Repton School Prospectus

The Sense of Balance

A PERFECTLY BALANCED EDUCATION IN THE HEART OF ENGLAND.

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Welcome

Let us tell you why we chose Repton over the other schools we looked at, and what our time here has been like.

And every individual – all ages, whether boarding or day – belongs to one of our Houses. That means you will make friends with people who you did not think were your type. Role models play a big part in life here. In a way, everyone runs the House – that is why it works so well. A vital part of the philosophy, often underestimated, is that breakfast, lunch and tea are all taken in the House, together with House staff.

So, before we tackle the big issues of life, we get to grips with the smaller ones – passing the water, cutting the bread, returning the smile.

At Repton we have 625 pupils, which means we know everyone well and nobody gets lost.

A HEALTHY BALANCE

Repton’s award-winning pastoral care earned us the title Happiest Boarding School* . Every young person is valued, listened to and included, each having a strong sense of purpose in our tight-knit community.

PASTORAL CARE

*Muddy Stilettos School Awards.

PASTORAL CARE

Steer Tracking Data confirms that Reptonians have considerably greater trust in themselves and others as a result of the sport that is interwoven into the curriculum, which builds skills such as collaboration and the ability to work as part of a team.

“As well individuals Houseparent, Tutors or the School on pastoral know that I need to members team are Alex, Pupil.

WellWorks is unique to Repton and is a platform for interweaving traditional care with scientific, data-driven tracking providing a system that prevents any child from slipping through.

Repton’s values are Respect for each other, Wholeness in moral intellectual, social and physical endeavours, Truth - the goal of a life-long process of learning and Excellence in every pursuit.

Every pupil, whether day or boarding, is part of a boarding house. Pupils return to House at lunchtime for a formal meal with their Housemaster or Housemistress, Tutors, teachers, visitors and their peers. This tradition gives our Houses a warm familiarity unique to Repton.

as the supportive individuals like your Houseparent, Matron, House or Academic Tutors, School really put a focus pastoral wellbeing so I that if there is anything to talk about then members of the pastoral are always on hand.”

All our academic and key pastoral staff are accommodated within the village which is crucial both for total pastoral care and maximum availability for any extra help that may be required out of hours.

We train Sixth Formers to be an extended part of the pastoral care team. There is real value in older pupils helping younger ones navigate issues, bringing adults in when appropriate.

Repton sits comfortably among the top co-ed boarding schools for academic achievement and shines particularly brightly for value-added. But now, more than ever…teachers are heavily praised for being ‘happy to go over anything that is not understood in class – they are very open to children who perhaps do not get it the first time round.’

* Good Schools Guide

*

Repton was founded in 1557 by a legacy from philanthropist Sir John Port for local boys. Today, young people from all over the world benefit from Repton’s world-class education.

In-House dining is fundamental to Repton’s character. It makes everything here much more personal. We get to know what makes a person tick rather than simply what they do. The result is that, in the House, none of us is as important as all of us. There is an openness.

The thing that a House at Repton shares with your home is that the care is unconditional. It is like a giant version of a family, perfectly set up to support each person. There is always someone in the House who will have gone through the same thing you are going through and will help. It is also where you find your balance. The readiness of the House Parents and Tutors to be there for you is without question.

If you need help, you will receive help, always. We are encouraged to have the maturity to know when we can sort things out amongst ourselves and when to seek intervention.

Every teenager, at some point in a five year period, is going to need some extra attention. Everybody does. And they will get that extra help, often unobtrusively and at times without even being aware that it is happening.

That is the House at its best. It is this support that allows us to branch out and do a lot. That makes for all-rounders, and all-rounders equals balance.

“Perhaps it is all part of being a school in the heart of the country - a sort of groundedness in the face of life.”

ROUNDED and UNBOUNDED

Repton is a place of academic aspiration. We set the highest academic expectations for each Reptonian, supporting and monitoring each pupil’s progress.

ACADEMIC STUDY

“We were looking for a school that offered an elite sports programme without compromising on academic education. Our daughter has the opportunity to be part of an exceptional hockey programme which is

The busy life at Repton offers unbounded learning opportunities.

One passion is never at the expense of another passion. Academia is balanced with pastoral care, sport with a rich extracurricular programme. Here, equilibrium is achieved as ambitious goals in one area fuel equally ambitious goals in another.

ACADEMIC STUDY EdTech

22kg

The average amount of paper waste in a secondary school. Repton’s use of technology significantly reduces paper consumption.

A study by Dr Susan Hallam, Professor of Education and Music Psychology at the Institute of Education and Kevin Rogers of Hampshire Music Service found that playing a musical instrument has a positive impact on academic attainment in young people and that the impact is greater the longer a young person has played an instrument.

‘Playing a musical instrument has a positive effect on attainment’ –Music Education Works.

