Burnley College, Burnley
Burnley College is a post-16 school for pupils aged 16 to 99 in Burnley. It was rated Requires improvement at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in March 2025. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in April 2026 did not change this grade.
- Ofsted
- Requires improvement (2025)
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Burnley College in detail
Burnley College in its own words
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, netball, basketball, dance, chess, STEM, debating, Duke of Edinburgh and book club.
Coming up: an open evening on Tuesday 17 November 2026, an open evening on Tuesday 9 February 2027 and an open evening on Wednesday 24 March 2027. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.
All school open days in Lancashire
Clubs (school website)Open days on the school's site (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Where pupils go next
Of the 1826 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 32% went on to university or other higher education, 14% to apprenticeships and 26% into work. 5% went to one of the most selective third of universities.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Burnley Central Rail Station, about 360 metres away (roughly a 5-minute walk).
9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Kent Street (by), 30 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Burnley College stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 716 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 Lancashire (109), 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 · 6 months agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Safeguarding: effective
Contribution to meeting skills needs: Strong
Source: Ofsted, further education and skills inspections and outcomes (Open Government Licence)
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's April 2026 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Burnley College has significantly strengthened its leadership and governance, with governors now actively involved in college life and providing strong oversight. The college excels at giving learners detailed feedback on how to improve their work, with students making sustained progress as a result. Leaders demonstrate real commitment to supporting disadvantaged learners and those facing barriers, working collaboratively to help them succeed.
Key Strengths
- Governors now have strong expertise in further education and skills, with improved reporting enabling better oversight of college quality
- Data recording and achievement tracking is now accurate and precise, with robust systems for managing learner records
- Tutors provide clear, purposeful feedback that helps learners improve their work and make sustained progress
- Leaders have effective systems to identify learners at risk and intervene swiftly to improve attendance
- Quality assurance processes have been enhanced with learning walks and performance reviews aligned to the latest inspection framework
Areas for Improvement
- A few tutors still do not use questioning well enough to assess understanding of all learners in every class
- Leaders need to continue addressing challenges around ensuring consistently high attendance, particularly for disadvantaged learners and those with barriers to learning
Safeguarding
The safeguarding and wellbeing team works with learners before enrolment to ensure they are ready for college transition and understand their barriers to learning, though the report does not explicitly state an overall safeguarding effectiveness rating.
Burnley College is a further education college in Lancashire with over 6,400 learners and apprentices. This monitoring inspection found that the college has made good progress in addressing key areas identified for improvement, particularly in governance, data accuracy, and teaching quality.
About
Burnley College is a further education college based in Burnley, Lancashire. It is situated on Princess Way.
From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
At a Glance
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Special Measures
Sixth Form Performance (A-Level)
A-Level Results
C+
Average grade
32.3
Points per entry
B-
Best 3 A-Levels
11%
Achieving AAB+
Above average
Value added
516
A-Level students
88%
Retention rate
2024/25 academic year
A-Level Subjects Offered
+ 17 more subjects
2024/25 academic year - entries by number of students
After A-Levels - Leaver Destinations
After A-Levels (Year 13) - 1,826 students
2023/24 data
University & Higher Education Destinations
5%
Top-third university
44%
Degree course
50%
Any L4+ destination
3%
Apprenticeships
Based on 1,214 students completing 16-18 study
2022/23 cohort - "Top-third" = most selective third of UK universities by student intake
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 1 nearby school
Latest from Burnley College
Burnley College University Courses Graduate Named Finalist at North West Apprenticeship and Skills Awards
23 Sep 2026
Burnley College University Courses Graduates Celebrate with Sparkling Graduation Ceremony
21 Sep 2026
VIDEO/GALLERY: Celebrating Student Success at Inspiring Awards for Excellence Ceremony
7 Sep 2026
Inspirational student named finalist in national college awards
7 Sep 2026
Burnley College enters bold new chapter with vision to build futures and change lives
3 Sep 2026
Burnley College Dancers Wow with Performance at World-Renowned Venue
2 Sep 2026
From Burnley College's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Social & online
Keep up with Burnley College
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 45
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 11
- Children hurt
- 10
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 45 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 11 serious and 33 slight.
10 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 on foot and 6 in a vehicle or otherwise.
12 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 Lancashire is 12 (the median across 707 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 - Burnley
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Burnley
Across Lancashire council
Places available
14,702
Applications
13,782
Got 1st preference
87.1%
Got preferred school
97.2%
All secondary applications across Lancashire council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(10)
Questions parents ask about Burnley College
What is Burnley College's Ofsted rating?
Burnley College's most recent Ofsted inspection, in April 2026, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in March 2025, it was rated Requires Improvement.
What is the catchment area for Burnley College?
No fixed boundary. When Burnley College is oversubscribed, Lancashire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
How do I apply to Burnley College?
Apply through Lancashire's coordinated admissions process, naming Burnley 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 Burnley College?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 45 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 11 serious and 33 slight. 10 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 on foot and 6 in a vehicle or otherwise. 12 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 Lancashire is 12 (the median across 707 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Burnley College?
Burnley College is at Princess Way, Burnley, Lancashire, BB12 0AN.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)