A SCHOOL for youngsters with learning difficulties has been boosted by a charity grant.

The Jack Petchey Foundation has given Riverside School £5,000 to help support the school’s new specialist status in cognition and learning.

The special school in Main Road, St Paul’s Cray, teaches 160 pupils with severe or profound learning difficulties.

Headteacher Viv Hinchcliffe said: “We are delighted with this recognition of our expertise in the areas of cognition and learning.

“Riverside is very much an outward looking school that plays a key role in the local authority’s broader strategy in raising the attainment of pupils with special education needs.”

The Jack Petchey Foundation funds programmes and projects benefiting young people aged 11 to 25 in London and Essex.