Secondary
Batchwood School
Townsend Drive, St Albans, AL3 5RP
Key facts
- Phase
- Secondary
- Type
- Community special school
- Ages
- 11 to 16
- Intake
- Mixed
- Pupils
- 111 of 108 places
- Pupils per teacher
- 4.0
- Local authority
- Hertfordshire
- SEN provision
- SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health
Staffing23/24
- Teachers (FTE)
- 26.8
- All staff (FTE)
- 47.7
- Pupils per adult
- 2.2
- Pupils
- 107
Staff are counted as full-time equivalents in the November school workforce census, so the pupil figure here is that census’s own and will differ a little from the roll above, which is counted in January.
Ofsted
Last inspected April 2026
- AchievementExpected standard
- Attendance and behaviourExpected standard
- Curriculum and teachingNeeds attention
- InclusionExpected standard
- Leadership and governanceExpected standard
- Personal development and wellbeingExpected standard
SafeguardingMet
Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)Earlier inspections2
February 2022
Previous framework
Good
Safeguarding: met
- Behaviour and attitudesGood
- Leadership and governanceGood
- Personal developmentGood
- Quality of educationGood
February 2018
Previous framework
Requires improvement
- Leadership and governanceRequires improvement
GCSE results
9%
11.8
All published measures2024/2025
| Measure | Result |
|---|---|
| Attainment 8 | 11.8 |
| EBacc average point score | 0.78 |
| Entered the EBacc | 0% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 17% |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 9% |
From the Department for Education. Measures are published per year and suppressed where a cohort is too small, so some schools show fewer. There are no results for 2019/20 or 2020/21, when exams and assessments were cancelled.
Results over time4 years
Each measure on its own scale, over every year we hold.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 21/22 | 0% |
| 22/23 | 0% |
| 23/24 | 5% |
| 24/25 | 9% |
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 21/22 | -2.09 |
| 22/23 | -1.73 |
| 23/24 | -2.09 |
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 21/22 | 10.3 |
| 22/23 | 8.2 |
| 23/24 | 8.7 |
| 24/25 | 11.8 |
Townsend Drive, St Albans, AL3 5RP
Admissions
How to apply (opens in a new tab)
You apply through your council, not the school - even for academies and free schools. Applications close on 31 October, the year before starting.
Hertfordshire admissions (opens in a new tab)
The council publishes the oversubscription criteria and last year’s offer distances, which is the closest thing to knowing your chances.
If you are refused a place (opens in a new tab)
You can appeal, and you can join a waiting list at the same time. Accept whatever offer you get first - declining it can leave you with no place at all.
This school’s own admissions (opens in a new tab)
Schools that set their own criteria - faith schools, grammars, academies - publish them on their own site.
Contact
- Executive Headteacher
- Ross Whitaker
- Address
- Townsend Drive, St Albans, AL3 5RP
- Telephone
- 01727868021