A special guest of honour officially opened Kingsmeadow Community School’s newly built Sixth Form and classroom block on Monday 17 February 2025.
In recent years the school has enjoyed a growth in its Sixth Form student numbers and now has the biggest cohort in the school’s history. The new building is giving a boost to current students by helping them to further develop their study skills through state-of-the-art, dedicated spaces that allow for more one-to-one time with teachers and support staff. Dedicated catering facilities and a social area are available to the students too.
Riley Jones, an ex-student and star of stage and TV, including his role as DC Mark Edwards in ITV’s top crime drama television series Vera, performed the opening ceremony in front of students, members of the building team, senior leaders from Gateshead Council and the Right Honourable Mark Ferguson, the MP for Gateshead Central and Whickham.
Riley said: “It’s an absolute honour to be invited to the official opening of Kingsmeadow’s new Sixth Form building. As a former student and one of the first to attend Sixth Form here under the CG6 initiative, this moment feels even more poignant. I have so many great memories from my time at Kingsmeadow, and it’s amazing to see how much the school has grown. This new building is a huge step forward, giving future students even more opportunities. Kingsmeadow has always been a supportive and inspiring place, and I’m proud to be here today to celebrate this exciting new chapter.”
Mr Barrett, Kingsmeadow’s Headteacher said: ”Although we are formally opening the building today, the current sixth form students have been enjoying these facilities for a number of weeks and their pride in it is tangible. This building helps us to continue to deliver excellent education and extra-curricular support to students in their post-16 education. It represents a significant commitment from Kingsmeadow Community School, and from Gateshead Council, in the future of the young people of west Gateshead.”
Sarah Diggle, Chair of the Board of Governors said: “We are delighted that our new sixth form centre is up and running. It is a significant addition to the school’s facilities, designed to provide up to the minute accommodation and technology for our older students. We hope that it will encourage many more students in years to come to aspire to stay on at school to complete sixth form studies.”