Looking Forward - Looking Back

This the first Half Termly newsletter sharing all the news from the Sixth Form at Loreto College. We will be celebrating all things Key Stage 5 over past Half Term while looking forward to what is planned for the term ahead. We hope this will be a record of achievement as well as planner for the term ahead and would welcome any ideas or articles for inclusion for future newsletters.

The Sixth Form Team wishes you all a very happy and restful Christmas.

See you in 2026!

We made it! The end of the Autumn Term is upon us and what a busy one it was. The term began with the Year 12 Induction Trip to Thorpe Park and ended with our celebration assembly, Advent Service and the Christmas Revue. It was a wonderful end of term giving us a time to reflect and celebrate our successes over the past few months. Between the Thorpe Park Trip and the Christmas Festivities, there has been so much to celebrate -

- Over 70 UCAS applications with so many of our students receiving brilliant offers from universities across the country.

- Students participating in a range of careers activities and some even beginning to organise their own work experience placements in the forthcoming months ahead.

- So many of our Sixth Form students contributing to the Loreto Community, whether that is readings in formation time, writing prayers for other years groups, acting as academic prefects, listening to younger students read and so many other activities which makes our College such a joyful community.

- Never forget those more public events such as the Christmas Revue, the Cake Sale to raise funds for Loreto Rumbek or the Deck the [Sixth Form] Halls which showcase our students' talents in so many ways.

Now it is time to rest, recharge those batteries and spend time with family and friends. On behalf of the Sixth Form Team, may I take this opportunity to wish everyone who is part of the Loreto Community a peaceful and tickety-boo holiday.

Festive greetings

Mr. Mahon

Through studying a variety of strategies in the VESPA mindset during PSHE and Morning Registration, Year 12 and 13 students have developed ideas on independence and taking charge of their learning which are vital in being able to take informed decisions.

The Sixth Form have been involved in a variety of charity work, such as the Cake Sale and volunteering as Subject Prefects and WoW Reps, which develop relationships based on respect and compassion.

The Sixth Form have participated in a series of new lessons for PSHE - for Year 12 embarking on a series of lessons on risks and for Year 13 exploring topics surrounding relationships - which encourage students to search critically for answers to some important questions in life.

The Sixth Form at Loreto is a joyful place and we have celebrated students' success in subject awards and distributing GCSE certificates for Year 12 in a presentation event in December.

Inspired by the work of Sr. Orla at Loreto Rumbek, who visited Loreto in St. Albans in October, our Student Leadership Team organised a whole school Cake Sale in November raising the amazing sum of £430. This money will go towards the brilliant charitable work at Loreto Rumbek ensuring that those on the margins of life are given the opportunity for a better and safer education.

Well done for a brilliant term everyone! We started off a bit crowded in the sixth form, with a very successful number in the Year 12 cohort, however, in the determined Loreto spirit of joy we have made the Elms a homely and studious place to be.

Our highlights of the term include the Cake Day - we are very grateful for everybody's contributions in the form of baking, buying, consuming and staffing the cake stalls: it was a brilliant turnout and we couldn't have done it without your help.

Also, a huge congratulations to everyone who has completed their UCAS applications, we're wishing everyone the best of luck and are very excited to see where we are all heading this time next year.

Finally, we have really enjoyed the tense Christmas decorating competition. We hope no friendships, forms or facilities are broken by this festive extravaganza and that it will become a Sixth Form tradition at Loreto for many years to come.

We're looking forward to the Year 13 Ball, getting our mocks over with, celebrating Mary Ward's birthday and finally hosting Culture Day next term. We hope you enjoyed the Revue and have a tickety-boo two weeks off!

So, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the Head Girl Team

Loreto College was blessed to have Sr. Orla visited us in October presenting her amazing work at Loreto Rumbek in South Sudan. Sr. Orla shared with us her story of building a Loreto community guided by the values of Mary Ward in the face of unimaginable and dangerous obstacles. This story captivated our students, none more so than our Year 13s who were determined and inspired to raise money to support the Loreto Rumbek community.

After much discussion in the Head Girl Team weekly meetings, they decided to hold a Cake Sale at the end of November as a fundraising enterprise. The Head Girl team took it upon themselves to organise the Cake Sale, completing all the necessary administration tasks, such as booking the hall and promoting the event through a series of posters and visiting forms outlining to the year groups what was needed from them. The Head Girl Team was able to galvanize amazing support from our younger students which included a group of Year 7’s holding a home baking party. The amount of cakes our students produced was astounding and ranged from gorgeous meringue pies to beautiful cupcakes.

On the day itself, students from every year group flocked to the Hall at lunchtime to support the Cake Sale and buy copious amounts of cake. It was a brilliant atmosphere with year groups interacting with each other and sharing in the joyous vibes. The Head Girl Team were proud to announce that they had raised £430 in just under an hour. They deserve great credit for working so hard to create a memorable event which raised a fine sum of money in such a short space of time for a great cause.

