The Oldham College, Oldham
Data last updated 11 Sept 2026
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 11 months agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Ofsted Insights
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.
At a Glance
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
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) - 1,121 students
202223 data
University & Higher Education Destinations
1%
Top-third university
34%
Degree course
41%
Any L4+ destination
1%
Apprenticeships
Based on 383 students completing 16-18 study
2021/22 cohort - "Top-third" = most selective third of UK universities by student intake
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Capacity & Demand
Area Demand Pressure - Oldham
Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Oldham
Admissions Demand - Oldham
Places available
4,034
Applications
3,251
Got 1st preference
76.0%
Got preferred school
93.9%
Secondary admissions across Oldham (2025/26)
Inspection History(10)
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