Batchwood School, St Albans
Data last updated 11 Sept 2026
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Overall
Ofsted Insights
What This School Does Well
Batchwood School excels at supporting vulnerable young people who have struggled in other settings. Staff build strong, trusting relationships and provide excellent mental health and therapeutic support that helps pupils feel safe and ready to learn. The school has impressive results with attendance and behaviour, and most pupils leave with qualifications and secure college or employment, restoring their hope for the future.
Key Strengths
- Excellent behaviour and attendance improvements, particularly for pupils with complex needs - staff use highly tailored strategies that work
- Very strong therapeutic and mental health support on site, helping pupils feel safe and ready to learn
- Positive relationships between staff and pupils - the school is calm, orderly and caring
- Effective careers education and work experience leading to good post-16 outcomes
- High-quality work in subjects like art, and strong support for reading catch-up
Areas for Improvement
- Curriculum expectations are not high enough in some areas - pupils are capable of achieving more
- Some subjects do not clearly show how knowledge builds over time or at what depth pupils should learn
- Teaching activities are not being adapted precisely enough to match different pupils' abilities
- Systems for monitoring how well pupils meet their education, health and care targets are cumbersome
- Data tracking systems are unwieldy and make it harder for leaders to oversee school performance efficiently
Safeguarding
Safeguarding standards are met - the school has an open culture where safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified and managed, keeping pupils safe.
Extracurricular Activities
Art and design technology, food technology, vocational qualifications in plastering, motor mechanics, hair and beauty, work experience, fundraising activities
Batchwood School is a special school for pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs that has made significant improvements in attendance and behaviour. The school provides effective therapeutic support and has successfully helped many pupils re-engage with learning and secure positive post-16 destinations.
At a Glance
50.5%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
Class Sizes
0.0
Avg class size
0
Total classes
2024/25 academic year
Getting There
Bus Stops
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
103%
Over capacity
111 pupils
108 capacity
3 places over capacity
Area Demand Pressure - St Albans
Based on MHCLG housing supply data for St Albans
Admissions Demand - Hertfordshire
Places available
15,354
Applications
13,699
Got 1st preference
75.8%
Got preferred school
94.7%
Secondary admissions across Hertfordshire (2025/26)
Inspection History(18)
House Prices
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SEN Provision
How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.
Pupil Demographics
The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.
Teachers & Staff
Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.
Pupil Absence2024/25
25.14556%
Overall absence
56.75676%
Persistent absence
111
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
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Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Batchwood School
Garden Fields Junior Mixed and Infant School
Margaret Wix Primary School
Bernards Heath Junior School
Bernards Heath Infant and Nursery School
Aboyne Lodge Junior Mixed and Infant School
Maple Primary School
Alban City School
St Michael's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, St Albans
The Abbey Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, St Albans
Wheatfields Junior Mixed School
Showing 10 of 15 linked schools
Nearby Schools
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