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Our current Year 12 has been the guinea
                                                              As a teacher at St David’s for 28 years I have been well                                                                            pig year for the new specification. Despite
                                                              aware of the immense support we give to the pupils                                                                                  the enormity of the new AS content - the
                                                              but seeing it from a parent’s perspective has made me                                                                                glaciation topic alone has nearly 200
                                                              realise just how important St David’s can be in turning                                                                               words in the glossary - the group have
                                                              around pupils’ lives.                                                                                                                   coped remarkably well.

                                                              Joshua had always clashed with DT teachers.  He had a                                                                                     The most memorable parts of any
                                                              creative flair and a real talent for design, which he                                                                                       geography course should be the
                                                              wanted to use ambitiously in his DT projects. However,                                                                                      field trips and this year was no
                                                              his teachers had always tried to reign him in, unable to                                                                                     exception, though possibly for
                                                              cope with his quirky ideas which ‘didn’t fit the spec’.                                                                                       the wrong reasons. Every time
                                                                                                                                                                                                            we ventured out of the
                                                              The final straw was being told at a parent’s meeting                                                                                           classroom, the temperature
                                                              that his A2 project had no innovation and could only                                                                                           plummeted by several degrees!
                                                              get a maximum of a D grade. He needed 3 As to get to
                                                              his first choice university. Now in November of his A2                                                                                          Our first trip was to Cwm
                                                              year, the only solution was to transfer him to St                                                                                              Idwal and Nant Ffrancon in
                                                              David’s.                                                                                                                                       Snowdonia to study the
                                                                                                                                                                                                            spectacular erosional features
                                                              Immediately, thinking outside the box changed from                                                                                            for which the area is famed.
                                                              being a problem, to something which was encouraged                                                                                            However, it was so cold that it
                                                              and developed. Joshua was no longer constrained by a                                                                                         was impossible to write, let
                                                              proscriptive approach to the design process and was                                                                                         alone draw, so the skill of field
                                                              able to brainstorm ideas, experiment, and go off on a                                                                                       sketching had to be postponed.
                                                              tangent. Joshua changed from being totally negative                                                                                      Our second trip was to the villages
                                                              and frustrated about his DT to being enthused and full                                                                                  in the Conwy Valley to study the
                                                              of ideas.                                                                                                                              impact of second homes, surely a more
                                                                                                                                                                                                   favourable area climatically? Part of the
                                                              His project was inspired by the Nepal earthquake,                                                                                   study involved conducting questionnaires
                                                              when he was dismayed that the search and rescue                                                                                     to local residents. Sadly, the cold weather
                                                              operation was hampered by a lack of helicopters due to                                                                              had put off all but the hardiest of
                                                              the expense. His solution was to build a drone that                                                                                 residents and only four people could be
                                                              could fly into inaccessible valleys, with a gimbled                                                                                  found on the streets during the entire
                                                              attachment which could hold a camera, search light and                                                                              investigation; not exactly a representative
                                                              maybe first aid supplies to be dropped from the air.                                                                                 sample size.

                                                              He was able to use the wide range of complex and hi-                                                                                Our final trip was to the cliffs of
                                                              tech production techniques available at St David’s.                                                                                 Aberogwen on the Menai Strait to study
                                                              Some of these included 3D printing, laser cutting,                                                                                  the glacial deposits. The day dawned
          Pictured:   Joshua Bradnam                          project, he was able to develop ideas for a future                                                                                 geography - a new start
                                                                                                                                                                                                  sunny, but sadly we were working under a
                                                              hydro-dipping and, of course, access to the advanced
                                                                                                                                                                                                  north-facing cliff in the shade and a gale
                                                              computer modelling programmes. As well as the main
                                                                                                                                                                                                  force wind blew down the Irish Sea
                                                                                                                                                                                                  adding to the chill.
                                                              business associated with drones.
                                                              The drone was a success. The moderator was so
                                                              impressed that Joshua was put forward for an
                                                              innovation award and went on to win the WJEC
                                                              National Award for CAD, a far cry from the previous
                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Hilary Bradnam
                                                              November! He also attained a place at his first choice
                                                              university to study Mechanical Engineering.




        For the first time in his life, his quirkiness had not been an issue.  Yes, Joshua is still challenging, and
        still regularly comes up with obscure designs to solve problems in the world.  But now, rather than
        thinking they will never come to fruition, he believes in himself and genuinely feels that he can achieve
        in the design world.  He has recently had a diagnosis of ADD which probably explains the difficulties he
        had been experiencing previously.  But I sincerely believe that the short time Joshua had at St David’s
        has had such a positive effect on him that it will stay with him throughout his life.


                                                                aparent’s perspective:                                        Cwm Idwal  But 300 stones had to be measured so they

                                                                                                    Hilary Bradnam             adopted a variety of methods to keep warm:
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