Junior Reflections 8 May 2026

Dear parents,

I hope that you all had a good long weekend – it was great to have an extra day to spend with friends and family and to enjoy the sunshine.

Cricket season has got off to a super start, and it was lovely for me to get out and about and watch our upper and lower school girls playing cricket on Wednesday and Thursday. There were some very close scores, and I am very much looking forward to more matches in the sun.

Thursday evening saw the school buzzing with prospective parents and their families at our Summer Open Evening, where we were delighted to welcome Dr Rainbow to school. He spoke with prospective parents about his strong personal and professional confidence in Exeter School, which he summarised as a place of academic ambition, intellectual curiosity and co-curricular richness, underpinned by exceptional pastoral care, kindness, character and service. As both a parent and incoming Head, Dr Rainbow spoke warmly about how excited he is to join and to lead our community. There will be plenty of opportunities next term for parents to meet him as he takes up the reins of our wonderful school in September.  As always, our tour guides did a fantastic job of showcasing the school and sharing their experiences of life in the junior school with real enthusiasm and pride. They truly are a great advert for our community, and I received many complimentary comments from visitors at the end of the tours. Thank you for allowing your children to support events such as this, it would not be possible without them. They are a real credit to you and to the school.

The junior school were lucky enough to have Mr Collard, Head of Design and Technology, join us for assembly in the Chapel this morning. Mr Collard showed the children the sorts of projects they would be making in the senior school which included jewellery boxes and a lamp. Mr Collard also discussed what careers the children might be able to pursue after studying DT.

I wanted to update you on some staffing news for September. Ms Polly Wheller will be joining us as one of our Upper One teachers, working alongside Mr Chris Johnston and Ms Polly Wormington. Ms Wheller is currently teaching Year 2 at Exeter Pre-Prep where she has been for a year, and before this she was teaching at Marlborough College in Malaysia. This year, we will be adding an additional Upper One class, with all three classes being based in the classrooms off the Junior School Hall. Please be reassured that this does not represent an increase in the overall size of the junior school, and your child’s current experience will not be affected by this addition. Mrs Russell and Mrs Handley will be our two Form One teachers next year and are very much looking forward to welcoming our new Form One pupils in September.

I am looking forward to seeing many upper school parents for coffee and croissants next Friday at 8:30am at the pavilion and I do hope that you can join us.

And finally, a quick plug: on Saturday 16 May, the Exeter Cathedral Choir is holding a ceilidh in the magnificent setting of the cathedral nave to raise funds for future choir tours. You may recall that our Sixth Form enjoy a ceilidh as part of their Winter Ball; it is always great fun, and now parents have the chance to join in too! Further details can be found here:

Click here to for more info on Exeter Cathedral’s ceilidh

Enjoy the sun this weekend.