Bath College, Bath
Bath College is a post-16 school for pupils aged 16 to 99 in Bath. It was rated Requires improvement at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in October 2023. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in November 2024 did not change this grade.
- Ofsted
- Requires improvement (2023)
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Bath College in detail
Bath College in its own words
In its own words: "Please click on the image below to download and view our Strategic Plan. Bath College empowers people of all ages to learn, grow, and succeed, delivering high-quality education, values, and training that strengthen our community and prepares learners for bright, meaningful futures."
Coming up: an open evening on Thursday 5 November 2026, an open evening on Thursday 3 December 2026, an open evening on Thursday 7 January 2027 and an open evening on Thursday 4 February 2027. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.
All school open days in Bath and North East Somerset
Vision and values (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Where pupils go next
Of the 957 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 12% went on to university or other higher education, 9% to apprenticeships and 47% into work. 2% went to one of the most selective third of universities.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Bath Spa Rail Station, about 450 metres away (roughly a 6-minute walk).
50 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Corn Street (wt), 60 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 602 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and shoplifting. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Bath and North East Somerset (86), as is usual near a town centre.
Sources: DfE destination measures; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Safeguarding: effective
Contribution to meeting skills needs: Limited
Source: Ofsted, further education and skills inspections and outcomes (Open Government Licence)
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's November 2024 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Bath College is working hard to involve employers and real-world professionals in its teaching, giving learners practical experience in their chosen fields. The college is improving how it assesses learners and provides feedback to help them progress. Leaders are making a genuine effort to support all learners, including those with additional needs, to gain work experience and employability skills.
Key Strengths
- Leaders have improved how governors receive information about education quality, enabling better support and challenge -
- Stakeholder involvement in curriculum design has increased, with employers co-designing courses in motor vehicle, media, and hairdressing -
- Teachers have improved initial assessments of learner abilities and most now provide useful oral and written feedback -
- Apprentice reviews have become more frequent and higher quality, with better collaboration between assessors and employers -
- Work experience and work-related learning opportunities have increased for all learners, including those with high needs
Areas for Improvement
- Teaching quality and learner achievement rates on adult courses and apprenticeships remain too low -
- Stakeholder involvement in curriculum design is not yet consistent across all subject areas -
- Some teachers provide superficial and imprecise written feedback that does not clearly explain how learners can improve -
- Some apprentice targets are generic rather than specific, failing to sufficiently challenge learners to develop new skills
Extracurricular Activities
Work experience placements, employer talks and industry visits, criminology weeks, fashion design exhibitions, media production placements with commercial film units, hairdressing laboratory visits
Bath College is a general further education college serving around 7,500 learners across two campuses in Bath and Radstock. The college was judged to require improvement in October 2023, and this monitoring visit evaluated progress on key areas for development.
At a Glance
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Special Measures
Sixth Form Performance (A-Level)
A-Level Results
c
Average grade
z
Best 3 A-Levels
z
Value added
1
A-Level students
2024/25 academic year
A-Level Subjects Offered
2024/25 academic year - entries by number of students
After A-Levels - Leaver Destinations
After A-Levels (Year 13) - 957 students
2023/24 data
University & Higher Education Destinations
2%
Top-third university
31%
Degree course
35%
Any L4+ destination
2%
Apprenticeships
Based on 435 students completing 16-18 study
2022/23 cohort - "Top-third" = most selective third of UK universities by student intake
Keep up with Bath College
Getting There
Bus Stops
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 59
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 17
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 59 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 17 serious and 42 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
10 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 Bath and North East Somerset is 4.5 (the median across 94 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
Capacity & Demand
Area Demand Pressure - Bath
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Bath
Across Bath and North East Somerset council
Places available
2,400
Applications
1,769
Got 1st preference
88.4%
Got preferred school
97.1%
All secondary applications across Bath and North East Somerset council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(14)
Further education and skills inspection
Questions parents ask about Bath College
What is Bath College's Ofsted rating?
Bath College's most recent Ofsted inspection, in November 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in October 2023, it was rated Requires Improvement.
What is the catchment area for Bath College?
No fixed boundary. When Bath College is oversubscribed, Bath and North East Somerset allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
How do I apply to Bath College?
Apply through Bath and North East Somerset's coordinated admissions process, naming Bath College on your application. The national closing date in England is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts.
How many road collisions happen near Bath College?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 59 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 17 serious and 42 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 10 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 Bath and North East Somerset is 4.5 (the median across 94 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Bath College?
Bath College is at Avon Street, Bath, Avon, BA1 1UP.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)