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Suffolk is one of the ten top education authorities according to a report published by Ofsted yesterday.

The result comes from a detailed inspection by Ofsted, the Office for Standards in Ecucation, which judged the authority as “highly effective.” The report said that the councils leadership to schools was “well-respected.” Inspectors also commented that “the highest level of services was provided to the community.”

The council is only one of ten from the 150 local education authorities (LEA) to be judged to be “very good” the inspectors top rating.

The inspection team noted that high priority was given to education by the council, and councillors were committed to improving schools. The work by the council in tackling social exclusion was also noted.

Bryony Rudkin, Councillor for Children and Young People was delighted fir Suffolk to be rated so highly and wanted to thank all staff across the county for their hard work.

The Chair of the Councils, learning for life panel, Betty Milburn said: “Such a positive report is a welcome tribute to everyone who works so hard to continually raise standards.”

Report’s findings
* Attainment of pupils in Suffolk compares well with national averages
* Leadership and management in schools is good and improving at a fast rate, especially in primary schools
* Spending on education has been made a high priority by the Council
* Schools value the openness, willingness to listen and leadership offered by the director of education.
* Few schools have had significant weaknesses identified in inspections
* The management of admission appeals to schools in 2001 was judged to be “weak.”

The full report can be found on the Ofsted website (by clicking weblink)