St Illtyd’s students embrace many experiences

Students at St Illtyd’s Catholic High School have been experiencing many activities, including giving a classroom a make-over, learning First Aid and going on very educational outings.

Visit to Aston Martin

On Wednesday 10th and Thursday 11th January 2024, all Year 10s studying Product Design had the opportunity to visit Aston Martin in St. Athans. During this visit we were able to see how they manufactured the vehicles by hand using AGVs (automated guided vehicles) and seeing models yet to be released.

We also got to view the colours that Aston Martin uses for their car production and what the issues of applying the paint were. For instance, their main dilemma was the dirt when applying the coating. Colours such as 'Aston Martin Jet Ski Green' and 'Satin Xenon Grey' have been thoroughly researched by experts because they have a unique base layer and finish layer which enhances the appearance in different lighting.

Furthermore, we witnessed car parts being applied with glue by a machine which takes 72 hours to fully dry. The crucial part to make the vehicle operate is connecting the engine to the main body. This process is carried out by highly trained workers who cannot make a mistake.

Next the four cables are connected to the undercarriage of the vehicle. After that stage, the workers use management control to check for risk assessments which starts with the pressurised test. If the vehicle leaks, it is then taken to a special place so the fuel can leak out safely. The furniture is then applied inside the vehicle. The windows are lifted with a mechanical arm to aid them. Lastly, the vehicle undergoes two more tests, the first is pressurised air to see if it can be felt inside and secondly, they are put through an area to see if any water leaks inside.

The vehicles are then driven and cleaned to be shipped to dealerships. This was a truly amazing experience to watch first-hand and was informative of the process of making a vehicle.

Shalid Rosario, 10LG

First Aid Sessions

As part of our mission at St Illtyd’s Catholic High School, our aim is that by the time our pupils leave us, they will be equipped with basic life skills. There is no greater basic life skill than being able to save someone’s life.

With this in mind, this term we invited Lesa Williams from St John Cymru to deliver a “First Aid Awareness Course” to all pupils in Years 7 & 8. This is something we have done for the past few years and will continue to do so in the future with each new intake.

In the highly interactive session, pupils learnt about the Primary Survey, what to do if someone was choking, how to deliver CPR and how to use a defibrillator.

We would like to thank Lesa Williams for her engaging delivery of the sessions, and we look forward to welcoming her again to the school in the Autumn term to deliver these sessions to our new Year 7 pupils.

Thank you to everyone at St John Cymru for arranging these sessions for us. We would also like to thank National Grid for supporting these sessions and thank you to Jacob Oakley from National Grid who explained the dangers of electricity to our pupils.

Luisa May, Community Focused Schools Co-ordinator

Maths Classroom Makeover: Skills Challenge Community Unit

In a spirited endeavour as part of their Community Unit for their Skills Challenge GCSE, a group of Year 10 students have revitalised one of our maths classrooms - breathing new life into old blutac covered walls. As well as this they created and installed meaningful displays that serve not only as visual aids but also as sources of support and encouragement for their peers.

What makes this initiative truly remarkable is not just the physical transformation of the classroom, but the spirit of collaboration and camaraderie that fuelled it. Through countless brainstorming sessions, paper cuts and a few broken laminators, these students have achieved something beyond just academics. Their initiative not only beautifies the classroom but also underscores the power of collaborative efforts in enhancing our learning community.

Their efforts have not gone unnoticed. Teachers and students alike have been in awe of the renovation of the once-dull classroom and have expressed gratitude for the newfound inspiration it brings to daily lessons. None more so than Mr Thomas who no longer has to teach amidst the green speckled walls and daffodil paintings, that likely haunted his dreams.

The students displayed exemplary behaviour and deserve immense recognition for their hard work.

Joanne Berryman, Subject Leader for Skills Challenge Certificate & Teacher of Geography

Museum History Trip

At the start of March, a group of our Year 11 GCSE History pupils had the opportunity to go behind the scenes at the National Museum Cardiff and met different staff doing history-related jobs.

Pupils visited the conservation laboratory and learnt about the work that takes place there and visited the library right at the top of the building. They were lucky to visit parts of the museum not accessible to the public. Following this, pupils had a careers session with Archaeology Wales to find out what the job of an archaeologist entails and the routes into this career.

We would like to thank Careers Wales and Adrian Cole, Careers Wales Business Engagement Advisor, for organising this visit for us. We would also like to thank all the staff at the National Museum Cardiff and Archaeology Wales for sharing their knowledge and experience with our pupils.