Baxter College

Baxter College is an inclusive, caring secondary school and sixth form where pupils feel safe, behave well and benefit from strong personal development and extra-curricular opportunities. Behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and sixth-form provision were judged good, and safeguarding arrangements are effective. The school is part of Severn Academies Educational Trust, the headteacher took up post in September 2024, and this was its first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic; under current arrangements no overall effectiveness grade was given. The main area requiring improvement is the quality of education. Although the curriculum is ambitious and well sequenced, its delivery is inconsistent across subjects. Some teachers do not check pupils’ understanding or the quality of their work well enough, and assessment is not used consistently to identify and address misconceptions. As a result, some pupils have gaps in knowledge and do not deepen their understanding as well as they should. The school is aware of these issues and has introduced strategies that are beginning to have an impact. There are notable strengths in reading, support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, behaviour, attendance improvement, personal development and extra-curricular provision. The key priorities are to make curriculum implementation consistently strong, ensure assessment is used effectively to close knowledge gaps, and reduce persistent absence so that more pupils benefit fully from school.

Strengths

• Pupils feel safe, happy and valued in an inclusive school community
• Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school
• Staff build positive relationships with pupils and apply behaviour expectations consistently
• Reading is a high priority, with strong support and intervention for pupils who fall behind
• The school has an effective system for identifying and supporting pupils with SEND
• Transition arrangements for pupils with SEND from primary school are well structured
• Attendance is improving and the school prioritises it
• Personal development provision is wide-ranging and well matched to pupils’ interests
• Extra-curricular opportunities are noteworthy, including CCF, school shows and Duke of Edinburgh’s Award
• Careers education, training and employment support is strong across year groups
• Staff feel well supported by leaders and value their professional development
• Governors and trust leaders know the school well and hold leaders to account
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective

Areas for Improvement

• Curriculum delivery is inconsistent across subjects
• Some teachers do not check what pupils know or the quality of their work
• Pupils do not always understand and act on the advice teachers give
• Assessment is not used effectively to identify and address pupils’ misconceptions
• Some pupils have gaps in knowledge and do not deepen their understanding as well as they should
• Curriculum improvement strategies are not yet implemented consistently well across subjects
• Too many pupils are persistently absent

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Baxter College attended 87.4% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 40.5% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 14.1% of pupils at Baxter College were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 10 pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Baxter College had 15.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 12.2% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 17.4% of pupils at Baxter College were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 4.4% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 Baxter College received £9,413 and spent £9,226 for each of its 782 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £92,000 (-£117 per pupil).

Across all 8 schools of Severn Academies Educational Trust, income was £8,274 and spending £8,183 per pupil.

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Kidderminster · Worcestershire local authority: places and applications

Baxter College is part of Severn Academies Educational Trust, which runs 8 schools. The nearest others:

• Wolverley Sebright Primary Academy Kidderminster
• The Stourport High School and Sixth Form College Stourport-On-Severn
• Wilden All Saints CofE Primary School Stourport-On-Severn
• Stourport Primary Academy Stourport-On-Severn
• Hartlebury CofE Primary School Kidderminster
• St Bartholomew's CofE VC Primary School Stourport-On-Severn
• Far Forest Lea Memorial CofE Primary School Kidderminster

What is Baxter College's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Baxter College is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in May 2025.

When was Baxter College last inspected by Ofsted?

Baxter College was last inspected in May 2025.

How many pupils does Baxter College have?

Baxter College has 766 pupils on roll.

What age range does Baxter College cover?

Baxter College for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Baxter College's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 33.3, and 23% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Baxter College?

Baxter College is at Habberley Road, Kidderminster, Worcestershire, DY11 5PQ.