EDUCATION and training courses for 14 to 16 year-olds at St Helens College have received top gradings across the board in the first Ofsted visit.

September 2014 saw the start of the full-time educational provision for the age group, known as 'the academy', with the college offering vocational as well as traditional GCSE courses, or a combination of the two.

This year, there are 42 students in the academy, which has its own building near the college's technology campus in Water Street, and there are expected to be around 60 places next year.

Headteacher Caron Kerr, who is originally from Edinburgh and moved to St Helens to work at the college in April 2014, said: "I'm thrilled that all the hard work of students and staff has been externally validated.

"We really appreciate the support from parents and we're looking forward to the future."

Ofsted's monitoring visit, on May 12, resulted in 'significant' ratings, the best of three possible ratings, in all six categories, which cover areas including curriculum, student support and behaviour and quality of teaching.

A report states: "Staff development is a high priority in the academy and training sessions take place weekly to update staff, discuss students' progress and continue to share best practice in teaching, learning and assessment.

"Parents and students state that the academy is well led and that staff are approachable, know the students well and help them to aspire to achieve."

The report adds that the curriculum is "well designed" to ensure all students follow GCSE courses in core subjects like English, maths and computer science.

It says: "The academy places a strong emphasis on respect for each other and this is evident in the classroom and at break and lunch times." The "robust lesson observation process" is also praised in the report.

College principal Jette Burford said: "We have thousands of students on the books, so the 42 at the academy is a small number. However, this is a new and very important provision.

"We try to bring the real world into every single lesson, whether it's a vocational or academic subject, and explain how the skills being learned can be used in the world of work."

Any local employers or businesses interested in getting involved with the academy by championing the courses, can contact Caron via ckerr@sthelens.ac.uk.