STUDENTS, staff and governors at Northumberland College have cause for celebration after being awarded a good Ofsted rating.

The college was visited for a short inspection on May 4 and 5 following its previous good rating from Ofsted in 2013.

The Ofsted report praised leaders and governors for their clear vision and for reinforcing the importance to learners of developing good work-related skills and attitudes.

Inspectors said the quality of provision and outcomes for arts, media and publishing programmes were outstanding.

The feedback praises progress at the college to support 16 to 19 year-olds who have not already achieved GCSEs at grades A* to C in English or maths, to improve their grades in those subjects.

Chair of governors Jacqui Henderson said: “Northumberland College has much to be proud of and this result is testament to staff commitment and the hard work of our students.

“We have established many partnerships with leading employers so that we continue to ensure training is wholly relevant today.”

Principal and chief executive Marcus Clinton, said: “Colleges need to be responsive to remain current. With increased expectation from all of our stakeholders, we continue to develop methods that ensure our quality training courses are relevant to the needs of today.

“This positive Ofsted result recognises the work of all our teams and our student successes.”

Northumberland College has two main campus sites in Kirkley Hall, near Ponteland, and Ashington, as well as centres in Hexham and Berwick.

An investment of over £10m since 2013 has provided new realistic training environments within hair and beauty, hospitality, construction, engineering, renewables and technology.

And the Kirkley Hall campus is set to undergo further improvements, including a £1.2m equestrian centre that will modernise the existing facility.