Senior Reflections 20 March 2026
Dear parents,
It has been another full week here, with much to celebrate across sport, music, academic enrichment and the wider life of the school.
I couldn’t possibly start with anything else: a huge congratulations must go first to our U16 netballers, who were crowned Sisters ‘n Sport Bowl National Champions at Loughborough University. This was an outstanding achievement, and the girls represented the school brilliantly throughout. Do have a look at the photographs on our website and social media. My particular thanks go to ‘National Champion coach’ Miss Johnson (doesn’t that sound good!), whose inspiration and expertise have meant so much to the team.
There has been success in hockey too, with our U11 girls finishing runners-up in the West of England finals. We are also keeping everything firmly crossed for our U12 boys, who play in the final of the same competition later today.
Tuesday evening brought a quite different kind of occasion, as the music department hosted its Open Mic night. With an eclectic mix of pop, rock, choral singing and live poetry readings, the audience was treated to moving melodies, powerful ballads and passionate recitals. It was a wonderful way to spend an hour and a superb showcase of the breadth of talent we are fortunate to have in school. Keeping with the musical theme; this week’s Catalyst Club, led by Ms Pinches, gave pupils the opportunity to explore the fascinating relationship between computer science, coding and music. They may not have produced the next chart topper, but pupils learnt a lot and very much enjoyed their experience.
Also on Tuesday, as part of their Futures programme, our Lower Sixth visited the UCAS Fair at Westpoint. They returned with rather more than free pens and stress toys, gaining valuable insight into university courses, institutions and the application process itself. My thanks to Mrs Szender for organising such a helpful trip.
On Wednesday, it was a delight to welcome some of our pre-prep pupils on site for their regular swimming lesson. It has been wonderful to see the progress they are making in the water, supported by our dedicated and fully trained sixth form lifeguards, who kept a careful eye on proceedings.
Wednesday also saw Mr Masters lead a team of committed delegates to a Model United Nations conference in Dorset. They had an absolutely fantastic day, with two out of four of the awards going to Exeter School pupils. I would like to share a quote from a Third Form (Year 7) pupil serving on the crisis committee: when asked a point of information about if we should learn from history that sending UN peacekeepers isn’t usually successful and therefore we should not do it in the future, he replied “while the delegate does learn from history, the delegate recognises that the future remains unwritten”. It is always heartening to see young people engaging so thoughtfully with global political issues; it gives me great confidence for the future.
Our Middle Fifth (Year 10) geographers also enjoyed an evening of quizzing as part of the WorldWise Quiz competition hosted at King’s College Taunton. Pitting their knowledge of all things global against other schools from across the region, after eight rounds we were crowned winners by one point! We now have the honour of hosting the event next year. My thanks to Mr Fox for accompanying them.
Thursday was no less busy. Our Upper Sixth psychologists attended a conference, an excellent opportunity to deepen their understanding of the subject beyond the classroom and to engage with some of the big questions at the heart of psychology. Senior historians enjoyed a special talk on ‘The Union and Irish Nationalism’, while members of the CCF RAF once again had the chance to take to the skies during air experience flying in Hampshire. Meanwhile, our mathematicians tackled the next round of the Maths Kangaroo; jumping into the challenging problems with both feet. My thanks go to Mrs Gooddy, Miss Harris, Mr Butler and Mr Worthy for making these opportunities possible.
Also on Thursday Dr Smale and the team coordinated a fantastic mini-exhibition of Upper Fifth (year 11) chemistry posters. Filling Butterfield Hall, pupils designed scientific research posters based on an area of chemistry with wide ranging topics including forensics, hair care products, Formula 1, superconductors, chemiluminescence, artificial sweeteners and many more. It was a pleasure to see not only the depth of research and scientific curiosity on show, but also the creativity, skill and pride with which pupils presented their work.
This evening, I am very much looking forward to our house drama preview, ahead of the performances to a wider audience on Saturday. This is always one of those special, community-focused, pupil-led events that showcases not only talent and enthusiasm, but also teamwork, creativity and great school spirit.
The weekend ahead offers its usual energetic and varied mix of activities, including our second Third Form (Year 7) murder mystery sleepover in the library, our artists exhibiting work as part of the Positive Light Project on Sidwell Street, and sporting fixtures with boys’ hockey against West Buckland and the girls’ taking on Wellington on the netball courts.
A brief reminder, too, about the upcoming Parental Forum session on Tuesday 24 March, which will be led by Lisa McCullagh from Southwest Autism. If this is of interest to you, please complete the form on MSP to indicate your attendance.
Many of you may also have seen the very sad news of the meningococcal disease outbreak linked to Kent and might have some questions about the meningitis and the MenB vaccination for your child. For more information, the UKHSA is regularly updating this link. We have also provided some additional information and links available in the section below this letter.
Thank you, as ever, for your support of the school and for all you do to enable your children to make the most of the opportunities before them. I hope you are able to enjoy some rest over the weekend, and I look forward to another busy and rewarding week ahead.
