With the mock GCSE and A-level examinations now complete, our sporting timetable has resumed in earnest. Every single Netball team from Year 6 all the way through to the Upper 6 enjoyed some competitive matches during the week beginning Monday 14 January. Of particular note is some outstanding victories over Exeter Cathedral School for our

The Maynard tops the DfE Tables for the fourth consecutive year The Maynard School in Exeter has, once again, consolidated its place as the highest ranking independent school in Devon as well as being at the very top of the leader boards across Devon, Cornwall, Somerset and Dorset in key areas of the Department for

Following weeks of dedicated singing and acting practice, the Junior School girls delivered sparkling performances of their multi-cultural Christmas Show ‘Children of the World’ to packed audiences on Thursday 13 and Friday 14 December 2018. The Pre-Prep girls taught us about Christmas customs from countries around the world, while all the girls across the Junior School from Reception to

Huge congratulations to Rosie Thomson in Year 6 who has scooped the top prize in the National Literacy Trust’s Story Explorers competition. Rosie was one of only 25 pupils in the entire UK to have won a visit to their school from an acclaimed children’s author as part of her prize. Several girls from our

On Wednesday 12 December, a group of our Senior Students travelled to the University of Exeter to attend the Royal Society of Chemists ‘Top of the Bench’ competition. As Mr MacDonald reports: “It was broken down into three sections; two practical challenges and a multiple choice quiz, all carried out in the science teaching laboratories.

The Lower 6 Young Enterprise team, EverOcean, were in Princesshay, Exeter over the weekend of 7-8 December 2018 selling their re-useable bottles. The team worked together extremely well to organise a great trade stand and sell to the public. They were thrilled to win the Sustainability Award for their product, although the biggest achievement of

As ever, the Fashion & Textiles room is a complete hive of creativity but never before has anyone attempted to make, yes make, their own leather! Bella Pallett (Upper 6), who will be one of the first to complete our new Fashion & Textiles A-level in the summer, has taken the coursework theme of ‘sustainability’

Congratulations to our Martial Arts girls who completed their Jiu Jitsu grading this week. The Junior Girls (comprising Years 4 to 6) successfully finished the syllabus to be awarded their Red White Jiu Jitsu belts, a step up from their red belts that they had already gained previously. Equally, our Cadets (Lower 4 to Upper

We were delighted to welcome the Bishop of Exeter, the Right Reverend Robert Atwell, to The Maynard on Wednesday 5 December 2018. He spent a lesson with the Sixth Form Religious Studies students, explaining to them his role as bishop, which includes responsibility for over 600 churches throughout Devon. He then responded to questions from

The Middle School Evening of Drama on Wednesday 5 December 2018 was, as always, a great success. We were treated to a charming selection of Christmas choral poems and seasonally themed improvised drama in the first half which was followed by a well-crafted Lower 4 production of ‘ A Christmas Carol’ to really put us in

Three of our students were successful in qualifying for the Exeter and East Devon Cross Country Championship which was held at Blundell’s on Wednesday 5 December 2018. Conditions were far from ideal with flowing rivers on the course and a good drenching from some persistent rain. Huge congratulations to Katie Harries (Upper 4) who finished

We wish all ten of our Sixth Formers the best of luck for their Oxbridge interviews! It is a significant achievement in itself to have made it through the fiendishly difficult admissions tests to pass through to this interview stage and we are very proud to be represented by such a large percentage of the

Inductions from our professional personal trainer are ongoing but already a huge amount of Sixth Formers and staff are now fully qualified to make the most of our brand new Health and Fitness Suite. It has proven a hugely popular addition to the Maynard facilities and will also be used during timetabled PE lessons for

Our Middle School Choir were bestowed the honour, once again, of performing at the Lord Mayor’s Carol Service in the Cathedral on Monday 3 December 2018. Also featuring the Exeter Railway Band and the Exeter Police Choir, this is always a stunning start to the city’s festivities and our girls were certainly in fine voice

