Northumberland College partnership receives "outstanding" rating from Ofsted

The partnership behind Northumberland College has been awarded an "outstanding" rating by Ofsted.

Education Partnership North East (EPNE) which also runs Sunderland College and Hartlepool Sixth Form College, described the result as a "significant milestone". Every area across each college was judged to be outstanding.

Inspectors wrote that “students and apprentices benefit from high quality teaching" with teaching staff described as "skilful". Student behaviour was described as "exemplary" and pupils were said to "achieve extremely well".

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The news has been welcomed by Coun Guy Renner-Thompson, Northumberland County Council's cabinet member for children's services. It comes as Northumberland College prepares to move to a new £54 million campus near Ashington, with planning permission secured this summer.

Coun Renner-Thompson said: "This is fantastic news for Northumberland, great news for the college and a significant turnaround in performance from a few years ago. My heartfelt congratulations go to all the team and students at the college.

"The council has worked with the college for many years on a journey of improvement, including a lot of work behind the scenes to secure the land for the new site in Ashington. It will soon have a brand new building linking with our wider regeneration of the town.

"We want education in Northumberland to be so good that people don't have to leave the county. This is the latest in a chain of brilliant results for Northumberland.

"We have seen improvements in our schools and this is the next piece of the jigsaw. Ninety-four per cent of our schools are now good or outstanding, putting us in the top quartile in the UK.

"Children's services at the county council was rated as outstanding this year, and now we have an outstanding rating for the college.

"We want people to have a life here in Northumberland as they get older. We have got lots of exciting industries coming to Northumberland, and we want those jobs to be filled by people from Northumberland."

EPNE say the inspection is the outcome of a "relentless" and "ambitious" transformation over the last eight years. During that time, the partnership has delivered significant financial recovery and is is now ranked as the top performing college group in the North East for student achievement.

Ellen Thinnesen, chief executive of EPNE, said: “I can with all certainty say, our achievements are the product of many great people, who are deeply passionate for the North East and the local communities served by our colleges. Firstly, to our people, our inspiring workforce, past and present, today’s success is the product of your hard work, your determination, self-belief and courage. To see inspectors moved to tears at the life-changing work you deliver every day, was simply remarkable.

“To civic, employer and community partners who are part of our rich and diverse ecosystem. It really does take a community! You have enabled all our colleges to aim high, reach beyond our immediate boundaries and to make an outstanding difference.”