MINEHEAD-based Foxes Academy - a residential hospitality and catering college for young adults with learning difficulties - has won the highest accolade from Government inspectors.

A team from Ofsted rated the independent facility outstanding, allowing it to maintain the highest grade it secured at its last full inspection more than six years ago.

Foxes, which takes students from across the country, was judged outstanding for its outcomes for learners, the quality of its teaching, learning and assessment, and the effectiveness of its leadership and management.

Inspectors said learners achieved outstanding results in all aspects of their learning programmes.

Very successful work placements prepared them for securing employment on leaving the academy and they made excellent progress in developing their independence and communication skills, enabling them to be confident members of the community.

The academy also achieved "great success" in helping learners move on to independent living.

Inspectors described the therapeutic support offered as highly skilled and extremely effective in improving communication, adapting equipment, managing behaviour, reducing stress and improving the concentration of learners.

Outstanding systems for recording learners' progress ensured targets to further extend learners' skills and understanding were shared across all parts of the academy and revised frequently.

"Leaders and managers provide a clear direction and rigorously promote high standards of teaching and learning," said inspectors.

"The high level of co-operation, co-ordination and communication between teachers, residential staff and therapists enables learners to benefit from highly personalised learning programmes."

Inspectors also praised the academy's strong performance management, effective observation of learning and good professional development that provided staff with the necessary skills and expertise to ensure learners were successful.

Foxes operates a fully working hotel, which is open to the public and inspectors concluded that the realistic work environment, excellent use of the wider community and the diverse curriculum provided a wide range of learning opportunities to develop employability and independence.

The academy was also praised for its safeguarding arrangements which provided learners with good strategies to keep safe.

Inspectors made just three recommendations for further improvement:

l To increase literacy and numeracy training for non-specialist staff, whilst also ensuring specialist support staff levels were sufficient.

l To emphasise the integration of gender and ethnicity more strongly into equality and diversity teaching and learning.

l To continue to develop the formal involvement of learners in evaluating and improving the provision by further developing their advocacy skills.

Foxes principal Sharon Bowden said she was immensely proud of the academy's achievements.

"The most important thing is the difference we make to young people's lives," she said.

"Ninety-five per cent of learners who left last year are now living semi-independently - before they came to us, they lived with their parents.

"Eighteen out of the 21 leavers found employment within three months.

"These statistics are undeniably outstanding. We value the contribution that local businesses can make towards our training programme, either by offering work placements so that the learners can take on extra challenges, or by being supportive and understanding as the young people learn how to use local shops, banks, salons and cafes independently."