Naturally Educated

St David’s College is proud to offer students a well-rounded, tailored education that largely takes place outside the classroom. Tania Jacobs spoke to Headmaster, Mr Andrew Russell to find out more

Set in a 30 acre Tudor Estate, nestled between Snowdonia National Park and the North Wales coastline. St David’s College is fortunate enough to embrace Snowdonia as its classroom, theatre, playground and lifeblood.

With a simple aim, to create a unique whole person education centred on the individual, the ethos of the school is built on Christian principles and embedded in a family atmosphere. Taking a “whole person” approach, allows a discovery of the true gifts of every individual with an ability to tailor their education accordingly.

Headmaster Andrew Russell explains: “We take the time to discover and unwrap each child’s gift by cultivating their interests in academic or extra-curricular areas, whilst recognising and nurturing extraordinary character traits.” This bespoke education package allows each child to grow much further than just simply gaining the knowledge to pass exams.

The school is at pains to remove the barriers to learning,- with students benefiting from small class sizes and highly qualified staff delivering fun, engaging multi-media lessons.- The dedicated learning support centre is home to around 20full-time 1:1 teachers, enabling students to access the support they need, with a unique learning plan created that guide search member of staff on how best each student will learn.

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, pupils try new things with multiple excursions leaving site each week including activities such as climbing, sailing, skiing, and kayaking.

The St David's College PE staff also 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. The extensive range of sports includes rugby, netball, tennis, cricket, cross country running, and football. A strength and conditioning suite even allows students to improve their fitness and train for events.

Pupils leave St David’s with unique personalities, individual strengths, and the core values of honesty, respect and loyalty. Many leavers go on to top universities to study architecture, engineering, maths, physics, and a wide range of other subjects and the school prides itself on supporting students through BTECs and on into apprenticeships with many different companies.

St David’s is proud of moulding young men and women that head out into the world with the determination to succeed, the freedom to flourish, and the will to never give up.

www.stdavidscollege.co.uk