Staff and students at a North East college group are delighted after Ofsted inspectors praised their ‘significant progress’ and thanked them for the difference they have made to the lives of students.
Ofsted inspectors visited regional college group Education Partnership North East in December 2021. The inspectors evaluated the progress that leaders and managers have made since the college group was created following the merger of Sunderland College and Hartlepool Sixth Form with Northumberland College – an approach Ofsted takes with all merged colleges.
During the visit, Ofsted met with governors, college leaders, staff, students, parents, employers and community partners and judged all areas as making ‘significant progress’, the highest performance judgment available.
Education Partnership North East is a multi-award-winning regional college group that comprises Hartlepool Sixth Form, Sunderland College and Northumberland College. CEO, Ellen Thinnesen, said:
“We were delighted to welcome the inspectors from Ofsted and demonstrate the transformational journey we have been on. It is fantastic recognition for the combined effort and dedication of everyone across the college group to ensure we are achieving our vision of excellence.
“Our staff continually go above and beyond for their students, and I am incredibly grateful for their commitment, passion and dedication. From curriculum to support function staff, every person across our colleges has played their part in our success and thanks also go to Toni Rhodes, Principal who led and coordinated our Ofsted visit.”
Jane Reed, Campus Principal at Hartlepool Sixth Form, said:
“I am thrilled that Ofsted could see we have secured continued sustainable improvements due to our relentless focus on quality education. Hartlepool Sixth Form has proven itself to be an academic and technical education provider with a strong track record for several years now. I am deeply thankful to our wonderful staff.
“Being part of a large college group, has resulted in Hartlepool Sixth Form benefitting from capital investment, and new academic and technical curriculum aligned to the skills needs of the Tees Valley. Outstanding new facilities such as a state-of-the-art digital academy, science laboratories, a health simulation ward and new engineering resources means Hartlepool Sixth Form is well equipped to support the development of higher-level technical skills in regional economic priority sector.”
Ambitious plans also include expanding the delivery of the prestigious T Level qualifications into Health, Science and Education and Care, and in the coming months there will be further investment in the sixth form’s engineering facilities. A suite of courses aimed at adults has also been successfully launched including Access to HE and creative and digital courses, alongside the existing range of A-Level and vocational school leaver courses.
Read the full report: https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/31/131347?utm_source&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=report
Hartlepool Sixth Form College, as part of college group EPNE, receives an Outstanding rating across the board in its latest Ofsted inspection.
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Students at Hartlepool Sixth Form are celebrating after discovering that they have gained the grades to achieve their future ambitions.
August 14, 2025
We are the College of the Year.
(*Top college nationally for BTECs, Pearson 2019)
100% pass rate in 20 A-Level subjects including Computer Science, Economics, History and Maths.
*Summer 2019
99.1% overall A-Level pass rate
*Summer 2019
We have recently invested in a brand new state-of-the-art digital suite and health simulation ward.
