A COLLEGE which faced closure after it was branded inadequate is turning its fortunes around.

Dv8 Sussex in Queen Square, Brighton, was given the lowest possible grade by Ofsted inspectors in November.

The report “triggered a process” whereby its funding for students was withdrawn.

But inspectors, who visited the college again in May, said it has made a number of improvements.

And following a successful campaign, the college has been told its funding is now set to be reinstated.

College boss Dan Wallman praised parents, students and staff for the dramatic turnaround.

He said: “This really is exceptional, with only a handful of private training providers having previously been allowed to continue to be funded under these circumstances.

“It’s important to say how hard everyone has worked at Dv8 to sort out the issues Ofsted highlighted.

“There are still a few tips to improve further but many of those have already been actioned.”

Following the inadequate Ofsted rating and withdrawal of funding from the Education and Skills Funding Agency, a petition to save the college from closure was set up.

It was signed by nearly 3,000 people.

Mr Wallman said: “We saw hundreds and hundreds of parents and young people saying Dv8 was the only place their son or daughter could have been successful and without it, they would not be where they are now.

“We’re really positive and we want people to know this is a great place to learn and we have responded quickly to everything that has been said.

“Now we’re looking forward to brighter times.”

The November Ofsted report rated the college as inadequate in three of its five criteria.

It said tutors did not have high enough expectations for their learners and too few students achieved high grades in GCSE English and maths.

The May inspection was only a “monitoring visit”.

It was not to give the college a new rating but to assess how the college was improving.

It said: “Leaders have rapidly improved the use of targets to hasten improvement.

“Managers’ strong focus on improving the teaching of English and mathematics has led to improvement.

“Most students benefit from work placements, a significant improvement since the previous inspection.”

It said that to improve further, the college must “continue to develop schemes of work and approaches that make

students think more positively about the value of improving their English and mathematics skills”.

Dv8 is a college for young people aged 16 to 18 who want to pursue a career in media, fashion, events management, music or games development.