THE south's leading agricultural college has been declared outstanding by Ofsted inspectors.

Students at Sparsholt College near Winchester study a wide variety of subjects related to animals, landscapes and the countryside in general.

Courses on offer range from fish management and forestry to horse management and horticulture.

The college is one of just a few sixth form and further education colleges in the country to be described as "outstanding" for its overall performance in leadership and management.

The glowing report for the college's further education courses follows hot on the heels of another for its excellent higher education programme.

Principal Tim Jackson said: "I am delighted that the commitment to the students and enthusiasm of the college staff has been recognised and rewarded in such complimentary terms.

"The college is recognised as having standards of teaching, learning and success of students which puts it in the top ten per cent of all further education colleges in the country.

"With this result coming so soon after the excellent and very complimentary report from the equivalent to Ofsted for university and higher education colleges, the QAA, the staff are absolutely delighted." Ofsted inspectors can choose from a number of grades - outstanding, good, satisfactory, unsatisfactory or very poor.

Sparsholt received "outstanding" and "good" grades for its specialised full-time and part-time provision, and "satisfactory" in work-based learning.