Loreto High School - Chorlton

Loreto Chorlton is a successful 11 – 16 Catholic co- educational, comprehensive high school located in South Manchester. We have high expectations for all our 750 students and are committed to finding and developing the talents they possess whilst supporting their academic progress and achievements. We have a talented and highly committed team of teachers and support staff that continually goes the extra mile to ensure that students have every opportunity to become their best selves: morally, spiritually and emotionally and we use gospel values to guide our actions.

As a comprehensive high school we naturally cater for students with a range of abilities and thus we are highly skilled practitioners in encouraging each and every student, regardless of their ability on entry, to make good progress and achieve a set of personal GCSE results that they can be proud of.

In addition to accessing a challenging curriculum we encourage our students to take part in extra-curricular activities so that they mature into well rounded individuals who are keen to explore and who can develop their interpersonal skills through team work and training. We offer a wide range of activities from football to jazz band so that there is something for everyone to choose from in the enrichment programme, which changes each term.

At Loreto Chorlton we are proud to be part of an international network of Loreto schools and colleges and we will work to interpret and apply the international guidelines for Loreto Education within the context of England in the early 21st century. Within our schools and college the story of Mary Ward will be re-interpreted to, and by, each new generation. Her vision and values will find expression in the experience offered to, and shaped by, our students, parents, staff and governors.

We are ambitious for our students not just in the context of academic excellence but also in the context of human possibilities, and as educators we will stretch hearts as well as minds.Loreto High School is a Roman Catholic secondary school provided by the Diocese of Salford and maintained by the Manchester Local Authority as a Voluntary Aided School. The school’s Governing Body is the Admissions Authority and is responsible for taking decisions on applications for admission to Loreto.

The pupil admission number for each year group is 150. When the school receives more applications than there are places available then places are allocated in line with the over-subscription criteria, published in the school’s admissions policy.

At Loreto, we recognise that our teachers are the key to success for our students and so each one is carefully handpicked for the qualities and talents that they can bring to the team. Loreto teachers are highly valued and well supported, which means that they can give their best to the students and willingly go the extra mile to ensure that students are successful and happy. In order to ensure that classroom standards remain high, teachers take part in continual professional development training. ‘Best Practice’ techniques are shared and evaluated amongst sta . Lessons are regularly observed and graded in line with the Ofsted criteria to ensure that students experience high quality teaching.

We encourage our students to become women and men who use their gifts and talents to make a difference both globally and locally; men and women of courage, who will challenge accepted notions and modes of society when they are at odds with the values for which we stand.We are part of the 400 year old Loreto Family which has a reputation for delivering excellence in education on an international basis. Our students have direct access to Loreto College (16-19), one of the top performing colleges in the country, which has talented subject specialist teachers, several of whom are nationally acclaimed for their work or are A-level examiners in their subject.

We believe we owe our success to a combination of factors including a rigorous academic curriculum; handpicked talented, enthusiastic and caring teachers and support staff; extensive professional development programmes to ensure consistently high standards; supportive parents who are happy with the school and most importantly students who are motivated to learn in a safe and well structured environment. We want our students to be aspirational for their futures and know they are valued and unique members of the Loreto Community.

The curriculum at Loreto High School is centred on our Catholic belief that each child is a unique individual in the eyes of God and is infused with the Loreto values of Freedom, Justice, Sincerity, Truth, Joy, Internationality and Excellence.

From the very beginning, our curriculum is designed to challenge students to achieve the very highest standards in academic subjects, physical education and the arts. We begin by getting to know our students before they even join us through our programme of workshops with the primary schools. This intensifies over the final term of Year 6 when a team of Year 7 teachers visit the primaries to meet the Year 6 teachers to discuss individual children, their talents and their targets for development.