Preptonian 2020-21

A C E LE BR ATION O F TO GETH ERNESS 2020/202 1

CAT E G ORY

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CAT E G ORY

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WELCOME This year’s Preptonian is truly a celebration of our whole school community.

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fter an extraordinary year the Repton Prep family has embraced the value of togetherness – our pupils, our parents, our staff – appreciating how the simple act of playing with friends, being part of a sports team, a musical ensemble or a drama production, chatting with fellow parents or face-to-face time with teachers enriches our lives and enables us to achieve even more.

In the face of adversity our children have demonstrated resilience, determination and a love of learning that has been not only inspirational but award winning, with Education Business bestowing their Remote Learning Award on our school from 32,000 candidate schools! In total during this challenging time Repton Prep has been a finalist in five awards, including two Times Educational Supplement Awards, two Education Business Awards

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and the LACA School Chef of the Year Award. This is testament to our entire community and our magazine celebrates every single one of you!

From our very youngest pupils who have had to show independence beyond their years by navigating new experiences without the precious parental hand that usually guides them into the classroom each day, to our stoic Year 8s whose last hurrah – the Leaver’s Ball – has had to be postponed. But together we have created wonderful memories – our first Sir David Attenborough Day, celebrating a myriad cultural events, visits, talks, trips and of course Sports Day. We have packed a lot into this year, all documented across our lively social media channels and many highlights captured in this magazine.

Thank you for your contribution to this most unique of years and happy reading!

SPEECH DAY

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YEAR 8: THEIR TIME AT REPTON

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LOWER PREP

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BOARDING

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SPORTS DAY GALLERY

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CREATIVE ARTS

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MUSIC

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DRAMA 70 STEM & READING

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STAFF LEAVERS

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W HOL E S C HO OL P OE M

WHOLE SCHOOL POEM The whole school poem project began in September 2020 when we celebrated Roald Dahl Day. Each class contributed a pair of rhyming lines in the style of Roald Dahl, about a newly discovered creature, the Repton Beastie.

We had a lot of contributions – some classes came up with a joint contribution, others submitted lots of entries! Over the next couple of weeks, Mrs Colver weaved the entries together to make one whole school poem, in time for National Poetry Day on 1 October. On that day, the poem was shared with all the forms and there was a real buzz as pupils recognised their own lines in the poem. It was wonderful for the school to join together in one big happy poem at a time when we were having to be physically distant.

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Creeping around the Repton ground There’s a monster that we’ve never found, Big and hairy, tall and scary The Repton beast is no fairy, He eats children that he can steal For a yummy, tender meal

The gloopy blob can change in size With his yellow beady eyes No creature was so vile As the one hiding in the laundry pile In a pile of clothes the monster does lurk His tummy rumbles and his finders jerk

I was on Facetime with a mate Not knowing what fate lay in wait For the beast of Repton is all around I look to the left and hear a sound He lurks around the Repton Cross, Ready to create a family’s loss

Hunting for another bag to eat Because your homework is so sweet On little children it loves to chomp Around top field it likes to romp Vigorously it chews through to the bone When munching children it likes to be left alone

All is quiet, the sun is down The monstrous beast starts roaming aroun’ At the stroke of midnight a thrilling howl Tells you the Repton beast is on the prowl With a bone-chilling gust of wind, ‘I’m coming for you’ the monster grinned

He eats little children as if they’re sweets Girls are sour but boys are proper treats Whether you’re asleep or awake He’ll bake you into a tasty cake He hides in cubbies ready to steal Hockey socks – a tasty meal

The wind howls like a wolf at night, He sharpens his claws ready to fight Sneaking through the narrow street Looking for a tasty treat Crawling slowly through the night You’ll probably scream at first sight

Slithering down the slippery steps Watching children doing preps The beastie goes around the school And tries not to fall into the pool In the dark of night you hear a splash But then you’re gone with one big lash

As he walks by, the ground shakes Just like terrifying earthquakes His heavy steps, like trunks of trees, Shake from his hair a cloud of fleas Heavy footsteps pound the ground Could it be a scary hound?

Hiding in the pipes by day In the dead of night he comes to play His ugly face breaks the dawn And every night his victims get torn When you’re struck by his toxic spurs Then you know something deadly occurs

Or is it a snake, some may ask?

But those who know are in a cast Its slime is luminous, bright as the sun But you must be careful, it’s not for fun It is a beastie of the night And he’ll never come out in to the light

Kids being stolen at night The beast’s eyes glowing red and bright He sneaks into your room And peers through the gloom Each child snuggled up in bed But he is out to eat your head!

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W HOL E S C HO OL P OE M

This ghastly blood-dripping beast Is coming for Reptonians from the East Warm blooded, but always cold Innocent, small children have been told Stay in your bed and you’ll be safe Screw your eyes tight shut and have some faith You hear a shriek from the next room….

A second later you meet your doom You might hear children scream But all you’ll see is a gleam Of gnashing teeth as away he flees And disappears into the trees He’s not the sort of beast you want to stroke He can travel by turning into smoke Shapeshifting around, from human to snail You try to catch him to no avail So cute, to hypnotise your eyes So fierce, to eat you up alive Monday is that terrible day When that horrible beast comes out to play He slithers and he slides Cackling at our demise When the clock strikes half past two He’s done with lower prep through and through On Tuesday he likes to crunch Pens and stationery for his lunch On Wednesday the Repton beast is disguised As he sneaks into dorms and eats all the ties On Thursday in the dead of night He creeps to the kitchen for a sneaky bite On Friday he’s heard ripping up a book Hopefully he will soon run out of luck He likes to steal your bags at lunch And eats your prep with a crunch At least that’s what you’ll tell your teacher ‘It’s not my fault Miss, it was that creature!’

Saturdays are when he rests Before he rises from his deadly nest He swoops and swerves, a sign of doom Then silently enters the dining room With dirty yellow teeth and glowing red eyes He’s come to steal all our pies!

He feasts on custard and roast beef galore But always seems to be wanting more Spaghetti Bolognese is his favourite treat He sits in the corner and starts to eat He looks around for something meaty And we all shout ‘oh no, it’s the Repton Beastie’!

A monstrous beast with fangs like knives He comes at night to steal small lives When we are all asleep in our beds Something evil crawls in our heads For it’s the earwig of forget More evil than anything you’ve ever met Max W / Repton School T H E PR E P T ON I A N 2 0 21

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SPE E C H DAY

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SPEECH DAY

A JOURNEY OF A THOUSAND MILES BEGINS WITH A SINGLE STEP. LAO TZU

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SPE E C H DAY

SCHOLARSHIP PRIZES

ACADEMIC EXHIBITIONS Zoe Barkey Jonathan Brain Rocco Ewart-White Robert Jones

REPTON HEADMASTER’S PRIZES – ACADEMIC SCHOL ARSHIPS The Hesse Scholarship

Oluwafisayo Atere

The Eustace Arden Scholarship

Alice Edwards

The Hartley Scholarship

Eva Lubega

The Crompton Scholarship

Clara Coulborn

Academic Scholarship

Luna Vacher Peña

Martha Wong Kate Wylie

SPORT EXHIBITIONS

OTHER SCHOL ARSHIPS Sports Scholarship

Finlay Phillips Jasper Saunders

Oluwafisayo Atere Martha Haines

Music Scholarship

Jonathan Brain Rocco Ewart-White

Maya Hart

Martha Haines

Charles Hill

Seren Owens

Keira Ward Martha Wong

Max German

Jasper Saunders Drama Scholarship

Cameron Bersellini Clara Coulborn Abigail Edwards

OTHER EXHIBITIONS & AWARDS Music Exhibition Archie Ascott Raphael Barak Clara Coulborn Eva Lubega Benjamin Parkin

Freya Lloyd Imogen Nash Freddie Naylor Art Scholarship

Zoe Barkey Alice Edwards Imogen Nash Martha Wong

Design & Technology Scholarship

Jonathan Brain Zachary Garner

Choral Scholarship Emma Morrison

Eva Lubega Greg Morris Kitty Purcell

Art Exhibition Alice Pocinkova Kate Wylie

Aleksey Rogozin Ehmun Sandhu Jasper Saunders

Drama Exhibition Robert Jones Poppy Mercer Kitty Purcell Henry Strudwick

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Donald Ward

AWARDS TO OTHER SCHOOLS Choral Exhibition to Shrewsbury School

Zara Bell

SPE E C H DAY

FORM PRIZES

FORM

FORM PRIZE

EFFORT PRIZE

3L

Imogen Dixon

Emily Edwards

3W

Lily Amin

Grace Hanson

4H

Leon Barak

Lily Gibson

4O

Mala Taunk

Annie Pitts

Cameron Bersellini

5/1

Hana Carr

Sophie Parker

Ilya Dobrovolskiy

5/2a

William White

Sophia Tasker

5/2b

Jasmine Mayman

Louis Roberts

6/1

Theo Birkin

Amelia Thompson

6/2a

Lillie Hambleton

Phoebe Hodges

6/2b

Amelia de Lisle

Enya Tuinenburg

7/1a

Lawrence Roberts

Aanya Rai

7/1b

Ferial Amin

Indianna Mayman

7/2a

Willa Bailey

Eva Mathias

7/2b

Daisy White

Sophia Corbett

REPTON HEADMASTER’S AWARD FOR CE Year 8 Academic Excellence

Thapat Foopromwongse Maya Hart Tabitha Morley Emma Morrison Nathan Mugoti Imogen Nash Benjamin Parkin Alice Pocinkova Aleksey Rogozin Henry Strudwick

