A SMALL college in Okehampton is celebrating its exam results and looking forward to new courses in the Autumn.
Students at the Institute for Horticultural and Rural Studies have achieved a 100% pass rate in the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) General Certificate in horticulture, for the second year running ?with nearly half the students being awarded a credit.
The college is now preparing to launch a new part-time course in planting design aimed at mature students, which will be taught, from October, by award winning garden designer and head of garden design Naila Green and principal Dr Christine Russell.
The culmination of the course will be the design and construction of a show garden for a major RHS show ? hopefully Chelsea.
Stan Henderson, director of studies, said: ?As far as we, and the RHS, are aware, no other college has achieved exam results like these and certainly not a small college in Devon.
?The exciting garden design project is also, as far as we know, a ?first? in the field of garden design education and we expect strong competition for the 20 places available.?
The college has also been approved as an NVQ and City and Guilds centre and from September will offer a range of these qualifications.
Mr Henderson described their addition to the college?s programme as an important new learning resource for the area.