A PRIVATE school in Llandudno has been praised for its “welcoming and nurturing” environment and the “mutual respect and understanding” between staff and pupils.

St David's College, at Gloddaeth Hall, was inspected by Estyn in November 2023, with a report (available to the public) published on January 22.

An independent boarding school, the school currently caters for 265 pupils aged 9 to 19.

St David’s College opened in 1965, as an educational charity established by Trust Deed, to provide secondary education within a Christian framework.

The school’s mission is to ‘develop the whole person through a broad education founded on Christian principles, a wide choice of interest and activity, and an achievable personal programme for each pupil’.

The inspection report commended staff for their guidance, investment in pupils’ lives, their effective teaching and the “engaging, enriching and authentic” learning experiences they provide students with.

Students were similarly praised for their engagement, breadth of skills developed, and the “great respect and trust” they have for staff members.

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A summary of the report findings states: “St. David’s College is a welcoming and nurturing school. Pupils are confident and engage positively with staff and visitors. Staff build positive working relationships with pupils based on mutual respect and understanding.

“They provide sensitive guidance to support them to develop important skills, such as resilience. As a result, pupils engage purposefully with their learning.

“School leaders are committed and caring, are heavily invested in the pupils and the life of the school. They have a clear understanding of the needs and aspirations of pupils. Staff work in pupils’ best interests and have high expectations of them. As a result, nearly all pupils, including those with additional learning needs (ALN), make positive progress during their time at the school. During this visit, pupil behaviour and engagement were good.

“The recent appointment of the new chaplain has further strengthened the pastoral provision within the school. The chaplain provides spiritual guidance and support, providing opportunity for reflection on Christianity and other religions.

“Teachers’ questioning of pupils within lessons is effective and pupils greatly value the verbal feedback they regularly receive. Teachers are highly accessible - pupils value these less formal opportunities to discuss their work and have great respect and trust for staff.

“In addition to the core curriculum, the school provides an extensive range of engaging, enriching and authentic learning experiences.”

Estyn noted that the school leadership had strengthened the curriculum and embedded a consistent approach to feedback across the school successfully since its last inspection, with pupils engaging positively with this process.

The report highlighted one area for improvement: 

  • Refine quality assurance processes to ensure that feedback to pupils is sharply focused on improving their skills and knowledge