Harry Hutchins

Deputy Head Boy 2019 - 2020

I moved to Llandovery College in Year 12 and, as someone who came from a state school in Swansea, there were many Sixth Forms and Colleges closer to home that I could have chosen but, for me, Llandovery College was by far the best option and my decision to come here was one of the best I have ever made.

One of the main reasons I chose to come to Llandovery College was the excellent teaching and this is due to the small class sizes. I studied Physics, Chemistry and Maths at A Level and the class sizes for these subjects were two, four and six respectively. If you are someone who likes to hide at the back of the class then this may initially put you off, but the academic benefits were truly invaluable. It allowed for a greater amount of the teacher's time to be spent on me individually, and I am fully aware that this was one of the greatest factors contributing to the AS results that I achieved last Summer.

In the Summer holidays after Year 12, I had the fantastic opportunity to go on exchange to Australia with six others from my year group. We stayed with our host families for six weeks and all had an amazing time doing things such as; climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge, seeing the Blue Mountains and representing the College at Central Coast Grammar School. At Llandovery College, there are also exchanges to South Africa and New Zealand and I believe that this is one of the many things that set us apart from other Colleges.

Another of my favourite things about Llandovery College was the boarding community and the facilities available on campus. Before I started boarding I had already heard excellent things about the boarding community and now, as someone who stayed in Tŷ Cadog five nights every week, I can safely say that my expectations were exceeded! At the College there is a sense of being a big family unlike anywhere else I have ever been, and it is amazing how well everyone gets along whether it is boarders with non-boarders, members of the Senior School with members of the Prep School or anything in between. Moreover, almost all of the facilities stay open after school hours for the boarders to use and this includes the Sports Hall, Gym, Music Block, Computer Rooms and the Library. This ensures that we always have something to do as boarders and gives important opportunities to complete any school work with help from teachers that are on boarding duty.

I found Llandovery College to be a welcoming community that allows its students to thrive in academia, sport and the arts and I am extremely glad that I chose to come here for Sixth Form.