Association Membership

IAPS

Exeter Cathedral School is a member of the Independent Association of Preparatory Schools, or IAPS for short. Schools with this IAPS "kite mark" are recognised as belonging to the top division of prep schools.

Prep Schools offer a specialist alternative to those "through" schools who accept pupils into the Junior Departments of their Senior Schools at the age of 7 or younger.

The majority of our pupils choose to remain at ECS to the age of 13 to enjoy the challenge and responsibility that comes from rising to the top of the school.

There are a number of reasons why we think that, for most children, the Prep School alternative is a good one to choose.

• all of our resources - and your fees - go into educating prep school aged pupils
• small classes within a small school means effective targeting of pupils' needs
• senior school choices can be made at an appropriate time
• senior school choices can be made with a wealth of up to date information
• pupils going on to senior school at 13 "hit the ground running"
• all of our teachers are experienced at working with the age group

The Choir Schools' Association

Exeter Cathedral School is also a member of the Choir Schools Association which represents 44 schools attached to cathedrals and churches throughout the country.    Between them they educate approximately 21,500 children of whom only 1,200 are choristers.  The Association provides tremendous support to the School through chorister bursaries, school activities and events and shared initiatives for School management.

The Woodard Corporation

Exeter Cathedral School is an associate member of the Woodard Corperation founded in 1847 by the Reverend Nathaniel Woodard whose vision was to establish a family of schools based on “sound principle and sound knowledge, firmly grounded in the Christian faith”. Nathaniel Woodard was surrounded by and shocked by social conflict, poverty, deprivation and lack of aspiration in a chaotic society and he set out to try and transform this situation. He firmly believed that education was the only way to achieve this and began his life long work of founding schools. He founded eleven schools in his lifetime and there are now forty-six schools in all, some owned by Woodard and others, like ECS, Associated or Affiliated to the Corporation. Today, Woodard Schools form the largest group of independent Church of England schools in England and Wales and as part of the Woodard Corporation, strive to promote Nathaniel Woodard’s educational principles. The schools are united in their diversity and range from boarding, day, private, state, nursery, prep, senior, single sex and co-educational.