YEAR 8 EFFORT PRIZES 8S

Oluwafisayo Atere

8/1a

Emma Morrison

8/1b

Jasper Saunders

8/2a

Seren Owens

PASTORAL

STAR PRIZES

ACADEMIC

STAR PRIZES

Year 3

Henry Miller

Year 3

Lily Amin

Year 4

William Devey Smith Ruben Relton

Year 4

Xiao Zhou

Year 5

Hana Carr

Year 5

Sophie Parker

Year 6

Year 6

Lucy Haseldine

Theo Birkin Amelia de Lisle

Year 7

Eva Mathias

Year 7

Ferial Amin

Year 8

Zara Bell

Year 8

Oluwafisayo Atere

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SPE E C H DAY

SCHOOL SUBJECT PRIZES (YEAR 8) Art Braeden Mzondo Biology Tabitha Morley Chemistry Logan Howard Peat Physics Darcy Shaw English Elijah Brough French Emma Morrison Geography Maya Hart Geography Fieldwork Greg Morris History Asha Cooper Latin Cameron Bersellini Classical Studies Isabella Hambleton

SCHOOL PRIZES

SCHOOL PRIZES Wimbush History Prize

Seren Owens

Shaw Music Cup

Rocco Ewart-White

Charles Jennens Trophy

Jonathan Brain

Kelly Music Shield

Martha Haines

Robert Beldam Art Prize

Zoe Barkey

Ashley Williamson Drama Cup

Clara Coulborn

Senior Drama Prize

Nathan Mugoti

PE PRIZES Boys’ Games Shield

Oluwafisayo Atere

Girls’ Games Shield

Martha Wong

Boys – Good Sportsmanship Cup

Elijah Brough

Girls – The Cockroft Cup

Clara Coulborn

Boys’ Swimming Shield

Jasper Saunders

Girls’ Swimming Shield

Maya Hart

ENDEAVOUR AND OTHER PRIZES CB Fry Scholarship

Clara Coulborn Alice Edwards Emma Morrison

Music Siyuan Huang

Bowesman-Jones Endeavour Trophy

Veniamin Ogir

Religious Studies Martha Haines

The Spirit Of Repton Prep Award

Owen Johnson

The Davies Cup For Contribution To Boarding Life

Kitty Purcell

The Archie Spencer Trophy

Freddie Moseley

Headmaster’s Prize

Elijah Brough Martha Wong

Mathematics Henry Strudwick

D&T Euphemia Moseley ICT Jonathan Brain

(Awarded to a pupil from Y5-Y7)

REPTON PREP SCHOL ARSHIPS (Honorary Awards for Year 6)

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Academic Scholarship

Theo Birkin

Music Scholarship

Aaron Ari-Kainth Amelie Lubega

Drama Scholarship

Sienna Moss

S PEEC H DAY

YEAR 8: THEIR TIME AT REPTON

THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THING ABOUT LEARNING IS THAT NO ONE CAN TAKE IT AWAY FROM YOU. B. B. KING 13

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Y E A R 8: T H E I R T I M E AT R E P T ON

YEAR 8’S TIME AT REPTON PREP

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ome of our Year 8s started in Nursery or Reception and will remember painting Elmer. You may also remember taking Barney Bear home… and possibly recall who lost it! You will no doubt remember the caterpillar in the playground where the cool kids hung out and of course, the ‘big red slide’. Golden Leaves were a much-treasured prize as was the opportunity to lead Show and Tell – many still remember when one girl brought in her then 21-year-old brother as her object of choice to talk about.

Lower School memories coincide with the Mrs Christodoulou era. At the mention of this name, boys will be experiencing a reflex reaction as they check their shirts and many will remember Mrs C’s high standards for appearance and the immortal words ‘shirts not skirts’.

On to Upper Prep where the curriculum delivery and Saturday School would perhaps be the most obvious memories of change. This was topped by the freedom of moving from book bags to a rucksack which brought with it the key ring craze. There will be fixtures, trips and performances abound in your memory bank of Upper School. Cranedale with it’s amazing food, the trip to Ypres to play at the Menin Gate on the 100th anniversary of the start of WW1, the French trip with your first taste of

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escargot still lingering and of course, the ski trip that never was – where you arrived at the airport, only to see the last plane take off before Storm Dennis decided otherwise.

Looking back over other photos of yourself you will be reminded of opportunities to be both a leader and work as a team in support of each other. You are a super talented year group with strong social bonds. You’ve also been full of ideas and relished opportunities to drive new initiatives.

Senior school awaits and I am sure you will make the best of every opportunity as well as continue to remain connected with those around you. Not just in the good times, but also offering friendship, understanding and care when needed.

MR RELTON

Y E A R 8: T H E I R T I M E AT R E P T ON

“I have many fond memories of my years here.”

“I am thankful for the opportunity.”

“With a busy and varied schedule, the sports, music, drama, as well as many other co-curricular activities, made it a special place to be.”

“It didn’t take me long to realise how friendly and welcoming Repton Prep is.”

“I will never forget the excitement of being handed the ‘Holiday Bear.’”

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Y E A R 8: T H E I R T I M E AT R E P T ON

“The lessons and morals instilled in me and many other pupils who passed through the Lower School, will no doubt serve us all well as we move forward in life.”

“This is the great thing about this school: we can try things to understand what we enjoy, and what we are good at, or in my case with singing, not so good at.”

“It has driven us towards determination and resilience. No doubt there will be many more opportunities as we move up to Repton.”

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Y E A R 8: T H E I R T I M E AT R E P T ON

“I will always hold dear to my heart my memories of Repton Prep, whether it be kayaking on the lake, the cornflake tart at lunch or the late away games on Wednesday nights. I will look back on this period of my life with no regrets, knowing that I have tried my hardest at every opportunity and thrown myself into everything this school has to offer.”

“Thank you to everyone who has played a part in making me the person I am today.”

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Y E A R 8: T H E I R T I M E AT R E P T ON

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CAT EHG DAY ORY S PEEC

SIR DAVID MADE IT REALLY CLEAR THAT WE NEED TO TAKE ACTION NOW TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE AND SAVE OUR PLANET FROM DESTRUCTION...

ARTHUR C 19

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SI R DAV I D AT T E N B OROUG H DAY

SIR DAVID ATTENBOROUGH DAY “An understanding of the natural world is a source of not only great curiosity, but great fulfilment.”

SIR DAVID ATTENBOROUGH

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t was Greta Thunberg at the UN Youth Climate Summit in New York who said: “We showed that we are united and that we, young people, are unstoppable.” During our first Sir David Attenborough Day on 7 May, the day before Sir David’s 95th birthday, our own community of young people united to take small, but important, steps to help our planet.

Planting saplings, surveying the wildlife within our beautiful grounds, repairing musical instruments and donating unwanted shoes to lessen waste and support those in need were just some of the ways in which Repton Prep pupils made a difference. But the very fact that the day happened gave our pupils a meaningful space to ask questions, consider the impact we all have on our natural world and suggest ways in which we can all do better.

The optimism and energy that every pupil showed on this special day demonstrated that our future really is in safe hands.

Thank you to Zoe B (Y8) for using her outstanding talent to draw this incredible portrait of Sir David Attenborough.

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SI R DAV I D AT T E N B OROUG H DAY

“The whole of life is coming to terms with yourself and the natural world. Why are you here? How do you fit in?

What’s it all about?”

SIR DAVID ATTENBOROUGH

WE CAUGHT UP WITH ARTHUR TO FIND OUT WHAT MOTIVATED HIM TO SUGGEST REPTON PREP HOST THE SIR DAVID ATTENBOROUGH DAY. Why did you want to bring the whole school community together in this way?

Sir David Attenborough is an excellent role model for our generation and a real life hero. I read A Life On Our Planet and found it scary to learn how much damage we have done to our planet. Sir David made it really clear that we need to take action now to make a difference and I believe that if we do as much as we can together that we can have a positive impact and save our planet from destruction.

What suggestions did you make to the school to help the environment?

Well, we’re really lucky that our school is in the middle of the countryside and we have amazing grounds with loads of trees and wild areas. But we need to think about things like food waste, recycling, rewilding, using renewable energy and using cleaner cars to get to school. It may take a bit of time, but we should all try to do our bit to make our planet that little bit cleaner.

How did you feel seeing everyone come together on one day to celebrate Sir David Attenborough Day? It was really special to see my idea come to life and all of the pupils from Nursery to Year 8 doing something to help the planet. To be honest I couldn’t believe it when Mr Relton and Mr Semmence agreed to the idea and it was turned into a reality – I hope we can make it happen every year.

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SI R DAV I D AT T E N B OROUG H DAY

THERE WERE SEVERAL WHOLE SCHOOL INITIATIVES THROUGHOUT THE DAY IN ADDITION TO A CAROUSEL OF RELATED ACTIVITIES FOR EACH GROUP. Rewilding During the day, pupils supported the reduction of our carbon footprint by planting saplings on Repton Prep’s stunning 45 acre grounds, as well as creating wild flower meadows, learning lots about the flora and fauna on site, the work of Sir David Attenborough and the Science behind Climate Change.

Green Theme Our pupils dressed in the theme of “green” for the day (either made using sustainable fabric or in some way supporting the environment).

Shoe Aid Verity in Year 4 asked pupils of all ages to bring in donations of shoes that no longer fit (but are ‘fit for purpose’) to be given to disadvantaged children in the UK via the Shoe Aid Charity.

Recyclable Art Projects We repurposed objects made from recyclable materials, such as old DVDs, plastic bottles and used packaging.

