Senior Reflections

Senior Reflections Week 16 2024

Dear parents,

It has been a chilly week, but with glorious blue skies and frosty mornings, I think we would all prefer this to the wet weather that we experienced during the Christmas holidays. When the history trip headed off at about midnight last night, bound for Berlin, it was a beautiful night – but they will certainly need their thick socks and woolly hats whilst they are away. We wish the forty or so sixth formers and four staff a safe and pleasant journey and a fascinating visit. As ever, I am very grateful to Mr Trelawny, Mrs Culley, Mr Baker and Miss Nye for giving their time and energy to lead the trip over the weekend. Gute Reise!

Admissions events

The sun certainly shone and made the campus look lovely for the families who visited on Tuesday morning for our open house event. It is always a pleasure to welcome visitors, and your children are such great ambassadors when they do tours with prospective pupils. We are very grateful to them for their enthusiasm and input into this process. On Saturday, we welcome candidates for the 11+, 12+, 13+, and 14+ assessments, and I very much look forward to hosting those children here tomorrow. If your own child is coming for assessment, we wish them every success and hope that the morning goes well for them.

Looking ahead – Speech Day

We are currently finalising the details of events to mark the end of the school year and would like to highlight these to let you know. Speech Day will be in the same format as last year, during the school day, with all pupils in Third Form to Middle Fifth plus Lower Sixth expected to attend and all Upper Fifth and Upper Sixth warmly invited to attend. We hope that all prize winners and their parents will be able to join us in the marquee on the field and afterwards for drinks. The date is the afternoon of Thursday 27 June. Please make a note in your diaries.

Lower Fifth Parents evening: DofE bronze

It was a pleasure to welcome Lower Fifth parents to meet with teachers on Thursday this week and to hear so many positive conversations with you and your children. They are enjoying school by all accounts, and I hope that the meeting was helpful to clarify choices for GCSE subjects, which will be uppermost in their minds at the moment. Two pieces of advice from us remain, as ever, do what you love and what you are good at. This will help the boys and girls enjoy school and get the most from it. Please remember also that your children need to continue to embrace all the many opportunities that lie ahead for them, and this week they have heard about the launch of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme (bronze level) for this year group for the first time. We hope that many of your daughters and sons will sign up for the scheme and get involved in the many activities it offers. Please do get in touch with Mrs Ridler-Murray or Miss Rose if you have any questions on this.

Staff news

We welcomed candidates for a new teaching and senior leadership position, Director of Learning and Teaching, on Thursday. We had an exceptionally strong field of applicants from overseas and all over the country for this new role, which will work closely with Dr Wilson to continue to ensure ongoing innovation and challenge in the classroom. We hope to have some news on this soon. We are delighted to congratulate Mr Phil Hyde and his wife, Frankie, on the birth of a new baby girl just before Christmas. Mr Hyde returns from paternity leave on Monday. Congratulations also go to Mr Mike Glanville and his wife, Vicky, on the birth of a baby boy this week.  Mr Glanville will return from paternity leave at the end of the month. Dr Matt Commin is also expecting a new addition to the family any day now, and we wish him and his wife, Gina every success and happiness when the baby arrives.

The arts

Choral society is up and running, and I joined my first rehearsal on Tuesday. It was great to see so many parents and friends of the school there, and I encourage you to come along if you are interested. It really is food for the soul to sing (however well you might feel you do it!) once a week in a large choir. Uplifting stuff, and my grateful thanks go to Mr Matt Davies and Mr Peter Tamblyn for continuing to support all things musical. The vocal concert on Wednesday was equally uplifting, and I was so impressed by the breadth and depth of talent on display. From the junior school to our two diploma-grade singers, all were confident and showed great commitment and style in their singing. It was a lovely way to end the working day, and it was a pleasure to see so many parents in support of their sons and daughters. Thank you for coming. On Wednesday morning also, we had our annual public speaking competition for the Upper Two pupils, Youth Speaks. The range of topics was impressive – the Elgin marbles debate, ultra-processed food, homelessness, and AI – and the pupils showed excellent research skills as well as oracy in their presentations. It is always really tricky to select a winner, and I commend all those who participated, especially the finalists on Wednesday. They were all super. Well done, and thank you to Miss Cox for organising it so well.

