Ofsted ranks Sussex Downs in top FE colleges in the UK

Sussex Downs College has been ranked as one of the top FE colleges in the country, based on recent British Council Ofsted inspections.

The college has been listed as the highest FE accredited centre in the English Language Gazette’s centre of excellence directory.

Mark Allen, international college manager, said: “The British Council come every four years to look at all aspects of our international language work. Sussex Downs College is at the very top of UK colleges in this table of excellence.

“The British Council accreditation provides a quality kitemark that is known across the world and is vital for ensuring good recruitment. We are therefore delighted by this result.”

Good teaching, high pass and retention rates and effective support for students are some of the accolades given to the college by Ofsted inspectors.

Overall, for the curriculum, inspectors concluded that “a high standard of student work was observed throughout the college’ and ‘teachers are knowledgeable and enthusiastic about their subjects and provide good support to individual students”.

Inspectors also praised the college for keeping parents and employers informed on the progress of students and the college’s strong leadership and management.

“The college promotes a culture of commitment, high quality learning and results. It had an outstanding A level results last month, with an overall pass rate of 98.5%, with 76.7% achieving the high A-C grades,” said John Blake, principal and chief executive of Sussex Downs College.

The Ofsted report also reflects positively on the proposed merger between Sussex Downs and Park College, which it is hoped will provide improved academic and vocational choice for students.

Aastha Gill