Junior Reflections

Junior Reflections Week 2 September 2024

Dear parents,

Welcome back

Our first full week has been a busy one with the pupils beginning to get to grips with the new routines and expectations of the junior school together with all the clubs starting with a bang. The new pupils and staff have settled well and there are a lot of smiley faces around the site.

Coffee mornings

Over the course of this term, I would like to welcome each year group for a coffee, cake and catch up in order that we can welcome the new parents and meet form tutors. The first one will be for our lower school parents (Form One and Upper One) on Monday 23 September from 8:30am – 9:15am in the pavilion. I hope many of you will be able to join me after dropping off your children.

I am out of school for the latter half of next week at the annual Heads IAPS conference. I am looking forward to meeting other heads from our district and from afar and sharing ideas. If you have any urgent queries, please do contact the junior school reception in the first instance who will be able to direct your query/concern to the right member of staff.

Parent representatives

Every year I ask for volunteers to become our school form reps for the academic year. We are looking for one parent from each form. The reps would be in position for one academic year and would have the opportunity to meet with me once a term to discuss school items, and have a coffee and croissant. If you would be interested in volunteering, then please do contact me.

Click here to email

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank last year’s reps for giving up their time; I hope you found it as valuable as I did. Following on from this, the family society met this week to begin to look ahead at organising some wonderful events for our families at Exeter School. I know the pupils will be pleased to hear that the junior school Christmas disco is back in the calendar. If you would like to help in anyway, then please email jsreception@exeterschool.org.uk and we will pass on your details; everyone is welcome.

Introduction to buddies

On Wednesday, our buddies had a delightful introduction session. They exchanged questionnaires filled with interesting facts about themselves and by the end of the gathering everyone was well acquainted. It was heart warming to witness them heading off to playtime together after their discussions, sharing stories about their holidays and hobbies. Throughout the year, the buddies have a variety of fun events to look forward to, including joke sessions, buddy lunches, Christmas craft-making, and much more. The buddy system is so important for not just our new pupils but current ones as well. I know that the children in the senior school still talk about and remember their buddies from their time in the junior school. It is so lovely to see the older pupils helping and guiding our younger ones, with memories already being created.

Mobile phones

Please can I remind you that if you child is bringing a mobile phone to school, this must be handed in to the school office on arrival. It can then be picked up at the end of the school day.

Have a lovely weekend.

Music and Drama Lessons, Timetables and SOCS

We are pleased that the new timetables for around 50 LAMDA and over 500 music lessons are up and running. The individual teacher will have been in touch with parents about lessons over the last week. Looking ahead, lessons for exam pupils (Years 10, 11, 12 and 13) will be at a fixed time each week. All other lessons will be on a rota, although on the same day, and will change each week. The effect of having a one-to-one instrumental lesson, followed up by regular practice at home and participation in ensembles and performances has a dramatic and constructive effect on the pupils’ learning and progress in music, drama and all other subjects in school. This effect is nearly impossible to replicate with such efficiency in whole class lessons.

We are always delighted by how much trust the parent body places in the improvements and changes we make at school. There will be teething problems as we move to this improved system. Please bear with us. These positive changes to the music and drama department lesson timetables have the full support of the academic staff and provide an even better experience for the children. The instrumental and drama teachers will be following these new protocols, and we trust they will have your support in their timetabling decisions this year.

How pupils can get into SOCs

On a browser, go to https://www.socscms.com/login/111/pupil/
Use pupil’s school email address (i.e. john.smith@exeterschool.devon.sch.uk)
Click Activate Account or forgot password if Activate Account is not a given option
Look in school emails and click link to activate account in email from SOCs
Create a SOCS password, and make a note of this.
There are iPads in each music practice room where children can access SOCS as well.

Go back into https://www.socscms.com/login/111/pupil/ and login using email and password.
In timetable, you will see your music and/or LAMDA lesson listed

How parents see their child’s music/LAMDA lessons

Go into My School Portal

Select the relevant child, if you have more than one child at Exeter School

Click the Day planner at the top left of the screen.

Any music/LAMDA lessons entered on the system will be listed/viewed there.

Playground person of the week

With buddy programmes getting started and lots going on to help children settle, we haven’t chosen any specific children this week. We would like to congratulate all children for a great first full week.

