Birtenshaw College is a specialist post-16 college in Bolton for children and young people aged 16 to 25.
- Ages 16–25
School details
- Type
- Specialist post-16 college
- Ages
- 16 to 25
- Boys and girls
- Boys and girls
- Headteacher
- Ms Elisabeth Burton (Director of Education and Care Services)
- Opened
- 2 September 2014
- Council
- Bolton
- School reference (URN)
- 142913
How to get a place
4 steps, starting with an EHC plan
- An EHC plan
Places at schools like this usually come through an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan. If your child doesn’t have one yet, you can ask the council for an assessment yourself.
- Visit and ask questions
See whether the school feels right and whether it can meet your child’s needs. Our list of questions below can help.
- Ask for the school to be named
Tell the council that looks after the plan (often Bolton council) that this is the school you want, and ask them to consult it.
- An offer, and the council’s agreement
As an independent school not approved under Section 41, it doesn’t have to accept a place: the school has to offer one, and the council has to agree to name it in the plan.
Questions to ask when you visit
8 questions to tick off as you go
Ticks stay on this device, so you can use them on the day.
Ofsted
Read the latest inspection report
There’s no grade to show. Read this school’s latest inspection report on the Ofsted website.
Contact and getting there
Freya House - Viking Street, Bolton, BL3 2RR
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Directions: Walk Public transport Drive
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The school’s details, how to get a place and the questions to ask, in your inbox.
Other SEND schools nearby
- Lake House School Independent · Ages 5–16 0.7 miles
- Lever Edge Primary Academy Mainstream + base · Ages 1–11 · Ofsted: Good 1.0 mile
- All Saints CofE Primary School Mainstream + base · Ages 2–11 · Ofsted report card (2026) 1.2 miles
By need in Bolton: Autism (12) · Severe learning (7) · Speech and language (6) · SEMH (4) · Moderate learning (4) · Physical (4) · PMLD (3) · Vision (3) · Dyslexia and SpLD (2) · Hearing (2)
Questions about Birtenshaw College
How do I get a place at Birtenshaw College?
There’s no catchment area or application round. Places usually come through an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan: ask the council that looks after the plan to consult Birtenshaw College. As an independent school not approved under Section 41, it has to offer a place and the council has to agree to name it.
What ages does Birtenshaw College take?
Aged 16 to 25, boys and girls.
What is Birtenshaw College’s Ofsted rating?
There’s no overall grade to show. Read the school’s latest inspection report on the Ofsted website.
Where is Birtenshaw College?
Freya House - Viking Street, Bolton, BL3 2RR, in Bolton.
School data: DfE Get Information About Schools, under the Open Government Licence. Postcode lookups by postcodes.io: contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right, Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right, and National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right. Distances are as the crow flies. Always check details and admissions with the school and your council.