Enrichment
A broad and enviable enrichment programme complements the strength of our academic offer, equipping every student with the skills, qualities, and attributes necessary for them to flourish in their professional and personal lives.
We believe in the importance of beyond the classroom experiences. In addition to academic qualifications, students benefit from a wealth of social, interpersonal and leadership prospects to enhance not only their CVs, but their personal development.
Trips and experiences
Woven into the curriculum to complement academic studies and offer real-life learning experiences, our menu of trips are highly rewarding and introduce students to new things they may not have had the opportunity to experience before.
Global destinations have included Washington DC, New York, Barcelona, Greece and Italy, whilst working in partnership with St Paul's School offers students access to Politics and Law networking events, Medicine conferences and UCAS fairs. Other institutions students can look forward to visiting include the Girls Talk London, Vodaphone, Livery Companies, St John’s College Cambridge, Bank of America, Merrill Lynch with master classes at Cambridge and Oxford Universities, SOAS and UCL.
In addition, workshops including ones run by Catholic Voices and Amnesty International are hosted by the school, as well as Wellbeing Retreats being held offsite with a focus on mindfulness, scripture analysis, team building and leadership skills.
Learning opportunities
In addition to an array of enrichment opportunities, prospects to boost learning include:
- The Sutton Trust Summer School Programme
- Kings College London: raising aspirations for Medics programme
- Insight Talks with the New College and Somerville College Oxford
- Alumnae mentoring and networking events with members of the La Retraite Legacy
- Insight talks led by industry experts
- Mock interview practice for Oxbridge applicants led by Westminster School
- Societies including: Medicine and Competitive Sciences; Law and Humanities; Politics, Philosophy and Economics; Maths, Engineering and Finance; Ancient and Modern Foreign Languages and T Level Python Coding at Imperial College London.
EPQ
Highly regarded among universities and employers, the Extended Project Qualification encourages students to embark on a largely motivated project to explore a subject of their choice. Equivalent to half an A Level, this is an exceptional opportunity to develop research, academic and independent learning skills.
For more information, visit our course page.
Leadership
At La Retraite 6, students are encouraged and empowered to take on positions of responsibility and leadership. Formal roles include the Student Leadership Team and CAFOD Young Leaders and informal roles including leading school clubs, supporting staff in the classroom and the rest of school life.
All students also have the opportunity to undertake a Certificate of Personal Effectiveness, accredited by ASDAN. The certificate is worth 16 UCAS points/AS B Grade as is a nationally recognised qualification, based on activities undertaken by learners both inside and outside of school and a portfolio of evidence. The AoPE assessment units encourage the development of the skills required for progression to further education, training, or employment.
Service
The La Retraite Giving Back Programme inspires our girls to work together, to contribute to their community. Through fundraising, support, volunteering and companionship, our students are shown what it means to be empathetic and active citizens, ready to take their place in the world.
The Access Project
The School has developed a partnership with 'The Access Project' which supports our students to get to the top universities through a combination of tailored 1:1 tutoring in a subject of their choice and regular mentoring with an expert in the field of their choice. This programme represents our scholarship offering at KS5 and students are invited to apply for it on entering Year 12 in September. The Access Project provides a designated officer who is available two days per week to work with our scholarship students as well as providing a wider offering to students following various different pathways over the course of the year, through workshops, resources and interactive sessions
For more information about The Access Project please visit their website HERE
Music Offer
Throughout the school year, our music offer incorporates concerts, services, competitions and events, including invitations to perform at ensembles outside of school, which includes performances in a range of venues across London.
Students can get involved in these events by joining our various performance groups including choirs, orchestras and bands. In addition, sixth form students are encouraged to support staff in rehearsals and events with those lower down the school.
A music tour abroad takes place annually. Recent tours include singing in various churches across Paris, followed by a trip to Euro Disney. The Music department also regularly hosts trips to see concerts, operas and shows in the West End.
Students can apply to learn a musical instrument with a specialist teacher. We offer tuition in most instruments, from violin to electric guitar, trumpet to saxophone. The school will pay for a large amount of the cost of these lessons, with parents asked to only make a small contribution.
Our music instrument teachers are all highly accomplished at performing and teaching their instruments. When they are not teaching in school, they often perform with famous artists and orchestras, so you will be learning from the very best on how to become a great performer yourself.