St David's College A GSG School
- St David's College
Gloddaeth Hall
Llandudno
Conwy
LL30 1RD - Head: Mr Andrew Russell
- T 01492 875974
- F 01492 870383
- E [email protected]
- W www.stdavidscollege.co.uk/
- An independent school for boys and girls aged from 9 to 19.
- Boarding: Yes
- Local authority: Conwy
- Pupils: 250; sixth formers: 62
- Religion: Christian
- Fees: Day £15,516 - £24,588; Boarding £32,058 - £45,882 pa (last updated on 16/01/2025)
- Open days: Throughout the year, please see website for details
- Review: View The Good Schools Guide Review
What The Good Schools Guide says..
Outdoor education, so often offered by schools as an occasional residential trip, is a daily adventure for St David’s. Thirteen outdoor ed instructors take groups rock-climbing, canoeing, gorge-walking, surfing or, on the January day we visited, sea-kayaking. ‘It’s a gorgeous day to be on the sea’, said the intrepid teacher, who had tutored the group on Neep tides and informed the coastguard...
What the school says...
St David’s College, is a co-educational independent boarding and day school set in the beautiful surroundings of Llandudno, North Wales. The school offers a safe and secure boarding and learning environment for boys and girls aged from 9 years. St David’s College offers GCSEs and A levels, as well as more vocational BTEC and City and Guilds qualifications.
Through our bespoke learning plans and our specialism in Outdoor Education, Music, Art and Design we discover the gifts of each pupil, give them confidence and the opportunity to flourish. Through partnership with parents we discover the gifts of each child, remove the barriers to learning and lead young people to realise their full potential. It is this unique approach that enables us to support students with additional learning needs, whilst allowing students with no specific learning needs to thrive and excel. Our highly regarded SEN provision, helping those with dyslexia and associated learning needs, works seamlessly in our mainstream environment. ...Read more
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Other features
All-through school (for example 3-18 years). - An all-through school covers junior and senior education. It may start at 3 or 4, or later, and continue through to 16 or 18. Some all-through schools set exams at 11 or 13 that pupils must pass to move on.
Sports
Unusual sports
Sailing
What The Good Schools Guide says
Headmaster
Since 2017, Andrew Russell BSc PGCE CCM (SPLD) MCCT, who joined the school in 1992. Originally from Scotland but, with a father in the RAF, moved about the UK, arriving in a school in Prestatyn aged 11 where he found himself ‘helping the little ones with maths’. After studying economics at Southampton University, embarked on accountancy training before escaping to the broader world of education. ‘It’s about being happy in your heart and not in your wallet,’ he said. Married to Kate, English and performing arts teacher, and from a dynasty of Davideans (her father was a housemaster); they are very much a double-act, embodying the family-feel boarding model.
We found the Russells round the inglenook of a wood-panelled study, replete with piano and oil paintings and a sweeping view of...
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Special Education Needs
We take great pride in our whole school approach to dyslexia and related difficulties so all our classroom teachers receive extra training and qualifications beyond the usual BEd/PGCE. Indeed, we have over 50 years experience, and much of the research that has underpinned modern understanding of dyslexia was carried out at St David's, in collaboration with Bangor and Chester Universities. In addition, our team of 20 specialist staff provide one to one and small group support in the areas that might be holding a student back from doing their best. Our emphasis is on using multi-sensory teaching and communication strategies to help a pupil reach their full potential. We are a relatively small secondary school with equally small classes and the friendly relationship between staff and pupils is just one of the factors that leads to success. In fact, we think these aspects are really just the very best teaching practice and we have pupils every year who are aiming for 3 "A/A*" grades at A-level. Work in the classroom is supported by what we believe is the most extensive sporting, outdoor pursuits and extra-curricular programme in the UK (for instance there were 16 major expeditions last year alone). Fitness is important in its own right but it also aids concentration and team activities provide scope for learning important leadership and social skills. Having others depend on your skills and enthusiasms can be a real eye-opener to some, and our whole ethos is geared to raising your self-esteem... which is so important if your talents are to be uncovered and nurtured into full bloom.
| Condition | Provision for in school |
|---|---|
| ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder
Might cover/be referred to as;
ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Aspergers, Autism, High functioning autism, Neurodivergent, Neurodiversity, Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA), PDA , Social skills, Sensory processing disorder |
|
| HI - Hearing Impairment
Might cover/be referred to as;
Hearing Impairment, HI - Hearing Impairment |
|
| MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty
Might cover/be referred to as;
Learning needs, MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty |
|
| MSI - Multi-Sensory Impairment
Might cover/be referred to as;
MSI - Multi-Sensory Impairment, Sensory processing |
|
| OTH - Other Difficulty/Disability
Might cover/be referred to as;
Downs Syndrome, Epilepsy, Genetic , OTH - Other Difficulty/Disability, Tics, Tourettes |
|
| PD - Physical Disability
Might cover/be referred to as;
PD - Physical Disability |
|
| PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty
Might cover/be referred to as;
Complex needs, Global delay, Global developmental delay, PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty |
|
| SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health
Might cover/be referred to as;
Anxiety , Complex needs, Emotionally based school avoidance (EBSA), Mental Health, SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health, Trauma |
|
| SLCN - Speech, Language and Communication
Might cover/be referred to as;
DLD - Developmental Language Disorder, Selective mutism, SLCN - Speech, Language and Communication |
|
| SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty
Might cover/be referred to as;
Complex needs, SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty, Cerebral Palsy (CP) |
|
| SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty
Might cover/be referred to as;
ADHD, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Auditory Processing, DCD, Developmental Co-ordination Difficulties (DCD), Dyscalculia, Dysgraphia, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Handwriting, Other specific learning difficulty, SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty, Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) |
Y |
| VI - Visual Impairment
Might cover/be referred to as;
Special facilities for Visually Impaired, VI - Visual Impairment |
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