Foremarke Hall’s new Quad development has been praised by HRH the Duke of Kent KG who visited the top South Derbyshire independent school yesterday (Tuesday September 24) to declare it officially open.
On arriving at Foremarke Hall, Repton’s preparatory school, the Duke was greeted by flag-waving pupils from the pre-prep department. “He asked me what I had been doing and I told him painting!” said six-year-old Jacob Ingleston.
Having chatted to several of the pupils, the Duke was then escorted into the new Quad building by Foremarke Hall Headmaster Richard Merriman.
The £6m facility houses a contemporary music facility, the languages department, the school’s English and humanities departments, a new art block complete with kiln, a designated ICT suite for design and technology and a Greenpower garage for Foremarke’s award-winning electric cars.
The Duke saw Greenpower team members working on one of their vehicles, asking questions about battery life, speeds achieved and if everyone has a go at driving.
He then moved into the Art department, where scholars were at work, and finally enjoyed a performance of “I Believe” by the Chamber Choir.
Susan Bloor, Director of Music at Foremarke Hall said: “HRH thoroughly enjoyed the musical performance. He spoke to many members of our Advanced Chamber Ensemble who regularly perform at charity events, including most recently at Chatsworth.”
The Duke walked from listening to the choir in the Performance Hall onto the outdoor performance area, around which guests, members of staff and all of school’s pupils had gathered to wave flags and cheer.
HRH unveiled a plaque to declare the Quad officially open.
Commenting on the visit, Mr Merriman said: “The Duke was enthralled with our Greenpower Racing project and had a wonderful conversation with Sue Tucker, our Head of Art, about his memories of pottery making as a child. He remarked about the wide range and quality of facilities available to our pupils.
“This was a very special day for Foremarke, seeing our wonderful facilities officially opened puts us at the pinnacle of prep school education.”