Olympic gold medalist Tom Ransley returned to his old school to open their redesigned building.

The rower who won gold for Team GB at the 2016 Rio Olympics is a former pupil of Dulwich School in Cranbrook.

He returned to his alma mater to open the school’s revamped Coursehorn building.

Mr Ransley, who is from Ashford and now works as the editor-in-chief of rowing magazine, Row 360, entertained an audience of visitors, alumni and current students with anecdotes about his time at the school, his rowing career and his life since his retirement from the sport.

The former Cambridge Blue already had two world championships and one European crown, plus a Bronze medal from the 2012 London Olympics in his trophy cupboard before he even stepped foot in Brazil for the Olympics.

The event marked the beginning of a new era for Dulwich as it prepares to expand from a prep school, catering for three to 13-year-olds, to add a senior school, taking pupils up to GCSE level.

The Coursehorn Building, originally just a set of classrooms, has been redesigned to include a common room, known as the Henley Cafe, for the new senior students.

The classrooms have been equipped with whiteboards and state-of-the-art equipment, and there are “breakout spaces” for children to socialise and work in small groups, along with light and bright senior staff offices.

The building work started in January and was completed in time for the first intake of Year 9 students this September.

As they move on in the coming two years, the school will expand year by year to teach children up to Year 11.

The school also has a new headmistress, Sophie Bradshaw.

The senior school building was buzzing with activity on the day of Mr Ransley’s visit as students showcased their work to their guests with a range of practical demonstrations and interactive projects.

There was an exhibition of artefacts and memorabilia from Dulwich dating from the school’s inception in 1939.

The school’s Greenpower Team presented the chassis of their electric car, while the art department encouraged guests to create their own clay tiles as a reminder of their visit.

The day concluded with a panel of Dulwich alumni discussing the school ethos of leaning into one’s strengths and preparing students for the world of work.

The panel comprised Mr Ransley (1991-2000), senior ship charterer Kristina Chapple (1989-1998), climate tech entrepreneur Ben Bardsley (1992-1999) and the editor of the Wealden Times, Lucy Fleming (1989-1998).

During his tour of the school, Mr Ransley met Year 3 pupils who were having a sports lesson.

He allowed some of them to try on his Gold and Bronze Olympic medals for size.