Dear parents,
The final week of term has passed in a flash. At 2am today we waved adios to the languages trip to Granada, where pupils from Middle Fifth to Upper Sixth will be spending the next few days; staying with host families and attending language school each day. Both of these settings give lots of opportunity for practising their Spanish and I am sure that they will all have a great time. Of course, there will be an opportunity to immerse themselves in the Spanish culture too, with Flamenco dancing, paella masterclass and visits to the impressive Alhambra. My grateful thanks to Mrs Leda Trotman, Mr Liam Mc Menamin, Mrs Emma Pomares and Ms Nathalie Cushion for giving their time so generously this holiday to accompany the trip. I hope that they all have a great time.
Last weekend was packed with Ten Tors training on Dartmoor and sport on Saturday with a block fixture against King’s College, Taunton. It was a pleasure to be able to watch some of the hockey and netball and to see such a great atmosphere on the court and the field. Developing a great sense of fair play and enjoyment within sport is of course really important and it was a pleasure to hear from those in the teams how much they had enjoyed their fixtures.
Through the week your children have enjoyed a host of enrichment activities to develop their character; the first football team beat Blundell’s on Wednesday, some of these pupils went straight into performing in the informal concert at 5pm that day – with a large audience enjoying a wide range of jazz, rock and pop music in the music hall. The lower and middle school pupils have had a great time in their inter-house ‘park run’ competitions around the field – it is always great to see whole year groups competing so enthusiastically, and being cheered on by a handful of spectators. The same year groups acquitted themselves well at Exmouth Community College in the UKMT maths challenge event on Wednesday and on Thursday the sixth formers, who study English, enjoyed watching Hamlet at the RSC in Stratford. The artists have been busy this week too, with the Lower Sixth exhibition being an impressive display of individual creativity on Monday; curated by the pupils themselves. Whilst the art scholars enjoyed a talk on Thursday after school to further explore their artistic skills and influences. Today, our chess team are off to Torquay Grammar School for a challenge event; every day is packed with great opportunities and I can only give you a flavour here. I hope that your children enjoyed being involved in these, and all the other activities that they participate in with such zest and energy in the first half of the term.
School strategy
Many thanks to the parents who completed the online survey giving their views on what parents value about the school, and to those who joined us for a parent forum to workshop the ideas and delve a little deeper. It is always fascinating to reflect on the views of the school community and the governing board will be taking these into account when we meet together on a strategy day in March.
Exonian lecture
Last Friday evening was a fantastic event, with Capt. Lizzie Godwin here to present our annual Exonian lecture. Capt. Lizzie is the first female to be an officer in The Household Cavalry and her tales of her time in the services, both in her ceremonial roles and also on active training exercises, had us gripped. She is remarkably poised in her delivery and connected brilliantly with all of us in the audience. Gabe P, one of the CCF cadets, gave an excellent vote of thanks before Capt. Godwin very generously (and patiently!) allowed members of the audience to try on some of her kit – which looked spectacular. Thank you to those of you who came along and well done to the cadets, in particular, who Capt. Godwin really enjoyed meeting both at the lecture and also during the afternoon’s CCF activities.
School uniform
A reminder that we continue to ask your children to wear their uniform with pride. At home you can support us please by insuring that they do not infringe the rules about jewellery and that they have suitable black school shoes, garments that are the right length and that they always have their blazer with them. A reminder, also, that any makeup should be discreet and long hair should be tied up. We look forward to seeing your children dressed smartly for the second half of term and thank you for your support.
Staff news
Very sadly, Mrs Helen Sail will be retiring from Exeter School at the end of the summer term. Mrs Sail, a passionate geographer, has had two stints at Exeter School as a teacher. She joined for the first time in 1989, and then left us in 1993 to spend a period of time at Wellington School. She returned in 2007 and has been Head of Geography, Head of Dowrich House and most recently Head of Third Form in our new pastoral structure. Her commitment and dedication to the Ten Tors programme is legendary, and her incredible pastoral care and leadership has been a huge strength for the school, particularly through the tricky years of Covid-19. Mrs Sail has inspired and cared diligently for many hundreds of Exonians in the classroom, in her pastoral work and on the moors, and we will miss her very much as she heads off to new adventures in her retirement.
The start of the half term break is upon us and I know that many of you will be looking forward to some rest and recuperation with your children over the holidays. The Upper Sixth are in an industrious mode at present, with A Level trial exams on the horizon, and I hope that they also find time (between the revision) to relax and have some fun.
Happy holidays!
