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The recent Ofsted inspection of Highbury College in Portsmouth, headed by Principal Stella Mbubaegbu CBE, recognised the college to be 'outstanding', with all five cross-college areas receiving the top grade.
The inspection, during May 2011, looked into key areas of college life which included the overall effectiveness of provision, capacity to improve, outcomes for learners, quality of provision, leadership and management, safeguarding, and equality and diversity. The 'outstanding' grade is the highest possible grade awarded by Ofsted.
The report coincides with the publication of success rate league tables by The Data Service that confirm that Highbury is the top-performing general further education college in England and the No.1 overall college in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
Principal Stella Mbubaegbu CBE, a member of the Network’s Board, was celebrated nationally for breaking barriers when she became the first BAME female Principal of an incorporated FE college in the UK.
Speaking on the report, Stella said, "On behalf of everyone at the College I would like to say how proud I am of what Highbury College has achieved, what our students have achieved and what our staff and governors have achieved. It is a fantastic report! Highbury's Mission is to enable all our students to succeed. Our unwavering focus on this Mission is the key to our success. Everything we do is at the heart of this.
"I am most proud of the fact that Ofsted have judged that our outcomes for students are outstanding. This means that students are achieving their certificates and their learning goals and are progressing on to further study or in to employment. It also means that students are gaining the skills they need to thrive in an increasingly competitive world.
"We are at the heart of our community and serve all the people of Portsmouth. The success of our community depends on the success of its citizens. We believe that this is the part we play to make Portsmouth a great waterfront city and a great place to live, work and visit. I hope the outcome of this report will inspire more students to come to Highbury and achieve their ambitions, serve their community and be the best that they can be."
The Network would like to extend its congratulations to Stella for her tremendous achievement. | 
