23 Apr 2025
Oaklands College has been named as the highest performing college in Hertfordshire in new Government data.
The further education college has shown an exceptional improvement in the 2023-24 National Achievement Rates Tables (NARTs) compared to previous years, moving up a staggering 59 places, from 107th to 48th place nationally.
It has also soared from 77th place to 17th place in the Under 19 Achievement table, outperforming all other Hertfordshire colleges in the tables, which are published annually by the Department for Education (DfE).
Oaklands has also increased in its ranking in the Adult Achievement tables, rising from 111th to 109th place, and continues to perform well, in line with the national level, in the Apprenticeships league.
Principal and CEO of Oaklands College Andrew Slade said: “The NARTs are one of the most rigorous assessments of the success of further and adult education providers across the country.
“These results reflect the incredible dedication of our staff and students. Our commitment to excellence is unwavering, and we are continuously striving to push achievement even further this year.”
This success marks another watershed moment in the college’s transformation into a provider of excellence in both education and sports training for 16–18-year-olds and adult learners over the past few years. It also provides yet another highlight of an exciting past few months, following the opening of the £7.5m High Performance Centre for sports in March and the state-of-the-art Construction Centre at the end of last year.
“Oaklands’ progress in the past few years has been astonishing,” added Andrew. “I am enormously proud of everyone in the Oaklands family who is committed to pushing standards higher every day so that we can offer an excellent standard of education, sports coaching and pastoral care to the 7,000 students who learn and train with us.
The next open day at the St Albans campus is on May 1. Go to www.oaklands.ac.uk to register.