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SI R DAV I D AT T E N B OROUG H DAY

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T H E I M P ORTA NC E OF PL AY

THE IMPORTANCE OF PLAY At Repton Prep, we pride ourselves in delivering the Early Years Curriculum to the children in Nursery and Reception. This play-based curriculum is fundamental to the early development of children.

At its heart lies the importance of play and how this supports overall healthy development and the acquisition and learning of lifelong skills. Learning is embedded and most of all fun. Through play children learn about the world, themselves, and others. For children, play comes naturally. They intuitively discover and interact with the world around them, using all their senses. Children love to play and seem to easily find opportunities to play whenever and wherever.

By providing well-planned and wellresourced play activities, children progress in their independent thinking and understanding. Play-based activities cover all the seven areas of learning where the children can enhance and extend their own learning through independent play and exploration. Play allows the children to explore and make sense of the world around them, as well as to use and develop their imagination and creativity.

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T H E I M P ORTA NC E OF PL AY

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“Play harnesses and builds on potential. It has a central role in learning and preparing children for the challenges later on in childhood and through adulthood.”

The following are a tiny selection of the play-based learning that has been evident in the Nursery this year.

The children have built and designed bridges to ensure the Billy Goats Gruffs did not get eaten by the troll; learnt how to build dams and stop the flow of water like the American beavers; used construction kits to develop spatial awareness and working together as a team by discussing design and working co-operatively; investigating capacity in the water tray, making their own bread dough and discovering how it grows and develops; building ramps for cars to test how fast they can go and taking managed risks when climbing, building and playing in the woods.

Play harnesses and builds on potential. It has a central role in learning and preparing children for the challenges later on in childhood and through adulthood. At Repton Prep, it is special to observe play not only in the Early Years but throughout the school. In essence, play should be joyful, socially interactive, meaningful and actively engaging.

Repton Prep is a place where you will always find the sights and sounds of children playing and learning.

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T H E I M P ORTA NC E OF PL AY

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S O C I A L SK I L L S A N D L O C K D OW N

SOCIAL SKILLS AND LOCKDOWN Social interaction is highly important for a child’s healthy development, particularly in the Early Years. As children learn to form relationships with others and interact appropriately, they also grow in self-awareness, confidence and develop their communication skills.

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S O C I A L SK I L L S A N D L O C K D OW N

“My friends are very kind to me.

I like playing with them” MYLO

“I like to play princess games with my friends outside” KEIRIT

C “I like making up games with my friends” WILF

onfident, communicative children are best equipped for independent learning. As the Early Years curriculum is play-based, it encourages children to interact with one another and fosters a spirit of exploration and imaginative discovery.

Personal, Social and Emotional Development provides the foundation for all other areas of learning.

For this reason, remote learning during the period of lockdown presented significant challenges, particularly for our younger children. It was important for the children to maintain connectivity with teaching staff and with one another. We achieved this using a combination of different approaches: live teaching on Teams, including team teaching, so that the children were able to maintain connections beyond their own form; Show and Tell, which provided the

opportunity for the children to share with their friends something important to them; and Story Time, a familiar end to the day shared not only with school friends but very often with their own families too.

When the children returned to school after lockdown, it was important for them to re-adjust to school routines and to re-establish relationships.

The children were understandably excited to see everyone again and came back to school with a renewed zest for learning. From the outset, we utilised Circle Time as a means of encouraging the children to talk about how they felt about remote learning and their anticipation about returning to school. The children particularly enjoyed listening to the story of ‘Conker, the Chameleon’, which encouraged them to share their feelings with their peers.

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S O C I A L SK I L L S A N D L O C K D OW N

To further develop the children’s social skills, the Early Years team worked together to re-develop the outdoor learning environment, so that the children had something fresh and stimulating to return to. Social interaction, through purposeful play, seeks to provide vital opportunities for children to form and develop relationships, manage their feelings and grow in self-confidence.

For these reasons, it is impossible to underestimate the value of collaborative activity. This is provided throughout the school through activities such as Outdoor Play, Forest School, Sport, Music, Drama and Boarding.

CAROLINE LUKE AND R ACHAEL BIRMINGHAM (RECEPTION TEAM)

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S O C I A L SK I L L S A N D L O C K D OW N

“Our Remote Learning provision was shortlisted for two national awards and won the Education in Business Remote Learning Award 2021, beating 32,000 other schools to the title!”

“Winning this award was testament to the commitment of our exceptionally hard working pupils, dedicated parents and outstanding staff!

Congratulations to you all!”

“I like running around outside with my friends”

“I like playing games with them”

FR ANCESCA

ARJU N

“I like playing with my friends in the Construction Area. We enjoy building models together” THEA

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BU I L DI NG C ON F I DE NC E

BUILDING CONFIDENCE As Repton Prep pupils move into Year One, they make the transition from the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum to the National Curriculum for Keystage One.

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he children are encouraged to continue their learning journey by building on from what they have already learnt in Reception. Through carefully planned lessons, pupils are provided with the opportunity to learn through a variety of ways and are encouraged to take ownership of their learning.

The curriculum is delivered through various topics which not only develops the children’s interest, but core skills needed for learning.

This year the children have been learning through topics such as ‘Who’s Afraid of the Dark’, focusing on nocturnal animals, ‘Wonderful Weather’, ‘Location, Location, Location’ and ‘Dragons and Dungeons’.

Through each topic, the children have developed the confidence to speak in front of their peers and have enjoyed acting out their story ideas before writing them down. They have learnt how to ask questions and have developed vocabulary and knowledge on a given subject. We have also enjoyed sharing different texts from fiction to non-fiction during individual and guided reading sessions and have engaged well with

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creating their own stories, with writing dragon stories being a firm favourite for many this year.

Within Mathematics, we have continued to learn through hands-on experiences and with the use of concrete objects as well as pictorial representations, have explored the different topics we have covered throughout the year, such as doubling, halving, partitioning to name but a few.

The pupils have developed the confidence to transfer these skills to solve abstract problems and have been exposed to questions that have encouraged deeper thinking.

BU I L DI NG C ON F I DE NC E

“Through carefully planned lessons, the children are provided with the opportunity to learn through a variety of ways and are encouraged to take ownership of their learning.”

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L OW E R PR E P

LOWER S PEEC HPR DAY EP

BOARDING

YOU’RE OFF TO GREAT PLACES! TODAY IS YOUR DAY! YOUR MOUNTAIN IS WAITING, SO GO GET ON YOUR WAY! DR SEUSS 34

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B OA R DI NG

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B OA R DI NG

“ALL THE BEST STUFF HAPPENS ON A SATURDAY NIGHT!” Repton Prep’s boarding provision has gone from strength to strength despite the disruption caused by the pandemic.

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t was great to be reunited with friends, catching up in the evening with hot chocolate, and enjoy fantastic weekends of balloon racing, egg throwing, swimming and pamper evenings. April saw the return of sunshine, swimming, football and dog walks with the pupils making the most of our grounds. The first off-site of the year was to Field Sport Activity Centre where the boarders were challenged with a demanding assault course and had the opportunity to put their teamwork skills to the test.

The Mission Impossible night proved very popular amongst boarders. The Dining Hall was filled with the iconic theme tune, and they were issued with their mission via a computer: to discover the traitor in their midst!

Through a series of clues, their adventure led them around campus and ultimately to an ancient crayfish pot hidden in the lake bearing a code.

Their mathematic brains worked overtime to unlock the clue and unveil the traitor. Mission accomplished!

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B OA R DI NG

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B OA R DI NG

Music, excitement and laughter surrounded the Headmaster's garden as it was transformed into Repton Prep's very own Crystal Maze for an introduction to Year 3 flexi-boarding. The stalwart teams were faced with a 'Hunting Zone', a 'Running Zone', a 'Ball Zone', the infamous 'Wet Zone', the dangerous 'Dance Zone' and finally into the tent to catch the gold!

A big thank you must go to Mr Pugsley for organising the event and for making the evening so memorable for all the pupils involved.

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LOWER S PEEC B OAH R PR D DAY IEP NG

GIVE ME A FISH AND I EAT FOR A DAY. TEACH ME TO FISH AND I EAT FOR A LIFETIME. CHINESE PROVERB

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FOR E ST S C HO OL & OU T D O OR L E A R N I NG

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FOR E ST S C HO OL & OU T D O OR L E A R N I NG

THE LAKE Laying there like a carpet on the floor, Calm in the breeze, the cold, the warmth, Beautiful like a picture on a wall, But what does it think?

Reflections of a building standing high and tall, Nature and wildlife crawling across to get a view, Light shimmering across it like people dancing at a ball, With some colours of green, brown and blue.

Looking smart and elegant, Gentle, kind and opening up, Making us happy as we walk, Just like our school pupils.

Although it’s just sitting there, Listening to the voices of us, There might be something, And that something is hope.

HEIDI I YEAR 6

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FOR E ST S C HO OL & OU T D O OR L E A R N I NG

10 STEP GUIDE TO BUILDING A DEN 01

Find a good area to build your den.

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Clear out the leaves.

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Find some good big sticks and lay them on a slanted tree.

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Find some leaves with stem on and lay them on your tree.

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Find some bark.

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Lay the bark out on the leaves.

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Dig a hole.

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Put some stones around your pit.

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Find some dry wood and stack it in a mini den style.

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Add finishing touches like covering all of the holes.

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Enjoy your den!

ELSA I & FREDDIE F (Y6)

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FOR E ST S C HO OL & OU T D O OR L E A R N I NG

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W W2 DAY

WW2 DAY In Year Three, we follow a Creative Curriculum, linking our History to our English. We find that this fires the pupils’ curiosity, produces buckets of motivation and the written results are outstanding!

