The Riley Centre

The Riley Centre: A Year on

Riley Centre Offi cially Opened

On Tuesday 17th June, the School’s stateof-the-art £7m Riley Sixth Form Centre was offi cially opened by benefactor and Old Boy, Mr Ian Riley. The lunchtime celebration was led by the Headmistress of the Girls’ Division, Sue Hincks, and the School’s new Head Girl, Jessica Melling and Captain, Paul Greenhalgh. All lavished praise on the centre, which opened for use in September 2013, and spoke of how it provides the best of both worlds - a hub for social activities and study whilst, allowing the School to retain single sex teaching. Chairman of Governors Mr Michael Griffi ths, an Old Boy and former School Captain himself, then offered thanks to the Alumni and friends of the School who had offered substantial contributions to fund the construction of the stunning elliptical glass-fronted building. The centre, which includes an ICT suite, seminar rooms with touch-screen televisions, quiet study areas, a common room, a refectory cafe area, exhibition space and the main school reception, links with the Senior Girls’ and Senior Boys’ Schools by two-tier walkways and completes Lord Leverhulme’s original vision of a central quadrangle based on the colleges of Oxford and Cambridge. A plaque was unveiled in the Sixth Form Centre Reception by Mr Riley in front of dozens of guests that included donors, governors, present and former Head Teachers, current and past pupils as well as other friends of the school.

The celebrations continued with guests enjoying a buffet lunch whilst being entertained by the Junior Saxophone Quartet. Headmaster of the Boys’ Division, Philip Britton, then brought the event to a close by offi cially dedicating the large multi-functional space on the ground fl oor of the building as the Leverhulme Suite.

Raeesah Taylor, Year 12, says: “ Well, I can certainly say it demands attention. Standing proudly in the centre of both divisions, looking sleek and sophisticated, with its two-tiered glass walkways; it’s defi nitely not something that you can ignore! The inside has an aesthetically pleasing café and ‘lounging’ area. Along with the study area on the second fl oor, which consists of individual study spaces, ICT facilities and booths for “group work”, there are offi ces for members of staff. I must say that it’s part of the school that sixth formers would now struggle without.” Rachael Ward, Year 12, says: “ The building fi nally provides a physical bond between both the Boys Division and Girls Division, which, before now, seemed more like two separate schools. Having the Sixth-Form boys and girls mixed during breaks and lunches whilst maintaining single-sex education in lessons, is advantageous, as it adheres to the traditional ways of the school for learning, but allows room for new friendships and a new environment during our free time. The new Sixth-Form centre has proven popular amongst both pupils and staff. In light of this, we, as students, will look after the centre so that future Sixth-Formers can appreciate and enjoy it just as much as we have.