GIRLS are schooling in style following a £1.1m extension to their home from home.
Proud boarders at Ripon Grammar School have shown off the development at Johnson House, which has created an additional 15 boarding places for girls.
The investment provides single rooms for sixth formers at the school, which is the only state boarding school in Yorkshire and one of only 36 in England.
The extension includes a garden decking area, social space, a kitchen and bathrooms with easy access to the boarding house prep room, dining hall and lounge.
Beattie Knights, 17, of Pickering, who joined the Grammar School in the sixth form, said: "I love the close relationship I have with my friends but it's nice to have your own space, especially new space like this.
“Boarding is fantastic preparation for university and gives you a taste of independence without the full responsibility of having to look after yourself."
Yaz Ebert, 17, from Leeds, has boarded since Year 7 and, now she is in Year 13, was allocated one of the new rooms.
"When I started I was in an eight-bed room, then in a room for four girls and then, until this year, shared with one other person, so I've tried all the different ways of boarding. The best thing about it is the social aspect, I've made lifelong friends here.
"The new rooms are clean and modern and I like the automatic taps in the bathroom. I make my lunch in the kitchen and we sit together to watch TV in the new social area," said Yaz.
At the official opening of the extension, headmaster Martin Pearman said it meant the school could now meet its target of 100 boarders, both boys and girls.
"Ripon Grammar School is another post-16 option for families across Yorkshire, combining first class education with boarding in excellent, modern facilities.
"Boarding really does bring its own sense of community, and it enhances the wider school community; it's a real strength of RGS," he added.
The extension was supported by North Yorkshire County Council and designed by architect Mike Kettlewell, with furniture supplied by Ellis, of Huddersfield, and the orchard garden by donations from Valeria Sykes and Colin Little.
Pete Dwyer, corporate director of children and young people's services at the county council, said: "As an authority we wanted to be part of this exciting development.
"My passion is about the education community of North Yorkshire and we should be judged on our ability to create great education for all. My thanks go to this school and this headmaster for the contribution they make to that education community, for their professional generosity and willingness to spend time on the improvement of others."