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n the Summer term, the children analysed the wonderfully illustrated book, The Lion and the Unicorn by Shirley Hughes. This story describes a little boy’s experience during World War II which inspired our children and have their very own WW2 Day experience.

The children enjoyed stepping into the shoes of a WW2 child for the day, re-enacting the unknown journey of an evacuee.

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W W2 DAY

“The air raids siren wailed!! The children scattered and took shelter under an air raid shelter.”

The air raids siren wailed!! The children scattered and took shelter under an air raid shelter. Feeling that it was not a safe place to stay, the children began packing their suitcase. Then with their favourite teddy bear under one arm and a gas mask flung over their shoulder, they embarked upon a railway train journey which whisked them away to the safety of the countryside. Fortunately, the war was over by lunchtime and the children celebrated VE Day in style, waving their flags and eating sandwiches and cake. It was a magnificent day which immersed the children in our WW2 topic and developed their historical knowledge.

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R E P T ON PLUS

ACADEMIC English and Mathematics sessions are led outdoors.

Taking the curriculum outside can improve attainment, increasement engagement, and develop a wide range of skills, including problem solving, communication and resilience. Outdoor learning within Repton Plus provides endless opportunities for experiential, contextual and applied education.

REPTON PLUS EVOLVED AND DEVELOPED Each year Repton Plus continues to grow, evolve and develop, taking into account the needs of our pupils.

We offer an inclusive, wide programme of rich opportunities. The day begins with academic outdoor learning, followed by sport and an optional Woodland Adventure. The physical and emotional well-being of our children is at the forefront of our minds. A morning at Repton Plus provides the opportunity for pupils to truly flourish and interact with their peers.

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R E P T ON PLUS

SPORT Sport is an important learning environment at Repton Plus. Our sport sessions not only encourage the children to keep active but also has many benefits for the body. It teaches important life skills and our children learn how to be strong team players. Our Intra Tournaments and fixtures build on the children’s knowledge and skills. Each term we focus on a different sport which includes, cricket, football, hockey and netball developing social interaction.

WOODLAND ADVENTURE Woodland Adventure allows the children to use their creativity while developing their imaginations.

We are lucky to have our very own Forest School to encourage independence and a hands-on learning experience in a woodland environment. This allows a freedom to explore using multiple senses and develops learning styles at a child’s own pace. Our focus is on the whole child, not only their academic ability.

Through Repton Plus, we are able to prepare the children for a smoother transition to their next year group by establishing Saturday routines, settings and activities. We aim to provide opportunities which will enable the children to take the next steps in their learning journey.

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C E L E BR AT I NG C U LT U R A L DI V E R SI T Y

CELEBRATING CULTURAL DIVERSITY AT REPTON PREP We are very fortunate at Repton Prep to have such a diverse school community and seize every opportunity to celebrate different cultures.

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he whole school community came together remotely in February to celebrate the Chinese New Year. The day began with a presentation from our Chinese pupils who discussed what the celebrations meant to them and explained some of the New Year traditions that they share with their families and friends. Inspired by the talk, pupils then created their own lanterns, tested their culinary skills in the kitchen and tackled phrases in Mandarin.

February also saw Repton Prep transported to Ancient Egypt for the

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day with pupils crafting their own traditional dress and participating in an amazing cook along with Dr Haroush.

Year 3 pupils spent time discussing the French festival 'La Fete des Rois' where families traditionally eat galettes. We had much fun discussing how the youngest member of the family sits under the table and chooses who receives each piece. The person who receives 'la feve' or charm in their slice is crowned king or queen for the day. Year 4 fully embraced India Day, marking the culmination of their Lent Term Geography project.

SPORTS DAY GALLERY

CHAMPIONS KEEP PLAYING UNTIL THEY GET IT RIGHT. BILLIE JEAN KING

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SP ORT S DAY GA L L E RY

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SP ORT S DAY GA L L E RY

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SP ORT S DAY GA L L E RY

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SP ORT S DAY GA L L E RY

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C O - C U R R IC U L A R

CO-CURRICULAR AT REPTON PREP With around 40 activities available each term for Upper Prep, and nearly 30 activities for Lower Prep, our pupils are never short of fun at after-school clubs. Year 5 reflected on their experiences and enjoyment of clubs and activities this term:

“In Board Games club we play fun new games with good friends. I love being on a team with my friends as it’s good to cooperate and learn about strategy and risk.”

FREDDIE W “I really like my clubs because they don’t feel like an extra pressure. Gardening and Nature club gives me an opportunity to be alongside different friends and be more passionate about nature than I was before. I enjoy gardening and going for walks in the school grounds.”

ELISA CA “I like Football club because I can play my favourite sport with friends and it helps improve my skills. It’s also really great to play non-competitive matches (even though we still are competitive!).”

EDWARD P “Dance is fun and exciting and I can just be myself.”

MATILDA I

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C O - C U R R IC U L A R

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A F L AVOU R OF R E P T ON PR E P

A FLAVOUR OF REPTON PREP Pupils at Repton Prep will tell you that mealtimes are one of the most memorable aspects of their time at School.

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he Dining Room is the heart and hub of school life where pupils, staff and visitors gather together to enjoy a varied menu cooked by dedicated chefs. Our catering values are simple; fresh food served daily using locally sourced ingredients wherever possible.

Bread is delivered from Luke Evans Bakery in Alfreton, milk and eggs are from Phil Bramall and Partners in Willington and meat is sourced through Owen Taylor family butchers.

“The meals we have whilst boarding include flavours from all around the world. Pitstop is great because it gives us time to have a snack before Prep or activities.

A favourite for most is garlic bread.”

AMELIA T (Y6)

Repton Prep pupils’ hunger for good food continued throughout the lockdown with lots of children participating in remote cook-alongs with their teachers and following recipes for theme days. During Ancient Egypt Day, Talha made a mouthwatering feast including saffron rice, Shish Tawook, Baba Ghanoush and Bakhlava. Reception pupils created nature-inspired artwork of creatures using fruit and vegetables and Year 3 learnt about the French festival La Fete des Rois in which families traditionally eat galettes.

“The food is delicious!

My favourite is Macaroni Cheese or Spaghetti Bolognese and the best pudding is Syrup Sponge.

We have to give credit to our catering staff – they are amazing.”

SIEN NA M (Y6)

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We are delighted that our Head Chef, Marcin, has been shortlisted in the 2021 LACA School of the Year competition after judges were wowed by his delicious dish of sweet potato and chickpea masala with roasted butternut squash and chargrilled cauliflower, followed by macerated strawberries with crème patisserie.

CAT E G ORY

CREATIVE ARTS

THE FUTURE BELONGS TO THOSE WHO BELIEVE IN THE BEAUTY OF THEIR DREAMS. ELEANOR ROOSEVELT

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C R E AT I V E A RT S

CELEBRATING THE VITAL ROLE OF THE ARTS AT REPTON PREP Repton Prep participated in a nation-wide festival to celebrate the artistic achievements of pupils, promote the vital role of the arts in education and showcase young people’s creativity.

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ngaging in creative arts has never been more important than during the pandemic. It has provided a refuge for pupils to escape from bubbles, lateral flow tests, masks and allowed individuals to express themselves. The Festival of School and College Arts, hosted by the Association of School and College Leaders, was supported by the Cultural Learning Alliance which champions a right to arts and culture.

At Repton Prep, we recognise the importance of embracing children’s creativity and artistic talent and in doing so this encourages young people to make valuable contributions to society and the wider community.

We believe that everyone has a talent in some artistic discipline and through our education their talent will be discovered.

Creative arts subjects are highly valued as an integral part of school life. With access to a purpose-built Art and Ceramic Studio, Design and Technology Workshop, Music department and theatre, pupils are encouraged to take the opportunity to engage in a wide variety of activities both through timetabled lessons and extra-curricular clubs.

Here at Repton Prep we are strong proponents of ensuring every pupil develops a love of some form of artistic endeavour. We put real emphasis on creating experiences that pupils

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can derive real pleasure from. This is highlighted by specialist music and drama lessons playing a role in school life from Nursery through to Year 8.

Around 75% of Upper Prep pupils engage in 1:1 music lessons, with the school hosting 250 music lessons weekly and in our most recent LAMDA examinations, all pupils passed with either distinction or merit. Developing a love of the arts at an early age is something that will stay with our pupils throughout their lives.

ISC Chief Executive Julie Robinson said: “This festival provided a welcome opportunity to celebrate the role of the performing and creative arts in our education system, shining a light on all-important cultural and expressive opportunities for children.”

It was wonderful to be able to contribute a diverse selection of pupil work to the festival, celebrating the rich artistic endeavours that take place on a daily basis around school.

C R E AT I V E A RT S

REMOTE LEARNING

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emote learning was a great way of combining creativity and mindfulness during the lockdown.

With live lessons and recorded demonstrations, pupils were able to access projects using artists, cultures and movements. The results were fantastic and pupil really showed off their creativity during the remote period.

Jasmine M / Year 5

Mala T / Year 4

Mandeep D / Year 7

Ava M / Year 7

Jemimah S/ Year 4

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C R E AT I V E A RT S

REMOTE ART COMPETITION – MY WORLD During Lockdown, pupils were invited to enter a piece of artwork which represented ‘My World’. With over 120 entries from across Year 2 to Year 8, the work was varied and creative. The winning pupils were represented from each year.

