A COUNTY council has welcomed the findings of a recent inspection report.

The report, carried out by Estyn following an inspection in February, judged the Denbighshire County Council's leadership and management as excellent and the quality of education services as 'good'.

The report stated: "Denbighshire are strong across nearly all key indicators over several years in primary and secondary schools, and particularly at key stage four."

In its main findings, the report noted: "Pupils make strong progress over the course of their statutory education. Denbighshire local authority has a consistent focus on ensuring that children and young people achieve well."

Denbighshire was one of only two authorities to receive excellence for leadership in the last round of inspections and is the first to be awarded an excellent rating for leadership under a new inspection framework introduced across Wales.

Other highlights mentioned in the report were:

"The belief that ‘every child really matters’ permeates the work of the authority, and leaders, officers and staff demonstrate consistently a genuine sense of moral purpose that all learners should achieve their potential.

"The new 2017-2022 corporate plan demonstrates the council’s clear commitment to improving education, with one of its five main objectives being to develop Denbighshire as ‘a place where younger people will want to live and work and have the skills to do so".

The Council were also praised for knowing their schools "very well" and being able to challenge them effectively.

Recommendations put forward by Estyn included reducing the variability in outcomes in secondary schools.

Cllr Huw Hilditch-Roberts, cabinet lead member for Children, Young People and the Welsh Language, said: "The opportunities for our children and young people are at the heart of everything that we do. We want them to have the best education possible and have plenty of opportunity to thrive and develop as individuals.

"The report itself makes very positive reading and we must pay tribute to the tremendous amount of work that goes on in the local authority to support schools and ensure that all children receive the best than can with the resources available.

"The report does include a small number of recommendations, as we would expect and we will be drawing up an action plan to make these changes."