Exeter School Alumni

The summer term has now drawn to a close, and what a year it has been at Exeter School 💜

Thank you for your continued interest in and support of the school. Your stories, memories and experiences help preserve our rich history and inspire future Exonians as they look ahead to life beyond our school gates.

With a smaller team in the office over the summer, we'll be taking a short break before picking things up again in September. We look forward to sharing more news with you then and, we hope, perhaps see you in person at one of our alumni events.

Wishing all our alumni a wonderful summer ☀

📷: Taken by Ali, Communications & Alumni Officer

Many of you will hopefully have received an email with a link to The 1633 or perhaps found a copy waiting on your doorstep. We hope you enjoy reading updates from the school today, stories from fellow alumni and, of course, tributes to those members of our community who are sadly no longer with us.

Our cover star for this edition is actor Matthew Goode (1985–1996), whom we welcomed back to the school earlier this year. It was a pleasure sitting down with Matthew and hearing about his career, as well as the many fond memories he has of his time at Exeter School.

We hope you enjoy reading the magazine as much as we have enjoyed hearing so many inspiring stories from OEs. You can view the latest issue here – https://issuu.com/exeterschooluk/docs/exeter_school_s_the_1633_alumni_magazine_issue_18_.

If you have not received The 1633 or would like to update your contact details for future editions, please get in touch with our Communications & Alumni Officer, Ali, at [email protected]. And if you have a story to share, Ali would be delighted to hear from you!

📷: Cover photo credit - Emma Solley - https://www.emmasolley.com/

Exeter School's The 1633 Alumni Magazine Issue 18 Summer 2026 Exeter School's annual alumni magazine

We had a momentous day last week, with the arrival of the doors and, a few weeks ago, the relocation of the stone Blue Boy from beside the tower to The Exonian Centre. We are very grateful to John Pitts (1969-1980) and his family, who gifted the doors to this school and contributed to the information displayed alongside the doors and Blue Boy. A plaque is now in place... photo will follow 🙂

It is believed that the doors were part of the medieval buildings at St John’s Hospital, which once stood on Exeter High Street and first housed Exeter School. For a bit of background, this excerpt from The Exonian, dating from 1947, explains the origins of the buildings and how we came to be on Victoria Park Road, becoming the school we know and cherish today.

📷: Kindly taken by Richard Fryer (1974-2024) who after many years of teaching, continues to make an invaluable contribution to the archive.

"The bursary programme at Exeter School has enabled me to flourish not only as a pupil, but also as a person. It has given me the opportunity to explore the subjects I am passionate about, while developing the values and skills that will guide me in the future. Without the support of the bursary programme, none of this would have been possible."

Bursary award holder – Middle Fifth pupil

This reflection is a powerful reminder of how transformative a bursary can be - opening doors to opportunity, nurturing confidence and changing the direction of a young person’s life in ways that last far beyond their time at school.

If you can help change a child’s future by supporting the bursary fund, please get in touch with Alice Holohan, Director of Development and Alumni Relations – [email protected] or find out more here, https://www.exeterschool.org.uk/support-us/.

📷: Exeter School - photo for illustrative purposes only