A County Durham college has been on cloud nine after they were awarded a "good" rating following a rigorous four-day inspection.
East Durham College received the thumbs up from the watchdog following the visit in early May - and is the fifth "good" rating it has received.
The college, which has two sites in Peterlee and its Houghall campus had successful inspections in 2008, 2014, 2018, 2021 and now in 2024.
During the visit, 11 inspectors met with governors, college leaders, staff, students, stakeholders and employers.
But, the college also received two ‘Outstanding’ grades for Personal Development and Behaviour and Attitudes much to the delight of Suzanne Duncan, Principal and Chief Executive, who is retiring this summer.
She said: “We are absolutely thrilled with the judgement and the glowing inspection report we’ve received from Ofsted.
“I’m delighted Ofsted recognised that our students and apprentices demonstrate exemplary attitudes to their education and training, and value deeply the high expectations that our senior team, teachers and progression coaches have for all of them, grading the College as outstanding for behaviour and attitudes.
“The college continues to invest heavily in facilities and resources; Ofsted has highlighted how our students and apprentices study and train in environments that replicate current and future industry practice, with teachers who are experts in their disciplines.
“Our amazing staff team work incredibly hard to ensure our students and apprentices receive the very best education and experience during their time with East Durham College; on behalf of the governors and myself, we’d sincerely like to thank all our staff and students for their commitment, resilience and determination to excel and this shines through in this report.
Recommended:
- Ofsted: All Saints Catholic Primary School in Thirsk 'Good'
- Ofsted: Hermitage Academy in Chester-le-Street 'Good'
“Looking to the future, I truly believe the College is on the cusp of becoming an outstanding college and I wish everyone the very best in this ambition.”
David Butler, Chair of Governors at the college, added: “On behalf of everyone involved with the College, we welcome this report which reinforces the ever-growing reputation of East Durham College and the extremely high standards everyone works towards.
“It is an immense privilege to be involved as Chair of Governors at East Durham College and I’m delighted that everyone’s hard work and dedication has been praised so highly by Ofsted.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here