Junior Reflections 27 March 2026

Dear parents,

I have to admit I was falsely lured into thinking summer had arrived last weekend, and it now feels that it has been taken away and we have gone back to jumpers and coats, but at least the rain has largely stayed away.

Tuesday saw a wonderful afternoon of singing and happy pupils at our Spring Concert; what an array of songs on display and I hope that you enjoyed the performances as much as I did. I know I have already said this, but a huge thank you to Mr Titchin for masterminding the whole event, and of course to Mrs Handley and her wonderful art monitors for making the incredible back drop and programme. All the pupils sang their hearts out and the end – the rendition of Mamma Mia – was brilliant! I was humming all the way home. Well done, junior school.

Click here to watch a recording of the concert

On Wednesday our pupils did us proud at the annual Founders’ Day service in the Cathedral, where we have the opportunity to remember all that was done before us and that has shaped Exeter School into the school of great character that it is today. Well done to Elizabeth, Tilly B, Luke, Tilly G, Charlie F, Oliver, Bel, and April for reading your wonderful prayers at the service so brilliantly – it is no mean feat to speak in front of nearly 1000 people.

Today, we had interviews for the Head of Lower school, and in true Exeter School style, the pupils were a credit to the school and the candidates all commented on how well behaved and polite they were. I will, of course, keep you all updated once I have more news to share.

Next Monday our pupils may come in non-school uniform with trainers on their feet; I will be wearing mine as well as I hurtle into the 4-week mark before the big event. We are asking for a donation of £2 which will go towards the NSPCC. Tuesday will see our last sporting event of the term, which is the junior school house cross country run. We ask that all pupils come to school in their PE kit, ready for the afternoon.

Have a wonderful Easter break when it arrives; I think all your children are ready for a well-earned rest.

Mrs Saskia van Schalkwyk

Playground person of the week

Jack M U1R

Hari N L2P

Junior School News

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If you have a couple of lines of information and a photograph that you and your child are happy to be shared we will try to post these at relevant times through the year.
Email our communications team

Family Society summer ball

The Family Society will be hosting a summer ball on Friday 5 June at Sandy Park.

Hope to see you there!

The Family Society

Book now

Senior Spring Charity Concert

Exeter School’s musicians and singers are delighted to be performing our Spring Charity Concert once again. This year’s venue is the school’s Main Hall.

All proceeds from this concert, which takes place on Tuesday 31 March 2026 at 7.30pm, will go directly to WaterAid, a charity Exeter School has supported over many years in their valuable work to transfrom the lives of the poorest and most marginalized people by improving access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene.

The concert features the Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Choir, Belles Canto, Barbershop Boys, Maxi Brass, Young Voices and Senior Brass.

Tickets available to purchase here

Summer Chamber Concert

Exeter School has a long association with St Giles’ Church, Sidbury and will be returning there once again on Friday 24 April with the concert starting at 7.30pm.

Our Chamber Concert this year will feature a number of the school’s smaller ensembles plus a selection of solo performances from our A Level and GCSE musicians. The concert is in support of the Church Fund.

Tickets available to purchase here

Schoolblazer

Summer uniform is now available to purchase from Schoolblazer. Please note, there will also be a free delivery period from 29 June – 12 July. More information on the shopping and ordering process is available via here.

Visit the Schoolblazer website

Meningitis B and Sepsis

The Meningitis B vaccination (BexSero) was licensed for UK use in the year 2013, and in September 2015 became part of the routine schedule of NHS vaccination offered to all infants age 8 weeks to 1 year. If your child was born in the latter half of 2025, they will have been offered a series of vaccinations for Meningitis B. At present the NHS routinely vaccinates 13-25 year olds for Meningitis ACWY.

