You would have thought that the staff of a college which has achieved a suite of grade 1s at its Ofsted inspection would be only too keen to celebrate. Not so the teachers and tutors at Loreto College. ‘I had suggested we finish early one Friday afternoon and have a small celebration,’ reveals principal Ann Clynch. ‘But my staff said they didn’t want to give up time which they felt would be better spent teaching.’ This sense of dedication has played a major part in the college’s ascent to the pinnacle of sixth form education.

 

Part of an international network of Catholic schools and colleges, Loreto College has occupied the same site in Manchester for nearly 160 years. Of the original buildings, only the chapel remains, a quiet haven on a modern, bustling campus serving nearly 2,000 students. Among many accolades, Loreto was the first college in Manchester to be awarded Beacon Status, and in terms of the ‘value added’ measure of the progress students make between different stages of their education, it is the leading sixth form college in the country.

 

Loreto’s success is best illustrated by one telling statistic: its students’ A-level results are nearly two grades higher than the national average. Another significant figure is that 98 per cent of Loreto’s students will complete a second year of study, progressing from AS to A2 courses.

 

One of the key factors behind Loreto’s academic success is its innovative use of information and learning technology (ILT) to enhance teaching and learning across the curriculum. In a French class being taught by Ken Knight, head of modern languages, there isn’t a textbook in sight. In fact, apart from dictionaries, his students will be able to complete their course without leafing through a single book. ‘I’ve tried teaching with textbooks but I don’t like them,’ Ken explains. ‘I use learning materials collated from the internet. The resources available online are wonderful. For homework my students will visit websites where they can practise what I have taught them. If they put the wrong ending on a verb, they will receive an instant correction. It’s a much better way of learning than doing hours of work on paper which they won’t know whether it’s right or wrong until after it has been handed in and marked.’

 

Having taught French for most of his career with chalk in hand, Ken now uses an interactive whiteboard. Everything he writes on the board during a lesson can be saved and emailed to students. Exercises completed by students on the classroom’s computers can be uploaded and displayed, anonymously if preferred. Ken, who is also the college’s ILT manager, believes such technology is ‘indispensable’ to effective teaching. ‘Students are more motivated and you get better results,’ he adds. ‘We use technology successfully because we haven’t got the tail wagging the dog. In other institutions the IT people tell you what they can do and you’re expected to fit your teaching around that. Here, we find out what teachers want to achieve and then provide the hardware or software that meets their needs.’

 

A good example of how Loreto challenges and supports students in equal measure is proved by its Pathways unit. It runs a two-year programme for young people aged 16 to 21 with mild to severe learning difficulties and disabilities, teaching them the everyday skills they will need to live independently. The unit’s facilities include a mocked-up flat, complete with kitchen, bedroom and bathroom, where the students learn how to cook and clean. Angela Syrat, head of the department, says, ‘Most of our students have been in special schools throughout their lives and lived in very sheltered environments. We push them to do things they have never done before.’ By the end of the course, nearly all the students are able to travel independently for the first time. To their parents’ delight, many will defy previous expectations placed upon them by gaining paid employment. Others will progress to further education or university.

 

The wide diversity of young people at Loreto College is apparent when Angela’s students can be seen socialising with – and learning alongside – students, for example, destined for Oxford or Cambridge.

 

Everybody also attends weekly lessons on religious education, bringing together students of all faiths, or none. While based on Catholic values, these lessons give an opportunity for students to discover other cultures and religions, helping them to appreciate one another’s views and differences. In addition, large numbers of students give up their spare time to support charitable causes and projects in the local community, further developing their moral and social awareness. This emphasis on personal and spiritual development has, in Ofsted’s eyes, created ‘a harmonious and diverse community in which students thrive. Their generosity, tolerance and respect for each other are exemplary. Students make exceptional progress during their time at Loreto.’