Every note made on the touchscreen boards in class drops automatically into every pupil’s device.

One of the first schools in the UK to be a Microsoft Showcase School, and the first independent school to have a Microsoft Fellow.

There is an emphasis on preparation for life after Repton. In the Sixth Form, Future Leaders is timetabled and taught by subject specialists across three areas:

PUBLIC SPEAKING

CAREERS AND HIGHER EDUCATION

THE LECTURE SERIES: ECONOMICS, POLITICS, GEOPOLITICS, SCIENCE, LITERATURE AND HISTORY OF ART.

Repton’s enviable choice of academic societies pique pupils’ interests across a wide variety of interests, promoting concepts such as freethinking and academic discovery.

Pupils are well supported to achieve academically. All of our academic staff live in Repton and Tutors are based in every boarding house, so guidance and support is available to pupils whenever they need it. Added to this, our ‘Pupil Dashboard’ monitors all aspects of every pupil’s attainment and wellbeing.

After breakfast we set out from the House for the day’s lessons. Depending on which House you are in you will walk past games pitches, incredible school buildings and facilities of all kinds, where learning, sport, activities, interests and societies happen daily. The sport gets your body going and the lessons get your brain going.

And what specifically does that balance mean for us?

Well, particularly at Repton, school is about many things, but most of all it is about our academic development because, although life-skills are often the ticket to success, exam results are the price of entry. Then with all our sport(and there is a lot of it) and all our activities (there are a lot of those too) everyone quickly finds something they are good at and enjoy doing.

“Everyone quickly finds something they are good at and enjoy doing.”

SPORT at its BEST

Sport plays a central role in a Repton education. Sport is for every Reptonian, from performance athletes aiming to reach the pinnacle of professional sport, to those who do their bit in House competitions.

Cambridge Stats

The percentage of first class results achieved by undergraduate sportspeople (28.4%) was greater than the percentage achieved by undergraduates in the University as a whole (23.7%).

Employers recognised the benefits of sport in developing career-enhancing qualities, with more than nine in ten (94%) of those questioned identifying a clear link between university sport participation and valuable skills and strengths in potential employees.

28.4% 94%

University of Cambridge Sports Service Sport and Academic Performance Report 2019

Repton is one of the most successful sports schools in UK history. We have become this through a strong culture of sport for all, and a focus on equal co-educational opportunities and generous investment in people and facilities

The facilities here are as good as, if not better than, those of leading universities.

Our performance sport programme encompasses our six focus sportscricket, football, hockey, netball, swimming and tennis - as well as supporting pupils pursuing other sports at the highest level.

Repton’s Team Room is used for video analysis and to develop team and individual performance.

Reptonians are given the support and facilities to pursue training and competition at the highest level while continuing to succeed in the classroom.

Our Club provision enables us to compete in the national leagues, against national clubs, in swimming, hockey and racket sports. Pupils from other local schools are able to join us in these clubs and compete in our teams alongside us.

“Repton enabled me to successfully find a balance between a rigorous training schedule for competitive swimming and studying for A Levels and ACT. Repton went above and beyond to support me through the application to help me achieve my dream.”

Ellie Mitchell

Other sports include Eton fives, rugby, badminton, squash, cross-country, gymnastics, sailing, canoeing, climbing and shooting.

Swimming Scholar and Economics undergraduate at Brown University.

We feed off the interests of others. Once you have tried one thing and you discover that you can do that thing, your confidence builds and you take on more and more of the many opportunities on offer.

You know it will work because your skills have been set and you just want to expand. That is the power of confidence, which we hope will help us to be comfortable and able to contribute in the many new situations we encounter after school. We learn to compromise and collaborate and be happy doing it.

A young girl in The Garden made her mark in the choir and that gave her confidence to do well in her Latin and Spanish. A boy in The Priory struggled in science until he scored a 50 in the 2nd X1, and then his marks took off.

*Or to St Andrew’s, Exeter, Bristol, Durham, Edinburgh, Stanford, Harvard, Maastricht… a lot of our pupils choose to go on to Loughborough University, which is unsurprising given our performance in all sorts of sport.

If you are capable of 3A*s, you will achieve them here. If you are capable of Oxbridge, you will get there from here.*

An EDUCATION rich in OPPORTUNITY

Repton’s full boarding ethos enables us to offer pupils a wealth of opportunities beyond the classroom. The importance this plays in a Repton education is evident in the well-rounded individuals Reptonians become.

“While Sport is a clear area of expertise, you don’t have to be super sporty to find your place at Repton – this is one of the aspects I really like about the school; be you, find your brilliance.”

Music, Art, Design Technology and Drama, – all these departments virtually never close, allowing our pupils access whenever they have time to spend on their favourite activities and there will always be a teacher present to give advice.

