Julian Appleyard receives his OBE from the Queen at Buckingham Palace

Julian Appleyard receives his OBE

Julian Appleyard, Rochdale Sixth Form College Principal, visited Buckingham Palace for his official investiture where the Her Majesty the Queen presented him with his OBE.

Mr Appleyard OBE said: “It was very humbling and a surreal moment to go to the Palace and to have the honour presented by the Queen. It was a great experience for both myself, my partner and children who travelled down with me – we had a great day and it is something that I will remember forever. The honour is recognition of the commitment of staff, students and governors of the college – it is very much a team effort.”

Julian Appleyard was announced as an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire during the Queen’s 90th Birthday Honours list in June this year.

After being made Founding Principal of the College in 2009, Mr Appleyard oversaw the pre-opening phase of the college that opened its doors for the first time back in 2010.

Since opening, the college has certainly put Rochdale on the map for outstanding A Level achievement. The A level performance of the Borough has been transformed from its very low ranking position prior to 2010. In 2016, the college was unprecedented in the country for being the first placed sixth form college for three consecutive years to top the Department for Education performance tables for A level progress.