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Our view of Repton Prep School
This beautiful school in rural Derbyshire sits in gorgeous countryside and is among one of the most stunning preps we’ve visited. It’s just as beautiful on the inside too, with the super-friendly head Vicky Harding instilling a calm and collaborative atmosphere where pupils really thrive. Pastoral care is wonderful and academics are spot on. And to top it all off, the senior school offers a seamless, all-through path.
Where is Repton Prep School?
First impressions of Repton Prep's 55-acre campus don't disappoint. Bluebells line the long drive leading up to this school in the Derbyshire countryside, and once you arrive, you are greeted by a breathtaking Palladian mansion, with beautifully wallpapered hallways and corniced ceilings. Although most travel to school by car, Repton Prep also benefits from a bus service from surrounding towns (Derby, Ashbourne and Uttoxeter, among others) and is less than half an hour from East Midlands Airport. A new bypass has brought fresh opportunities for parents in the direction of Nottingham, which is now only 30 minutes away.
Outside of the classroom, it’s endless, gorgeous rural space: a lake at the front for sailing and water sports; extensive woodland for muddy-kneed fun; manicured cricket pitches; and a separate nursery and pre-prep squirrelled away in its own corner of the campus. Oh, and we’re head over heels with the new dual-aspect glass dining hall – the biggest, brightest, most impressive we’ve seen in a prep (the brief for the architect was to make it feel like you’re eating outside, and it does). This goes hand in hand with the epic food: ‘Just like a five-star restaurant,’ one pupil earnestly told us.
Head
Vicky Harding took up the headship in September 2022, hitting the ground running with an exciting five-year plan to grow the school’s profile, expand pupil numbers and improve communication. A keen runner and musician (she was director of music at the Dragon School), she has a warm and engaging manner and bags of leadership experience (before joining Repton she headed up Sarum Hall Hampstead). She’s surrounded by a brilliant senior team who are all as calm and collaborative as she is.
Admissions process
The good news for parents is that despite being popular, Repton Prep isn’t generally oversubscribed and it does its best to accommodate pupils wherever there’s space. Repton Prep offers a range of entry points designed to provide flexibility for both the child and their parents. Most join the non-selective nursery (it’s worth getting names down as soon as possible), but anyone looking at entry in Year 3 or 4 takes part in a gentle maths and English assessment and taster day. There is a more formal assessment process along with a taster day for Year 5 to Year 8 entry. Pupils thinking about boarding can stay over for a night in the boarding house – a great way to get a feel for the fun and meet potential classmates. It's worth knowing that means-tested bursaries are available.
Academics and senior school destinations
As one of the five pillars of Repton Prep, high academic standards are very important to the school's success, but it’s the focus on curiosity, challenge and risk-taking that the school does so well, with plenty of specialist teaching, an emphasis on traditional skills (the pen is very much still mightier than the mouse) and a brilliant learning-enhancement department providing one-on-one support at all levels. There’s Saturday school for Years 5 to 8 and the optional Repton Plus programme for Years 3 and 4; everyone is free to head home after afternoon matches.
Languages are also strong at Repton Prep, with a focus on real-world application. Pupils learn French from Year 1 and Years 6 and 7 are given the opportunity to test out their skills on a biennial five-day trip to France in May. Latin is on the curriculum from Year 7, Spanish has been introduced as an option in Years 7 and 8 and, with the head’s passion for language provision, it may not stop there. There’s also an excellent EAL team who have recently fast-tracked the English of some Japanese pupils who arrived with limited knowledge of the language but were taking part in mainstream classes in record time.
Art is also taught throughout all year groups in a superb facility only surpassed by the even more exceptional D&T space.
Pupils are streamed from Year 5 upwards, making sure that everyone works at the level that’s right for them – and the scholarship set’s successes are mega. In recent years, Repton Prep has made the decision to move away from Common Entrance, but that hasn’t meant any less focus on academic rigour. Indeed, the opportunity for diversity and breadth of learning outside the constraints of CE may well bring a more valuable academic reward. The shift away from formal exams gives Repton Prep the chance to breathe life into focus on personal achievement, with pupils now working towards a graded leavers’ certificate that far better reflects their own individual talents and challenges.
