SINGAPORE - Lasalle College of the Arts has become the second institution to win the EduTrust Star - the highest mark of quality awarded to a private school in Singapore.

It was awarded after a review of the college's processes by a panel of seven assessors over three days in August.

In April, James Cook University Singapore was the first to be given the award, which was introduced in 2009 by the Council for Private Education (CPE), the statutory board that regulates the more than 300 private schools here.

Lasalle is the first local institution to be given the EduTrust Star, which is valid for four years. The award is given to an institution for excelling in all key areas of management and providing quality education services, according to the CPE. This includes student protection and support services, as well as organisational processes and curriculum.

In a statement on Thursday, Lasalle said the award marks a milestone in its 31-year-old history, which has seen its cohort grow from 27 students in 1984 to 2,600 today.

Lasalle chairman Peter Seah said the award "is a timely recognition of how far the College has come in its journey towards excellence".

He added that the school will continue to develop and contribute to Singapore's "creative dimension".

Lasalle president, Professor Steve Dixon, said that it "affirms our unwavering commitment to our students, who deserve the best in a quality art education in Singapore".

The CPE, started in 2009 to lift the standards of private schools, has an appraisal system made up of three levels of awards. They are EduTrust provisional, which is valid for only one year, as well as EduTrust, and EduTrust Star, both valid for four years.