AN ESSEX college is celebrating after learning it is one of a number of educational establishments in the county named as an outstanding performer.

Roddy Ashworth

AN ESSEX college is celebrating after learning it is one of a number of educational establishments in the county named as an outstanding performer.

The list - published alongside Ofsted's Annual Report - details all the schools, colleges and other providers that have been given top ratings in the 2007/8 round of inspections.

Colchester Sixth Form College achieved Grade One status in every one of the categories used by inspectors to measure the quality of the education it provides.

These include the overall effectiveness of the provision, students' achievements and standards, the quality of teaching and learning, the guidance and support provided to individual students and the college's capacity to improve even further.

Ian MacNaughton, Sixth Form College principal, said: “We have always prided ourselves upon offering all of our students an excellent range of educational opportunities and it's very satisfying to see our work recognised by Ofsted in this way.

“We are particularly pleased by Ofsted's acknowledgement of the exceptional progress our students make on their A-Levels as well as the excellent results achieved by our growing number of International Baccalaureate students.”

He added: “The College has a clear and successful focus on continuously improving the quality of teaching and learning that is reflected in the work of departments and individual teachers.

“But we've also always believed that a good sixth form education is about more than exam success and Ofsted have also chosen to highlight our excellent range of enrichment activities, including residential trips, sport, performing arts, peer mentoring and charity work.”

Other outstanding providers in Essex secondary education included Colchester Royal Grammar School, Chelmsford County High School for Girls and Chelmer Valley High School.

At primary level, outstanding providers included Woodville Primary and Barnes Farm in Chelmsford, and in the Colchester area Montgomery Infants, St John's C of E, Fordham All Saints, Hamilton Primary, Feering C of E and St Thomas More Catholic Primary.

In the Tendring area both St Joseph's Catholic and Tendring Primary schools made the list, as did Stisted C of E near Braintree.