Sophie’s Story

Year 13

Head Girl

English

I joined Ratcliffe College in 2014 at the age of 11, so this is my seventh and final year, it all seems to have flown by. I’m from a military family and Ratcliffe came up in conversation between my parents and two other sets of military parents who had previously sent their children here, so the reputation of Ratcliffe as a trusted Catholic Boarding School had a lot to do with our choice. I also remember we attended an open morning and were immediately impressed with the warm welcome we received and the comprehensive tour of the school by one of the current pupils.

My Dad was working in Afghanistan for my GCSE years, and the support I received from school, both day and boarding, was second to none. I had lots of people looking after me and I am so grateful for them making a very stressful year so much better.

Ratcliffe’s Catholic values create a solid moral foundation of kindness and support in its students that has a positive effect on everyone, regardless of their religious background.

The lessons we’re taught in a Catholic context can be applied to many aspects of life and have provided guidance which I have used in many parts of my own.

There’s never a dull moment in the boarding house and being surrounded by girls of different ages and from different backgrounds has created a sense of confidence I know will stay with me after I leave the school.

If you’re thinking about choosing to board with us, I would say that the small size of the houses creates a close-knit family feel and that is something very special.

I also learned to live with a big group of teenagers, which will help when I get to University!

I am really proud to be Head Girl and this has definitely been great to still fulfil my duties regular assemblies, checking in with lower year groups, and fundraising too, to name just a few things. We were able to raise £7,000 in the Autumn term for YoungMinds with our Hike to Bethlehem organising the event as a group of Senior Prefects was very interesting and gave me a lot of useful planning skills. I’m applying to study Computer Science at university in September; I did the subject at GCSE level, and my teacher recommended I try a girls-only workshop. I went, and immediately knew I wanted to make a career out of Computers.

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