This term has seen Year 12 students have a series of induction into the Sixth Form using the VESPA model, receive training as guides for Loreto College's Open Evening, complete a module on Safety and Risks as well as celebrate GCSE success at an Presentation Ceremony.

Initially, Year 13 focused on their UCAS applications during PSHE this was followed by an introduction to the VESPA Mindset and then a module on Building Positive Relationships.

The Autumn Term is always a busy one for Year 13, many of whom are completing their UCAS applications supported by the Year 13 Tutors and the Sixth Form Team. Applications have been of such high quality for an eclectic range of higher education courses ranging from architecture to fashion. It so delightful to see our Year 13 students invest a serious amount of time preparing their personal statements and receiving some excellent offers from universities. We wish you all every success with your applications and look forward to your hard work reaping its rewards in the summer.

The Sixth Form began the Christmas season with the Deck the [Sixth Form] Halls competition. Each form were allocated an area of the Sixth Form Centre to decorate - these areas were randomly drawn out of a hat. Forms were given a week and a half to put their decorations up which has certainly given the Sixth Form Centre a touch of seasonal sparkle. The winners were 13F's transformation of the Small Study Room/Collaboration Space. Their inclusion of a crib and a dance were instrumental in their victory. Other notable mentions were 13S brilliant use of the Foyer and 12S work in the corridor and space outside the Sixth Form Office - a difficult area to transform.

Well done and congratulations to everyone!

I am so happy that as a new teacher at Loreto, I have been lucky enough to get you for a form class. You have been warm and welcoming. I know you have all been working hard to successfully make the transition to year 12, well done! Enjoy the well-deserved break.

12F - Miss Ratna and Mr Ransom

Merry Christmas 12J! Well done on all your hard work this term and for settling into Sixth Form so well. Hope you have a lovely break and a happy New Year

12J - Miss Jeffery

As we come to the end of term, I want to take a moment to say how proud I am of you all. This term has involved a great deal of hard work, maturity, and commitment, and you should be genuinely pleased with what you have achieved so far. You have handled academic pressures, deadlines, and wider responsibilities with increasing confidence, and it is clear how much progress you are making as a group.

Sixth form is demanding, but you are navigating it well, and the effort you are putting in now will pay off in the long term. Make sure you take some time over the holidays to rest, reset, and enjoy a well-earned break with family and friends.

I wish you all a very happy Christmas and a restful holiday. I look forward to seeing you refreshed and ready for the next term in the new year!

12S - Miss Murphy

It has been lovely to see you bond as a form and settle well into the sixth form ethos over the term. Thank you for all that you do to help with the smooth running of form activities and tasks.

We, as your form tutors, wish you well over the festive season. Wishing you and your families a merry Christmas!

12T - Miss Waygood and Mr Scarpellino

13F, you have shown a steely determination this term; powering through as the days get shorter and winter sets in. I wish you all a joyful and balanced Christmas; part restful, part productive, and possibly a tiny part party! Here's to an incredibly successful 2026! Best wishes, Mr. Carter

13F - Mr Carter

We have experienced many highlights in 13J this year. One standout occasion was listening to Isla Topallaj eloquently explain the first past the post and proportional representation systems to us during PSHE. By coincidence, she was subsequently interviewed on the same day by the BBC and her views aired on the 'Today in Parliament' radio programme. I spy a future leader in our midst! Other shout outs go to Muna Obasi - Queen of Mindful Mandalas, Star Zheng - Prince of Pictionary and Lily Curley, the undeniable Boss of Bingo (I have never seen anyone get so excited about potentially winning a small carton of orange juice!) Huge congratulations also go to Ava Moulton who was recently recognised as giving 50 hours of her time in voluntary service to the community. As far as I am aware she has committed no crime but done this out of the goodness of her heart - a true inspiration to us all in this season of giving! Well done Ava and Happy Christmas to everyone in the 6th form.

13J - Ms Jaques

Our Sixth Formers artwork is always amazing and it is wonderful that this work from Laura, Charis and Kaya was showcased in the Year 11 Subject Talks for Art in November.

A full and exciting Autumn Term ended with a special Sixth Form Assembly celebrating our students' successes over the past four months. We marked those students with a 100% attendance throughout the term with a certificate of merit. Attendance is the bedrock of academic success and so many of our students have fine attendance records which bodes well for future achievement. Central to the ethos of Loreto College are the Mary Ward values of Joy, Sincerity, Truth, Justice and Freedom. Here, five students from both Years 12 and 13 were awarded a certificate and a book token for demonstrating a specific Mary Ward value making a vital contribution to the Loreto community.

Excellent work Year 12 and 13!

Email: admin@loreto.herts.sch.uk
Website: https://www.loreto.herts.sch.uk/
Location: Loreto College, Hatfield Road, St. Albans, Hertfordshire, AL1 3RQ

Phone: 01727 856206