Exeter House is an average-sized special school. The school caters for pupils with severe and profound multiple learning difficulties. A significant number has autism spectrum disorders. All pupils enter school with a statement of special educational needs, with an increasing proportion having sensory and physical disabilities along with more complex learning needs. There are many more boys than girls on roll. Most pupils are from White British backgrounds and almost all speak English as their first language. Almost half of the pupils are supported by the pupil premium (additional government funding for pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals, who are looked after by the local authority or whose families are in the armed forces). This is above the national average. More pupils join or leave the school at times other than the usual points of transfer than in most schools. The school has recently undergone an extensive building project, completed in September 2012.