St David's College

Taking a “whole person” approach...

Our Ethos

Our aim is a simple one – to create a unique whole person education centred on the individual, built on Christian principles, and embedded in a family atmosphere. Taking a “whole person” approach allows us to discover the true abilitiews of every individual and tailor their education accordingly.

We take the time to discover and unwrap each child’s talents and interests by cultivating their interests in academic or extra-curricular areas, whilst recognising and nurturing individual character traits. Our aim is to support those pupils with additional learning needs while challenging those who are academically strong.

Our bespoke education package allows each child to grow much further than just simply gaining the knowledge to pass exams.

The ethos remains the same as it was when the school was established in 1965: to provide a whole-person education that supports academic achievement, supported by a robust outdoor education, within a nurturing environment that allows children of all abilities to succeed in their ambitions. The ambition of the school is that pupils leave with a toolkit of knowledge, skills and experiences that they can dip into for the rest of their lives.

Learning at St David’s College

At St David’s we work hard to remove the barriers to learning. Students benefit from small class sizes with approximately eight pupils per class, up to a maximum of fifteen pupils. Our staff are highly qualified, delivering fun, engaging multi-media lessons. We are proud to have a highly regarded specialist provision to support pupils with Dyslexia and additional learning barriers. This provision is co-ordinated through our Cadogan Learning Support Centre and is home to around 20 full-time 1:1 teachers, enabling students to access the support they need.

St David’s College is a mainstream academic school and our approach to teaching nurtures pupils who are more able and talented and stretches those who are academically strong. We create a unique learning plan that guides each member of staff on how best each student learns.

On offer is a good range of academic and vocational qualifications. We offer an education that is tailored to each individuals learning style to help them reach their aspirations. In many cases pupils achieve much higher grades than those predicted for them before joining St David’s. Many of our leavers go on to top

Universities to study architecture, engineering, maths, physics, and a wide range of other subjects. We pride ourselves on supporting students through BTECs and into apprenticeships with many different companies.

Extra Curricular

Education at St David’s is not confined to the classroom. We have an award-winning extracurricular programme delivered through a diverse activity programme and our industry-leading Outdoor Education department. Outdoor Education plays an important role in the educational experience at St David's, building confidence, self-esteem, and leadership skills. As part of the curriculum, our pupils try new things with multiple excursions leaving site each week including activities such as climbing, sailing, skiing, and kayaking. Many international expeditions our pupils go on are documented online and worth discovering.

As one of the first schools to introduce the Duke of Edinburgh Award as part of our curriculum we regularly have students complete the full course and one sent ten pupils to collect their Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s award at Buckingham Palace.

We have an award-winning Sports and PE department that ensure every student has an opportunity to take part in sport, whether representing their house in school events or St David's at national competitions. We have a full range of sports including Rugby, Netball, Tennis, Cricket, cross country running, and football.

Our strength & conditioning suite allows students to improve their fitness and train for events.

Expeditions leave site each week as part of a true outdoor education, with opportunities for every pupil to take part. Activities include sailing, kayaking, climbing, caving, and many more.

Pupils leave St David’s with unique personalities, individual strengths, and the core values of honesty, respect, and loyalty. They head out into the world with the determination to succeed, the freedom to flourish, and the will to never give up.

Location

Set in the stunning 30 acre Tutor Estate of Gloddaeth Hall in Llandudno North Wales, the campus is flanked by the dramatic peaks of Snowdonia and the amazing North Wales coastline. St David’s College benefits from excellent transport links with London 3 hours by train, Manchester and Liverpool airport just over 1 hour by road or train.

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The St David’s College – a unique whole person education centred on the individual, built on Christian principles, and embedded in a family atmosphere.

Key Facts