Principal’s Welcome

Welcome to Exeter College.

I have been at the College for 14 years and have had the absolute privilege of being the Principal and Chief Executive Officer for the last eight years.

We are one of the very few colleges nationally rated by Ofsted as Outstanding. In November 2022 we were again rated as Outstanding and became the first college in England to score the two top assessments (Outstanding and Strong) in Ofsted’s new enhanced education framework.

Exeter is a growing, successful, and thriving city, with several key sporting, education, public, civic, and business organisations who all work together for the good of Exeter and the South West.

The College is one of the key anchor institutions within the city and as a result works extremely positively and collaboratively with a very wide range of partners within the city and beyond. Our values of Ambition, Collaboration and Energy are at the heart of all our relationships and underpin everything we do.

There are many reasons for our ongoing success, but it boils down to the fact that we have amazing staff at every level of the organisation, who work with fantastic students and apprentices, ably supported by committed employers and partners.

We offer an unrivalled range of academic, technical, vocational and Apprenticeship programmes, which is one of the reasons that some students and apprentices travel up to two hours each way to access the College.

I am passionate about the power of education to change lives and was, albeit several years ago, a student at Exeter College when I undertook my first Higher Education programme here. We strive to remove barriers to learning and to guide the ambition of our students at every level, so we have wide ranging and extensive pastoral, financial and learning support.

We recognise that excellent grades, on their own, are not enough to stand out in today’s competitive university and employment market, so we offer a broad range of EXtra activities, from activities in the arts, to debating, to sport and much more. Our students go on to excel in a variety of creative, academic, and technical fields. Just last year a textiles student won a national competition, with their work being displayed at the Royal Opera House during June 2023.

Over the last year we have had record progression rates to Cambridge, a student progress to Oxford to study medicine, we taught the top performing A Level PE (Physical Education) student in England, the best joinery and electrical installation apprentice in the country, and we educated the best young waiter in the world! Quite a series of achievements! To add to that we are the largest training provider for Ukrainian refugees learning English in Devon and Cornwall and run a range of nationally recognised intensive training programmes for adults (our skills bootcamps), each tailored to the business needs of the area. So, wherever your interest lies, I am sure that we can help you on your learning journey at Exeter College.

John Laramy CBE
Principal and Chief Executive