“The proposed restructure of our pastoral system at Exeter School is not an attempt to change or eradicate our history, of which we are enormously proud. The recent comments being quoted in the press are from three years ago during a discussion with our school community about our own history at the time when statues of historical figures were being toppled.
A strong pastoral system fosters a sense of belonging, provides essential support structures, and contributes to the character development of our pupils. Change to our whole school pastoral structure has necessitated a move away from the ‘house structure’ to a ‘year group structure’, requiring us to reduce the number of houses from ten to five.
Rather than select some houses to remove, it seemed fairer to take a fresh approach, so we put a number of name ideas out to consultation with our school community. We are fully committed to engaging not only with our pupils and parents but with our much-valued alumni, staff and governors.
We recognise the strength of feeling associated with a change such as this and hence want to ensure that the heritage and illustrious history of the school is protected.
No decision has been made as the consultation is still underway. We are encouraged to see that the community is interested and taking the time to respond. Once the consultation period has closed, we will appraise the responses and the senior leadership team, together with the governing body will make their recommendations.”
