MINEHEAD'S award-winning Foxes Academy has continued to go from strength to strength, once again being graded as "outstanding" by Ofsted inspectors.

The residential catering and hospitality training college for young adults with special needs first achieved the top mark in 2006.

Now a return visit by inspectors some four years later has shown that rather than rest on their laurels, directors have made "significant progress" in a range of areas to ensure the college remains at the top of the table.

In a 'focused monitoring visit', inspector Joyce Deere concentrated on three main areas - how much progress had been made in sustaining outstanding outcomes for students, what had been done to develop already comprehensive self-assessment arrangements and whether the recruitment of ethnic minorities had increased.

At the time of the inspection in November last year, the college had 71 students and Ms Deere praised the directors for making excellent progress in all three of the focus areas.

She said the academy prepared students very effectively for the next stages of their lives, including supported employment, greater independence and more confidence.

"The academy monitors students' progress from the start of their training and can demonstrate significant value added for all students.

"The academy's success in preparing students for transition to their local home areas has been consistently outstanding for the past three years.

"Of the 33 students who left in 2010, 25 had found employment by mid November.

"In 2009/10, 88 per cent of students achieved their long-term goals in relation to employment, qualification and their living situation," she said.

The academy continued to have comprehensive arrangements in place for quality improvement and self-assessment, including electronically linked targets and planning goals.

Both staff and students were able to contribute to ongoing self-assessments, while students had also been given hand-held, multimedia tablets to enable them to surf the academy's own learner network.

Foxes had also increased its intake of students from minority ethnic communities, with 18 per cent of the applicants in 2010 coming from minorities and 19 per cent registered so far in 2011.

Ms Deere said this had been achieved by a dedicated marketing strategy, which had targeted advertising in "appropriate publications" and included meetings, telephone calls and emails following national research.

A spokesman for Foxes said the academy was extremely proud to have been graded as outstanding once again.

"Students at Foxes gain valuable vocational skills and qualifications in hospitality and catering in a real working hotel, while also developing their social and domestic abilities.

"Most are successful in finding a few hours work each week in hospitality and catering outlets, for example, waiting on tables, as kitchen assistants or housekeeping assistants.

"Flat sharing with friends made at Foxes is also an excellent first choice to begin independent living after college," the spokesman said.