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Our view
This super-friendly school in beautiful Derbyshire has a stellar reputation in pretty much everything – academics (leavers head off to Oxbridge and Ivy League universities), sport (the alumni list is a roll call of professionals) and music (not many school choirs sing in the Vatican) – but as its motto ‘Rounded, Grounded, Unbounded’ suggests, the beating heart is its strong pastoral care which ensures every pupil is nurtured to achieve their best.
Where?
Located in the heart of rural Derbyshire, lovely Repton is bursting with history and character.
The ancient centre of the school is pretty awe-inspiring, but elsewhere there’s no sense of being stuck in the past. Every single classroom or facility has been meticulously built or refurbished, with a spread of stonking new buildings to support the old ones. The Science Priory gets top billing – more university than school building, it’s got a 3D cinema, smart seminar rooms, a rooftop observatory and even a reptile lab. The grand Grade II-listed chapel is the heart of the place, and the whole school – regardless of faith – gathers twice a week for a service. And, of course, there are tennis courts, two sports halls and acres of playing fields.
Repton sits conveniently close to East Midlands Airport and a school-bus service covers Derby, Ashbourne, Uttoxeter and more.
Head
The warm and friendly head Mark Semmence arrived at Repton in 2019 from Mount Kelly School in Dartmoor, where he oversaw the merge of three schools into one single foundation – experience that has stood him in good stead for Repton’s strategic integration with its family of prep schools and overseas franchises. Commercially aware and hot on numbers (he spent a decade working in international sports marketing before moving into teaching), he runs the school with a business brain but a passionate heart (one of his daily rituals is to personally hand out birthday cards to pupils and staff). His enthusiasm is infectious and together with his young and switched-on senior leadership team, it feels like there’s nothing they can’t achieve, not least their current aim of revolutionising the way pupils think about learning through the use of creative technology.
Admissions
The 630-strong school is now officially oversubscribed and is as full as it can get without needing to expand. Mr Semmence is keen to keep numbers where they are so the school can ensure each pupil receives a personal, tailored education. ‘I know every child’s name and I want that to continue,’ he tells us.
Entrance at 13+ is via a CAT4 test and online interview with the deputy head admissions, or via the school's 13+ academic scholarship papers. Almost half of the year group join from Repton Prep (who no longer do CE), just seven minutes down the road. Repton is keen to ensure that admission continues to be more holistic than purely academic, and the individual abilities of each child are taken into account. Pupil ratio is very close to 50:50 boys and girls, and around 14 per cent of students are from overseas. For those considering a later move, there is still the option to join Repton in the lower sixth based on GCSE results.
Academics and destinations
Repton isn’t as selective at entry as some of its rivals, but it really shines when it comes to value-added, with GCSE results soaring. The school’s relatively small size works to pupils’ advantage: everyone is helped to discover their strengths and with all the teaching staff living in and around the village, there are lots of opportunities for pupils to get extra help.
Pupils study for A-levels and there’s a BTEC in sport (equivalent to two A-levels) on the timetable too. Many options are thrown into the mix, including business studies, PE, textiles and psychology – and lots of sixth-formers do EPQs to broaden their minds and boost their academic credentials.
Lower-sixth pupils take the Future Leaders programme, which delves into public speaking, digital skills, economics and personal finance to prepare them for the wider world – all good stuff both for the students themselves and for UCAS forms. There’s a healthy handful of Oxbridge offers (five this year) and successful applications to US universities – this year’s head girl is off to Harvard – and overall the majority skate off to their first or second choice institution.
Co-curricular
Many pupils are drawn to Repton for its sport – this is one of the best schools in the UK for an aspiring Olympian (this year, 12 pupils were selected for Olympic team trials, and current pupil Eva is representing Team GB in the pool as part of the swimming team), and the on-site gallery of signed shirts is testament to the career-enhancing facilities here. Hockey is standout: Repton claims to have bagged more hockey trophies than any other school; girls have won the national U18 hockey finals a record 10 times in the past 12 years, and the facilities are so good that the GB men’s squad pops in to train. Football is mega too, with boys often going on to play professionally at club level; tennis and cricket are top-notch (Repton has produced three England cricket captains); and there’s a seriously strong and nationally recognised swimming programme.
Links with county and national teams are solid (at least 60 pupils play for clubs outside of school), and pupils are brilliantly supported along the path to turning professional with a full coaching programme with specialist coaches and facilities that are nothing short of epic. There’s also an on-site physio, a full strength and conditioning programme and a sports nutrition facility. It’s worth noting, though, that they don’t play rugby. That said, we met a chap on our recent visit who played three times a week with a local club – all facilitated by the school. Proof positive that if pupils have the ambition, Repton will support it.
But Repton isn’t just for sporties - off the pitches, there’s stacks to celebrate. A successful artist-in-residence scheme supports and mentors budding artists and music is also flourishing. There are opportunities across all levels, from house singing to an impressive programme of visiting musicians that brings in big names for concerts and masterclasses (Julian Lloyd Webber judged a recent music competition) and the opportunity to perform in extraordinary places – including the Vatican. Major drama productions are staged each term in the magnificent theatre, and pupils are encouraged to embrace the full experience of stage production, sound and lighting as well as the acting; the last production included 80 pupils on stage or behind the scenes.
Lessons stop early on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons to make way for clubs, activities and sports practice, which might include CCF (compulsory for first years), DofE or community service spent tidying gardens, bolstering school-recycling efforts or caring for the elderly. Societies range from medicine to maths, while extra clubs such as life drawing, technical theatre arts and debating keep pupils busy.
Boarding
Repton is full boarding all the way (there’s no weekly or flexi), and with more than 70 per cent of pupils opting in, there’s a proper boarding-school feel here, with a packed programme of lessons, matches and extras on Saturdays. As well as scheduled exeats, all pupils have the opportunity to take PWs (privilege weekends), although many seem to prefer to stay for the sport and the seemingly action-packed programme.
Pupils join one of 10 inter-year houses (six for boys, four for girls) spread across the campus and village; some are full of Victorian architectural quirks, others more modern and functional, and each has a house parent and tutor (plus pets!) who live there full-time. The arrival of a new chef last year has put a smile on the face of some of the boys we chatted to, and the in-house dining gives tutors, housemasters and matrons ample opportunity to check in with their charges.
Day pupils are all assigned to a house too and remain fully immersed in the Repton experience, although there is now more flexibility for them with the option to head home at 6pm – but there's so much going on that many choose to stay much later.
School community
Mental health initiatives have always been high on the agenda at Repton, and each house has its own dedicated wellbeing space. A therapy dog recently became a hugely popular addition to the staff room too. Gender inclusivity is a top priority here, and gender neutral loos are available for pupils.
There’s a broadly local feel to Repton, with the lion’s share of families coming from the Midlands, Cheshire, Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and Lancashire, and the school has a good relationship with local residents. Depending on the year group, pupils are allowed into the village at times – the Chinese restaurant being particularly popular among the boys we chatted to. The London market still hasn’t quite made its mark up here, but it’s growing – and there’s a real feeling of warmth, friendliness and confidence from the pupils we met.
And finally...
This wonderful school with its high-energy, dedicated staff and secure moral values enables pupils to achieve above and beyond. A real big hitter, it’s hard to think of a child it wouldn’t benefit, but if you’ve got a sporting superstar, Repton will definitely be their paradise.