Loreto A level student Ola Kozlowska was interviewed on BBC breakfast news on television alongside Bill Watkin, Chief Executive of the Sixth Form Colleges Association (SFCA) explaining the benefits of enrichment and her reasons for choosing Loreto College. Ola writes:

Education is an area of my life, which takes priority over most things; as a first generation immigrant, I always remember in what a privileged position I am to be able to study in the UK. There are many talented overseas students who have wide, strong wings but unfortunately, they are clipped, just because of their circumstances or the standard of education they receive. So I’m quite lucky.

In all sincerity, I didn’t know who Bill Watkin was, nor how many people actually watched BBC Breakfast. I just knew that I wanted to get my message across- despite the increase in education funding from the government, not enough of this money is trickling down to the sixth form colleges, which consequently impedes the breadth of education for pupils who just need those wings to be freer. During the interview I was asked “Why did you want to go to Loreto? What makes it so special”, but it wasn’t just a case of ‘want’ it was more a case of ‘need’. Despite the long travelling time, I need those extra curriculars to be able to hone my skills of debate and argument, not just on paper, but also orally. I needed to try Model United nations, because I wanted to know more about world politics, not just British politics. I needed to go to the Creative Writing Society, because I wanted to try to write how Carol Ann Duffy does, when I study her in English literature. In order to truly succeed, studying from textbooks isn’t enough. One has to have a certain degree of intellectual curiosity and bravery to truly reach one’s potential.

This is what Loreto does: it facilitates this intellectual curiosity and gives pupils who have those higher aspirations a push forward. I chose this college because it doesn’t just tick boxes, the students tick them for it.

If you would like to watch Ola’s interview in full click here.