Testimonials
I didn't believe a school could change a life before ECS.
It all happened within a few weeks. Things were going downhill for our three-year-old daughter at her nursery, and fast. Within a couple of days, she was starting to wet herself six or seven times a day. She was acting out, we were told. Then came the shouting, pushing chairs over. This was a child who was showing in the only way she knew how that she needed help. That she couldn't cope with a room full of thirty tearaway 3+ year olds shouting all day long, without any guidance. Yet it was her problem, we were told. She was a "difficult" child.
Instead of accepting the label, we turned to ECS. A nursery and a school that focuses on the child. That guides and nurtures each and every child in the way they need, that gives exceptional pastoral support, and that truly believes that every child is unique and wants them to flourish in whatever way that means for them. We moved her to the ECS nursery straight away.
And the change was so dramatic, at first we didn't believe it.
Within a few days, she was singing in the car on the morning commute about how much she loved her school. She adored the extra pastoral care provided in Thrive (which ECS set up for her straight away), and was so supported that her behaviours shifted almost immediately – above all, she was happy, you could see it shining out of her: every morning she'd be running down the path to school, so eager to get in she was just a blur dashing down the path, pigtails flying. And then there was the learning, that just burst out of her – waiting to be unlocked by the outstanding teachers who were waiting for her at ECS. We thought the writing of her name and the pictures she was bringing home must have been drawn by another child – because how could she possibly have gone from doing scribbles, to writing her name and drawing figures of people in a week?
She has been at ECS through the end of nursery into Reception and Year 1. The little girl she is now is transformed from the frightened three-year-old she was: confident, sunny, bright, energetic, smart, and above all, the happiest little girl to go into her school that she loves above almost anything else in her life. She still sings songs about her school (now with her brother, who has joined the nursery too). She tells me she never, ever wants to leave. When I pick her and her brother up from school, they beg to stay a little longer so they can have a bit more time with their teachers and their friends. Just last night, she was telling me about Thrive (which she still does every week): "it makes me gooder, and I love it".
This is what an outstanding school does. It makes us all gooder.
And we love it.
Like every parent, choosing the right school for your child is a decision that is not taken lightly. We looked around every school in the area. Of course we wanted our child to do well academically and to get the opportunity to play sports competitively, but more importantly we wanted our child to thrive emotionally, to be well adjusted, confident and nurtured.
"ECS has provided an environment where our child has flourished and reached his potential. When choosing ECS, the music was a nice to have but we were not a particularly musical family. Since being there it has embedded itself in our child’s life and ours; it has been a gift that we didn’t know that we wanted or needed.
"ECS has more than lived up to its reputation and we, as a family, are heartbroken that our other children will not be given the opportunity to experience the wonder that is ECS
The process of choosing a school for your child carries immense weight. Knowing that your child's waking hours will largely be spent in an entirely different environment with relative strangers makes the pressure to get this decision "right" feel almost unbearable. As an educator specializing in safeguarding, pastoral care, and educational psychology, I approached our search with a clear checklist that was informed by both professional expertise and parental instinct.
When we entered Exeter Cathedral School, the staff immediately made an effort to connect with my son, meeting him at eye level, using his name, and respecting both his slow-to-warm nature and his extensive curiosity. First box ticked.
We sensed the community immediately; parents had collaborative relationships with staff, rather than adversarial ones. Parents knew each other's children. Staff and older pupils alike acknowledged the younger students by name. Community and belonging weren't just marketing language; they were lived values. Another box ticked.
We also observed something crucial: children were learning by doing. They were building, exploring, and problem-solving through play, rather than being confined to desks all day. ECS staff clearly developed their practice through current, evidence-based knowledge about developmental and educational psychology; young children develop best through active, hands-on discovery. Seeing this philosophy in practice was another tick.
We ended our search quickly, knowing we'd found what we were looking for on the first visit to Exeter Cathedral School. There were no comparable alternatives. We knew we would adjust our priorities—even delay purchasing a home—to ensure our son had access to this holistic, high-calibre education. That conviction has only deepened since he started.
He was truly seen from the beginning. By the first parents' evening, additional support needs had been identified and a tailored support plan presented. The small class sizes made this possible. That responsive, solution-focused approach was another tick.
Our son’s experience balances enrichment where he thrives and scaffolding where he struggles. His teachers consistently provide detailed, thoughtful feedback that reflects not just general care but specific knowledge of who he is. They convey the kind of understanding that only emerges from the relationships fostered in a small, nurture-focused setting.
When our family pet died this year, his teacher created space for extra check-ins with trusted adults in pre-prep. She sent home story books about loss, as he is an avid reader. He received focused support with the Thrive practitioner to process the enormity of his grief. And when he came home, he worked through his feelings on the piano—yet another gift from this school, one that has allowed our son to step confidently, compassionately, and curiously into himself.