Exeter School
Blueprint for the Future >>>
WORKING WITH 20 STATE SCHOOLS ACROSS THE UK
£16.3
N IO T U
B RI T N CO NATIONAL
MILLION
GDP
OVER
35
OVER
25
CLUBS
EXTRA-CURRICULAR
SPORTS
£8.9 MILLION
UP TO 8 FREE PLACES A YEAR N IO T U
B RI T N EXETER CO
GDP
£5.1M TAX CONTRIBUTIONS
Foreword It is my pleasure to introduce the School’s ambitious future plans for its site and facilities. Exeter School is widely recognised as one of the finest schools in the Westcountry; our numbers are strong, our finances secure, and our tuition fees competitive. Our public examination results are outstanding, as is our pastoral care, and our extracurricular activities are wide ranging in their scope and ambition. We believe that the care and education of our children are well-served here at Exeter School, and we are intent on doing all that we can to honour our charitable roots for the benefit of future generations. We are, however, far from complacent, and recognise that social and political factors may well have a bearing on the private sector in the years to come. Since the 1880s, Exeter School has thrived on a 25-acre site in St Leonard’s. Its increasing popularity in recent decades has required significant investment from the School, to make it fit for a 21st Century all-round education. Many areas of the School have been extended, modernised and refurbished. In 2016, a transformational donation led to the building of a state-of-the-art indoor swimming pool that set a new standard in facilities terms, benefitting not only the School’s pupils but also hundreds of local children. It is our aim to build on our current success and create an educational centre of excellence that will benefit not only our pupils, but our wider community, both now and long into the future. The School has enlisted the assistance of leading school architectural practice Squires & Brown to help us achieve this and together we have developed a ‘masterplan’ that will transform our existing campus. The key projects outlined within the following pages include: the exclusion of vehicles from central areas, leading to the creation of outside social and teaching areas and increased green space for play and teaching, and a complete refurbishment and expansion of our Science block. The scope of the masterplan is adventurous and we are confident it will confirm Exeter School’s position as an unparalleled seat of learning. I hope that you will consider joining us on this exciting journey, helping us continue to provide a first-class educational provision. With best wishes,
Andrew King | Chairman of the Governors of Exeter School
We are proud of the many milestones we have achieved since our modest beginnings some four centuries ago. We want to ensure our campus site remains fit for purpose now and for generations of future pupils to come. The School must consider now the next stages of its development, so that future generations of pupils can work and play in an environment that offers space, inspiration and high-quality facilities. We are committed to retaining our reputation as a place of exceptional teaching, extraordinary pupil experience and high pastoral care. We are committed to remaining an educational leader, as testified by The Sunday Times Parent Power 2019 which named Exeter School as top independent secondary school in Devon and top coeducational independent secondary school in the South West. The facilities we enjoy today have been developed over many decades leading to a challenging footprint and some areas not fitting in with the rest of the School.
There are key areas that require work to create the right environment to benefit learning and instil harmony. A cross section of the School community engaged in this process. The masterplan has been developed in conjunction with governors, staff, parents and, importantly, pupils to ensure the vision for Exeter School’s future is shared and shaped by all those intrinsic to its success. The three key projects outlined have been chosen in response to the needs of staff and pupils to provide the best possible spaces for teaching and learning both within and outside the classroom. It will not, however, compromise the requirement of our Charter, that we provide affordable education for the children of Exeter. This booklet provides an outline of the School’s thinking as to why, and how this set of projects can come to fruition, through a combination of the efficient husbandry of its income and resources, borrowing and the important role of donations.
Bob Griffin | Headmaster
Blueprint for the future
Pedestrianisation
We would love to have a safe, green area where we can hang out in between lessons, without getting in the way of cars and visitors.� Cesca Vercoe Head Girl
A tranquil setting to learn and study in The future projects on our list begin with the pedestrianisation of the heart of the site, affording an open and safe feel to the campus, with freedom of movement and break-out spaces for learning. Throughout the consultation there was a clear consensus from across the School community that this project would make a significant improvement to the environment for pupils, parents and staff and create a safer, more welcoming entrance to the School campus. To achieve this, it will require the redirection of cars to the lower end of the site and some significant landscaping. Our plans include removing parking from the areas around all our main buildings that follow from the Manston Terrace entrance and toward the Quad. A new car park and facilities will be installed at the southern end of the site, providing parking for around 110 cars.
This will allow for a more formal layout for drop off and pick-ups to the Senior School via Manston Terrace, an increased amount of waiting spaces utilising the old pool site, and new drop off arrangements for the Junior School along Lower Drive. We will also provide more visitor parking spaces for the many volunteers, speakers and exhibitors who run workshops and extra-curricular activities for pupils and there will be dedicated parking areas for both the School minibuses as well as visiting minibuses and coaches. With the removal of cars from the heart of the campus, areas of hard and soft landscaping can be developed for the enjoyment of everyone. This will include new pedestrian crossings, tree planting and a variety of areas to sit and socialise in, which are either open to the elements or covered by a shelter.
