EDUCATION secretary Justine Greening visited West Somerset to investigate how the government's opportunity area funding could be used to improve outcomes for youngsters.

The Conservative cabinet member said she was impressed with the turnaround at West Somerset College, and wanted to see how it could be helped to progress further from 'Good' to 'Outstanding'.

The Gazette sat down with the Secretary of State during her visit to West Somerset College where she had a discussion with pupils bout their hopes aspirations and thoughts on the college.

"West Somerset is one of our 12 opportunity areas and it is really important to see for myself the work that is now underway, but also important to come to colleges like this to see the young people that we are trying to help with the scheme," Ms Greening said.

"We will be working to ensure our national programmes are working here, but also we want to work with local stakeholders so that we have a tailored plan that will really work for West Somerset, with all of its challenges that come with being set in a rural area."

Ms Greening said that it was important to particularly look around Early Years education, and make sure that the schools that feed the college are turning out children ready to do well when they get here.

Following discussions with students Ms Greening and MP Ian Liddell-Grainger said they would look speaking to EDF to discuss more people coming in to discuss the career opportunities available, and also trying to arrange more site visits for the pupils.

"If you can bring employers into schools you can give young people a clearer sense of the opportunities available and what they need to do to seize those opportunities," Ms Greening said.

"The great advantage in this opportunity area is that it is in the middle of massive investment which is flowing into whole area which is going to create great opportunities for work."

She said as well as bringing in companies, money would be invested to ensure there was strong careers advice, mentoring and work experience opportunities for young people.

Ms Greening had met the evening before with the principal and vice-principal at Bridgwater and Taunton College and had discussed the proposal of a new University for Somerset.

"I think it is a really interesting idea that I have seen work in other parts on the country.

"I was recently in Scarborough and the University of Coventry now has a satellite site there that is doing very well and sounded very similar to the concept the one being proposed in Somerset."

MP Ian Liddell-Grainger accompanied Ms Greening on her visit, and said the turnaround at the college was remarkable.

"The fact is that the Bridgwater College team has achieved a wholly remarkable transformation in taking over the running of West Somerset College,” he said.

“It has gone from a college which without a shadow of doubt was failing and with an enormous accumulation of problems which no-one had seen fit to tackle to an establishment which is now providing outstanding levels of education for its students.

“Similarly the arrangement between Minehead Middle School and Danesfield is a happy, successful and efficient one which is delivering a great many benefits for children in the crucial nine to 13 age range.

“I have little doubt that here are two models from which many other schools in the country could learn a great deal.”

West Somerset Community College which has now been placed under the wing of Bridgwater College after running into severe administrative and financial problems three years ago.