A Journey through Loretto

Dorothy Barbour, Assistant Head

A day at Loretto Nursery may be very short initially perhaps only an hour, but after the modest beginning the day develops to a morning of School, then a full day, as confidence grows together with enjoying a stimulating environment of indoor and outdoor activities and play. By Early Years, the day lasts until 3.15am, though an After School Club provides a carefully monitored environment for those who want to stay on until 6.30pm. The Framework for Nursery Specifications becomes seamlessly The Scottish 5-14 programme with its focus on English Language, Mathematics and Environmental Studies all taught by class teachers, while Expressive Arts (Art, Drama, Music and PE) involve specialist teachers, with activities like circle time in PSE to assist with developing feelings of trust and sharing. IT is fully integrated into all of these studies.

Besides academic studies, after school activities such as judo, squash, jewelry making, dance, drama are increasingly possible, and games played vary each term. Lorettonians are busy, encouraged to develop interests, skills and talents in the many opportunities available in the daily programme from the early days of Junior School onwards.

When Years 4-5 arrive, French is introduced, while Years 6 and 7 will involve further specialist teaching, now for Maths, English and Science. The full activity programme becomes available and forms a natural part of the day henceforward. The only problem is knowing which of the many activities to choose. Play rehearsals and music practice also to be fitted in. Games practices are important and matches increasingly feature in the week. Golf may be a choice; the on-site facilities for the Golf Academy make this easy during activity slots. Now too, there is a chance to flexi-board or occasionally overnight in School. This integration of School and home life is one of the best features at Loretto and makes the additional commitments so easy to undertake.

Moving up to Senior School seems a natural transition. Some of the senior staff are already known and Junior pupils have used the on-site facilities routinely. A tutor monitors progress and effort, seeing pupils each morning. There is a change in name: the youngest pupils are known as "Second Formers". With two academic classes in the year, rising to three in the Third Form, it is easy to get to know others but there are still several teams for games and so a good chance of selection.

There are now two boarding houses for Forms 3-5, one for girls - Holm - and one for boys - Seton; flexi-boarding or overnight stays are available and very enjoyable. Day pupils are in School House where the dining hall is and everyone mixes. There are "activity houses" too, named after former Headmasters: Mackintosh, Greenlees, Tristram, and Langhorne, they mix boarders, days, juniors and seniors. Often Songfest occurs early in the year so that everyone gets to know each other. The curriculum is bespoke and deliberately broad to enable sound choices to be made at the end of Third Form for GCSEs.

Boarders do formal supervised preps in the evening but day pupils can do prep in school in the integrated prep/activities programme, staying in school until 6.30pm, when life settles down a bit at least for the younger ones. This gives a busy programme with a good range of activities, a real advantage of the longer day. Educational trips are still important too, as they have been since the Junior School, with visits to Edinburgh and beyond. French exchanges and sports tours abroad are routine events.

GCSE courses formally begin in Fourth Form together with the opportunity to enroll on The Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme and Combined Cadet Force. New pupils have often joined school, broadening friendship groups further. For both major and minor games, there are matches and now increasing possibilities for choir or instrumental performances. Academically, there are projects and coursework folder deadlines to meet and modular exams as pupils move through Fourth Form and into Fifth. Learning to manage time and commitments is essential; using lunch hours and prep slots well becomes vital.

Lorettonians are all fairly fit and understand about nutrition, habits which began with Nursery snacks and continued through meals at lunch and tea with a choice of both hot and cold menus. Fifth Form is one of the most demanding years, with its full range of subjects and extensive range of co-curricular opportunities.

Additionally, some thought needs to be given to Lower Sixth, where four or five subjects only are to be chosen, with possible university courses and careers beyond the Sixth Form. An individual careers programme in Fifth Form helps in the process. In Lower Sixth, the senior boarding houses are Balcarres (girls) and Hope/Pinkie (boys), while day pupils continue in School House, with individual study rooms. There are many new pupils in Lower Sixth - quite a few from abroad, which makes life really interesting - but the classes remain small and so there is lots of interaction and discussion.

Subjects have modular exams from the January of Lower Sixth, and, however unwelcome, these give a clear guide to the progress being made. The Duke of Edinburgh Award at Gold is more demanding but everything is in Sixth Form: team and individual games, Pipe Band, music ensembles, dance groups: pupils target high standards. As Upper Sixth begins, pupils cope with work, games, activities and the completion of UCAS forms, making choice of courses and universities, whether in Scotland, other parts of Britain or abroad. Much of the process is done on-line, drawing on IT skills developed throughout school.

The journey through Loretto is fulfilling and many leavers re-visit the Junior School to recall early days affectionately. School years have been coherent, rewarding and rich in opportunities to develop individual potential to the full before embarking on the next stage of the educational journey. Perhaps best of all, friendships that will last through the times ahead are a natural part of the process.