Jemimah S / Year 4

Hannah C / Year 7

Seb S / Year 5

Lettie C/ Year 6

Martha W / Year 8

IAPS WINNER Congratulations to Zoe who has won the Year 7/8 category for the IAPS iArt competition 2021. Her work will now be displayed in the headquarters at IAPS in Lemington Spa. This is first time that a pupil at Repton Prep has won the title and we look forward to seeing how her work is developed at Repton next year.

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Sebastian S learnt a new skill of stained glass window making a large door installation. His ‘My World’ entry called ‘Virtual World’ combined his love for Minecraft and the world beyond what he has now. The piece of work was entered into the exhibition from the young artist of the year from the Royal Academy.

C R E AT I V E A RT S

ART SCHOLARS Year 8 Scholars have worked tremendously hard over the ten months of starting their project. Each with their own ideas and topics, the scholars have developed their projects and all very successful in their outcomes.

Imogen N / Repton Scholar / Year 8

Zoe B / Repton Scholar / Year 8

Martha W / Repton Scholar / Year 8

Alice P / Repton Scholar / Year 8

Kate W / Repton Scholar / Year 8

Alice E / Repton Scholar / Year 8

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C R E AT I V E A RT S

PHOTO COMPETITION 1ST PLACE Rose P / Year 5 ‘Flower Through a Straw’

3RD PLACE Molly L / Year 4 ‘Bristol Secret Beach’

2ND PLACE Zachary DS / Year 2 ‘Don’t Be Afraid’

3RD PLACE Matilda I / Year 5 ‘Sniff’

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C R E AT I V E A RT S

ART GALLERY LOWER PREP

UPPER PREP

WOODLAND

Lily A / Year 3 ‘Monet Study’ Eleanor H / Year 5 ‘Oil Pastel Monsters’

Harneve S / Year 6 ‘Aboriginal Painting’

Romy S / Year 4 ‘Monet Study’

William HB / Year 5 ‘Oil Pastel Monsters’

Charlotte E / Year 5 ‘Oil Pastel Monsters’

Amelia Dl / Year 6 ‘Tonal Skies’

Annie P / Year 4 ‘Van Gogh Sunflowers’

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C R E AT I V E A RT S

Matilda I / Year 5 ‘One Point Perspective’

Imogen C / Year 5 ‘One Point Perspective’

Zuzia D / Year 6 ‘Impressionist Fruit’

Harriet F / Year 7 ‘Close Up Eye in Watercolour’

Rafi C / Year 7 ‘Close Up Eye in Watercolour’

Lillie H / Year 6 ‘Impressionist Fruit’

Jack P / Year 7 ‘Close Up Eye in Watercolour’

Eva M / Year 7 ‘Close Up Eye Photography’

Alistair C / Year 6 ‘Impressionist Fruit’

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C R E AT I V E A RT S

Tabitha M / Year 8 ‘Rousseau Animal’

Clara C / Year 8 ‘Rousseau Animal’

Jayden O / Year 8 ‘Rousseau Animal’

EXHIBITION 2021 The Art Studio at Repton Prep has been filled with colour and creativity this year. Pupils throughout the year have worked in a variety of different medias using artists introduced to them for inspiration.

The centre piece to the room is an egg cup chandelier which was made by the Easter club artists in March.

Alongside the work of the Year 8 Scholars, work from Year 3 to Year 7 all stand proud next to each other.

Congratulations in getting through this year, we really do have some talented pupils at Repton Prep.

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MUSIC

MUSIC ACTS LIKE A MAGIC KEY TO WHICH THE MOST TIGHTLY CLOSED HEART OPENS. MARIA VON TRAPP

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M USIC

UPPER PREP MUSIC

YEARS 5 AND 6 CONCERT, TUESDAY 15 JUNE The Quad may have been without an audience this year but its surrounding gardens looked beautiful as our Year 5 and Year 6 musicians walked out into the gorgeous sunshine for their summer concert.

We enjoyed music from our Wind Band and beautiful playing from our String Ensemble too.

Fine violin, harp, piano and erhu solos were also presented along with a noble trumpet duet and our first LAMDA Musical Theatre performance.

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M USIC

As Romeo finished performing on his traditional erhu his Year 5 friends clapped and cheered shouting ‘teach us Romeo – please teach us!’. Celebrating each other’s talent and success is a fundamental part of a Repton Prep education.

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M USIC

The Girls and Boys choirs were full of enthusiasm as they sang in the early evening sun, Year 5 most ably accompanied by George on the drum kit.

For some, musical journeys began in Lower Prep Garden, for others their learning started more recently. What all of our wonderful young musicians have in common is dedication, an innate love of music and a desire to succeed. Their commitment to practice during lockdown was most notable and as a result we had a particularly high ABRSM examination entry in the summer term and were able to enjoy spectacular outdoor performances such as this.

Our senior pupils’ final planned performance was to their staff and peers on Speech Day – all a most talented and dedicated group of young musicians with whom it has been an absolute privilege to work.

SUSAN BLOOR Director of Music

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DRAMA

DREAMS DO COME TRUE, IF ONLY WE WISH HARD ENOUGH. J. M. BARRIE, PETER PAN

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DR A M A

DRAMA DEPARTMENT This year, performances in the Drama department at Repton Prep have looked a little different. We have adapted to the challenges of not being able to have a live audience by filming pieces in the theatre and around school, creating pieces of site-specific theatre. Both Lower Prep and Upper Prep pupils have adapted to these challenges very well, performing with focus and impressive creativity.

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he Year 4 production focused on the journey of two pupils attempting to put on a Christmas play during a pandemic. Mrs Hobson created and filmed a variety of comedic and original scenes centered around the theme of having fun at Christmas! Year 3 pupils worked hard to present an original Christmas poem.

Everyone was involved and used some creative gestures, facial experiences and vocal techniques to present back to their audience.

The Lower Prep Summer Show saw the Drama and Music departments combine to film an alternative Speech Day with all pupils performing songs within their year groups and everyone having a speaking role.

Numerous Drama activities were put on throughout remote learning from a lighting competition in collaboration with Repton Senior to a set design project where pupils showcased their creativity to design their own theatres.

It was wonderful to see our pupils experimenting with the ‘technical’ side of theatre.

Year 8 created their own monologues which explored the challenges of remote learning and staying safe at home. Year 5 also created monologues, this time based on the genre ‘Murder Mystery’ and Year 6 pupils created monologues based on a live production of ‘Aladdin’ that they accessed at home. Miss Timmins and Mrs Hobson were very impressed with how all pupils took to the challenges of performing alone, some even going the extra mile of adding props and costume!

DRAMA SCHOLARS Congratulations to Clara C, Abigail E, Freya L, Freddie N, Cameron B, Imogen N (Scholarships) and Kitty P, Henry S, Poppy M, Robert J (Exhibitions), on their Drama awards to Repton School.

YEAR 3

CHRISTMAS POEM PRESENTATION

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DR A M A

YEAR 7 AND 8 SCHOOL SHOW: WENDY AND PETER PAN

BY ELLA H

O

ur senior show this year looked a little different. Rather than performing on the main stage, we decided to film in areas around the school – namely in Repton Prep and in the woods! The Hall provided us with wonderful backdrops for all of our Darling nursery scenes, whilst the woods became our magical Neverland.

All members of our cast rose to the challenge and Miss Timmins was very proud of how each pupil took to this new way of working – even trudging through the woods barefoot at points!

We hope that everyone enjoyed the production we filmed and well done to all pupils who performed, you really did an excellent job!

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“Being in the school production was by far the funniest two hours every Tuesday and Thursday ever.

Whether it was desperately trying to cling onto whomever we were lifting, painting each other’s face with awful face paint or blurting out some gibberish in the wrong scene, everyone was included and brought something funny to the group. When it wasn’t your scene, simply watching people perform theirs brought a huge smile to our faces, and when someone acted well, a cheer would be sent round the room/woods. Not to mention acting in the woods was a whole new experience. Sometimes the wind rustled the leaves so we would have to scream at each other, other times the rain would beat down onto the ground and we would slip all over the place. I do not believe that during the whole experience, someone did not enjoy it or that someone did not perform well.”

ZAR A E, YEAR 7​

“I really enjoyed the school play.

It was an interesting experience. I think that the cast and crew have pulled through and created a great performance. I really enjoyed playing Michael and I formed a real bond with the other actors.”

BARNABY M, YEAR 7​ “It was an honour to be picked as one of the main parts for this year’s play.

I really enjoyed going into the woods and filming scenes, it was really fun to film and the whole cast became a family during the time of filming.”

JACK P, YEAR 7 “When I was playing a pirate in the school play, the experience was very different. We had to film in the woods which was very different to filming and performing on stage. Being in the woods made the experience enjoyable because it felt like we were actually in Neverland and actually fighting the Lost Boys.”

ALICE P, YEAR 8

DR A M A

“Being in the school production was by far the funniest two hours every Tuesday and Thursday ever.”

ZAR A E, YEAR 7​

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DR A M A

LOWER PREP SUMMER SHOW

‘A VERY DIFFERENT END TO A VERY DIFFERENT YEAR’ This year, Drama and Music have combined to film an alternative Speech Day piece. Pupils in Years 3 and 4 have performed songs in their year groups, with all pupils having a speaking role. Well done to everyone involved in this collaborative piece!

DRAMA ACTIVITIES IN BOARDING Pupils in the Nightingale boarding house have taken part in a range of Drama activities throughout the year. From creating short Christmas sketches, to style-based work on Melodrama, Years 3 to 6 have worked hard to create some original and very entertaining pieces in our theatre.