The majority of pupils go onto the senior school, a few to Rugby and Harrow, and some into the state sector, and a full transition programme in Year 8 ensures everyone is fully prepared for the step change.
Co-curricular
Just like Repton, Repton Prep is a huge hockey school (the head of hockey is a current Scottish international, which makes him a pretty cool role model), but all sporty types have it good here. There are a ridiculous number of teams for all different abilities (32 hockey, 15 netball, 19 football – you get the idea), so everyone gets a go, from the amateurs to the jocks.
Bumper facilities are a bonus for sports fans, with everything on site – cricket nets, Astros, tennis, netball and a large, newly refurbished swimming pool (the exterior of the pool and the changing facilities are next on the list for a makeover). And just in case that isn’t enough, pupils have access to even more over at Repton’s main campus, less than 10 minutes down the road.
But it really isn’t just about the sport – Repton Prep has always welcomed creative arts enthusiasts and musicians. The school notches up some 250 individual music lessons a week, with 11 practice rooms available for pupils, and there are numerous choirs, concert groups and bands for those who want to take part at any level. For budding thespians, the fantastic theatre fizzes with energy: pupils showcase their talents in low-key drama evenings or high-octane, professional-standard musicals, and drama is taught throughout the school. Not content to rest on her laurels here either, head Mrs Harding has set her sights on a spot of theatrical improvement with a plan to introduce some natural light to the theatre and extend it sufficiently to accommodate the whole school.
Art and D&T are big – the aforementioned facilities are a colossal draw – and there’s a crazy list of after-school activities: everything from cartoon-drawing and mindfulness to street dance and veg-growing. Children lobbied for a Warhammer club and promptly bagged a spot in the national semi-finals. How’s that for pupil power? And let’s not forget adventure too: at break, they hit the low-ropes course, head out to build dens in the woods or learn vital survival skills such as how to cook outdoors.
Repton Prep Boarding
Day pupils predominate here (some travelling nearly an hour), but about a quarter of the 420 pupils do participate in some form of boarding. For these pupils, there are full, weekly, home-and-away and flexi options, meaning that there really is something for everyone. Those who do board enjoy serious comfort (after a recent refit, the boys’ house now feels more like a hotel). The houses are havens of homely escape from the busy school routine (girls rave about their hot-chocolate evenings), and lots more London families are jumping on the bandwagon, along with a smattering of overseas pupils.
Great care is taken to ensure that full boarders are happy and busy when the weeklies go home, and the pastoral-support group is sensitive to the needs of different ages. Again, there’s plenty of space in this part of the school, and boosting boarding numbers is something that Repton Prep are keen to do.
School community
A lovely bright new wellness centre is a wonderful space for pupils to ground themselves, with sofas and even beds to relax on, and on-site nurses, healthcare professionals and a weekly school counsellor to attend to their needs. The school has a zero-tolerance approach to bullying and has brilliantly created a hugely inclusive and responsible school community. PSHE lessons promote citizenship and good behaviour, and it works – pupils’ willingness to muck in and help out is evident. Year 8s can apply for coveted positions in the R Team (R stands for responsibility), supervising the pre-prep playground, helping out in the dining room or collecting sports equipment at the end of a game. There are more positions of responsibility up for grabs throughout the school through the Eco, Sport and Food Committees as well as School Council; pupil voice is a big part of school life. This pupil team replaces the more traditional prefect model and subtly shifts the emphasis from one of privilege to one of responsibility to others – and these children really seem to get it. We loved their confidence, self-esteem and total lack of arrogance, and the relationships they build with their teachers are formed entirely on effective communication rather than on a teach-learn hierarchy.
Uniform is traditional and smart but not gender-based. Instead, pupils have an A and B list of options from which they can choose. Year 7 and 8 can diversify with their own choice of rucksack (it’s amazing how much personality can be crammed into just one accessory) – we adored it.
And finally....
This delightful prep with its equally delightful nursery has parents in the know putting their child’s name down before they’re even born. And with its relationship with Repton senior now formalised, the draw of a wonderful, one-stop education is seeing its popularity soar. If it's on your list, heed our advice: get in quick.