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HRH the Duke of Kent, KG officially opens £18 million Barnsley Sixth Form College campus

We welcomed the HRH The Duke of Kent, KG on Wednesday 9 November 2016 at a Grand Launch ceremony.

His Royal Highness was presented by the Lord-Lieutenant to leading figures in Barnsley including Councillor Linda Burgess, the Worshipful the Mayor of Barnsley; Dan Jarvis, Member of Parliament for Barnsley Central and Chris Webb, Principal of Barnsley College.

The Duke was accompanied on a tour of the £18m Sixth Form College by Principal Liz Leek, where he spoke to current students around the college before meeting staff in ‘The Nucleus’, library.

Following the tour His Royal Highness unveiled the commemorative plaque in front of invited dignitaries, students and staff in the EnRich Auditorium. He was then invited to sign the visitor’s book by current PE, Film Studies and English Combined AS Level student, Megan Tinker.

Megan said: “I was really excited to meet His Royal Highness. It’s a great opportunity and I’m pleased I was chosen to be a part of this event.”

Megan and fellow student Helena Hunter were chosen to dine with His Royal Highness and the Royal Party, which was prepared and served by Catering and Hospitality students.

Helena, a current A Level student studying English Literature, History and Drama and Theatre Studies, added: “I felt really honoured to be chosen to have lunch with The Duke and represent the college at this momentous event.”

Barnsley Sixth Form College Principal Liz Leek said: “It was a pleasure to welcome His Royal Highness The Duke of Kent to our college. The staff and students are extremely proud to be involved in this very special occasion. At Barnsley Sixth Form College we put our students at the heart of everything we do, and it’s always a joy to hear them speaking so passionately about how wonderful the campus is. I feel privileged to be the Principal and to be a part of this fantastic learning community.”

The £18m Sixth Form College campus on St Mary’s Place, has been open to students since January 2016 and in August it celebrated an excellent set of A Level results with the overall pass rate of 99%, with 100% pass rate in 24 out of 27 subjects.