Bath, Somerset has a large number of educational establishments for a city of its size. It has two universities, a further education college and five independent schools as well as state-funded school provision. The state-funded schools are organised within the unitary authority of Bath and North East Somerset.[1]
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The University of Bath was established in 1966 and has grown to become a leading university in the United Kingdom.[2] The university is known, academically, for the physical sciences, mathematics, architecture, management and technology.[3]
Bath Spa University was first granted degree-awarding powers in 1992 as a university college (Bath Spa University College), before being granted university status in August 2005.[4] It has schools in the following subject areas: Art and Design, Education, English and Creative Studies, Historical and Cultural Studies, Music and the Performing Arts, and Social Sciences.[4] Bath School of Art and Design is a college within the university. Although regarded as a Bath university, the main campus is a few miles outside the city at Newton Park. It also awards degrees through colleges such as Weston College in nearby Weston-super-Mare.
Bath is the present home of Norland College, a provider of childcare training and education. Courses range from a BTEC programme for 14 to 16 year olds offered in conjunction with local schools, through post-school practical vocational courses, to degree courses in association with the University of Gloucestershire.[5]
The city contains one further education college, City of Bath College, and several sixth forms as part of both state, private, and public schools. In England, on average in 2009, 49.8% of pupils gained 5 grades A*-C including English and Maths; for Bath and North East Somerset pupils taking GCSE at 16 it is 59.9%. Special needs education is provided by Three Ways School.
State-funded schools are organised within the unitary authority of Bath and North East Somerset.
A review of secondary education in Bath was started in 2007, primarily to reduce surplus provision and reduce the number of single-sex secondary schools in Bath.[6] Bath has an exceptional number of single-sex state secondary schools, with four single-sex schools compared to one non-religious and two religious co-educational schools. In a parental consultation 72% desired a re-organisation providing more co-educational places.[7][8] In 2010, the council decided to close Culverhay School, so from September 2012 no new pupils will be admitted.[9]
| School | Type | % pupils achieve 5 or more good GCSEs (including maths & English) |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| State-funded Secondary Schools | 2009 | 2010 | |
| Beechen Cliff School | boys-only with co-educational sixth form | 74[10] | 67[11] |
| Culverhay School | boys-only with co-educational sixth form | 39[10] | 31[11] |
| Hayesfield Girls' School | girls-only with co-educational sixth form | 61[10] | 53[11] |
| Oldfield School | girls-only with co-educational sixth form | 77[10] | 73[11] |
| Ralph Allen School | co-educational with sixth form | 61[10] | 72[11] |
| Saint Gregory's Catholic College | co-educational with no sixth form | 66[10] | 64[11] |
| St Mark's CofE School | co-educational with no sixth form | 41[10] | 38[11] |
| Independent Schools | 2009 | 2010 | |
| King Edward's School | co-educational with sixth form | 100[10] | 99[11] |
| Kingswood School | co-educational with sixth form | 98[10] | 95[11] |
| Prior Park College | co-educational with sixth form | 94[10] | 86[11] |
| Royal High School | girls-only with co-educational sixth form | n/a | |
| Monkton Combe School | co-educational with sixth form | Does not publish results publicly[12] | |
Bath has 27 local authority organised Primary Schools, a few of which have nursery classes attached.[13]
The City of Bath reorganised secondary education by merging grammar schools and secondary modern schools to form comprehensive schools. West Twerton Secondary Modern School and City of Bath Girl's Grammar School were merged to form Hayesfield Girls' School. City of Bath Technical School was formerly part of Bath Technical College (now City of Bath College). It was formed in the early 20th century from several other institutions and evolved through various sites and roles until its closure in 1970, when it was merged with Westhill Boys School to form Culverhay School, which in turn will close commencing in 2012.[9]