Junior Reflections

Junior Reflections Week 15 2024

Dear parents,

This week

Well, the weather has certainly changed from wet to cold… not sure which I prefer, but I am pleased to see your children wrapped up warm and prepared. Activities have started with a bang this week, and it is lovely to see so many of the pupils making the most of what is on offer and trying something new.

Mr Huw Thomas’ visit

I welcomed Mr Huw Thomas, Head of Plymouth Prep, on Monday, who joined me for a tour and lunch. He was bowled over by the amazing facilities and sense of calm and well-mannered pupils in both the junior and senior schools and was hugely impressed by all that was on offer. Sometimes we take for granted our surroundings as we get used to what we know, but actually it is good to just check in and appreciate what an amazing school we have.

Creating a product

Upper Two pupils were joined by Mr Stuart Mackintosh, Head of Economics in the senior school, who spoke to the pupils about their future jobs and how to be entrepreneurs. Two sixth form pupils who have been on this journey through the Young Enterprise Scheme also spoke to the pupils about the best way of creating a product. There was certainly a buzz of ideas after, and I am very much looking forward to seeing the end products, as I know the rest of the school are.

Classes and clubs

The Gardening Club has been potting daffodil bulbs with Simon, Will, and Tom. The bulbs will then be kept warm in the poly tunnel until they are ready to be delivered to brighten up the school! Connie from senior school also joined us to share her eco-tips and help the pupils with the gardening club. The Lower Two have had tremendous fun over the past week in their class music lessons. Each class is learning how to play the French horn, creating a buzz of noise in the classroom as we enrich their musical appreciation. I had the longest queue ever this week for ‘Good Works’ – it literally went into the hall as so much amazing work was being done. Well done, junior school. You certainly keep me busy.

Quiz night

We have had to change the date for our junior school quiz night, which is now taking place on Friday 2 February at 7pm.  I do hope many of you will be able to join us. Let your form representative know if you wish to come (tables of six or on your own) and we will allocate you a table. It is a fun event, an excuse to socialise, meet new people, and catch up. We are looking for raffle prizes, so if you are able to donate something for the evening, please let your form representative know, or alternatively, pop it into the junior school office.

Wishing you a warm weekend.

Playground people of the week

Barnaby U1B

Ted L2P

Luca L2P

George U2C

Exeter School dry robes

After the success of the school dry robes last term we are pleased to be able to let you know that there is a second opportunity for you to order one. Please complete this form before Monday 22 January, so that we can place the order and have them by February half term.

A reminder that if you order the wrong size we will not be able to replace it with the correct sizing as we don’t hold these in stock. Please do try on a sample for sizing before ordering – this can be done by visiting the Bursary and asking for the key to the second hand shop.

Junior School News

Junior Sport News

Alumnus Steve Dukes (1992-1997), CEO of @confused_com, returned to school this week to give an assembly. He advised pupils about aspiring to reach their goals, using negatives to fuel your journey. He said, 'when you’re at school, being called names like ‘odd, weird and awkward’ can often mean something completely different in adult life - these words become ‘creative, unusual and innovative’.  His top advice was to become like a sponge, find what learning method works best for you, learn fast and act on it. Great advice Steve - thanks so much for visiting us!  @exeterschool_alumni #visitingspeakers

...

48 0
While it was hard to get a good photo of our sixth form linguists attending an online conference on Wednesday, pupil Sophia's feedback was that "it was really good to see how linguistics goes into so many areas and how some things seemingly unrelated (so far away from linguistics) can have a big/strong connection with linguistics."   They were treated to four diverse talks, ranging from how AI can help us learn foreign languages, how forensic linguistics can help compare different texts and ascertain if the same person wrote both texts (helpful in identifying and profiling criminals), how idioms are processed in our brains and used in social discourse, and how dormant languages can be reclaimed. The talks were 25 minutes each with a Q&A afterwards. As well as being informative, these talks allowed pupils to see what a course of study or a career in linguistics might look like. Many thanks to @oxfordhighschoolgdst for running the event.   #onlineconference #linguisticsevent #forensiclinguistics  #exeterschools #independentschoolsuk #sixthformlife

...

37 0
Huge congratulations to Jack (U6) who continues to excel with his sailing and has recently been selected for 29er British Sailing Youth Team. The British Sailing Youth Team is an annual programme designed to support and develop the best sailors in the UK. The focus of the programme is to ensure sailor learning and individuals develop to fulfil their potential within the sport. There are a small number of boats in the team, and selection has been very competitive this year.   Jack also competed in the European Championships in Garda in July. He had also sailed at the Worlds in Porto. We can’t wait to hear about Jack’s progress.   #exeterschoolsport #exeterschool #schoolofgreatcharacter

...

63 0
Netball success - well done to the U14 girls who won the Exeter round of their national competition winning all of their matches and progressing up the next round. @exeterschooluk #netball #exeterschool #exeterschoolsport #schoolofgreatcharacter

...

119 1
Exciting week of national cup sport with the 1st XV playing @sherborneboys tomorrow (Home - 15:00) and the 1st XI hockey up against @blundells_sport on Thursday (Home - 16:30). Come along and support the school 1st teams. @nextgenxv @exeterschooluk #exeterschoolsport #exeterschool #schoolofgreatcharacter

...

123 0
Great to get the football season underway! Last week the 1st XI played their first match of the season in a well contested match against King’s College, Taunton. We look forward to following their progress this year. @exeterschooluk #exeterschoolsport #exeterschool #football #schoolofgreatcharacter

...

151 0
First competitive fixture of the season for our swimmers. Our teams competed at the South West regional round of the ESSA relays held at Millfield last Wednesday. The school fielded teams in all age groups with 8 pupils competing for the school for the first time. The senior teams performed particularly well, putting themselves in the running to make the national finals later in the term! @exeterschooluk #exeterschoolsport #swimming #swimfast #essaswimming

...

105 1