CHESHIRE East Council has pledged to offer a sixth form or college place or a job with training to every school leaver in 2015.

Last year the council made offers to 99 per cent of leavers, equating to nearly 4,000 leavers – the highest proportion ever – as part of the September guarantee process.

This has helped Cheshire East win the accolade of having the fewest NEETs (young people not in education, employment or training) in the north west, and bested by only four councils nationally.

Leader of the council, Cllr Michael Jones, said: “This year we will make offers to every leaver.

“It will be challenging but it is an essential part of our efforts to make sure that the number of NEETs in Cheshire East is kept to an absolute minimum.

“I want to ensure that the young people of Cheshire East are given the best possible chance to get the skills and training that will enable them to secure well paid jobs and lead fulfilling, rewarding and productive lives.”

The pledge follows news that Cheshire East’s schools are the third best in England, according to a ranking based on performance in Ofsted inspections.

Out of 141 primary and secondary schools in the borough that have been inspected under the education watchdog’s 2012 framework, 93.6 per cent were rated good or outstanding.

The only local authorities ranked higher were the City of London, where Ofsted inspected just one school, and the London Borough of Wandsworth, where 65 schools were rated.

And Cllr Jones said the council is aiming to improve on the outstanding figures to make the boroughs schools even better.

Cllr Jones added: “This is a fantastic accolade for our schools but we are not resting on our laurels. Our aim this year is for 97 per cent of our schools to be rated good or outstanding.

“Parents can be very proud of the work being done by heads, teachers, council officers and, of course, pupils, to improve standards.

“It’s a great time to be a child in Cheshire East because the quality of education on offer creates much greater opportunities.”