Batchwood School, St Albans
Batchwood School is a special school for pupils aged 11 to 16 in St Albans. Its most recent Ofsted inspection, in April 2026, ended in a report card: 5 expected standard and 1 needs attention. Before that it was rated Good at its last graded inspection, in February 2022.
- Ofsted report card
- 1 area need attention
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Batchwood School in detail
What Ofsted's report card says
Ofsted's report card from its 14 April 2026 inspection grades Batchwood School on 6 areas: 5 expected standard and 1 needs attention. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.
Achievement - Expected standard. "Overall, pupils achieve well from their various starting points, including those pupils in receipt of pupil premium."
Attendance and behaviour - Expected standard. "Leaders and staff work tirelessly to ensure pupils attend school every day."
Inclusion - Expected standard. "The school ensures it gets to know pupils very well and quickly."
Leadership and governance - Expected standard. "Leaders, including governors, know the school well."
Personal development and wellbeing - Expected standard. "Leaders have in place a very well-considered approach to personal development, mental well-being and preparing pupils for adulthood."
Curriculum and teaching - Needs attention. "Some aspects of the curriculum do not have high enough expectations of what the pupils could achieve."
Safeguarding standards were met.
Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should ensure that, in all subjects, the curriculum clearly sets out how knowledge builds over time and is sufficiently ambitious for what pupils can achieve"; "Leaders should ensure that pupils' targets are precise and ambitious enough to align learning activities with pupils' capabilities and therefore maximise their achievement"; "Leaders should ensure that their systems for tracking pupils' progress against their targets and curriculum standards provide timely, efficient strategic oversight of the school's work".
Read the full report card on Ofsted's site (school website)
Source: Ofsted report card (Open Government Licence), quoted
Batchwood School in its own words
In its own words: "At Batchwood School, we value the insights and feedback from our parents, which play a crucial role in shaping our educational environment. Recent surveys indicate a strong level of satisfaction among parents regarding various aspects of the school. A significant 91% of parents reported that they strongly agree or agree that their child feels safe at Batchwood."
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include dance and Duke of Edinburgh.
Vision and values (school website)Clubs (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to Batchwood School are Heathlands School (0.4 miles, Outstanding); Watling View School (2.1 miles, Good); Seva Education St Albans (3.6 miles); and St Luke's School (3.8 miles, Good).
Heathlands SchoolWatling View SchoolSeva Education St AlbansSt Luke's School
Where pupils go next
Of the 20 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 65% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 55% to a further education college.
Who goes there
50.5% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, and 0% speak English as an additional language, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (87%) and Mixed (9%).
Almost every pupil at Batchwood School has an education, health and care plan (111 of 111 in 2026). The most common need among them is social, emotional and mental health needs.
Batchwood School provides for pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is St Albans City Rail Station, about 1.2 miles away in a straight line.
7 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Alverton (adjacent), 210 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Batchwood School stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Batchwood School issued 62 suspensions, 55.9 for every 100 pupils, and no permanent exclusions.
Sources: DfE destination measures; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 6 months agoReport card - no single overall grade (Ofsted's framework since November 2025)
Safeguarding standards met
- AchievementExpected standard
- Attendance and behaviourExpected standard
- InclusionExpected standard
- Leadership and governanceExpected standard
- Personal development and wellbeingExpected standard
- Curriculum and teachingNeeds attention
Safeguarding standards: met
Ofsted's report card, in its own words
What it's like to be a pupil at Batchwood School
All pupils have an education, health and care (EHC) plan for social, emotional and mental health needs. Many pupils have had a previously disrupted education or found attending school a challenge. Staff expertly support pupils to re-engage successfully with learning. Pupils appreciate how well staff reduce their anxieties, understand their individual needs and care about them. Pupils have positive relationships with adults. The mood in school is good humoured and respectful. Through access to well-tailored mental well-being and therapeutic support, pupils settle well into expected routines. Pupils value being in learning environments that are suitably adapted to their sensory and emotional needs. This has a calming and reassuring impact on them. It rebuilds their self-esteem and puts them in the right mindset for learning. Pupils' attendance and behaviour improves. They learn how to become more independent in navigating social situations. They make friends. Pupils are comfortable sharing any worries, including about bullying, as they know staff will help them. Pupils have their hopes for their future restored. This is due to well-considered work experience and careers guidance. Some pupils benefit from access to vocational qualifications, such as in plastering, motor mechanics or hair and beauty. Pupils particularly enjoy art and design and technology, which allow them to showcase their creative abilities. Most pupils secure college places or employment post-16. Pupils typically leave at Year 11 with the necessary qualifications, including GCSEs, for their post-16 options. Overall, most pupils progress suitably from their various starting points. However, some aspects of the curriculum design lack ambition or do not meet pupils' needs precisely enough. Some subjects do not clearly map out how knowledge builds over time and to what depth. This hinders how highly pupils could achieve. Pupils enjoy the wider opportunities the school offers, such as bushcraft, food technology and sport. Visits to the theatre, trying new activities like golf and residential trips all broaden their horizons.
What Ofsted says the school should do next
- Leaders should ensure that, in all subjects, the curriculum clearly sets out how knowledge builds over time and is sufficiently ambitious for what pupils can achieve.
- Leaders should ensure that pupils' targets are precise and ambitious enough to align learning activities with pupils' capabilities and therefore maximise their achievement.
- Leaders should ensure that their systems for tracking pupils' progress against their targets and curriculum standards provide timely, efficient strategic oversight of the school's work.
From Ofsted's report card (inspection 14 April 2026). Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's April 2026 inspection report.
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
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby schools
Keep up with Batchwood School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Batchwood School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Batchwood School is in Hertfordshire; for families living there:
- Hertfordshire's school travel policy: Read the home to school transport policy
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 16
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 3
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 16 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 13 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
2 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Hertfordshire is 9 (the median across 590 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
110%
Over capacity
111 pupils
101 places
10 pupils over capacity
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - St Albans
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for St Albans
Across Hertfordshire council
Places available
15,222
Applications
13,456
Got 1st preference
77.5%
Got preferred school
94.9%
All secondary applications across Hertfordshire council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(8)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
111
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Batchwood School provides for pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
111
Total Pupils
71
Boys
40
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
27
Teachers
4.1:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£50,258
Mean salary
2026 data
Pupil Absence2024/25
25.1%
Overall absence
56.8%
Persistent absence
111
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Batchwood School
Showing 10 of 15 linked schools
Questions parents ask about Batchwood School
What are GCSE results like at Batchwood School?
In the 2026 results, pupils at Batchwood School achieved an Attainment 8 score of 12.4. 8% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is Batchwood School's Ofsted rating?
Batchwood School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in April 2026, produced a report card, which grades each area but gives no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in February 2022, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Batchwood School?
No fixed boundary. When Batchwood School is oversubscribed, Hertfordshire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
How many pupils go to Batchwood School?
Batchwood School has around 111 pupils on roll. 51% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Batchwood School have specialist SEN provision?
Batchwood School provides for pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs.
What is attendance like at Batchwood School?
25.1% of sessions were missed at Batchwood School in 2024/25. 56.8% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Batchwood School?
Apply through Hertfordshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Batchwood School on your application. The national closing date in England is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts.
How many road collisions happen near Batchwood School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 16 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 13 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 2 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Hertfordshire is 9 (the median across 590 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Batchwood School?
Batchwood School is at Townsend Drive, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL3 5RP.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)