Loreto Grammar School

{{About|a school in Greater Manchester|the school in Northern Ireland with the same name|Loreto Grammar School (Omagh, Northern Ireland)}}

{{Infobox school

| name = Loreto Grammar School

(Catholic grammar school)

| image = School sign in Altrincham - geograph.org.uk - 3735565.jpg

| image_size =

| coordinates = {{coord|53.38824|-2.35725|type:edu_region:GB_dim:100|format=dms|display=inline,title}}

| motto = "Women in time to come will do much"

| established = 1909

| closed =

| type = Grammar school;
Academy

| religious_affiliation = Roman Catholic

| president =

| head_label = Headteacher

| head = Jane Beever

| address = Dunham Road

| city = Altrincham

| county = Greater Manchester

| country = England

| postcode = WA14 4AH

| ofsted = yes

| urn = 138464

| staff =

| enrolment = 1053

| gender = Girls

| lower_age = 11

| upper_age = 18

| houses =

| colours = Navy, Burgundy, Cream and White

| publication =

| website = http://www.loretogrammar.co.uk/

}}

Loreto Grammar School is located in Trafford, England. Pupils must sit an entrance exam to enter, and fulfil several other entry criteria. It is part of the worldwide Loreto community, and the Altrincham school was founded by the Sisters of Loreto in 1909. It has also assumed the status of an academy (30 August 2012) and is a specialist school for maths and science.{{Cite web |date=January 2016 |title=HEAD OF CLASSICS: Information for candidates |url=https://www.theclassicslibrary.com/jobs%20files/Information%20for%20Candidates%20(Jan%202016).pdf}}

The school's values are justice, truth, sincerity, freedom, joy, and more recently excellence and internationality.{{Cite web|url=http://www.loretogrammar.co.uk/192/ethos-values|title=Ethos & Values - Loreto Grammar School|website=www.loretogrammar.co.uk|language=en|access-date=2018-09-04}}

At the school there are 1050 students and 100 staff members. Loreto is also part of a bigger, worldwide community which was founded by Mary Ward and this consists of over 120 schools and 70,000 students.{{Cite web|url=http://www.loretogrammar.co.uk/191/welcome-from-the-headteacher|title=Welcome from the Headteacher - Loreto Grammar School|website=www.loretogrammar.co.uk|language=en|access-date=2018-09-04}}

The 266 students of the school's sixth form are expected to support the ethos and values of the school and show the ability to follow an academic AS/A2 level course or the International Baccalaureate course.

The school was described in its 2005 Ofsted report as "outstanding with an outstanding sixth form".{{cite web |url=http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/reports/pdf/?inspectionNumber=277546&providerCategoryID=8192&fileName=\\school\\106\\s5_106378_20060104.pdf |title=Loreto Grammar School for Girls inspection report |publisher=Ofsted |date=9 December 2005 |format=PDF | accessdate = 18 July 2007}} In its next report in 2008 Ofsted remarked "This is an outstandingly effective school. It has improved substantially since the last inspection and has demonstrated excellent capacity to develop further".{{cite web |url=http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/files/920089/urn/106378.pdf |title=Loreto Grammar School for Girls inspection report |publisher=Ofsted |date=11 November 2008 |format=PDF |accessdate=17 March 2012 |archive-url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20111109041543/http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/filedownloading/?id%3D920089%26type%3D1%26refer%3D0 |archive-date=9 November 2011 |url-status=dead }}

History

=Independent school=

The school was called Loreto Convent Grammar School, Bowdon, in the 1950s; the school was not a direct grant grammar school, but an independent catholic school, not a state school. Girls would attend from as far away as Warrington and Alderley Edge in the 1950s.Manchester Evening News Friday 12 October 1956, page 1 It was a Cheshire school, playing netball against teams such as Northwich County Grammar School for Girls.

Sport was emphasised, and competitions would take place against Wirral schools, then likewise in Cheshire.Winsford Chronicle Saturday 30 September 1961, page 3 A similar type of school today would be Alderley Edge School for Girls, a catholic girls school, or the former Culcheth Hall School.

New buildings were built in the early 1970s, costing around £250,000. The school included a prep school section. In the late 1970s Stockport council sent catholic assisted places to the school.Wilmslow Advertiser Thursday 14 December 1978, page 22 The school was called Loreto Convent Grammar School in the early 1990s. Local councils bought catholic places at the school.

=State school=

In around 1997 the school became a grant-maintained state school.

Notable former pupils

Suzanne Charlton, former BBC weather presenter, daughter of Sir Bobby Charlton
Jade Clarke, England netball captain 2020, also plays for Surrey Storm netball club
Antonia Quirke, film critic, TV and radio presenter
Anna Scaife, professor of radio astronomy at the University of Manchester, winner of the 2018 Jackson-Gwilt Medal
Nina Warhurst, BBC Breakfast presenter