Walk into Loreto Grammar School's newly refurbished library at lunchtime and you'll usually find it to be, in headteacher Mrs Beever's words, "mad busy".
It's the kind of detail that goes some way to explaining why so many of its former pupils have gone on to become published authors.
Take Carolyn O'Brien, an author and current Loreto parent, whose debut novel The Song of Peterloo already won admirers for its vivid historical storytelling.
Her follow-up, Rose & Renzo, is due for publication by Northodox Press in May. Set in Manchester in 1936, it weaves together personal drama and the looming shadow of fascism, as aspiring artist Rose is swept up in the political storms of the era.
Then there is Louisa Reid, a current teacher at the school, whose novels for young adults have garnered national acclaim. Nominated four times for the prestigious Carnegie Medal, she has also been shortlisted for the Branford Boase Award and several regional prizes.
Recent novels published by former Loreto pupils
Her novel Gloves Off was named Sunday Times Book of the Week, and her latest work, Handle with Care, has been longlisted for the Carnegie Medal 2026.
The third is Dr Caroline Burt, now based in London and Cambridge, whose Arise, England: Six Kings and the Making of the English State (Faber & Faber, 2024) was named one of the top 20 history books of the year by Simon Heffer in The Telegraph.
A medieval historian who read History at Cambridge and went on to a Fellowship at Pembroke College, Dr Burt grew up in Timperley and has spoken about the transformative role Loreto played in her life.
The working-class daughter of a factory machinist and an airport cargo worker, she credits an inspirational history teacher - former Head of History Frances McGee - with giving her the confidence to apply to Cambridge at all. "It's not something I would have thought of if I hadn't had teachers saying that to me," she has said.
They are not alone, either. Fellow former pupil Juliette Tomlinson is the author of Longford: A Manchester Love Story. Set in 1864 against the backdrop of Victorian Manchester, it tells the story of merchant magnate John Rylands and his great love Enriqueta - a formidable woman whose own remarkable achievements, Tomlinson felt, had long been overlooked.
For Mrs Beever, the writers are proof of something she holds dear: "Great teaching. It's about people walking alongside young people and inspiring them."
She is equally passionate about the role of reading itself. This year, the school is running a "Go All In" initiative to deepen pupils' love of literature, and a group of students recently joined a Waterstones book club alongside members of staff.
"Reading is the key," Mrs Beever says. "It's escapism. It takes your mind to other places, opens you up to other cultures, other possibilities. Time spent scrolling on a phone - we're all guilty of it - just isn't the same as sitting down and actually reading a book. I'm sure it has an impact on your wellbeing."
