Loreto College, St Albans

Loreto College is a Roman Catholic secondary school and sixth form for girls located near the centre of St Albans, Hertfordshire, England. It achieved Specialist Status in the Humanities in 2005^[1] and became an academy in August 2012.

The college enrolls around 1000 pupils, including 190 in the sixth form, with many pupils coming from a wide geographical area. It expanded to 5 forms of entry (from 4 in previous years) in September 2007.

In 2006, 2009 and 2013, the college was rated "Outstanding" by Ofsted, achieving grade one in all categories.^[2][3]

Founded by the Loreto Sisters, the college had just seven pupils when it first opened in 1922. The Sisters had bought a building called "The Elms" to use as a convent before opening the school.

During the Second World War, the gymnasium become an air-raid shelter and makeshift dormitories by night. American soldiers billeted in St Albans used the school's hockey pitch to train.^[4]

It turned comprehensive in 1978.^[5]

Mrs Marie Lynch, after 22 years as headteacher, retired in March and new headteacher Mrs Lucy Thompson took over after the Easter Holidays in April.

• Siobhán Fahey (b. 1958) - singer with 1980s pop group Bananarama (second-highest selling British female group, with over 40 million records, after the Spice Girls), then Shakespears Sister in the 1990s
• Claire Ward (b. 1972) - Labour MP from 1997 to 2010 for Watford
• Sally Bretton (nee Davis) (b. 1980) - actress
• Shona McGarty (b. 1991) - actress who plays Whitney Dean in EastEnders

• School website