Our Culture

Teaching and learning at St.David’s Holy Faith Secondary school is of paramount importance. There is a strong culture of collaboration, reflection and development of teaching methodologies within the school. The school will continue to seek out opportunities to ensure that we maintain a culture of academic excellence.

A Blended Approach

In St David's, we've adopted a blended approach to teaching and learning. In addition to the face to face classroom setting, school policy dictates that every teacher will create an online learning platform for each of their classes. Both teachers and students make extensive use of Google Classroom and its associated applications to share notes, submit work, set digital projects and to collaborate. Saint David’s is an award winning digital school of excellence (Digital Schools award winner 2023). This blended learning approach is further strengthened by our schools digital strategy. As per Department of Education and Skills guidelines, the school issues an annual digital strategy plan. St. David’s Holy Faith Secondary school has a dedicated staff digital strategy team that sets a target for each academic year. The strategy is developed in collaboration with all staff via surveys and aims to positively impact student learning (The graphic below outlines our digital strategy journey to date).

In addition to our blended approach to teaching and learning there is a huge emphasis on in classroom teaching and learning and the development of this. From 2024 onwards, three of our SSE teams are rooted in the ongoing development of teaching and learning:

Student learner autonomy and empowerment
Teacher Collaboration
Active based methodologies

These teams meet on a regular basis to implement actions that ultimately create a highly effective standard of teaching and learning within the school.

St.David’s currently provides study skills workshops for all students via an external study skills company. Throughout the academic year of 2024-2025 St.David’s will also provide subject specific study skills and techniques via a new program that is currently in development. Additionally as students complete in house exams the school will work with various agencies for the purpose of academic tracking which will ultimately allow us to ensure that our students are progressing and allow us to make beneficial interventions where necessary.

Study skills and academic tracking

Teaching and Learning Team

The team meets on a regular basis to discuss various aspects and areas of development in our teaching and learning. The team is currently reviewing the school's subject department portfolios and curriculum plans to ensure they meet the standards set out by the NCCA. The team will also issue guidelines to all subject departments on ensuring that curriculum plans contain methodologies that allow for the inclusion of students with additional learning needs and differentiation for all.

STEM Team

The aim of the staff STEM team is to ensure the continuous development of extra-curricular STEM opportunities for staff and students through three main pillars: Sciences, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. These opportunities will be provided through extra-curricular clubs and through national and international competitions. St.David’s currently provides an array of opportunities for students of STEM to explore their interests in these areas through clubs such as Lego club, F1 for schools, Sci-Fest and the BT Young Scientist. The STEM team is currently developing more opportunities in these areas

Initiatives

Finally, collaboration is an essential part of the continuous development of teaching and learning within St. David's. This is achieved through various initiatives within the school.

Open Classroom Initiative

This initiative was formally introduced in 2024 and there is a high level of participation among staff. The initiative provides an opportunity for senior management and teachers to visit each other's classrooms and witness the high standard of teaching and learning that is taking place in colleagues' classes. Most importantly, it creates a space for teachers to engage in professional conversation and reflection on their teaching and to allow teachers to experience a wide range of methodologies and approaches to teaching and learning within the school.

Teaching and learning workshop for new staff

As of August 2024, all new teachers to St.David’s will engage in a teaching and learning workshop. The workshop will explore various aspects of teaching and learning within the school as well as providing new members of staff with the opportunity to showcase any new teaching methodologies that they can bring to the school.

Teaching and learning handbook

Throughout the academic year 2024-2025 and leading on from the introductory workshop for new teachers, the teaching and learning coordinator will create a teaching and learning handbook and digital resource bank that will showcase an array of teaching methodologies hence benefiting student learning.