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DR A M A

LAMDA AT REPTON PREP

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AMDA continues to go from strength to strength for pupils in Years 3 to 8 here at Repton Prep, led by Mrs Sekhon. In December, all learners successfully passed their LAMDA examinations with impressive results. A growing number of pupils have taken their speech and language examinations this summer term, as well as in the new Musical Theatre strand of the award. Well done to all pupils who have taken part in a LAMDA examination this academic year; your confidence when performing individually is always very impressive.

“It has been great to be able to continue my LAMDA qualifications with Mrs Sekhon. She has helped me develop the confidence to play different types of characters than I would normally play. I have always loved doing theatre productions and LAMDA is a great to get the one-toone training.”

FREYA L, YEAR 8 “LAMDA has given me confidence when speaking in public and has helped me to play my flute with more self-assurance. I really enjoy acting, through LAMDA lessons, and with the support and guidance of Mrs Sekhon, I feel that now I will not be so selfconscious when I have to present or perform in front of my class or year.”

INDIA S, YEAR 7

CONGRATULATIONS TO THOSE PUPILS WHO TOOK LAMDA EXAMINATIONS AT THE END OF THE SUMMER TERM. We are delighted to report that they were all awarded Distinctions – the highest award possible, with Arthur C achieving a perfect score of 100%. LAMDA provides pupils with an excellent grounding in public speaking, presentation skills and confidence building and in later years contributes to UCAS points. Thank you to Mrs Sekhon and her team for sharing their expertise and showing enormous dedication to pupils.

“I have been taking LAMDA lessons since September and if there’s one thing I know it’s that LAMDA is a great place to express myself. Mrs Sekhon is a very lovely, kind and encouraging teacher and I have learnt so many new things. My favourite pieces are the comedy acting parts, as I get to enjoy the amazing feeling of making people laugh! I hope to carry on doing LAMDA until I leave school as I have always wanted to perform and I love the fact that I can learn to be even better at acting. It’s also great fun doing Starlights – it’s a really fun club!”

IMOGEN C, YEAR 5

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DR A M A

REMOTE LEARNING

LIGHTING COMPETITION Over remote learning, Repton Prep teamed up with Repton to launch a lighting competition across the Drama department. There were many wonderful entries from Year 3 up to Upper Sixth! Participants experimented with how to create colour, shadow and intensity, creating some really impressive lighting pieces. It was lovely to see our pupils being creative outside of our theatre space and experimenting with the ‘technical’ side of theatre. Well done to all who entered!

OTHER LIGHTING COMPETITION ENTRIES

Theo B / Year 6

Harry B / Year 6

Anoushka H / Year 6

REMOTE LEARNING

MONOLOGUES The Lockdown Monologue project saw Year 8 create their own dramatic monologues to explore the challenges of remote learning. Year 6 pupils created monologues based on the genre ‘Murder Mystery’ and Year 5’s were based on a live production of ‘Aladdin’ that they accessed at home.

Miss Timmins and Mrs Hobson were very impressed with how all pupils took to the challenges of performing alone, some even going the extra mile of adding props and costume!

YEAR 8 ‘LOCKDOWN’ MONOLOGUES

1ST PLACE Seb S / Year 5’

YEAR 6 ‘ALADDIN’ MONOLOGUES

2ND PLACE Hattie B / Year 6

YEAR 5 ‘MURDER MYSTERY’ MONOLOGUES

3RD PLACE Sophia T / Year 5

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DR A M A

REMOTE LEARNING

SET DESIGN PROJECT Year 7 undertook a set design project, using the opportunity away from our theatre and performing to learn about other roles within theatre. We looked at the role of the set designer and how they work with other members of the design team to create the ‘worlds’ for the actors to perform in. Everybody showcased their creativity and we had some wonderful pieces of shoebox theatre.

Indi M / Year 7

Willa B / Year 7

Joe L / Year 7

Rafi C / Year 7

Kitty S / Year 7

COLLABOR ATION

GETTING BACK INTO THE THEATRE We relished the opportunity to get back into the theatre after remote learning. It was amazing to see our pupils working collaboratively together again to work on imaginative and creative pieces of drama.

‘The Waterfall’

‘The Butterfly’

‘The Lawnmower’

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DR A M A

‘The Butterfly’

WW2 stimulus unit / Year 6

‘Chair Duets’ / Year 7

‘Emotions’ unit / Year 3

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Drama with our international pupils

CAT E G ORY

STEM & READING

NOTHING IN LIFE IS TO BE FEARED, IT IS ONLY TO BE UNDERSTOOD. NOW IS THE TIME TO UNDERSTAND MORE, SO THAT WE MAY FEAR LESS. MARIE CURIE 79

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STEM

UPPER PREP

MATHS CHALLENGE Repton Prep pupils achieved outstanding success in the UK Mathematics Trust challenge.

The Junior Mathematics Challenge is a nation-wide competition that encourages mathematical reasoning, precision of thought and fluency in using basic mathematical techniques to solve interesting problems.

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We were delighted to celebrate numerous Gold, Silver and Bronze award winners across the school. Head of Maths, Mr Davis congratulated the pupils who took part and said: "A special well done must go to Hana-Mae in Year 5 who is our youngest ever competitor and achieved a highly commendable

Bronze Award and Fisayo in Year 8 who achieved a Gold Award and a place in the Junior Mathematical Olympiad. The Olympiad requires pupils to use mathematical ideas in an unfamiliar context or combine techniques in a novel way, so really is the ultimate test for gifted mathematicians."

ST E M

REPTON PREP’S

BRIGHT IDEAS Repton Prep's team for this year’s Shell Bright Ideas Challenge consisted of Alex G, Donald W, Jonathan B, Eva L, Zach G, Jasper S, Ehmun S and Kitty P. The national STEM competition is designed to spark young people’s curiosity in science and engineering and these brilliant young minds are certainly hard at work.

Zach, Donald and Jasper developed an idea for the disused Willington Power Station, implementing a clean hydrogen manufacturing facility to produce green energy that serves the local community, including the Repton sites. Eva, Ehmun and Kitty designed a cycle path made from recycled materials, lit by solar lighting and flanked by pollution absorbing plants to discourage car use. Jonathan designed a pioneering green rail transport system.

REPTON PREP’S

MISSION TO MARS To mark British Science Week, one ambitious Repton Prep year 7 pupil and STEM enthusiast, Ferial A, designed and built her very own Mars Rover.

Inspired by the NASA Perseverance Mission, Ferial reached for the stars when she set about designing a fully working Mars Rover complete with solar panels. She explains the design of her Mars Rover and how it will aid the search on Mars: “The mission for the Mars Rover is to look for signs of one cell organisms, and the different areas of the Red Planet where they might be found. I have designed the Rover to include night vision equipment so that it could identify any possible signs of life. Being the fourth planet away from the sun, Mars has about 44% of the light that we see here in Earth, so as I have equipped the Rover with large solar panels in relation to its size to ensure it can remain active throughout the mission. A camera is set into the Rover to communicate evidence back to Nasa”.

Repton Prep provides STEM opportunities for all the girls and

boys had an exciting programme of events to mark British Science Week, including hands-on practical activities and lessons revolving around the NASA Perseverance Mars Rover expedition which is carrying out vital health checks since landing on Mars.

Mrs Claire Waldock is passionate about girls and boys enjoying equal opportunities when it comes to STEM subjects:

“Women are still under-represented in STEM subjects, so it has never been more important to highlight the possibilities to all our pupils across science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

British Science Week coinciding with the NASA mission to Mars offered a perfect chance for Ferial to undertake her own experimental work based on the curriculum knowledge she has learnt during this term, as well as taking risks with her learning, which is actively encouraged here at Repton Prep.”

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READING Reading is so important and we hope that some of these titles recommended by Repton Prep pupils end up on your bookshelf.

THE BOOKS THAT HAVE STAYED WITH ME – CHARLOTTE C

H

ave you ever read a book that has never left your mind? Have you ever read a book that you will always remember? You must have, because everyone does. Whether it was moving or funny, the first book you read, or the most inspiring; everyone has those few books they will treasure forever. And here are mine.

The book that changed my mind The Hunger Games. Three words. Three books. All have their own space in my mind, and they live there rent free. I read the first book very recently, and before I had finished the first chapter, I was in love. The trilogy has taught me so many things, and even though the books are fiction, the message is not.

There are so many people who need our help, and these books made me see that, along with the fact that we don’t do enough to help them. It also tackles themes like power, oppression and injustice.

to write 21 books without missing the mark once. We didn’t have screens in our house until I was seven, so I entertained myself with books. My parents had to help me with the first few books, but by book ten, I was reading all by myself. These books have stuck with me because they are just so good, and helped teach me to accept everyone, despite their age, race or gender. It also taught me to have confidence in myself, and that I could be anything.

The book that made me cry Noughts and Crosses is such a beautiful book about love and hate, and even though I’ve only read the first book, I love how moving and deep it is. The writer, Malorie Blackman, deals with the subject of racism head on, and it made me see how unfairly white people treat black people, even today.

This book is incredibly sad at the end, I had to reread the last two pages several times to learn how to read it without wailing.

The book I wish I'd written Black Beauty is my favourite book, and the most thought-provoking I've ever read. It showed me the world through an animal's eyes, and made me wonder about what they would have thought about human practices: docking tails, cropping ears, gag bits, bearing reigns and many others. I wish I'd written it because of its kind, deep messages and amazingly written characters. It made me understand that animals have feelings to, and that we don’t do enough to appreciate what they have done for us.

