Junior Reflections

Junior Reflections Week 16 2024

Dear parents,

It has been another busy week here in the junior school, where we kicked off the week with our theme of ‘making mistakes’. As always, the pupils were enthusiastic about sharing mistakes that they had made but, more importantly, how they dealt with them after. This is, for me, what builds our character; we all make mistakes, mine probably go into 10,000s, but we keep going and learn from them in order to make us a better person. I shared a few examples of my mistakes, and as I told the children, I could have been there all day. I also shared a short video of a few sports mistakes, which I hope the pupils can reflect on in their everyday lives. 

Youth Speaks Final 

On Wednesday, I was joined by Ms Simpson and Mr Brough as judges for the annual Upper Two Youth Speaks. As ever, the finalists were amazing, and all four groups offered thought-provoking and powerful speeches. It was a truly difficult decision, but congratulations to the winners, George, Angus, Greg, and Alex. Thank you to Ms Cox and Mr Evans for your valuable input in preparing all the Upper Twos for this wonderful event. 

Online safety 

Mrs Morgan has been reminding pupils from Upper School about the importance of staying safe online. The digital world that we live in is continually changing. Some of your children may have their own devices, and it is important that, as a school and parents, we remind them of how to behave, just like we would if they don’t follow the rules or expectations at school. But also, what to do if things go wrong… Please do keep an eye on what your children are up to, keep the lines of communication open, and, as we have told the children, many apps have age limits that are there for a reason: to keep them safe. 

Sea turtle talk with Jo Earlam 

Upper One pupils had a visit from local author Jo Earlam this week as part of their geography and art learning. The children enjoyed Jo’s story of ‘Tuamor the Turtle’ and learnt lots of fascinating facts about sea turtles and plastic pollution. The pupils are looking forward to developing their knowledge on this topic and making their clay sea turtle tiles during their art lessons. 

Family society 

I met with the family society on Wednesday to discuss future events, and there is one I would like to draw your attention to. The family society will be hosting a summer fete on Saturday June 15, so please pop the date in your diaries, and more details will be shared in due course. If you are interested in joining our family society, please send your details to jsreception@exeterschool.org.uk and we will pass them on. The more, the merrier, and events like these can only work with the support of the community. 

Coffee morning 

Next Thursday we have our Lower Two and Upper Two coffee morning in the dining hall at 8.25am. I hope you can join us for a croissant, a cup of coffee, and a catch-up.

Have a lovely weekend. 

Playground people of the week

Florence F1H

Amelie U1R

Robyn U1R

Arthur L2P

Benjamin L2P

World Book Day

Mark your calendars, everyone! On Thursday, March 7, junior school will immerse in the enchanting world of literature for World Book Day. We are delighted to host author Sam Sedgman, who will conduct engaging workshops for each year group. We invite you to join the festivities by participating in our biennial tradition of dressing up as your favourite book character. We would like you to step into the shoes of any one of your most cherished book characters. Let’s make this World Book Day a memorable celebration of the magic found within the pages of a good book! Happy reading from Mrs Hardy.

U8s & U9s start their season against ECS

In a fantastic start to the 2024 sporting season, our U8 and U9 teams hosted Exeter Cathedral School for their first hockey and netball matches on Thursday. The afternoon was not about competition but about learning the game and developing key skills. The matches were marked by the enthusiasm and sportsmanship of both teams, creating a wonderful spirit of friendly competition. Here’s to a fantastic season ahead, filled with growth, teamwork, and, most importantly, fun for our children.

Swim Squads

Last week over 80 pupils from the junior school trialled for the swim squads- an impressive number which highlights the enthusiasm for swimming at Exeter School. The level of swimming was very impressive and it is clear that pupils have been working hard over the past few months to improve their skills. Th squads began their training this week and we wish them the best of luck for their galas and competitions this term. Well done to all who trialled and congratulations to those who made the squads.

 

Make £5 Grow: Upper Two’s Maths Project is launched!

