Batchley First and Nursery School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 3 February 2026

Pupils benefit from a warm, welcoming and caring start to the school day. Staff enthusiastically greet pupils as they enter the classroom and show genuine happiness to see them. The school’s values of ‘everyone is Valued, Inspired, Prepared and Safe’ are lived out in everyday school life. Leaders have ensured that the environment is bright, attractive and well-looked after so that the school feels as inviting as possible. Pupils enjoy learning and access a broad, balanced and carefully designed curriculum. Reading is highly visible. The curriculum includes trips and workshops, which provide experiences to help pupils make sense of their learning. Leaders ensure that all pupils benefit from these opportunities by working with families to remove barriers to access. Although recent improvements mean that the curriculum is now taught effectively, pupils’ achievement is still below age-related expectations. This means that some pupils are not as well prepared for the next stage as they need to be. For pupils that experience barriers to their learning, teachers adapt the curriculum well. This means they can access the learning. Pupils feel a powerful sense of belonging. This is reflected in the positive behaviour and attitudes that pupils display. They want to make their teachers proud. Leaders have ensured that pupils access experiences to help support their emotional development. For example, every child participates in forest school every week. Pupils show respect to all, regardless of difference. This ensures a highly inclusive environment. Leaders work with families to tackle challenges to attendance. This helps pupils to attend well. Pupils say bullying is rare and always dealt with. They engage in regular learning to help them understand how to stay safe. As a result, they feel safe. Pupils have plentiful opportunities to positively contribute to the community. For example, attendance champions and bullying ambassadors support pupils that may be struggling. Pupils show tolerance, respect and kindness to all, regardless of differences. They are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

What the school should improve

• Leaders should ensure that pupils develop knowledge across the curriculum so that they know more and remember more over time, and a greater proportion of pupils attain key reading, writing and mathematical knowledge so that they are ready for the next stage of their education.
• Leaders should ensure that the impact of pastoral interventions is evaluated effectively so that provision can be precisely targeted to pupils' changing needs.
• Leaders should ensure that all staff maximise opportunities for high-quality interactions with children across the early years provision so that all children develop a broad range of vocabulary and language structures.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)