SEN2gether

Batchwood School is a council-run special school in St Albans, Hertfordshire, for children and young people aged 11 to 16. It supports SEMH.

  • Ages 11–16
  • 111 pupils
  • Ofsted report card (2026)

School details

Type
Council special school
Ages
11 to 16
Boys and girls
Boys and girls
Pupils
111 (places for 108)
Headteacher
Mr Ross Whitaker (Executive Headteacher)
Free school meals
50.5% of pupils eligible
Council
Hertfordshire
School reference (URN)
117674

Needs it supports

1 need: SEMH

As listed by the Department for Education, grouped the way EHC plans describe needs.

Social, emotional and mental health

How to get a place

4 steps, starting with an EHC plan
  1. An EHC plan

    Places at schools like this usually come through an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan. If your child doesn’t have one yet, you can ask the council for an assessment yourself.

  2. Visit and ask questions

    See whether the school feels right and whether it can meet your child’s needs. Our list of questions below can help.

  3. Ask for the school to be named

    Tell the council that looks after the plan (often Hertfordshire council) that this is the school you want, and ask them to consult it.

  4. Named in the plan

    If the school is named in your child’s plan, it must admit your child. Free home-to-school transport is often part of the arrangement.

Questions to ask when you visit

8 questions to tick off as you go

Ticks stay on this device, so you can use them on the day.

Ofsted

Report card, April 2026: Expected standard in 5 of 6 areas

Inspected in April 2026 under Ofsted’s new report cards, which grade each area separately, from Exceptional to Urgent improvement, instead of one overall grade.

  • InclusionExpected standard
  • Curriculum and teachingNeeds attention
  • AchievementExpected standard
  • Attendance and behaviourExpected standard
  • Personal development and wellbeingExpected standard
  • Leadership and governanceExpected standard
  • SafeguardingMet

Contact and getting there

Townsend Drive, St Albans, AL3 5RP

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Directions: Walk Public transport Drive

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The school’s details, how to get a place and the questions to ask, in your inbox.

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Other SEND schools nearby

All SEND schools in Hertfordshire

By need in Hertfordshire: Autism (26) · Speech and language (22) · SEMH (10) · Moderate learning (10) · Severe learning (9) · PMLD (5) · Physical (4) · Hearing (3) · Multi-sensory (3)

Questions about Batchwood School

How do I get a place at Batchwood School?

There’s no catchment area or application round. Places usually come through an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan: ask the council that looks after the plan to consult Batchwood School. If it is named in the plan, the school must admit your child.

What needs does Batchwood School support?

Social, emotional and mental health. Every child is different, so ask the school how it would meet your child’s needs.

What ages does Batchwood School take?

Aged 11 to 16, boys and girls.

What is Batchwood School’s Ofsted rating?

Rated Good by Ofsted in April 2026 at its last graded inspection. Newer inspections no longer give a single overall grade, so read the latest report for the full picture.

Where is Batchwood School?

Townsend Drive, St Albans, AL3 5RP, in Hertfordshire.

School data: DfE Get Information About Schools, under the Open Government Licence. Postcode lookups by postcodes.io: contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right, Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right, and National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right. Distances are as the crow flies. Always check details and admissions with the school and your council.

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