Burnley College, Burnley
Data last updated 11 Sept 2026
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 5 months agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Ofsted Insights
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.
At a Glance
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
Yes
Sixth Form
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
+ 52 more subjects
2023/24 academic year - entries by number of students
After A-Levels - Leaver Destinations
After A-Levels (Year 13) - 1,521 students
202223 data
University & Higher Education Destinations
7%
Top-third university
45%
Degree course
53%
Any L4+ destination
2%
Apprenticeships
Based on 1,026 students completing 16-18 study
2021/22 cohort - "Top-third" = most selective third of UK universities by student intake
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Commute Calculator
Find out if this school is reachable from your home - before you apply
What are my chances?
Enter your postcode to estimate your probability of getting a place.
Capacity & Demand
Area Demand Pressure - Burnley
Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Burnley
Admissions Demand - Lancashire
Places available
14,786
Applications
13,820
Got 1st preference
86.3%
Got preferred school
96.8%
Secondary admissions across Lancashire (2025/26)
Inspection History(10)
House Prices
Moving into the catchment? See what homes near this school actually cost
Reviews
No reviews yet - be the first to leave one.
Nearby Schools
Do you work at this school?
Claim your profile free to get a verified badge, update your contact details, and see how many parents are viewing your page.