Rochdale Sixth Form College best in the country for value added performance

Rochdale Sixth Form College

Rochdale Sixth Form College has come top of the class after being named the best college in the country for value added performance in the Department for Education’s latest performance league tables.

The college achieved an A level value added score of 0.48. The value added score refers to the progress students made in subjects since joining the college. Rochdale Sixth Form College beat 96 other Sixth Form Colleges and more than 400 Further Education colleges.

Against all schools and colleges in England, Rochdale Sixth Form College came seventh for value added performance on A level achievement.

This unprecedented success follows on from Rochdale Sixth Form College receiving an ‘Outstanding’ classification from Ofsted in all areas last year. The college was only the second Sixth Form College in the country to receive an ‘Outstanding’ rating under the new government framework.

At the time of opening its doors Rochdale was ranked 147th out of 150 local authorities in England when it came to average points score per student. Just three years later and with 1,000 students enrolled at Rochdale Sixth Form College, the class of 2013 achieved a 99% pass rate in A Level results – putting the college and its students in an excellent position above the national average for the second year running.

Julian Appleyard, Principal at Rochdale Sixth Form College, said: “I’m delighted that Rochdale Sixth Form College has come top for value added performance. As a non-selective college we work hard with every student to ensure they achieve their potential.

“The college coming top of this table is testament to the hard work of all the staff and pupils at the college since opening our doors in 2010. It’s a real success story and comes just a few years after Rochdale was highlighted as an area that was struggling with A Level performance.”