Ratcliffe College was delighted to welcome HRH The Duke of Gloucester to officially open their new Preparatory School on Thursday. The College has invested £4.5 million in a new, state-of-the-art building for its Junior pupils, which opened its doors last September. Ratcliffe College Preparatory School, as the new school is now known, provides the latest and best technology and teaching facilities for children aged 3-11 years, in the safe, secure and beautiful setting of the College’s 200-acre estate in North Leicestershire on the A46.
The Duke was met by Headmaster, Mr Gareth Lloyd, Preparatory School Headmaster, Father Christopher Cann, and Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress of Charnwood, together with Governors and staff, and was greeted enthusiastically by the Preparatory School pupils singing “I Believe”. Architect, Mr David Franklin, who designed the new building, talked about his project with the Duke, who took a great interest, having previously trained in Architecture.
This was followed by a tour of the new building, where the Duke enjoyed interacting with pupils as they baked chocolate brownies in the Science and Food Technology Classroom, designed Puginesque tiles in the bespoke Arts and Crafts Studio, and performed Samba Drums in the Music Room.
Headmaster, Mr Gareth Lloyd said, “We have been honoured by presence of HRH The Duke of Gloucester today. It has been wonderful to share with him the vibrancy of this exceptional community within this award-winning facility!”