Senior Reflections Week 6 October 2025

Dear parents,

As we reach the final week of what has been a fantastic half term, I want to take a moment to reflect on the many achievements of our pupils; sporting, musical, dramatic, academic, and in service to others. Their energy, enthusiasm, and commitment have been inspiring. My thanks go to you, for your continued support, and of course to all our amazing staff who have once again gone the extra mile to nurture and guide your children. I especially want to thank those members of our operations and professional services teams who work tirelessly, often behind the scenes, to make the school the best version of itself it can be.

This week’s highlights begin back on Saturday; our Upper Sixth pupils took part in the Exeter School interview scheme as part of their Futures programme. This is an exceptionally valuable experience, an opportunity to be interviewed in an unfamiliar setting by professionals from a wide range of fields. My sincere thanks to all the parents who contributed, whether by acting as interviewers or ensuring pupils arrived promptly for their slots, and to Mr Chu and Mrs Szender for masterminding the event so expertly.

At the same time our scientists ran a fantastic series of hands-on activities as part of the Sidmouth Science Festival. Their explosive endeavours seemed to go down really well with members of the public. Thank you to Dr Smale and other members of the science team for providing pupils this opportunity.

Also last weekend, we hosted a superb Model United Nations conference. It was chaired with great skill by our own pupils; clearly some future political leaders and diplomats among them. It was wonderful to see delegates from across the senior school engaging in thoughtful, informed debate alongside delegates from eight other schools across the Southwest. My thanks to all the staff who supported the event.

Tuesday evening’s informal Open Mic night was a treat. Supremely talented pupils passionately performed a range of moving and heartfelt songs. Their talent and creativity shone through; it was an uplifting reminder of the joy that music brings to our community. A real highlight of my week.

It has been another excellent week on the sports front too. Well done our girls’ teams and their coaches, who have achieved some outstanding results on both the hockey pitch and the netball court. The boys too continue to impress with a very encouraging start to their rugby season.

On Thursday it was wonderful to see some of our pre-prep pupils spending a dragon-themed fun morning in the junior school. From sketching their own dragon pictures in art to composing their own dragon stories; pupils were having a roarsome time. I am confident our Upper Two (Year 6) pupils will also thoroughly enjoy their experience afternoon in the senior school on Friday, experiencing our DT workshop and completing team building exercises led by our senior pupils.

I also have spent some time with Dr Rainbow this week, bringing him up to speed with all that we have achieved this half term and beginning to plan for his visits in the summer term. This process will continue to ensure a smooth touch down when he takes up the mantle of Head in September 2026.

Thank you to those of you with children in the senior school who took the time to respond to the recent pastoral survey. Your feedback and reflections are greatly appreciated. We will be holding a parental forum on pastoral care in the senior school on Wednesday 12 November at 5pm, and will be in touch after the half-term break with further details.

I am also sharing with you our new Safeguarding and Health Bulletin, which I hope you will find both informative and useful.

Click here to go to the Safeguarding and Health Bulletin

In addition, I would like to draw your attention to our Attendance Policy, which reflects our shared commitment to supporting all pupils in maintaining high attendance and making the most of an Exeter School education. If you have any questions about the policy, please do get in touch with Miss Dunning (ad@exeterschool.org.uk). If you have any concerns about your child’s attendance, their form tutor should be your first point of contact.

The smooth running of our school transport service is an important part of daily life here at Exeter School, and we are fortunate to have a team of committed drivers who help ensure pupils arrive safely and on time each day. To continue delivering this excellent service, we are looking to expand our team of minibus drivers. These are valued members of our community, and we offer rates of pay significantly above the minimum wage. If you, or someone you know, might be interested in joining our dedicated and friendly transport team, we would be delighted to hear from you. Please contact our HR department at hr@exeterschool.org.uk for further details.

And finally, I want to wish good luck to Mr Jones and the team leading our senior hockey tour to the Netherlands, and to Mr Tuohey and our sixth form physicists as they embark on their visit to the large hadron collider in CERN Switzerland. I had the privilege of joining that trip last year, and it truly is an extraordinary (you could say smashing) experience.

I hope you all enjoy a relaxing and restorative half term break together as a family. We look forward to welcoming pupils back refreshed and ready for the exciting weeks ahead after the holiday. Is it too soon to mention Christmas??