Education in Bath, Somerset
Education in Bath, Somerset offers a wide range of choices for a city of its size. The area has two universities, one further education college, and several private and state-funded schools. The state-funded schools are run by Bath and North East Somerset Council.
The University of Bath was founded in 1966. It is known for science, mathematics, architecture, management, technology, and social sciences, and for its Sports Training Village.
Bath Spa University began as Bath Spa University College in 1992 and became a full university in 2005. It offers subjects including Art and Design, Education, English and Creative Studies, History and Cultural Studies, Music and Performing Arts, and Social Sciences. The main campus is at Newton Park, a few miles outside Bath. The Bath School of Art and Design is part of the university at Sion Hill. The university also awards degrees through Weston College in Weston-super-Mare.
Norland College, based in Bath, trains childcare workers. It offers BTEC courses for 14–16-year-olds, post-school vocational courses, and degree programs with the University of Gloucestershire.
Bath has one further education college, Bath College, and several sixth forms in state, private and public schools.
GCSE results vary, but in England in 2009 about 50% of pupils achieved A*-C including English and Maths; in Bath and North East Somerset the figure was about 60%.
Special needs education is provided by Three Ways School.
A review of secondary education in Bath began in 2007 to reduce surplus places and the number of single-sex schools. Bath had many single-sex state secondary schools. A parental survey showed support for more co-educational places. From 2012, several schools became co-educational, though two single-sex state-funded secondary schools remained.
By 2018 there was a real shortage of school places in Bath and the surrounding area, with hundreds of extra places needed.
The Bath Education Trust brings together most of Bath’s state-funded secondary schools to share services and work with local business.
Bath has about 27 primary schools, many with nursery classes. In 2018 the council said most schools would become academies by 2020 to save money, planning to cut central services by at least £16 million.
Historically, Bath reorganised its secondary schools by creating comprehensive schools. The West Twerton Secondary Modern School and the City of Bath Girls’ Grammar School merged to form Hayesfield Girls’ School. Saint Gregory’s Comprehensive School formed in 1979 from Cardinal Newman School and La Sainte Union Convent School. The City of Bath Technical School eventually became Culverhay School, which closed in 2018 after low pupil numbers. The Bath Community Academy, formerly Culverhay, also closed in 2018.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 06:11 (CET).