Sports updates

With the sun shining today, it was a fabulous afternoon for games. We are looking forward to the junior school fixtures kicking off soon so keep those kits in good order and we’ll be bringing you news of the teams and the results as often as we can.

Exonian Quiz

Our annual Exonian quiz was won by a staff team last year and Mr Al Reynolds has informed us that they will be ready to defend their title! A massive thank you to Giles Trelawny and Helen Sail who are going to be our Quizmasters for the evening. The quiz is open to staff, students, parents and alumni – everyone is welcome so please spread the word. Further information and the booking form can be found here.

Junior School News

Junior Sport News

Do you have a story or pupil achievement to share with our community?

If you have a couple of lines of information and a photograph that you and your child are happy to be shared we will try to post these at relevant times through the year.
Email our communications team
Excitement is building for our U2 play on 16-18 June. You'll be able to secure your tickets soon to see Sherlock and Cinders, a hilarious leavers' musical with 9 original songs. We can't wait!

#SherlockandCinders #U2play #Y6leavers #endofjuniorschool #exeterjuniorschool #juniorschool #drama

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If you're in Years 7-9 and fancy a bit of cooking on today's INSET day, or at least to start planning ahead for Thursday, the European Day of Languages, we have just the competition for you. 

Our Modern Foreign Languages department have some Amazon vouchers up for grabs for entries of cakes or dishes representing a country of your choice. Whether you're keen on a Galette des rois, Tarta de Santiago or a classic panettone, bring your entry to the MFL staff room by lunchtime this Thursday to be in with a chance of winning!

Poster designed by L6 pupil Anna ☺️

#galettedesrois #tartadesantiago #panettone #mfl #modernforeignlanguages #europeandayoflanguages #celebrationoflanguages #europeanculture #cookingcompetition #exeterschools #AmazonVouchers

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Happy National Scone day! How do you eat yours? Keep a keen eye on the video note for our preference although we've sandwiched it together in the visual so as not to offend anyone who opts for alternatives😆

At the end of 'The Butterfly Lion', Michael Morpurgo discovers he's been taking tea with a ghost. We tasked our junior school poets with a little extension project to write a poem about this. Here is the poem from Bella in Upper One (Year 4) which we love. 

#nationalsconeday #poetlaureate #exeterjuniorschool #devonscones #creamtea #devoncreamtea #butterflylion #michaelmorpurgo #nationalsconeday2026

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Like Delilah and Rosalila, Benjy is preparing for the trip of a lifetime following his A Levels and is off to Peru with @projecttrust. Here, we see how hearing from alumni helped him to make the decision about whether volunteering overseas was the right choice for him. Various futures events are run throughout sixth form life and before to prepare pupils for the real world. 

If you'd like to support Benjy raise the £6.5k he needs to get on his way, please go to his Just Giving link in the Linktree in our bio.

@exeterschool_alumni  thank you for the inspiration you give to current pupils.

🎵 Copyrighted music licensed from Lickd. https://lickd.co

High Heaven by Spencer Wilson, Jamie Elder, https://t.lickd.co/l/PXpo3X1PplE

#peru #volunteering #projecttrustperu @felix_in_cambodia #sixthformlife #ALevels #tipsfrompupils #independentschooluk #fundraising #welcomeandserve #educationforall #modernforeignlanguages #coeducationtothrive #realworldready

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Yesterday, we heard from Delilah in U6 who is off to Honduras in January and today is Rosalila in L6's turn. She'll be off to Peru for 8 months the year after next. Following her mother and her brothers' experiences with @projecttrust, she's excited about the experiences it will bring her to prepare for a course in human sciences/geography at uni later. 

We love the opportunities available for pupils out there, encouraging their younger peers to think big about the differences they can make in the world and will be bringing these to you over the coming months. 

Anyone wishing to support Rosalila's fundraising will be able to do so shortly through school newsletters. 

🎵 Copyrighted music licensed from Lickd. https://lickd.co

Gitano Rumbero by Miguel Moreno, https://t.lickd.co/l/7lY6vlBmYKM

@felix_in_cambodia #fundraising #honduras #peru #sixthformlife #ALevels #coeducationtothrive #RealWorldReady #futurepathways #charity #welcomeandserve

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Junior School gardening club farewell

Upper Two Residential

Year 1 visit to Clyst St George Fire Station

Junior School Sports Day

AP Swim Clinic

Jazz Supper 2024