Last week Upper Two pupils attended talks given Mr Mackintosh from the senior school and some Young Enterprise sixth form pupils, to launch this year’s independent maths project. Virgin Money have ‘loaned’ our pupils £5 each which will be paid back at the end of the project. Each pupil will be receiving their £5 shortly, with the challenge to ‘make it grow’.

This week we have been exploring how teamwork impacts the world of business and have started to consider how we can use our strengths, interests and hobbies to generate product ideas, playing close attention to the time of the year and our target market.

Pupils will be working in groups of between three to five pupils within their class, to design, make and sell their products and hopefully make a profit. The profit raised will be split between the school charities as chosen by our school council.  Mr Cunningham, Mrs Van and Ms Barnes are busy collecting initial ideas from the groups and are already very excited about what’s to come!

Junior School News

Junior Sport News

Introducing the second Team! A huge congratulations to Team Tri-Hards Rafe, Izzy, Bella and Will. R in Upper One this weekend for completing the Knight Frank @schoolstriathlon  at @kingstaunton. 

As first time participants they did an amazing job at completing the course and raising over £2200 for @nspcc_official! 

What a fantastic achievement and an inspiration to everyone at the school. We are so proud of you all! 👏🎉

#ExeterSchool #IndependentSchool #Triathlon #Teamwork #Charity #AspireAndFlourish #InspireAndChallenge #RaisingMoney #UpperOne 
@knightfrank @neilsonholidays

...

11 2
Congratulations to 1st XI captain Josh P who was awarded his cricket colours today at the completion of their final match @exeterschooluk #cricket #colours #commitment #exeterschoolsport

...

160 0
📢 We're Hiring | Reception Manager (Junior School)

Are you an organised, professional and personable administrator looking for a rewarding role within a thriving school community?

We are delighted to be recruiting for a Reception Manager to join our junior school from September 2026 on a permanent, term-time only basis.

This is a pivotal position at the heart of the school, serving as the first point of contact for pupils, parents, visitors and staff, while providing high-quality administrative and operational support to the Head of Junior School. As the face of the school, you'll help ensure a welcoming, efficient and professional environment every day.

What we're looking for:
✅ Exceptional organisational and communication skills
✅ A warm, professional and approachable manner
✅ Strong administrative experience
✅ The ability to manage multiple priorities in a busy school setting

What we offer:
✔ Full-time equivalent salary of £33,000
✔ Generous employer pension contribution
✔ Free school lunches during term time
✔ Free on-site parking
✔ Access to the indoor swimming pool and fitness suite
✔ A supportive and vibrant school community
📅 Application deadline: 9am, Friday 3 July 2026
📅 Interviews: Friday 10 July 2026
📍 Start date: September 2026

If you're passionate about delivering outstanding service and would like to play a key role in supporting a school where pupils are encouraged to be curious, kind and courageous learners, we'd love to hear from you.

#EducationJobs #SchoolJobs #ReceptionManager #AdministrationJobs #IndependentSchool #EducationCareers #NowHiring #SchoolAdministration

...

25 0
Congratulations to 1st XI captain Josh P who was awarded his cricket colours today at the completion of their final match @exeterschooluk #cricket #colours #commitment #exeterschoolsport

...

160 0
Following a well contested final the U12s were crowned @devoncricket county champions this evening 🏆👏🏻
Well done to everyone in the squad but special to Harry for a fantastic innings of 49 in the team’s fight back. 

@exeterschooluk #countycup #cricket #champions #exeterschoolsport #schoolofgreatcharacter

...

83 0
What a great day of cricket! Well done to the @exschsports U11s who finished as runners up at the Devon U11 hardball competition today. The eight a-side format gives each team the opportunity to play three matches during the day with the winners heading to the west finals! Well done on winning  @stpetersprepschool 

@exeterschooluk @devoncricket @esca_cricket #cricket #teamwork #exeterschoolsport #schoolofgreatcharacter

...

52 0
Congratulations to Jacob and Freddie (both L6) who represented Devon U17’s last Sunday playing against Dorset & Wiltshire. Devon won 50-24. Freddie scored 2 tries and Jacob 1 @exeterschooluk @devonrfu #rugby #exeterschoolsports #schoolofgreatcharacter

...

174 2