Education and training provision for 14 to 19-year-olds in Flintshire is good and has good prospects for improvement. That is the judgement of the Welsh Inspectorate Estyn in their report on the county which has just been published.
The report praises good levels of attainment, high levels of learner participation, top quality attendance rates, the high proportion of 16-year-olds continuing in education or training or moving into employment and the quality of support for learners.
The report covers all Flintshire High Schools, Deeside College and work based learning provider North Wales Training, as well as Flintshire Youth Service and Careers Wales North East. It recognises “a strong commitment by partners and stakeholders to partnership working, built on firm foundations through extensive consultation and engagement.”
Deeside College is praised as performing ‘consistently well above national comparators and expectations’ and across work-based learning provision outcomes also compare well with national comparators and benchmark data.
Secondary schools in Flintshire are seen as improving with outcomes in 2010 being best in Wales in a number of indicators.
Director of Lifelong Learning, Ian Budd, was delighted with the report saying
“This is great news for Flintshire. It reflects the hard work and commitment of everyone involved over many years to reach this level.”
Executive member of Lifelong Learning, Cllr Nigel Steele-Mortimer said:
“I am really delighted to be able to congratulate all those involved in helping to achieve this excellent result, putting Flintshire in its proper place – First!”
David Jones, Principal of Deeside College, said:
“This report on education and skills provision in Flintshire is the best of its type in Wales. I would like to thank and pay tribute to all of the students, staff and governors who have worked so hard to achieve this success. The report highlights a wide range of good features and some important areas for future development in the county.”
