STUDENTS and staff at Cranbourne business and Enterprise College are celebrating after getting top marks in a new intensive Ofsted inspection.

After spending two days at the school, the Ofsted team awarded staff the highest grade possible for encouraging pupils to actively take on responsibilities and make contributions to the running of the college.

The watchdogs praised staff at the school, in Wessex Road, Basingstoke, for helping students with learning difficulties or disabilities succeed, as well as other pupils, and for offering extremely good care, guidance and support to vulnerable students or those going through difficult periods.

The school, which has 1,153 pupils aged from 11 to 16, was granted specialist business and enterprise status last year and was last inspected by Ofsted six years ago.

Headteacher Ann Morrison said: "We were looking forward to showing Ofsted the significant improvements we have made since becoming a business and enterprise college.

"It was good to have external confirmation that we offer a good, imaginative curriculum and a wide range of opportunities as well as providing a safe environment for learning.

"The challenge for us now is to improve still further in our second year as a business and enterprise college."

To further improve the school, Ofsted asked the staff to continue developing ways parents can contribute towards their children's learning and to improve the consistency of marking work and monitoring students' progress.

It has also recommended that the school continues to implement various initiatives linked to homework, dealing with bullying and responsibilities.

Cranbourne was the second school in the county to undergo the intensive short-notice inspections that were introduced earlier this year.

First published: Thursday, November 17, 2005