The Oldham College, Oldham
The Oldham College is a post-16 school for pupils aged 14 to 99 in Oldham. It was rated Requires improvement at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in January 2025. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in October 2025 did not change this grade.
- Ofsted
- Requires improvement (2025)
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
The Oldham College in detail
The Oldham College in its own words
In its own words: "At Oldham College, our mission is simple: to help you unlock your full potential and prepare you for the world of work. Here, you’ll learn with expert guidance from our tutors in industry-standard facilities, receive meaningful work experience and explore fantastic personal development opportunities, gaining the knowledge, skills and behaviours to succeed in the real world."
Coming up: an open day on Thursday 12 November 2026, an open day on Saturday 14 November 2026 and an open day on Wednesday 17 March 2027. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.
All school open days in Oldham
Vision and values (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Where pupils go next
Of the 1181 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 13% went on to university or other higher education, 8% to apprenticeships and 26% into work. 0% went to one of the most selective third of universities.
Getting there
The nearest tram or metro stop is Westwood (Manchester Metrolink), about 360 metres away (roughly a 4-minute walk).
42 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Oldham College, 60 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood The Oldham College stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
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 · 1 year agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Safeguarding: effective
Contribution to meeting skills needs: Reasonable
Source: Ofsted, further education and skills inspections and outcomes (Open Government Licence)
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's October 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
The Oldham College has made significant improvements in making its courses more challenging and ambitious, ensuring students learn skills that go beyond the qualification requirements. The college excels at supporting students with additional needs through well-trained staff and assistive technologies, helping them progress confidently through their studies. Strong partnerships with employers mean students gain real work experience and industry-specific skills that prepare them directly for careers.
Key Strengths
- Curriculum redesign has made courses more ambitious and challenging, particularly in level 1 digital and science courses
- Excellent support for students with high needs, including staff training in autism, ADHD and dyslexia support, and increased use of assistive technology
- Strong partnerships with employers to ensure students build work-ready skills and industry expertise
- Improved assessment practices with focus on skills development and students achieving highest grades
- Well-designed vocational initial assessments (VIAs) that identify specific skills students need for employment
Areas for Improvement
- Some tutors' assessment of students' subject-specific English and mathematical knowledge is inaccurate, affecting student preparation for applying these skills in work
- Need for more consistent implementation of support strategies across all areas
Extracurricular Activities
Work-related practice and placements with employers, freestyle Fridays rehearsal practice for performing arts students, demonstration sessions for assistive technologies
The Oldham College is a general further education college offering a wide range of vocational and technical courses to over 6,200 students aged 16 and above. This monitoring visit evaluated progress on areas for improvement identified in the January 2025 inspection.
About
Oldham College, is a further education college based in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England.
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
z
Average grade
z
Best 3 A-Levels
z
Value added
2024/25 academic year
After A-Levels - Leaver Destinations
After A-Levels (Year 13) - 1,181 students
2023/24 data
University & Higher Education Destinations
0%
Top-third university
33%
Degree course
39%
Any L4+ destination
1%
Apprenticeships
Based on 417 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 5 nearby schools
Latest from The Oldham College
More than 100 apprenticeship opportunities created for local young people
22 Sep 2026
Oldham College appoints new Chair and Vice Chair of Governors
15 Sep 2026
Oldham College Photography student gains industry experience with Rio Ferdinand Foundation
14 Sep 2026
Celebrating success on GCSE Results Day
25 Aug 2026
Oldham College celebrates third year of improved Level 3 results
14 Aug 2026
Oldham College partnership helps local school find the right apprentice
12 Aug 2026
From The Oldham College's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Social & online
Keep up with The Oldham College
Getting There
Tube / Metro / Tram
Bus Stops
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 49
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 6
- Children hurt
- 9
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 49 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 6 serious and 42 slight.
9 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 5 in a vehicle or otherwise.
6 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 Oldham is 14 (the median across 129 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 - Oldham
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Oldham
Across Oldham council
Places available
4,034
Applications
3,190
Got 1st preference
75.2%
Got preferred school
95.4%
All secondary applications across Oldham council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(10)
Further education and skills inspection
Questions parents ask about The Oldham College
What is The Oldham College's Ofsted rating?
The Oldham College's most recent Ofsted inspection, in October 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in January 2025, it was rated Requires Improvement.
What is the catchment area for The Oldham College?
No fixed boundary. When The Oldham College is oversubscribed, Oldham allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
How do I apply to The Oldham College?
Apply through Oldham's coordinated admissions process, naming The Oldham 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 The Oldham College?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 49 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 6 serious and 42 slight. 9 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 5 in a vehicle or otherwise. 6 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 Oldham is 14 (the median across 129 schools, same distance and years).
Where is The Oldham College?
The Oldham College is at Rochdale Road, Oldham, Lancashire, OL9 6AA.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)