The first book I remember reading The Famous Five is a brilliant series written by Enid Blyton, who managed

My comfort read Wolf Brother by Michelle Paver is so good that I will never get tired

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of reading it. It was set in the stone age, so I didn’t know much about the subject, but Paver’s writing is so easy to understand, and the way she uses old and simple names for things (such as daymeal and middle night) is clever and relatable. The way she uses a wolf’s point of view for some of it is such an amazing idea. Her works have taught me so much about many ancient clans and animals, and many modern ones.

The book I would give as a gift Mistletoe and Murder is midway in the Murder Most Unladylike series, but is just as good a read by itself. It is about racism and sexism at the same time, as it is in the point of view of a Chinese girl in 1936 England. The murder is so well thought out and realistic, I had to keep reminding myself that it was all made up. This series has taught me to be confident and sure of myself, and that even though because I am a girl, I can do anything.

These were all my favourite books, and I hope it has inspired you to read more. This is just a small peek into my reading list, and the only way to know more is to read them yourself. So what are you still doing here? Go read them.

I would.

R E A DI NG

THE BOOKS THAT HAVE STAYED WITH ME – ZAR A E

I

'm sure everyone knows just how important reading is, however, how many of us read every day? How many of us would make up dates and pages in our reading records? Most of us only read a few hundred books in our lives, but there are always the odd one or two books which are etched in our minds. Whether it’s fantasy, crime or non-fiction, it never leaves your conscience.

One of the most famous and brilliant books ever written not only changed my mind but it changes everyone’s perspective too! Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird; was by far the most challenging piece of writing, I (as a 10-year-old) had ever read. The vocabulary was complex but the story behind it opened my eyes. The book showed me that there was a harsh world around me; not everything in the sheltered, bubble-wrapped life I lived in was true. It was an example that there is more to someone than what society has labelled them to be, that everyone deserves a voice and the story of a young girl witnessing the inequality of the world around her.

Experiencing the gut-wrenching pain of reading a sad book, is worse than

ARUN M (Y7) INTERVIEWING MRS COOMBS ABOUT HER FAVOURITE BOOKS AS A CHILD

that of a movie. Having to imagine the way a character died, is worse than knowing. Five Feet Apart by Rachel Lippincott is a beautiful book, telling the story of two teenagers separated from each other due to a horrible disease. The medical advice given is to stay five ft apart, but these two lovers end up breaking these rules.

I completely bawled my eyes out, stunned by the shocking selflessness of the ones we love.

Winnie the Pooh by A. A. Milne was the first book I ever remember reading. I grew up with a Winnie teddy and read the books until, I became more fascinated with food than toys. I still keep the pop-up books tucked away on my shelf and the teddies high up on the top, ready for whenever I want to indulge in the innocent story of a boy and his teddies.

If there was a book, I wish I had written it would be: My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell.

The humour and cleverness in his writing, as he subtly pokes fun at his family brought a smile to my face. My Father inspired me to read this book, and we would read well-past my

bedtime, caught up in the craziness of his family. Each family member dealt with a different problem, but it was the strength of each other pulled them through.

The most challenging times can always be solved with three things. Ice cream, hugs and Harry Potter, which is why Hogwarts and J.K. Rowling created my comfort read. The exciting and heart-felt stories are the perfect mood-changer; and doing the online quizzes to find your Hogwart’s house, is a guilty-pleasure of mine.

My favourite book of all-time, however, must be Eragon. The wonderful mind of Paolini and the fantastical world of dragons he created is perfect. The storyline is exciting, unpredictable and I have loved this book from the moment I read the blurb. I read the book with my sister, and we would pile onto one-another so we could both read the words. This book captured my imagination and I hope others read it.

Reading is so important, and I hope these titles end up on your bookshelf.

Inspiring everyone to read because it will change your life.

Q: What were your favourite books and why when you were twelve?

book. I was 14 when I first read it and loved it so much that I read it four times.

I loved the Anne of Green Gables series; there were seven of them and I would borrow them from the library.

Every Saturday morning, I would go down to WHSmith’s in Amersham to look for a Georgette Heyer book and because she wrote 34 books, there was always a new book to find and always one to look for.

Q: What would you do to encourage other people in your family to read?

Wilber Smith was always exciting: they are adventure stories set in Africa.

Q: Which books would you read again and why?

James Bond was always exciting to read. My dad used to love the films, and this made me want to read the books, many of which are quite different to the films.

I always found Agatha Christie’s clever plots an enjoyable read.

Lord of the Rings was an incredible

I would read aloud to my brother. He didn’t like to read fiction, so I paid him 10p per half an hour to let me read to him! Sad, I know. The Green Helmet was one I remember, all about racing at Le Mans.

Mr Wells always used to read Dickens every December and he had to have finished it by New Year's Eve. I would like to do this as well; I have read quite a few but Dickens are always worth reading again.

The good thing is that as I get older, I have forgotten the plots of many of my favourite books so I can enjoy them all over again!

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OU R L E GAC Y T O YOU

ALEX AND POPPY

OUR LEGACY TO YOU “Everyone here is part of the powerful Repton community, and as you progress through your life, if you come across an old Reptonian you will instantly feel a connection to that person” POPPY K AND ALEX M (REPTON HEAD PREFECTS 2020-21)

F

irst of all, congratulations on being Year 8 Leavers and getting through all your end of year exams! Whether it was Common Entrance or Scholarship, I’m sure it was a stressful time, but I hope that you have all relished the great activities, trips and freedoms that come with the last few weeks at Repton Prep.

They are some of the best that I can remember. The next step though, for many of you, is moving on to Repton, where Poppy and I have been for the last five years.

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Whilst it is one school, there are many differences that you will notice between Repton Prep and Repton when you join. You will undoubtedly enjoy the new freedom, as in the afternoons, for example, you can go out to the Grubber, the famous school tuck shop, or to San Hall sports field, where most people socialise. This free time will be perfectly balanced with a wide range of activities outside of lessons such as sport, societies, drama and music, among others. I have found it invaluable in my time to get involved with these aspects of Repton life; acting in school plays, speaking in debating competitions, competing in national football and cricket competitions. Not only were these immensely enjoyable in their own ways, but in some cases, they pushed me out of my comfort zone, allowed me to feel positive about achieving something, but most of all, they were perfect platforms to make friends. Whether it is in sports teams or in the chapel choir, you will meet a variety of individuals in different years and different houses who you might not have otherwise encountered.

The House system is also a fundamental aspect of a Repton experience, where in one of the ten Houses, boarders and day pupils all mix together. You will be led by your House Prefects who will guide you through the first few nervous weeks as old hands and who will answer any query. Later on you will be the leaders, but it is so important to enjoy being the B Block and getting involved with all the House activities.

Every House (there is no “best House”) does its own thing but in the Priory, playing football in B Block after prep in the Sports Hall was just the most fun of all, having a laugh with the older boys, whilst engaging in competitive sport. The House is also your base for all the great Repton competitions, such as Unison (the signing contest), Barnes Squad (the CCF one) or the Kropacsy Relays and Athletics Finals, for example. Despite all the hectic activity, which is great fun once you really engage with it, arguably the best part of the house system is the people who make up your year group. They will remain your core group of friends for five years

CAT E G ORY

The mix of people at Repton is one of the school’s most valuable aspects, as you will no doubt make friends and know people from all over the world.

that you can have great times with in common rooms, at mealtimes or in the house garden. I would say that because of both the house system and the wide range of extracurricular opportunities at Repton, there is so much to get excited about, and so many great people to meet, because whilst there is all the work and lessons, which are obviously important, this is what it is all about.

One important thing to know for all future Reptonians is that there are many others, not from Repton Prep, who will be just as, if not more nervous than you, so making friends with them and making sure they feel at ease will settle both you and them.

The mix of people at Repton is one of the school’s most valuable aspects, as you will no doubt make friends and know people from all over the world.

Inevitably, upon joining the B Block, everyone’s mind will be packed with a mixture of nerves and excitement, and I distinctly remember feeling overwhelmed with questions and uncertainties, not quite knowing if others felt the same way. As a school,

however, we encourage and value close, family-like friendships, many of which may be forged within the first few weeks of B Block. To develop these bonds, you must not be afraid to reach out to people, perhaps even those who you might feel you know nothing about. Everyone here is part of the powerful Repton community, and as you progress through your life, if you come across an old Reptonian you will instantly feel a connection to that person, almost like meeting an old family member, with whom you have much in common.

Sixth. Be yourself; don’t worry about not finding a classroom or wearing the wrong shoes to something – they are all trivial and retrospectively laughable worries. Instead, let it all happen to you, and then you can learn from the embarrassing memories which are just as important as the fond ones. As a year group, you have so much to look forward to and experience, so please treasure every minute of your Repton journey, because it will be over before you know it.

POPPY K AND ALEX M

Seeking friendship rather than waiting for it to seek you is how you will succeed in meeting people and finding common ground from various areas of school life, as Alex mentioned. If you see someone alone in the corridor, try to reach out to them. Engage in a quick chat, walk to the next lesson together, or even just share a smile. If you are unsure whether to approach someone, just do it. Make that conversation – they might turn out to be one of your closest friends by the end of Upper

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STA F F L E AV E R S

STAFF LEAVERS

EDUCATION IS THE MOST POWERFUL WEAPON WHICH YOU CAN USE TO CHANGE THE WORLD. NELSON MANDELA 86

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STA F F L E AV E R S

2: an extremely famous or notorious person, especially in a particular field. So, perhaps I am best served by telling a story (fortunately Beowulf is free of copyright).

