Recently, West Exe School welcomed 15 Spanish students who are from Vigo, a city in Galicia, in Northern Spain. The Spanish students were staying with families in Exmouth and spent every morning at school for a period of 2 weeks. They were buddied up with some of our Year 10 students who helped them integrate into school life. It was a great cultural experience for everyone involved and created an amazing buzz amongst our wider community of students.

The Spanish students got a real insight into school life here in the UK and our Year 10 students were able to practise some Spanish, found out more about Spanish school life and made friends who they will hopefully stay in touch with!

We did various activities with them, such as a "Spanglish" quiz which tested the students on all things Spanish and English. We also had brunch where the Spanish students tasted some typical snacks, including pork pies, scotch eggs and even twiglets, which were not very popular amongst the Spanish students!

It was a great cultural experience and hopefully one which our students will remember for a long time. It also brought greater awareness of how fun and interesting learning about another culture can be.

Students and staff at West Exe are celebrating Cycle to School Week, which runs from the 25th to the 29th of September this year.  Over 200 children cycle to school every day and we also have a very active staffing body, many of whom choose to beat the traffic and ride in daily. 

Organised by the Bikeability Trust, and supported by the charity Sustrans, Cycle to School week aims to encourage both parents and children to jump on their bikes and celebrate the benefits of doing the school run this way.  Participants are encouraged to swap one car journey for cycling, cycle to school every day, cycle with their family or discover somewhere new on a cycle ride. 

More than 100,000 children in Devon have now received Bikeability cycle training.  Bikeability is the government's national cycle training programme and children learn both practical skills and how to cycle safely on roads.  A student at West Exe, Beatrice Stothert was actually the 100,000th Bikeability trainee in Devon and to celebrate she was presented with a certificate and a bicycle by Councillor Stuart Hughes, the Cabinet Member with responsibility for cycling, earlier this year.

Two other students at the school, Lucas and Evie, are currently training for the World BMX Championships and earlier this year both of them took 1st place in the South West Regional in Bideford (Male 14s and Female Regional Elite, respectively. 

According to Cycling UK, on average just 2.2% of children cycle to school and 35.4% are driven, they estimate that if  just one child cycled to school instead of travelling by car for a year, it would save almost half a tonne in carbon dioxide emissions, equivalent to growing eight trees for a decade or charging 58,388 mobile phones.

Julie Fossey, Headteacher said:

“Staff and students at West Exe are very happy to celebrate the benefits of cycling this Cycle to School Week.  An active school run can have a hugely positive impact in a range of ways, from improving health and wellbeing, to helping to reduce air pollution. 

“ I am delighted that so many of our students make the choice to cycle in everyday and we will continue to support others to complete the training needed to feel safe and confident cycling to school.”

Year 11 students at West Exe School are celebrating a truly magnificent set of exam results.

• 22% of students achieved a grade 7 or above across all subjects in line with the national average and above the South West regional average of 20.8%
• 80% of students achieved a standard pass in both English and Maths, significantly outperforming the national average of 68.2% against all subjects

Head teacher Julie Fossey said “We are so proud of each and every one of our students today.  Regardless of their starting point or prior learning, they have risen to the challenge and bucked the national trend.  They should be so proud of all they have achieved not just today, but over the last five years. I know they will join me in thanking every member of the West Exe School staff and wider community for all that they have done, and continue to do to enable our young people to achieve success and to leave us ready for the exciting challenges of the next few years.”

These results demonstrate the resilience and determination of our students; they have worked tirelessly both in school and out and proved to themselves just what their hard work can do. They are now really well placed to go on to the destination of their choice with so many of them celebrating that today.

Some noteworthy individual successes:

Evan O - 10 grade 9s
Oliver C - 6 grade 9s
Emily T - 8 grade 9s
Jacob M - 4 grade 9s plus *2 in music.

Holly O, a Year 11 student who is moving onto Exeter College to study Drama, Environmental Science and Politics said “It is a relief but also such an achievement to have conquered so much through Covid and I am so pleased with my results. On top of the extra activities I took part in such as Ten Tors, DofE and the role of Head Prefect, it is the supportive staff and tutors and an incredible amount of hard work that enabled me to achieve this. I feel really proud of myself and it feels wonderful that I have had such a positive impact on the school in my time here.”

Julie adds “Year 11, today’s results are results you can be proud of – you have been an amazing year group who have achieved so much throughout your time here, well done to each and everyone one of you."

Four WES students have been working with AQA Unlocking Potential/Dame Kelly Holmes Trust, on a social action project which is to boost awareness of hunger and food poverty in the local community.

They are hoping to increase awareness by cooking and giving out homemade meals to the homeless, working with a St Petrocks charity, and by collecting items needed by rough sleepers.
They will also be collecting food items for Exeter Food Bank.

If you feel you are able to donate one of the listed items (please see below) our students will collect them and deliver these personally to the charities, and you will be making a real difference in our local community.
Students who donate will also be awarded 10 kindness merits from their school.

Aoife Yr7 has been recognised by Topsham Girls Rugby Club, in their junior section awards ceremony as most improved in the under 12 group.

Photo of Aoife receiving her award from Jacques Vermeulen who plays for Exeter Chiefs. An amazing success for Aoife to celebrate and a great turning point in girls team sports.

More than 100,000 children in Devon have now received Bikeability cycle training.

Click the link below for the full story:

https://www.devon.gov.uk/news/bikeability-in-devon-100000-and-counting/