New national league tables have revealed Northampton College is now one of the top performing colleges in the country having enjoyed a dramatic four-year turnaround.
Data released as part of the latest 2017/18 National Achievement Rates Tables (NART) shows Northampton College is ranked 11th out of more than 200 colleges for 16 to 18-year-old education and training.
That represents a rise of 198 places in the rankings in just four years, to become the leading provider of Further Education in the South East Midlands and among the very best in the whole country thanks to a robust focus on teaching and learning.
The data has revealed that 95 per cent of Northampton College students pass their course, coming out as the best college in the South East Midlands region for achievement at level 1, 2 and 3. Performance in maths and English is also well above the national average.
The data backs up the findings of a recent Ofsted inspection which rated the college as Good with Outstanding features'.
Pat Brennan-Barrett, Principal at Northampton College said: To have improved performance to the extent we have in just four years is nothing short of remarkable. We are the leading college in the region and we are now one of the very best in the country too.
These results show we are out-performing a number of colleges which have been rated Outstanding by Ofsted. It's a phenomenal effort and it's great to see the hard work, determination and dedication of
both staff and students paying off in such spectacular fashion.
At Northampton College we concentrate on developing each individual's wider skills for employability, innovation, communication and work ethic. Many of our students are the employers of the future, not just in Northampton but beyond, and we are producing a smart and savvy generation of leaders, visionaries and pioneers.
All staff are committed to ensuring students reach their full potential. As a result, students make good progress in developing their confidence, self-esteem and skills for work.
A major investment programme has seen an overhaul of the college's facilities, with new buildings in both Northampton and Daventry completed in recent years and a state-of-the-art £4.75million Advanced Construction Engineering centre due to open at Booth Lane this September.
In 2017/18, new courses were introduced in construction such as Painting, Decorating and Interior Design, Plumbing and Heating, Carpentry, Joinery and Theatre/Film Set production and Civil Engineering designed to tackle the skills shortages threatening to hit the construction industry in Northamptonshire and beyond.
Games Design and Software Development and Coding were added at Daventry Campus and Tattooing and Illustration was added at Level 3. A new apprenticeship standard in shoe manufacturing was also launched in partnership with the British Footwear Association.
