applied for through your home council, not the school.
Apply for a secondary school place on GOV.UK
How places are given: there's no entrance test. When there are more applicants than places, places usually go by criteria such as siblings, distance or catchment area. Check the council's or school's admissions policy for the exact rules.
For the sixth form, apply to the school directly.
How many families applied: Year 7
For September 2026, 211 families put this school as their first choice, and 162 places were offered. 136 of the families who put it first got a place (64%). More families put it first than there were places.
| Entry | Places offered | Put it first | Got their first choice |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 2026 | 162 | 211 | 64% |
| September 2025 | 171 | 181 | 78% |
Offers made on national offer day, from the Department for Education. Waiting lists and appeals can change things later. The hardest schools to get into.
About and location
- Type
- Free school
- Phase
- Secondary
- Ages
- 11–18
- Pupils
- 373 (capacity 1200)
- Gender
- Mixed
- Academy trust
- MAIDEN ERLEGH TRUST
- Phone
- 01182160400
- Address
- 7 Richfield Avenue, Reading, RG1 8EQ
- Website
- river-academy.co.uk
School details from the Department for Education's register of schools (Open Government Licence). Report a correction.