A COLLEGE going from strength to strength is how education secretary Ruth Kelly described Huddersfield New College during a visit yesterday.

Ms Kelly spent more than an hour at the Salendine Nook college meeting students and looking at the facilities on offer.

"I'm really impressed by what I've seen and have enjoyed myself meeting the students and staff here," she said.

"There has been a huge amount of investment here and this is obviously a college going from strength to strength."

Ms Kelly said Huddersfield New College was obviously a successful model for providing students with routes to good, rewarding careers in the future.

She said the college was clearly providing very good facilities for all those students attending.

Colne Valley MP Kali Mountford who accompanied Ms Kelly during the visit said the education secretary thought Huddersfield New College was a model that could be used by other sixth form sector facilities up and down the country.

"They are offered the whole breadth of courses here and students can pick and mix to get something tailored to their needs," she said.

Ms Kelly's visit included lunch with the college principal Philip Forrest and a tour of the college including sports hall, ICT block, library, careers and guidance suite and the performing arts building The Boilerhouse.

Ms Kelly's visit to Huddersfield also included a visit later to Greenhead College.

When asked about the contents of the White Paper on education revealed last week which aimed to make state schools as good as private schools, she said more details would be revealed soon.