Sport

Last weekend we had an intra-school netball tournament in the morning, and it was great to see over fifty girls from Third and Fourth forms playing in this friendly competition. This weekend is the Devon Schools Cross Country Championships – we wish all those running every success and look forward to some great performances from our athletes. The girls have ten fixtures against Wellington School in netball (home and away), and the boys also have ten fixtures in hockey against King’s Bruton and Wellington. Good luck to them all.

Have a lovely weekend,

Senior Artist of the moment

The art department regularly recognises the achievements of individual pupils in the senior school through the award of the title, ‘Artist of the Moment’. Entries cover a wide range of disciplines, including drawing, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture, installation and mixed media.

This weeks’ artist of the moment is Roxane in Upper Sixth. Roxane is exploring the complex relationship between humankind and nature through the lens of architecture. Here, she is experimenting with concrete and plant life, inspired by the work of architect Peter Zumthor. Thought provoking work!

Netball

Our pupils were involved in a busy week of netball ahead of the first full block fixture this weekend against Wellington School. The 1st & 2nd VII’s travelled to the Paignton netball HUB last Saturday where they competed in a tournament hosted by Miss Johnson and Exeter School. Teams from Exeter, Blundell’s, Taunton School, Queen’s, West Buckland, The Maynard, and Wellington played in parallel cup and plate competitions with each team playing four 20-minute matches, the perfect way to start the netball season. Both Exeter teams were involved in some excellent matches, and we look forward to seeing how the senior teams get on this weekend. There was also a morning of internal matches for the U13 and U12s with over 50 girls playing in a super league tournament. Surrey Storm were the eventual winners (of both the tournament and the Cadbury’s Cream Eggs!).

Good luck to all the teams involved in the fixture against Wellington this Saturday.

Football

The 1st XI footballers played their first home game of the season this Wednesday against Colyton Grammar School. A hard fought 2-1 win was the perfect start to the term. They face Shebbear College next Wednesday in their final friendly match ahead of the ISCA league and matches against Taunton School (A), Blundell’s (A), King’s College (A) and Wellington (A). The 2nd XI will also be involved in league fixtures against the ISCA combination league.

Informal Vocal Concert

The first informal concert of the year took place in the Music Hall on Wednesday, when around 20 of the school’s vocalists took to the stage. From Noa and Sybil in Upper One to Upper Sixth pupils Izzy, Ellie, Aurora and Felicity, singers from across the age-ranges entertained the appreciative audience with everything from Mozart to Amy Winehouse to songs from the shows and traditional folk songs.

The next event will be the Informal Drumming/Percussion concert, on Wednesday 24 January at 4pm in the Music Hall – all welcome.

Call for volunteers – Lower Sixth Futures Conference

On the afternoon of Tuesday 27 February the Lower Sixth have the opportunity to meet with alumni, parents and friends of the school who work in different career areas. We are currently looking for individuals in the following fields: Architecture | Law | Environment/Conservation

If you work in one of these areas and are free to spend the afternoon at school on Tuesday 27 February we would be very keen to hear from you – please contact alumni@exeterschool.org.uk by the end of the day on Friday 26 January.

At the conference, each Lower Sixth pupil has the opportunity to meet three different experts, hear about their career paths and ask questions about their role or sector. You would lead three half-hour sessions, opening with a brief, informal talk about your education and career, before leaving plenty of time for questions.

The National Apprenticeship Show

This event will take place on 6 and 7 February at Sandy Park in Exeter, with a dedicated evening opening for parents/pupils on Tuesday 6 February 3.30pm to 6pm. It is a great opportunity for young adults to learn more about Apprenticeships across the South West. Please register here if you are interested.

