THE LARGEST college in Swindon has been given the thumbs up in its first report by Government inspectors Ofsted.

More than 40 inspectors from Ofsted and the Adult Learning Inspectorate visited Swindon College from March 24 to April 4.

With 24,000 full and part time students, the Regent Circus and North Star based college offers teaching and training in subjects ranging from A-levels to construction, social care and beauty therapy.

Of the 14 different subject areas not one was rated unsatisfactory and four were rated good.

The College is set to leave its Regent Circus building and expand its North Star site late next year. It has plans for a £15 million new building to open in 2005.

The highlight of the report was the mark for teaching and learning for 16 to 18 year olds, with 99 per cent of lessons found to be satisfactory or above, well above the national average of 92 per cent. More than 60 per cent of these lectures were good or better.

Inspectors found its major strengths include the support given to students, the learning and results of adult students, the "enthusiastic and dedicated" staff and its effective partnerships with schools, employers and the community.

Swindon College principal Mike Hopkins said: "The report represents another step up on our improvement ladder and is a tribute to the hard work our staff have put in.

"For me the best part of the report, beyond all the numbers and grades, is the sentence saying Swindon College is an inclusive environment.

"That is fantastic because it means that whether you are blind and unable to hear or a post graduate student with a brilliant mind, this college will do its very best cater for your needs."

Last year the college announced debts of £3 million and made redun- dancies that cost the equivalent of 15 per cent of its workforce.

But the report praised the governors and managers stating they had "worked closely together to develop a recovery plan while maintaining the quality of the curriculum".

Professor Ken Mortimer, chairman of the college's governing body said: "This is good news, especially as we received no negatives in the report.

"This has been a good year for the college. We had a 13 per cent increase in enrolment last year, are expecting a similar figure this year and looking forward to moving to the new building."

www.swindon-college.ac.uk