THE Duchess of Cornwall went back to school in February and told guests at the new £26.5m St John’s School in Marlborough that she was so impressed with the building she wished she could stay there.

After touring the new school, whose opening in December saw a 10-year dream come true for headteacher Patrick Hazlewood, the Duchess unveiled a plaque and said: “I think this is an absolutely fabulous place and it almost makes me want to come back to school.”

But she was able to spend just an hour looking around the school before she carried out the official opening ceremony.

Wherever she went in the school she commented on the views across Marlborough and the countryside and in an art room on the second floor asked students how they managed to concentrate when the views were so distracting.

The Duchess was escorted around by Dr Hazlewood and she seemed impressed with St John’s for going it alone and raising all the money to build the new school with little help from the education authority.

One person she spoke to was new school project manager and bursar Barry Worth who told her he had spent nine years working on the project and that he was delighted with the finished building.

He said: “She asked me if I was pleased and I told her it was a million times better than I ever thought it would be. I told her of the day when we decided to go it alone, a day that I will never forget.”

In the theatre the Duchess enjoyed listening to students rehearsing Disco Inferno, which will be performed in March.

She also found time to chat to students in all the classrooms she visited.

In the sixth form block she spoke to Becci Thompson and Hazel Ingham who said: “She asked me what subjects I was doing and talked about art.”

In an art room she spoke to Briony Rosier and Lilli Pickett-Palmer, Year 12 students.

Briony said: “She looked at some of our photographs and we told her some were taken on a trip to Amsterdam last week.”

In a design and technology room she asked Giles Riley-Pitt, Year 11, who he was making a jewellery box for.

“I told her it was for my mother’s birthday,” Giles said.

At the end of her visit the Duchess signed the distinguished visitors’ book and unveiled a plaque.

As she departed all 1,500 students