Loreto Normanhurst
Welcome to Loreto Normanhurst
Established in 1897, Loreto Normanhurst is a leading Sydney independent, Catholic day and boarding school for girls in Year 5-12 located in Sydney’s leafy Upper North Shore.
In the spirit of our foundress Mary Ward who believed that “women in time to come will do much,” Loreto Normanhurst encourages young women to take their place in the world as seekers of truth and instruments of justice.
Loreto Normanhurst offers an award-winning learning curriculum, strong pastoral care program, extensive extra-curricular programs, and enrichment of diversity through our Boarding School.
Learning at Loreto Normanhurst
The award-winning Loreto Normanhurst Student Growth Model emphasises collaboration, creative and critical thinking, digital capabilities, adaptability and independence. By offering a breadth of learning experiences inside and outside the classroom, it develops our students into agile and resilient thinkers who are prepared to navigate an ever-changing global landscape.
The cornerstone of the LNSGM is the FACE Curriculum, which places equal importance on the holistic development of each student across Faith, Academic, Community and Extra-curricular.
The model is also supported by a strong Pastoral Care program featuring a House system and advisors and tutors who care for the students and get to know them as a whole person.
Through our extensive extra-curricular programs, students have further opportunities to support their learning and growth through leadership, social justice, sport, music, oratory, speech and drama.
Primary School
The Teresa Ball Primary Centre reopened for girls in Year 5 and 6 in 2015. Due to demand, we introduced two new classes in 2022 taking our Primary classes in Year 5 and 6, to three each.
Primary students are introduced to the award-winning Loreto Normanhurst Student Growth Model which emphasises collaboration, creative and critical thinking, digital capabilities, adaptability and independence. The cornerstone of the LNSGM is the FACE Curriculum, which places equal importance on the holistic development of each student across Faith, Academic, Community and Extra-curricular.
With strong pastoral care and supportive learning structures, the Primary School is a nurturing place where students are engaged in an exciting learning journey with their teachers and peers. The Primary School staff are passionate about creating a learning environment that is dynamic, engaging and joyful and responds to every girl’s academic, social, spiritual and emotional needs.
Secondary School
In our Secondary School, we are proud to draw from more than 125 years of experience in educating young women of grit, optimism and integrity through our ground breaking holistic learning approach through the award-winning Loreto Normanhurst Student Growth Model (LNSGM) and FACE Curriculum (faith, academic, community, extra-curricular) for learning and pastoral care.
Our dedicated staff bring a diverse range of expertise and attentiveness to the individual needs of each student. We know that relationships are of utmost importance to student growth, and we prioritise the formation of an active and inspiring community of faith and social justice.
The success of the LNSGM is evident in our consistently high HSC Results and the formation of our graduates as ‘Compassionate Warriors’: independent, articulate and compassionate women of grit, independent thinking, voice, creativity, conscious faith and service.
Beyond the Classroom
Every Loreto Normanhurst student is encouraged to pursue a variety of extra-curricular activities throughout their school years.
Through our extensive extra-curricular programs, students have further opportunities to support their learning and growth through leadership, social justice, sport, music, oratory, speech and drama. The school also supports the many students who participate at an elite level in their chosen extra-curricular pursuit.
All year groups participate in immersions where students are exposed to a different culture and through theis experience, they deepen their spirituality. Of note, Year 8 participate in Songlines, bringing deep learning into the 'backyard of Loreto' and Year 9 participate in the Far North Queensland Outreach Experience where the whole cohort undertakes community service, interacts with Australian Indigenous communities and undertakes excursion activities.
Boarding
Loreto Boarding enriches the diversity of our thriving community by connecting students from all over Australia and the world. Our fully flexible boarding model welcomes students from ex-pat and overseas families and the Sydney basin, with 80% of our boarders coming from rural NSW.
One of the biggest girls’ boarding schools in NSW, there are more than 190 boarders at the school in 2024, contributing to a broad and rich culture of experiences and learning, fostering friendships for life among the student cohort.
Our Bursary and Scholarship program is focused on enabling girls from rural and Indigenous backgrounds to access the school’s holistic curriculum.
A new purpose-built boarding school is due to begin construction in 2024 and this will provide increased boarding accommodation to more than 200 students, flexible communal spaces, and reflect the school’s vision to create a modern, ecologically sustainable home for boarding students.
The Boarding School is available for students needing full time and flexible boarding options. This includes catering for students participating in extra-curricular activities, who also live locally.