Bolton College, Bolton

Ofsted's report card from its 20 January 2026 inspection grades Bolton College on 6 areas: 2 expected standard and 4 needs attention. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Contribution to meeting skills needs - Expected standard. "Leaders work strategically with a range of employers and other stakeholders to understand local and regional skill gaps."

Inclusion - Expected standard. "Leaders have created an inclusive culture to meet the needs of students and apprentices."

Leadership and governance - Needs attention. "Since the previous inspection, the college has undergone significant organisational change, with a newly appointed executive team now in place."

Achievement - Needs attention. "Achievement has improved since last year."

Curriculum and teaching - Needs attention. "Leaders meet the requirements of 16 to 19 study programmes."

Participation and development - Needs attention. "Leaders largely set clear expectations for students' behaviour and attitudes."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "• Leaders should ensure that they have a precise understanding of the quality of the curriculum, teaching and training, particularly on education programmes for young people. They should intervene swiftly to ensure that students experience a consistently high standard of education and training. • Leaders should strengthen the training that teachers receive on inclusive practice, so that teachers can apply this consistently. • Leaders should ensure that teachers use assessment and feedback effectively so that young students understand what they have done well and what they need to do to improve. • Leaders should take swift action to improve the quality of tutorials for young people, so students attend and see the value of tutorials. • Leaders should ensure that young students receive helpful information about healthy relationships, consent, harassment and how to stay physically and mentally healthy. They should make sure that students can explain the risks of radicalisation and extremism. • Leaders should ensure that staff have high expectations for students' attendance and punctuality. They should work closely with teachers and support staff to improve attendance and punctuality for young people and on a few adult learning courses. • Leaders should ensure that GCSE English and mathematics curriculums are accessible for students who have low prior achievement in these subjects. • Leaders should identify and implement actions to enable them to continue to improve qualification achievement rates and ensure that young students make sufficient progress in GCSE English and mathematics and on their vocational courses. • Leaders should increase the proportion of apprentices who complete their apprenticeship and do so on time. They should ensure that apprentices achieve their mathematics qualifications".

Of the 1174 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 10% went on to university or other higher education, 9% to apprenticeships and 27% into work. 1% went to one of the most selective third of universities.

The nearest railway station is Bolton Rail Station, about 940 metres away (roughly a 12-minute walk).

14 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Salisbury Street (opposite), 20 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Bolton College stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.