It is our aim to build on our current success and create an educational centre of excellence that will benefit not only our pupils, but our wider community, both now and long into the future. Andrew King | Chairman of the Governors of Exeter School
A destination of choice for Science - an unrivalled learning experience In the medium term, a major priority for Exeter School will be to fully modernise our Science faculty. Science is, of course, a core subject in the curriculum but also one of the most popular, with a large proportion of our pupils choosing to study Science at A Level and continuing to do so at university. The current building is tired, dated and uninspiring and increasing demand for Science has led to lessons being taught outside of the department. Therefore, major investment is needed to bring the building up to the high quality offered by the School’s other departments to enable the most modern and effective teaching approach as well as improving energy efficiency and reducing maintenance costs.
The shell of the existing building will be retained as it provides a solid framework for the department, but we aim to completely refurbish the inside as well as infilling and extending certain areas There will be four subject hubs - Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Computer Science. Each of the three science subjects will include four labs, an office, prep room and display/informal study areas. In addition, there will be an Electronics lab, a new passenger lift as well as a new lab to increase capacity. Additionally, we have exciting plans to create a 120seat lecture theatre as part of a further phase of development. This, combined with the new lab, would allow us to explore the opportunity to offer a Pre-Med course that could serve young people across the city. Medicine remains a popular university choice amongst our pupils. This, coupled with our proximity to the Royal & Devon and Exeter Hospital, the Nuffield Hospital and the University of Exeter Medical School, puts us in a unique position to create exciting partnerships and an unrivalled learning experience for pupils, where we could secure our future as a destination of choice for pupils both here at Exeter and from other schools wishing to pursue a career in medicine. This is an ambitious project that will require significant funding, but we believe it is of vital importance for the future of the School. It will truly transform and re-energise an enormously important department offering a modern, comfortable and inspiring learning environment for pupils over many years to come.
We are proud that so many pupils choose to study Science both at and beyond Exeter School; the opportunity to provide them with the best learning environment is priceless and will help to inspire more pupils. Richard Tear | Director of Science
Exeter Junior School – inspired by nature A third phase will see further investment in the Junior School, housed off Victoria Park Road. The work of recent decades has transformed the internal facilities: enhancement is now needed for outdoor teaching and recreation in the exterior of the vicinity to bring it up to the same high quality. The Junior School is fast reaching capacity with regard to its outdoor provision: there is an urgent need to expand the current playground and provide more enriching play areas through inspired decoration, use of space and more plants and green areas in what is currently dominated by concrete. By moving cars to the bottom of the site and introducing a new drop off area from the playing fields, we can increase the space for outdoor teaching and play. We propose developing the western side of the paddock into a Junior School wildlife and science garden with an
outdoor classroom structure, pupil allotments, playgarden sensory planting, mini-beast habitats and a pond. This will allow for hands-on practical learning experiences and encourage pupils to get more physically involved with wildlife by tending to allotments, studying animals and insects within their habitat and enjoying lessons taught outside in the garden. The current car parking area at the front of the Junior School would be resurfaced to create a new playground with quality developmental play equipment. To continue our quest to provide a relaxing environment for pupils, staff and parents alike, this project would also see the installation of a shelter for parents to use during pick-up and drop offs, providing a comfortable area to wait in during bad weather.
Play is as important for development as learning. Not all classrooms have walls – we are fortunate to have space to create enriching outside learning areas which would hugely benefit generations of pupils.” Saskia van Schalkwyk | Head of Exeter Junior School
Site masterplan – the process In early 2018, the governors of Exeter School decided that as part of their long-term strategic planning, they required a site masterplan to support the School’s aspirations. Following a tender process involving governors and senior management, the firm of Squires and Brown was appointed in August 2018. Established 17 years ago, Squires and Brown is one of the leading architectural practices in the country, specialising in the design and master planning of independent schools. Their portfolio of over 30 clients includes Malvern College, Stowe School, Giggleswick School, Monkton Combe and Brighton College Abu Dhabi. Led by John Squires, a team from the firm carried out a detailed review of the School, its current estate and future aspirations. This process included discussions with governors, staff, pupils and parents. The initial ideas were refined over a series of visits, leading, in April 2019, to the masterplan that is set out in this booklet.
Funding The total cost of the short- to medium-term projects set out in the masterplan is in the order of £10m. The School is currently financially sound with no debt. Demand for places is very strong, fees remain extremely competitive and costs are well controlled. As a result, the School expects to fund the plan through a combination of internally generated surpluses and prudent borrowings. However, funding by these routes alone will take up to 10 years. As a result, we are looking for support from our alumni and other stakeholders to generate sufficient funds to significantly accelerate the process. We hope that our alumni and wider community will help to make these plans a reality and will be sharing more
detailed information about where philanthropy will have the most impact on each of these projects in the coming months. If you would like more information about how you can support any of these plans or would like to have a further discussion about the future of the School site we would welcome a conversation with you. Please contact the Director of Development in the first instance – the contact details are on the back page.
Rachael Magee Director of Development and Alumni Relations alumni@exeterschool.org.uk 01392 458940 07904 874920
Exeter School Victoria Park Road Exeter, Devon EX2 4NS 01392 273679 @ExeterSchoolUK www.exeterschool.org.uk