When Oxford and Cherwell College was formed out of three different colleges -- two of which were failing -- there was little time before Ofsted inspectors were knocking at the door.

It rose to the challenge, turning itself around in just 14 months.

Inspectors found significant improvements in teaching standards, exam results and staff morale.

There is still a long way to go to before the college can fully address its weaknesses and achieve the excellence it strives for.

But it is already giving young people and adult learners in Oxfordshire a better deal.

It is a tribute to principal Sally Dicketts and her team that the college has shown it is better than the sum of its parts.