Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in the Exeter School Community

Every member of our community deserves a genuine sense of belonging. Therefore, we work hard to build an environment where everyone can truly flourish. Being an Exonian means something specific. It means being celebrated as a unique individual. At the same time, it means belonging to a warm, inclusive community.

Whether you’re a pupil or a parent, a staff member or part of our wider community, you should feel empowered here. Because we value every voice, we make sure everyone feels heard. This applies across Exeter School, from Pre-Prep through to Sixth Form.

A group of five pupils from junior school, senior and sixth form showing diversity over a fence gate with greenery around

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at Exeter School

We uphold the rights of every protected group under the Equality Act 2010. This includes background, race, ethnicity, and nationality. It also includes religion, belief, gender, and sexual orientation. Disability and socioeconomic status matter too, as do neurodiversity and English as an additional language. Consequently, we extend this support to anyone with additional learning needs.

We stay both proactive and reflective in how we support our community. As a result, our approach covers several key areas:

  • We provide carefully considered pastoral support for pupils with protected characteristics, so every pupil feels genuinely seen.
  • We tackle discriminatory behaviour consistently, because fairness only works when it’s applied every time.
  • We raise awareness of prejudice and discrimination throughout the school. In turn, pupils and staff alike learn how they can reduce this together.
  • We review our curriculum and pastoral programme regularly. Therefore, pupils with protected characteristics see themselves represented and celebrated in what they learn.
  • We recognise the importance of our history, too. We connect with alumni to celebrate Exeter School’s past. Meanwhile, we look ahead, because continuous improvement drives everything we do.

Inclusion isn’t a single policy at Exeter School. Instead, it’s a daily commitment across our whole community. From the classroom to the sports field, and from pastoral care to alumni engagement, equality and diversity shape how we work. Ultimately, we want every pupil, parent, and staff member to feel they truly belong here, both now and in the years ahead.

Our EDI lead

Bethan Rose

Bethan Rose, Deputy Head at Exeter School
Position:
Deputy Head (Enrichment, character and community)

Bethan joined Exeter School in September 2022. She completed her PGCE in Religious Studies and began teaching at Hinchley Wood School in Esher, Surrey. Alongside her teaching practice she completed an MA in Advanced Educational Practice at UCL. In 2016...

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Examples of EDI in our daily life

Pupil Involvement

At Exeter School we recognise the importance of working with pupils in order to enact change that is meaningful and effective. Pupils are encouraged to make their voices heard in a number of ways and also have access to our ‘Whisper’ platform should they wish to raise an anonymous concern. Our pupils are enthusiastic and motivated in their promotion of equality and have attended EDI conferences as part of organised school trips, established their own clubs (including South and Southeast Asian society and the Soroptimist Society) and led assemblies for their peers on EDI issues.

Pupils are also invited to use our school council as a means by which to express both their own views and the views of their peers. The school council includes a range of pupils from every year group and house who put themselves forward for election at the beginning of the year. The council meets every half term and is attended by members of the senior leadership team who support and facilitate the discussion.

Parent Voice

We recognise that parents also have valuable perspectives to offer on inclusion and diversity, and to this end we have established a parental forum specifically designed to discuss these issues in detail, both celebrating the successes of the school and identifying pathways to improvement.

Character Education

As part of our commitment to character education at Exeter School, pupils in our senior school receive lessons on character and practical wisdom, through which they explore how to respond to current issues and how to navigate the challenges of life in an informed and responsible manner. Within these lessons we cover topics related to diversity and inclusion, providing pupils with time and space to debate these themes.

East Asia Society

The East Asia society meets weekly throughout the year, is one of our best attended clubs, and is largely pupil-led. Pupils are welcome to attend regardless of their own culture and ethnicity, and the time is spent exploring east and southeast Asian culture, playing mahjong, eating food and learning more about what makes the countries in this part of the world unique. Pupils regularly deliver talks on specialist subjects to their peers and staff are also welcome to attend.

Q&A Society

The Q&A society is open to all pupils with an interest in matters of gender and sexuality. The acronym refers to ‘Queer community and Allies’, and weekly meetings are attended by members of the LGBTQ+ community in school, those exploring their gender or sexuality, and by supporters of the queer community and those wishing to deepen their knowledge of LGBTQ+ issues. Each week the people visiting this safe space set the agenda for the session, and this ranges across celebration, concern and debate, often in quick succession: they explore queer representation in youth fiction and movie series, LGBTQ+ issues in the news locally and internationally, possible improvements in the school’s support of the queer community, and sometimes simply chat about life in general.

Exeter School Library

The library is a welcoming place for everyone and the collection it holds is built to represent the diversity of the whole school community and beyond. We believe that reading books with diverse characters by diverse authors helps us to see and understand ourselves and each other. Themed displays throughout the year highlight and promote these books, and the authors the library invites to inspire pupils to develop a love of reading also represent this diversity.