Our thanks to all the very many families who so generously supported the Christmas Shoebox Appeal! We are absolutely delighted to have broken all previous records with 190 boxes, filled to the brim with festive goodies, being donated to this incredibly worthwhile cause that brings a little much-needed cheer into impoverished Modolvan households at this

Our Pre-Prep girls danced beautifully for their respective families in their Open Ballet Classes on Monday 26 November 2018. This was a first public performance for the Reception class who all rose to the occasion with enormous aplomb and energy! It also goes without saying that Years 1 & 2 were equally brilliant and we

The Upper 3 netballers enjoyed some great games on Monday 26 November 2018 in their first friendly matches against St Peter’s High School as an early preliminary to the actual season kicking off next term. Both the A & B teams played strongly, showing some lovely passing and timing skills down the court. Particular mention

Our second annual ‘Girls into STEM’ event on Monday 19 November proved another almighty hit with over 100 girls in Year 10, including those from The Maynard and four visiting schools, taking part in a packed programme of events. In addition to the truly inspirational careers presentations from visiting female engineers representing Arconic and Flybe,

Congratulations to show jumper Eleanor Simpson (Lower 4) who at only 12 years old was one of the youngest to compete in the ‘Children on Horses’ section at the International Youth Show in Opglabbeek, Belgium. Ellie made the long drive from her home near Ashburton with both of her horses and reaped the rewards when

We hosted our annual Autumn Discovery Morning on Saturday 17 November 2018 and, with nearly 100 Pre-Prep and Junior girls in attendance, this was certainly the biggest one we have held yet! We are pleased to report that everyone, staff included, had a great time with a huge array of activities on offer; we even

As part of our ongoing wellbeing programme at The Maynard, we welcomed parents and their daughters to a special screening of the film, ‘Embrace’, in our Performing Arts Centre on Tuesday 13 November 2018. Our thanks to the Head Girl Team who orchestrated the whole event, having already seen the film in school last term

108 girls – yes, a large proportion of the school – took part in the Autumn Concert on Thursday 15 November 2018 and, whilst we seem to say every year ‘it was the best one yet’, all the evidence suggests that this one might well have been! With pupils from Year 4 upwards involved and

Our weekly Biz Whizz careers club roars on and the girls in the Senior School and Sixth Form continue to have their eyes opened to a whole realm of opportunity within a wide variety of careers thanks to our numerous professional volunteers. So far this Autumn Term we have covered medicine, film production and direction,

At a time when careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths and Medicine are crying out for women to join their professional ranks, we are delighted to become the first school in the South West to sign up to the new Youth STEMM Award. Although launched in 2015, the Award has only been opened up this

Our Under 16 Netball team drew their rematch against Exeter School on Wednesday 14 November to clinch their place in the County Finals on Thursday 29 November. This game was the culmination of the recent Area Tournament in which a scoring mix-up between the two sides resulted in another fixture to decipher who would go

The Pre-Prep once again gave a very warm welcome to four ladies from Bluebird Care on Tuesday 13 November and a great afternoon was had by all! The girls gave a sterling performance of some of the songs they have been learning with Mrs Smith, including those for the Christmas Show, which had our elderly

The A-level and GCSE Geography girls enjoyed an amazing trip to Iceland over the October half term, taking in many of the most popular sites this incredible country has to offer. Highlights included the Glazier Walk where everyone was kitted out with ice axes, crampons and helmets before climbing up one of the glaciers, Solheimjokull.

The Mamma Mia-themed House Song competition on Thursday 8 November 2018 proved another hugely competitive affair and, although only in its second year, this latest rendition certainly raised the bar for future events. The House Captains did a fabulous job leading the rehearsals in the build-up and all four houses produced some slick performances peppered

Our thanks to Mrs Wilks and all those members of staff who contributed so generously to the Royal British Legion’s campaign and enabling us to install our very own Tommy Silhouette in time for the build up to Remembrance Day. We felt it especially important to mark the World War One centenary this year with

The Textiles room has been a hive of activity this term, again playing host to two popular and very well attended weekly clubs in addition to the curriculum learning. The creative output from Mrs Finnegan and her girls is always quite spectacular but none more so than this fabulous costume, meticulously hand stitched, by Lowena