James Bateman Middle School, Biddulph
James Bateman Middle School is a secondary school for pupils aged 9 to 13 in Biddulph, part of The Creative Learning Partnership Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in January 2015. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in July 2023 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 108th-highest of the 230 schools in Staffordshire with published results, and 5,775th of 14,452 across England. It was 82% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2015)
- Capacity
- 82% full
- Attendance
- In line with England
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 5 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Staffordshire (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
James Bateman Middle School in detail
James Bateman Middle School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "On behalf of the students, staff and governors, I am very pleased to welcome you to James Bateman Middle School. I am very proud to be Headteacher of our school, leading a team of dedicated staff and working closely with families to provide the best opportunities and experiences for all students to fulfil their potential."
The school runs a breakfast club from 7:30am and after-school care.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 88% of Year 6 pupils at James Bateman Middle School reached the expected standard in reading and 72% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 79% and 77% in Staffordshire and 77% and 75% across England.
Results were similar in 2024 (92% in reading, 72% in maths).
Getting a place at James Bateman Middle School
Across Staffordshire, 92% of families were offered their first-choice secondary school for 2026 entry, and 98% were offered one of the schools they named.
In 2026, families in Staffordshire lodged 309 appeals against secondary school offers; 231 reached a hearing and 36 succeeded (15.6% of those heard).
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state secondary schools to James Bateman Middle School are Biddulph High School (0.4 miles, Good, Attainment 8 46); Woodhouse Academy (1.4 miles, Good); Kidsgrove Secondary School (2.5 miles, Good, Attainment 8 37.1); and Ormiston Horizon Academy (2.6 miles, Good, Attainment 8 34.5).
Biddulph High SchoolWoodhouse AcademyKidsgrove Secondary SchoolOrmiston Horizon Academy
The trust
James Bateman Middle School is one of 11 schools run by The Creative Learning Partnership Trust, an academy trust.
Who goes there
35.9% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 2.4% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Kidsgrove Rail Station, about 3.1 miles away in a straight line.
11 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is James Bateman Middle School (opposite), 60 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, James Bateman Middle School issued 32 suspensions, 8.6 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 1 permanent exclusion.
Primary schools nearby
The primary schools closest to James Bateman Middle School are Knypersley First School (0.1 miles), Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy (0.3 miles), Squirrel Hayes First School (0.5 miles) and Kingsfield First School (0.6 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.
Knypersley First SchoolOur Lady of Grace Catholic AcademySquirrel Hayes First SchoolKingsfield First School
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Our estimate from how close the nearest similar schools are and how oversubscribed the council's schools are. It is not a published boundary.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoThis judgement is from January 2015, 11 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its January 2015 inspection - up from Requires Improvement.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
35.9%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Exclusions & Suspensions
1
Permanent exclusions
0.27%
Exclusion rate
32
Suspensions
8.58%
Suspension rate
11 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 373 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby secondary schools
Keep up with James Bateman Middle School
Before and after school care
James Bateman Middle School is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Source: Free breakfast clubs: schools on the programme, Department for Education Free breakfast clubs in Staffordshire
Term dates
James Bateman Middle School is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Staffordshire's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to James Bateman Middle School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. James Bateman Middle School is in Staffordshire; for families living there:
Apply to Staffordshire for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 12
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 5
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 12 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 11 slight.
5 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise.
5 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 Staffordshire is 5 (the median across 457 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
Will you get a place at James Bateman Middle School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against James Bateman Middle School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for James Bateman Middle School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to James Bateman Middle School.
- Staffordshire publishes last distance offered figures, but none for James Bateman Middle School that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- How many families in Staffordshire got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
82%
Available places
375 pupils
455 places
80 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Biddulph
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Biddulph
Across Staffordshire council
Places available
8,807
Applications
7,681
Got 1st preference
91.9%
Got preferred school
98.5%
All secondary applications across Staffordshire council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(2)
Ungraded inspection: The school remains Good.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
57
SEN Support
14
EHC Plans
19.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
373
Total Pupils
199
Boys
174
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
23
Teachers
16.2:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£51,489
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,199
Per pupil
£2541k
Total funding
£167k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
8.2%
Overall absence
23.4%
Persistent absence
389
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
James Bateman Middle School
Questions parents ask about James Bateman Middle School
What are SATs results like at James Bateman Middle School?
Of the pupils at James Bateman Middle School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 88% reached the expected standard in reading and 72% did so in maths.
What is James Bateman Middle School's Ofsted rating?
James Bateman Middle School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in July 2023, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in January 2015, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for James Bateman Middle School?
No fixed boundary. When James Bateman Middle School is oversubscribed, Staffordshire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at James Bateman Middle School?
James Bateman Middle School was not full in 2025: it ran at 82% of its 455 places.
How big are the classes at James Bateman Middle School?
Classes at James Bateman Middle School average 23.6 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to James Bateman Middle School?
James Bateman Middle School has around 373 pupils on roll. 36% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at James Bateman Middle School?
8.2% of sessions were missed at James Bateman Middle School in 2024/25. 23.4% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to James Bateman Middle School?
Apply through Staffordshire's coordinated admissions process, naming James Bateman Middle School on your application. Applications for Year 7 places starting in September 2027 close on Saturday 31 October 2026, and offers are made on Monday 1 March 2027.
Does James Bateman Middle School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
James Bateman Middle School is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school.
How many road collisions happen near James Bateman Middle School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 12 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 11 slight. 5 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise. 5 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 Staffordshire is 5 (the median across 457 schools, same distance and years).
Where is James Bateman Middle School?
James Bateman Middle School is at Park Lane, Knypersley, Biddulph, Staffordshire, ST8 7AT.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)