“When I was a teenager I painted. When I discovered the instant moment of taking a photograph and the speed in which to develop it in a dark room I was hooked.”

Johnny Rozsa, Photographer and Old Reptonian.

Around a third of Reptonians are enrolled in CCF and all O Block pupils have the opportunity to work towards their Silver Duke of Edinburgh Award. Our Sixth Formers strive for the Gold Award.

Serena Cole, Old Reptonian and President of Trinity College Cambridge’s Students’ Union. Arkwright Scholarship for Engineering, Grade 7 piano and horn, Gold DofE, Flight Sergeant RAF and senior hockey goalkeeper.

EXTRA CURRICULAR

Meeting with Mr S and Dr R - start planning for US Uni process next term

Chamber Choir Rehearsal 1.45

Engineering Society with Doc I (after 7pm)

Hockey Team Room session with MJ

encouraged to use all of their time productively and purposefully.

Reading with Repton Primary School Y2s (at RPS)

“Boys are reminded that it is illegal to go for walks hatless.” Daily Notice, 1914

“The more extra curricular activities I take on, the more time I find that I have in the day. This also applies to relaxation and spending time with friends and family, which is incredibly important for maintaining my mental health and self-care.”

Our biennial fashion show showcases exhibitions of pupils work in Textiles with the best pieces featuring in our Speech Day Exhibition.

Mum’s birthday!

The facilities here are as good as or better than almost any independent school or indeed university, but we are also in no doubt that exellent teachers, coaches and friends beat excellent facilities every time. These people have the influence that lasts a lifetime.

Of course, the most important thing is that you will surprise yourself with what you actually can achieve with a little determination.

We are used to high achievement at Repton. We are used to trying hard. We are used to beating schools bigger than us in many arenas.

Our opportunities seem not to be bounded by the usual constraints. Somebody once said ‘If you think you can, or if you think you can’t, you are probably right’. We make a point of believing we can.

Why is that so? Maybe it is team spirit. Maybe determination and resolve. It could be that although we are surrounded by over 650 years of tradition, we know we are just as immersed in the best that modern education has to offer, never afraid to embrace the new, in practical things as well as in knowledge.

“The facilities here are as good as or better than almost any independent school or university.”

The SPIRIT of PLACE

The story of the foundation of Repton School lies not only in the generosity of one man, Sir John Port, but in every pupil who has passed through the Arch and helped shape our school.

This 13th Century foundation stone – one of many uncovered in centuries excavating Repton’s historic site – stands not only for the firm footing our education offers every pupil, but also the perpetual spirit of discovery that so special an environment inspires.

SPIRIT OF PLACE

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REPTON’S SPIRIT OF PLACE

“Amidst the neverending academic roll call of labs, creative spaces and award-winning architecture, Repton still utilises its historic buildings to great effect.”

Muddy Stilettos Best Schools Guide

For its first 300 years, Repton School was a single ancient classroom in the remains of a ruined priory. It is now among the most modern, highly developed campuses in the UK.

We have had over 1000 years of learning here at Repton –from Mercia to Microsoft.

Repton’s beautiful thatched cricket pavilion has served tea to 154 Reptonians who went on to become first class cricketers, including eleven Test Cricketers and three England Captains.

Repton’s association with royalty goes back 1300 years – at least two Saxon kings were buried on our site. King Henry VIII destroyed the original seat of learning during the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1536, but soon after in 1557 Sir John Port founded the school as we know it. On 28 March 1957 HRH Queen Elizabeth II cut the ribbon of The Queen’s Walk here at Repton and planted a tree in recognition of our 400th anniversary.

“One thing one does lose in growing older is the intense love, the intense fear and the intense enjoyment of youth.”

John Betjeman addressing pupils at Repton’s Speech Day in 1956.

SPIRIT OF PLACE

The Old Reptonian community is vital to the spirit of place. It represents continuity of endeavour and a tradition that goes back centuries. Today, our global family stretches across the world but is closely connected thanks to the OR Society.

at liberty to ‘lye his cowes in the lower roome under the Schoole’. The School’s Undercroft remains but with fewer bovine visitors; today it is where teachers, tutors, Housemasters and Housemistresses join the Headmaster for coffee and notices and pupils gather for various societies.

Instead of gates that keep people out, Repton’s iconic Arch invites people in.

Perhaps it is all part of being a school in the heart of the country – a sort of groundedness in the face of life.

A groundedness that recognises easily that life here is about performance, not privilege and that flexibility is a fantastic preparation for the real world.

Here, we tend to speak plainly, and get things done. Here, we understand the sense of balance. We are proud of this and it is what makes Repton, Repton.

A PERFECTLY BALANCED EDUCATION IN THE HEART OF ENGLAND.