St Illtyd’s students given many opportunities

Students at St Illtyd’s Catholic High School continue to avail of many wonderful opportunities as they learn important life skills such as first aid and mock interviews, along with taking on new challenges.

CAVC Aeronautical Challenge

Year 10 triple-award science students had the opportunity to visit the 'International Centre for Aerospace Training' (ICAT) in Barry (part of Cardiff and Vale College), on Tuesday 9th July, to compete against different schools in the same year group and subject in the CAVC Aeronautical Challenge.

This is where we were able to learn about various aspects of Aeronautical Engineering which widely incorporates within STEM education and teamwork, as well as getting in touch with our competitive side.

The first activity our team took part in was to create dog tags. This displays your craftsmanship skills based on your: accuracy of shape, size and design. We had to cut pieces of lightweight aluminium off, to achieve a general shape and file it down for the most accurate shape. Furthermore, we had to use a deburring tool to attain a smooth chamfer aesthetic for the chain. The dog tag also had to be engraved using an engraving tool, which if you have difficulty with handwriting like I do, good luck mastering this tool.

The second area we explored was the aeroplane simulation which was breathtaking. This realistic experience illustrates what it is like to fly a plane and land it. The aim of the task was to land the plane with eggs on board and this task was not effortless as various people either crashed in the ocean or broke the eggs. This part of the competition was one of the most concentrated areas of the aeronautical challenge.

The next session was the electrical as well as the flying perspectives. We had to answer questions which were widely related to the physics of circuits, magnetic fields and speed. The flying point of view contained step-by-step instructions and accuracy by flying a drone to a destination based on the team's measurement.

The last parts of the competition were jacking up an aeroplane and creating a parachute to safely place an egg on the floor from a high distance. The aeroplane section was widely based on teamwork and communication, as the wings had to ascend together otherwise this would make the task a lot more difficult. The key to the task was the team leader giving callouts and we had to follow precisely. Designing the parachute also had a lot of teamwork required. This is because we needed everyone's co-operation to design, create and keep our station clean in a small time limit.

All these challenges gave us experience as to what aerospace engineering is about and I believe this could inspire future year groups to this career or something associated towards this path.

Shalid Rosario, 11LG

Cake sale

The Year 11 Prom Fundraising team organised a cake sale at the end of half term in order to raise funds for their Leavers Prom in the summer. The pupils planned and promoted the cake sale together and some of the pupils baked cakes for the sale. The cake sale was a great success, and the team raised £300 which will go towards paying for prom.

Ruth Fry, Head of Year 11 and Teacher of PE

Year 7 First Aid

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 our new pupils in Year 7.

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 Eloisa Payne 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 Les Kenny-Green from National Grid who explained the dangers of electricity to our pupils.

Luisa May, Community Focused Schools Co-ordinator

Year 10 Mock Interviews

In June, all our then Year 10 cohort had the opportunity to take part in mock job interviews, which were supported by 13 local employers. Prior to this, all pupils took part in a CV workshop and had the opportunity to learn about what employers look for when reading through applicant's CVs.

Each pupil sat through a ten-minute interview with one of the employers and then received both verbal and written feedback on how they performed in the interview.

Pupil Meiline Lopes said, "It was very informative and a valuable experience. I was able to point out my strengths and weaknesses in the interview. Employers were very friendly and made us feel at ease during the interview".

Despite appearing nervous beforehand, all pupils demonstrated great resilience, and all came out smiling having enjoyed the experience. The employers were very impressed with our pupils and commented on how mature and well prepared they were. Some of the employers said they would have hired some of the pupils on the spot if it were a real interview.

One employer from Companies House, shared the following feedback: “It was a pleasure to meet some of the Year 10 pupils this week. They were all bold just participating in the interviews, it takes guts to walk into a room of strangers, and I saw some great potential they can build on for their future college or job interviews. Some of you performed better than some adults I have interviewed. Good luck Year 10.”

Pupil Cybil Usialele said: "I found the mock job interview to be really informative and helpful in the aspect of preparation. The way in which it was carried out was sensible and really helpful as it replicated the atmosphere of an actual job interview. The questions asked were relevant and made me believe that I was being genuinely considered for a job.
All in all, the mock interview was really helpful to educate me on what to expect in an actual interview."

Ruth Fry, Head of Year 11 and Teacher of PE

Taith Scribblers Cymraeg

Year 7 had the privilege of attending the Scribblers Cymraeg workshop for Second Language Welsh learners at Cardiff University on November 8th. This event offered pupils a chance to engage with literature and creativity through the Welsh language.

The students participated in a day filled with dynamic and interactive workshops celebrating the Welsh language, led by prominent Welsh writers, poets, and performers.

Bilingual presenter, caricaturist, author, and illustrator Siôn Tomos Owen hosted a workshop that delved into creating imaginative worlds and crafting stories inspired by the people we encounter daily. Meanwhile, writer, producer, and stand-up comedian Leila Navabi encouraged students to explore what makes them laugh. She guided them through the process of writing a TV-quality comedy sketch from start to finish.

Attending Scribblers Cymraeg inspired pupils to think creatively and demonstrated that they understand and use Welsh far more than they may realise. It was fantastic to see the students so engaged.

Megan Gwynne Carroll, Head of Welsh

WJEC Innovation Awards 2024

At the end of September, Year 11 pupils studying GCSE Product Design and/or Textiles visited the WJEC Innovation Awards at the All Nations Centre. Working with the Welsh Government, the WJEC Innovation Awards encourage young people in Wales to be technologically innovative and appreciate the importance of Design and Technology.

Ex-pupil Aliyah Pooley, now attending sixth form college at Bassaleg School, had her work presented at the exhibition. Aliyah has been placed in the finals of the awards being selected alongside twenty-five other GCSE learners from across the country.

Aliyah’s “children’s first aid product” gained a lot of attention for its creativity and quality of its manufacture. Since the restarting of the Innovation Awards, due to a break because of COVID, learners from St. Illtyd’s have had work displayed at each show. This is a significant achievement of the department and our learners.