POP superstar Sting was back in the classroom when he returned to his North-East roots yesterday.
The former teacher, whose real name is Gordon Sumner, was on Tyneside to officially open the new performing arts centre at Newcastle College.
The 53-year-old visited the college ahead of his concert at the Metro Radio Arena last night.
Sting, who is a musical advisor to the college, spent 15 minutes at the centre, with an audience of 200 dignitaries from the region.
They watched performances including a piece by the students combining all the performing arts disciplines, and an excerpt from Romeo and Juliet by the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Caroline Anderson, of the college, said: "Sting is a long-standing friend of the college.
"We asked him to do the official opening because we wanted to thank him for his continued support. As usual, he was absolutely fantastic.
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