GAVIN WILLIAMSON JANUARY 2004 – AUGUST 2021

T

he word “legend” is an oft used and ill-placed term in our modern parlance. My dictionary states: NOUN 1: a traditional story sometimes popularly regarded as historical but not authenticated.

Two score, bar three, years ago a great Hall was in need of a great hero to fight off the foul beast of Ignorance of Latin. In strode, from an isle to our west a master of the classics; Williamson was his name.

Bravely he wrestled with ignorance and through tense and cases, he rendered ignorance armless. And so, our tale might end, but Ignorance of Latin had a mother. Williamson was not daunted, and he swiftly won her over with deft deployment of his knowledge of verse and his native charm, honed in the magical isles to our west. Ignorance had become bliss.

NATALIE GROVES JANUARY 2020 – AUGUST 2021

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atalie joined Repton Prep on a short term contract to cover Hannah Buckingham’s maternity leave, but has actually stayed with us for significantly longer! Natalie developed a special relationship with the boarders, doing additional boarding duty and really taking care of the younger girls in Nightingale and I know that they will really miss her.

She has shown her flexibility over this time, not only with remote learning, but also going from a form tutor role to working in Nursery and then going on to teaching maths, enabling us to have a greater number of sets in Woodland.

Natalie will be remembered for her extreme shoe collection as she tends to swap shoes depending on the area of school in which she is working. Natalie loves maths and has even weighed her cat online as part of remote learning!

CATHERINE DR AKELEY

CHRISTINE MILLER AUGUST 2014 – DECEMBER 2020

C

hristine was a true inspiration within our Music School. Her boundless enthusiasm and humour captivated both staff and pupils alike. As my Assistant her help was invaluable especially with regards to anything IT related!

Her tendency to be a little untidy was nevertheless the wellknown, lightheartedly accepted, departmental understatement!!

A passionate and highly skilled professional, she helped to inspire and nurture the talents

Sadly, all great tales must come to an end, or in this case a new volume.

Gavin is a true polymath and renaissance man, the likes of which one rarely comes across. His departure will create a schism (be mindful of how you pronounce it) between those that have had the privilege of knowing Gavin and those who have not.

I shall leave you with the words of Eton College’s Head of Classics, “Where were you taught Latin, boy?” “At Foremarke Hall, Sir.” was the reply. “You were well taught, young man!”

With time the legend will only grow.

RICHARD WAY

of numerous young violinists who continue to thrive following the solid foundations which she laid and the innate love of music which she fostered. Christine’s String Orchestra was truly magnificent, always successfully conquering the most ambitious of repertoire.

Christine loved to play on her violin with her students and both motivated and energised them with her compelling performance style. With a self admittedly competitive nature she sought only the very best from her young string players and this, coupled by her infectious vivacity, got just that in return. In the classroom she steadfastly endeavoured to capture the interest of those whom she taught and stimulated the interest of many senior pupils with their Music IT. Christine’s other major area of expertise is English and her teaching of this subject within our English Department proved to be equally popular and highly respected.

On behalf of all in the Music School at Repton Prep, I wish Christine all the very best as she moves on in her career, a dear colleague and friend who contributed most significantly during her time with us.

SUSAN BLOOR

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JOHN E DAVIS JANUARY 2016 – JUNE 2021

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T Teacher, runner, Notts County fan with North of England roots, real ale aficionado, avid reader, stalwart socialist, music lover (Indie Pop), dreamer – Mr John E Davis arrived at Repton Prep from the state sector in the Lent Term of 2016. Late to teaching after a gaining a first-class degree in 2004, John had previously worked in industry as a Systems, Service and Sales engineer for various companies before taking up teaching.

A dedicated teacher with a passion for Greenpower, there will be many pupils with life-long memories of the Greenpower weekends. John could invariably be seen loading up the Prep School maintenance van long into a Friday evening, ready for a Saturday depart and Sunday race. 7am meets at Goodwood, Rockingham, the Lotus test track, Castle Combe and Dunsfold are not easy to arrange and organise but John managed to get three vehicles and a dozen enthusiastic and eager pupils (and supporting parents) there on time and really to test and race.

John’s knowledge, enthusiasm and willingness to give of his time ensured that Greenpower flourished under his tenure, providing many exciting times and happy memories for all involved.

John is definitely the man you would most want to invite to a dinner party.

He will talk to anyone and on any subject. He’s your pub quiz champion with encyclopaedic knowledge of most things. He is an exceptional DT teacher and wonderful schoolmaster – you can see that by the way he interacts with the pupils.

We wish him the very best in his new adventure and post at Wellington College, China. Bon Voyage!

RICHARD FLETCHER, SUE BLOOR AND JUSTIN PUGSLEY

John also arranged amazing visits for the DT scholars to see the Foremark steam trains on the Gloucestershire/ Warwickshire railway and accompanied staff on the Menin Gate, Ypres trips where nothing was too much trouble and he proved to have a talent for simultaneously chasing pupils down platforms and swinging heavy instruments off Belgian trains.

GENEVIEVE KERR AUGUST 2014 - AUGUST 2021

From her boarding experience in Kenya, Hannah was accustomed to living on site and was always available to help with boarding duties and help those in need. She had strong Christian beliefs and always saw good in everyone and every situation. She ran a Bible study club in her early days at Repton and managed to resolve a variety of disputes amongst the children with fairness and ease.

HANNAH BUCKINGHAM AUGUST 2014 – DECEMBER 2020

H

annah was a much-loved Year 4 teacher at Repton Prep for over six years. Her Hawaiian greetings and cheery nature made her popular form tutor and her booming voice ensured that all staff could hear her from the other end of Lower Prep if she called you. She had a special call for her colleague, Julie Harrison, which was used to draw her in to weekly meetings!

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enevieve Kerr inspires children with her interesting lessons peppered with anecdotes to illustrate concepts - her classes are always completely engaged. She is a highly experienced educator and deeply caring with great communication skills. She brings humour, empathy and endless patience to her science and maths lessons. She is always thinking of new ways to intrigue and excite the children that she teaches.

Hannah loved English and very much enjoyed designing decorations and backdrops for her wedding around a literary theme. She also loved the outdoors, spending time with her dog, Argo, who frequently accompanied all the children during den building activities. Her outdoor trip to The Lunt Roman Fort is a fond memory of many of the Year 4 children, especially charging at the teachers at the end. Her time at Repton Prep saw Hannah meet (and later marry) Christopher and have Jude (who is now 18 months old) and we wish her all the best for her future with her family.

She is the science department’s CREST specialist (not toothpaste!) which empowers pupils to run their own scientific investigation from start to finish and to collaborate with their peers.

Genevieve is a Warhammer expert and set up an after-school club that has guided many pupils through local and national Warhammer competitions, giving up her weekends to support the children in their quest for victory.

CATHERINE DR AKELEY

CLAIRE WALDOCK

It has been an absolute pleasure to work with Genevieve. She has been a great colleague and a friend to us all in the science department and we will miss her quirky sense of humour (and her chocolate cake).

STA F F L E AV E R S

SOPHIE DUTTON NOVEMBER 2013 – AUGUST 2021

S

ophie will leave a big hole here at Repton Prep and will be sorely missed by all. She will be remembered for her energy, enthusiasm and dedication to the pupils and parents, both in her capacity as Head of Geography, Teacher of Games, and as a Form Tutor. As a long-standing “social secretary”, she has put staff wellbeing at the forefront and has planned many a successful Christmas party!

Her successor has very big boots to fill when it comes to classroom organisation and displays – Sophie has always been known for her drive to provide the best learning experiences

CHARLOTTE ODELL AUGUST 2017 – AUGUST 2021

O

ur fond farewells and best wishes go to Charlotte, who has decided to venture to pastures new after four years’ service to us at Repton Prep. Charlotte has engaged and inspired many of the children in Year 4 with her love of English, enthusiasm for her dogs and the great outdoors. Her den building club is extremely popular and she enjoys eating the bug and slime sandwiches that the children make for

SAMANTHA KRBACEVIC

Charlotte’s calm and peaceful nature has created a relaxed and motivating learning environment for all those children in her care. However, the children will remember her for Construction Club, and the building and banging that accompanies it.

CATHERINE DR AKELEY

S

Steph’s brilliant, creative mind brought new and exciting ideas to the English department.

JANUARY 2020 – AUGUST 2021

It’s been a pleasure to work with Sophie and we all wish her the best of luck for her relocation back home and the next chapter of her career.

her! Alongside Mrs Harrison, she has tirelessly organised theme days and will long be remembered for her dressing as a crab on World Book Day and photo dodging tactics during Bollywood dancing on India Day!

teph is a passionate and highly skilled professional, who during her time at Repton Prep inspired countless pupils with her love of literature and all things language. Steph had incredibly high standards for all her pupils, and as a colleague I feel remarkably lucky to have worked alongside her.

STEPHANIE SAMSON

for pupils of all years and her classroom is always awash with fresh and colourful posters. I can think of many times I have walked past the classroom to see live volcanoes erupting or pupils building 3D posters to illustrate various geographical processes. Sophie is a very creative practitioner and over the last six years pupils have benefited from her zest for bringing new ideas to her teaching.

Her incredible curriculum design was enjoyed by all as she encouraged the use of a variety of teaching styles and activities to bring English to life.

A skill in which she has perfected.

Steph worked closely with our school librarian to entrench a love of reading within the school, designing and creating a buzz about various reading initiatives.

Her ideas culminated in a hugely successful World Book Day 2021, despite taking place during remote learning.

Steph is a great loss to our School and I wish her all the very best as she begins a career outside of teaching, I am confident that she will succeed just as she did here at Repton Prep.

R ACHEL DRY

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