Senior School News

Senior Sport News

Our annual jazz night, in partnership with @_charlesstanley, takes place on Thursday 3 July at 6.30pm.  With performances from jazz bands 1 & 2, Swunk, Swunkette and more in aid of the Bursary award here at Exeter School, as well as a light supper and refreshments, it is sure to be a superb evening.   Please pre-book your tickets by Thursday 19 June using the link in our bio. 👆  #whatsonwednesday #exeterschools #schoolofgreatcharacter #jazzsupper #jazzmusic #bursaryaward #jazzband #schooljazz

...

6 0
Congratulations to Berenice, Elliot (both M5) and William (L5) who successfully competed at the RS Feva National Championships in Dalgety Bay, Scotland during the May half term.  Elliot and William sailed together finishing 3rd in their class, whilst Berenice and her partner finished in 7th place (2nd of the all- female teams). Great achievements in what were very challenging conditions across the week.  @rsfevauk @exschsports #fevasailing #sailingnationalchampionships #dalgetybay

...

80 1
🎓 We are seeking a teaching assistant to join our junior school from September 2025.   If you, or someone you know, could be a great fit for this role please visit the link in our bio to find out more information and to apply. 👆  #exeterschools #schoolofgreatcharacter #jobvacancy #hiringalert #teachingassistant

...

16 0
Do you have an eye for marketing and keeping up with the latest social media trends?  We are hiring a 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁-𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲𝗿 to commence in July 2025. Applicants should have proven experience in digital marketing and be proficient in digital analysing platforms and analytical tools.  If you, or someone you know could be a great fit for this role, please visit the link in our bio to find out more. 👆

...

24 0
We have an exciting opportunity for a part-time events officer to join our school from August 2025. ✨  If you have experience planning and delivering external-facing events and would be keen to find out more, please visit the link in our bio.👆  #jobvacancy #hiringalert #eventsofficer

...

27 0
See the school in action at our whole school open morning on Tuesday 17 June from 9am.  You will be able to hear from our Head, Ms Simpson, and have the opportunity to visit the junior and/or senior schools.  To find out more information and to register, please visit the link in our bio.  👆  #whatsonwednesday #exeterschools #schoolofgreatcharacter #openmorning #schoolopenevent #togetherwe

...

17 0
A final cricket match for a super group of boys. The U5 boys teamed up to represent the 3rd XI in one last game together before their GCSEs start. Great fun and a tasty spread put together by the boys…the scotch eggs in particular! 🏏☀️ #upperfifth #cricket #exeterschoolsport #exeterschool #friendship

...

94 0
A final gala of the year against Taunton School on the 29th April. A great gala and some superb performances to conclude a memorable year of school swimming. A special mention for our U6th swimmers who have been stalwarts of the swim team for so long @exeterschooluk #swimming #swimfast #exeterschoolsport #exeterschool #schoolofgreatcharacter

...

86 0
Nearly 40 @exeterschooluk pupils from 3F up to M5 competed at the Exeter Schools Athletics Trials last week. It was great to see so many pupils competing in a range of events. There were some notable performances and we await the news of those who that have qualified for the next round - the Exeter v East Devon Schools Athletics Trials on 22nd May #athletics #runjumpthrow #exeterschoolsport #exeterschool #schoolofgreatcharacter

...

79 0
Great to get the cricket season started. Well done to the 1st XI who won their National School’s cup match by 31 runs this evening. @exeterschooluk #cricket #exeterschoolsport #schoolofgreatcharacter

...

154 0
Mason cup winners 2025 🏆 @exeterschooluk @exeterchiefsacademy @exetercitywomensfc #winners #commited #rolemodels

...

148 0
Open morning - Tuesday 17 June 9-10.45am

Come along to our last open morning of the year and see lessons in action, hear from our staff and take a tour with those who know Exeter School best – our pupil ambassadors.

Click here to register your place