Further information on the vaccination

Additionally, I would like to take this opportunity to share some information about sepsis which can be a serious, life threatening complication of meningitis or any infection. Sepsis can be hard to spot, and parents, carers and guardians are encouraged to ‘trust their instincts’. For information about recognising sepsis and seeking help if concerned, please follow the link below to the NHS website and the useful video embedded in this link ‘trust your instincts’.

Further information on sepsis

It's heating up all round but at Exeter School we ensure our pupils are Real-World Ready and take fire safety seriously. 

Our L6 RAF cadets got hands on last week in a fire extinguisher practical. Ensuring they do this safely and keep a level head and themselves safe if faced with the  real thing was all important.

#CadetsInSchools #welcomeandserve #firesafety #coeducationtothrive #exeterschools

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We wanted to say a huge thank you to @exetermorris for blessing our stand at the @devoncountyshow and warding off any negative spirits. They loved our frisbee fans as much as everyone else with us wiping out stocks and passing out over 500 beach balls too. 

Thank you to all who visited to say hello, learn more about the school and regale us with stories of memories passed. If you're yet to discover what's in store for you with Exeter School, why not reigster for our upcoming open morning on Wednesday 24 June - link in our bio above

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Spare a thought for Mr Harknett standing on the start line of this morning's @thegreatwestrun, raising funds on behalf of @charityforcecancer. With the heatwave making this quite a feat, please donate if you can via his Just Giving page (link in bio Linktree). 

Mr Harknett, if you see this, we're proud of you and let us know how it goes! 🏃‍♂️‍➡️

#AspireAndFlourish #InspireAndChallenge #MarathonMan #HalfMarathon #Community #SchoolOfGreatCharacter #GoodLuck #RunDaddyRun

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A little shout out to thank Mr Swan and the school's @sodexouk_ire team for joining in the fun with the National Literacy Festival. We loved our Alice in Wonderland themed cupcakes at lunch 😍

We really did Go All In 2026 😆

#AliceInWonderland #cupcakes #yummy #ExeterJuniorSchool #baking #CSLewis #literature #lovereading

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Yesterday, we proudly celebrated the National Year of Reading (@go_all_in_2026) with our very own Exeter Junior School Literary Festival. The entire school day was dedicated to a rich rotation of inspiring activities, including poetry workshops, picture book creation and art sessions that brought stories to life. We were delighted to welcome The Bookery, who introduced pupils to the current top 20 children’s books many of which were eagerly purchased and are now all available to borrow in our junior school library. 

A highlight of the day was our open mic event, where we enjoyed wonderful performances from our talented Poet Laureates, alongside Miss Cox sharing her journey as a published author. The school was truly alive with conversation, creativity, and a shared love of reading; what a joyful and fitting way to celebrate the magic of literature!

This is Sophia in Year 3 singing her piece 🥰

#TheBookery #LoveReading #ExeterJuniorSchool #PoetLaureates #TopTitles #SchoolOfGreatCharacter #MalkinMoonlight #GoodBooks

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Exeter Junior School pupils are off timetable today for a wonderful roundabout of activities in aid of the @national_literary_festival. We're going all in for the @go_all_in_2026 and some pupils, like Bel here, performed their pieces in assembly in chapel this morning. Well done Bel! 👏

#GoAllIn #reading #poetry #CreativeWriting #PoetLaureate #NationalYearOfReading2026 #ExeterJuniorSchool #NationalLiteracyTrust #DevonSchools #IndependentSchoolsUK 

🎵 Copyrighted music licensed from Lickd. https://lickd.co

Hawaiian Magic by 101 Strings Orchestra, https://t.lickd.co/l/1PENMPJKwkv

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Founders' Day - 25 Mar 26

Junior school Spring Concert - 24 Mar 2026

Virgin Money Dragon's Den final - 18 Mar 2026

Junior school Inter-House Swim Gala - 13 Feb 2026

Year 4 (U1) A Midsummer Nights' Dream

World Book Day 2026

Virgin Money selling 2026

U11 Football and Netball - 6 Mar 2026