Pre-Prep Reflections Week 20 February 2025
Dear parents,
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Love was definitely in the air today as we celebrated Valentine’s Day. Each child arrived this morning to find a handwritten message hanging on their peg from a member of staff. It was so lovely to see their reactions to these positive affirmations. We also enjoyed special Valentine’s cupcakes for dessert at lunchtime, and even the hand soap in the toilets was replaced with sweet-smelling, bright red cherry and watermelon varieties – never have the children’s hands been so frequently washed! At the end of the day, we gave a heart-shaped lollipop to every child as they left, as a reward for completing all five of today’s international workshops so brilliantly. You can read more about this in the article below.
Illness
Unfortunately, we have had a few more cases of sickness, diarrhea and chickenpox in school this week, including our first reported cases in Nursery and Reception. We hope that the half term break will give everyone the chance to rest and recover. The school will be deep cleaned next week to ensure that all areas are disinfected.
Open morning
Our ‘school in action’ open morning on Tuesday went well, with a great buzz throughout the classrooms, outdoor spaces and in the hall. As usual, the children were the stars of the show and did an excellent job of impressing visitors with their enthusiastic learning and polite manners. It is always nice to hear visitors say that they have heard very positive things about our school from you, our current parents, so thank you for your support.
Safer Internet Day
On Tuesday afternoon, I had the pleasure of running internet safety workshops with Year 1 and Year 2, following a whole school Safer Internet Day assembly. The UK Safer Internet Centre has a range of tips, advice and guidance for parents on their website if you would like to find out more.
Click here to find out more about internet safety
Congratulations to Year 2
Parents of Year 2 pupils have now all been contacted by Exeter School about the results of the recent 7+ entrance assessments. I am pleased to say that, once again, our children did very well. Congratulations to Ben W on achieving the Entrance Commendation in recognition of one of the highest overall marks. We are very proud of all our Year 2s and my thanks go to all the staff who have contributed to their success by playing a crucial part in each child’s journey from Nursery to Year 2.
EdFest25
February half term marks the half-way point in the school year; a great opportunity to pause and reflect on what we have achieved so far and any areas we could make even better. This is what we will be doing as part of our staff training days on 24 and 25 February. Exeter School’s annual education festival, EdFest25, takes place on Monday 24 February. Parents are welcome to join conference delegates for the final session of the day at 4.30pm, when Dr Vicky Hill and Dr Karen Street from EPIC Solutions will be sharing their insights on mental health with a spotlight on ADHD.
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.
I wish you all a very restful and relaxing half term, and look forward to seeing everyone when we return to school on Wednesday 26 February.
