Cottenham Village Collegeis one of the many schools in Cambridgeshire which does an excellent job for its students. The latest Ofsted report concluded that ‘leadership is outstanding’, that ‘teaching and learning is good’ and that ‘the proportion of students attaining five GCSEs at grades A*-C, including English and Mathematics, was significantly above the national average’. The College has a first specialism in mathematics and computing; recently it was designated a high performing specialist school and gained a second specialism in vocational education.

The result of this designation is that the college is ‘presumed to have sixth form ambitions’ and entitled to pursue them. The school has proposed to take advantage of this and to offer 250 sixth form places from September 2011.

The exciting element of CVC’s proposal is that it intends that its sixth form will deliver vocational programs focusing on the new diplomas which the government is introducing. It will therefore not compete with but complement other schools with sixth forms.

CVCs proposal went to Cabinet this month and County Councillor David Jenkins spoke in support:  ‘anything which encourages and makes it easier for students to stay in education has got to be a good thing. This proposal which fills the gap left by those schools which focus on an academic sixth form will do just that’.