Warwickshire News Mine

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From the Far East to North Leamington

A delegation of dignitaries from China have been shown around North Leamington Community School and Arts College by headteacher David Hazeldine during an official visit to Warwickshire.

Visiting as the school gears up for the start of term, the six-strong party included Liang Jian, Director of People’s Congress Standing Committee of Ruyuan Yao Autonomous County, Vice Governor Li Bin and education chief Lin Jianhua.

They were hosted by Warwickshire County Council’s International Development Officer Judith Young, and welcomed by the council’s Cabinet member Cllr Izzi Seccombe, Head of Education Bob Hooper, and Rugby High headteacher Charlotte Marten.

North Leamington is a £30 million ‘school for the 21st century’ setting new standards for Warwickshire schools as the most eco-friendly school ever built in the county. The school accommodates 1,500 11-18 year-olds at the new Sandy Lane location.

The delegates were particularly interested in its many outstanding features which include a 400-seat theatre, large sports hall, full-size all-weather surface, an adult learning/sixth-form centre and the four separate specialist faculty buildings for Maths and Science, Languages and Humanities and Art, and Design and Technology and Engineering.

During the visit, Mr Jian and his fellow VIPs were given a tour of the Shakespeare’s Stratford, were guests at a civic lunch at Shire Hall in Warwick, and shown around Jaguar Land Rover’s Coventry plant.