With small class sizes, exceptional learning support and an active lifestyle, St David’s College is structured to ensure that all pupils shine
Many independent schools offer exceptional surroundings and small class sizes, but St David’s College in Llandudno, North Wales is one of a kind. It was established in 1965 by a forward-thinking educator John Mayor. He had been working in a school on the Wirral and identified many pupils who were highly able verbally but not on paper. He sought advice from Professor Tim Miles, a pioneer in dyslexia research, and the end result was St David’s.
In a letter describing the school’s founding vision, Mayor wrote: “We shall aim at sound scholarship, we shall pursue prowess at games, we shall encourage a love of the beautiful and of creative skills.” The college also aimed to be character forming and retains those Christian principles today, while welcoming all faiths.
Today the school educates boys and girls from 9 to 19. It is well known for its specialism in dyslexia, but around a third of pupils have no specific learning needs. “These pupils improve their added value because if you get a classroom right for dyslexic students you get it right for everyone,” says Dr Faye Favill, the school’s Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO. “The lessons are generally more interesting because they are chunks, they are multi-sensory, there is a lot of repetition, lots of preparation.”
Faye Favill has worked at the school for around a decade, and has a daughter with dyslexia, so knows the extra support that helps, from both a parent’s and educator’s perspective. ” When I was first on a placement here, I was blown away by the class sizes, the one-to-one specialist provision and just the general knowledge of the teachers in how to make classrooms really inclusive. “In our mainstream lessons we have a teacher that has a qualification in the teaching and learning of children with specific learning difficulties. Class sizes are really small, so 12 is OK and 15 would be too big. With our less able pupils, there are normally between four and six in the class.”
At the heart of the school is The Cadogan Centre, a learning support resource everyone accesses. This was funded by Lord Chelsea some 50 years ago – a grateful parent whose son had thrived thanks to a St David’s College education. “The Cadogan Centre is like a golden thread that every department links towards – from sport to outdoor education to more academic subjects,” says Faye Favill. There, specialist support teachers, all with a Level 7 qualification, support children with dyslexia or other types of SEN up to eight times a week. The team now offer a remote service too, increasingly popular with both UK and international students.
For all pupils, The Cadogan Centre is part of the learning week. The team deliver literacy and numeracy support and cross-curricular back-up, including personalised help for the able and talented – the brilliant mathematicians who falls down in other areas, for instance. “It’s just picking up on what they are really good at and developing that self-confidence”. Many children come to St David’s with poor self-esteem, so boosting that is the starting point to unlocking their abilities.
“Pupils improve their added value because if you get a classroom right for dyslexic students you get it right for everyone”
There’s occupational therapy to support students who have specific barriers – perhaps gross or fine motor skills issues, or executive functioning sequencing skills (planning and organisation). Staff also help children who have sensory sensitivity (for instance, to light or noise) to manage symptoms. All children benefit from the kit that comes as standard here, including laptops with specialist software. “It’s a normal way of working,” says Faye Favill.
Another successful approach at St David’s builds learning retention. “About 80% of every lesson is repeated in the following lesson, just to ensure that if there are any working memory difficulties or auditory processing challenges that information goes into the long-term memory and helps with exams,” says Faye Favill. Teachers are supported in this by The Cadogan Centre specialists, who ensure they deliver learning in creative ways. “Rather than just relying on listening or reading it’s using a wide variety of senses – and that is an approach that works for all students.”
The school builds both self-esteem and life skills using outdoor education, and it is in the perfect setting for adventures. Being active is part of every school day – it’s a long day, starting at 9am and finishing just before 5pm – but carefully balanced and with around 80 minutes of sport and physical activity, not including break times. “One day a fortnight the kids go off timetable. They are rock climbing, sailing, kayaking, paddleboarding. It’s a different platform there, so someone who is a whizz in the classroom might find that more challenging than a pupil who has got a SEN.” says Faye Favill.
At the end of Year 10, children are ready to spread their wings on an even bigger adventure – usually somewhere in Europe – to hone a specific skill such as rock climbing or sea kayaking. “Seeing children in these different environments is so important and we do find that our outdoor education programme builds a lot of confidence.”
St David’s College stdavidscollege.co.uk
Further reading: School refusal – understanding EBSA
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