Repton Prep's Good Schools Guide Review - 2022

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T H E H E A D

Since September 2022, Vicky Harding, previously head of Sarum Hall School and before that deputy head and acting head at Newland House School. She has also been director of music at the Dragon School. Attended Leeds Girls’ High School, then studied music at Edinburgh, followed by Royal Academy of Music. Gained PGCE from Buckingham University whilst working as director of music at Garden House School in London.

A Yorkshire lass at heart but brings some London polish too. Staff and parents say the greatest gift she could give the school is stability – some pupils (not even the oldest) told us she’s their fourth head. ‘It has been a rocky time,’ she concedes. We think they’ll get a lot more besides a steady hand on the tiller from this quietly determined head ‘There’s so much potential here –I just want to give the school a heart and to transform it into a modern education,’ she told us before launching into her plans to up the ante on digital learning, to make better use of the grounds (‘we could grow food, have beehives and take more learning outdoors, for example’), to double the number of full boarders and bring back a stronger sense of community to the school

'Welcoming’, ‘kind’ and a ‘great listener’, say parents and pupils, though we wonder how they ever find her (very plush green) office through the rabbit warren corridors Doesn’t teach (bar the odd cover lesson), but ‘is always around,’ say pupils, who appreciate that ‘she knows all our names

’Lives onsite with her husband, a professional musician, in a characterful house Keen on running, walking and ‘eating nice food’ –luckily for her, the food here is excellent

Main entry points are nursery, reception and year 7 – but children can join any time if there’s space, including mid academic year Academically non-selective, although there are CAT4 tests including verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning, spatial and quantitative awareness from year 3 upwards to check they can access the curriculum

E N T R A N C E E X I T

At 13+, over 90 per cent head off to the senior school (no entrance test required) Parents seeking alternatives (often due to relocation) feel well supported ‘We celebrate the wide selection of excellent schools our pupils go on to,’ says head Uppingham, Denstone College, Rugby, Eton, Harrow, Shrewsbury and Oundle all feature

No sooner had we driven down the long, well-tended drive and walked up the sweeping steps of the grand Georgian hall than we were met by three wise men. And no, we don’t mean the senior leadership team. These chaps were pre-prep pupils all costumed up for the nativity play. Accompanied by Mary, Joseph and all manner of angels, stars, innkeepers, shepherds and cattle, these tinies – with face paint and wide grins – looked a festive delight. It turned out not to be the only drama on our visit – the school’s front hall, with its leather sofas and log fires, hosted LAMDA exams all day – one apprehensive young thespian after another taking their turn. ‘Drama,’ exclaimed an older pupil later on, ‘is brilliant here – it never stops!’ The school has its own real deal theatre, where we watched pairs of year 7s immersed in role play Some year 3s and 4s even gave us a spur-of-the-moment rendition of songs they were performing in their next play, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – and older years also do their own plays

Throughout the school, facilities are impressive The purpose-built pre-prep has an enticing green play area with tunnels and moulds (think Tellytubby land), while inside roomy, light classrooms are well decorated with pupil work (and not just the best) –themes include animals in the dark, life in year 1, campfires in forest school and stainedglass windows In classrooms,

pupils were itching to tell us what they were working on – joining words for year 1s: ‘And!’ ‘But!’ ‘Who!’ they each called out with pride

Academics are ‘based around the individual child and what they’re capable of –no comparisons to others,’ say parents Stretch without push, and positive reports, they say Maximum class size of 18 French taught from reception, with Spanish and Latin added in year 7

‘Ooh la la!’ exclaimed the French teacher when a pupil answered her question about the weather (très froid et brumeux). Smattering of specialist teaching from nursery (music, drama, sport), increasing year on year until year 5 when everything is taught by specialists and setting is introduced in English, maths, French and science – ‘very helpful because you don’t want to go too fast or too slow,’ mused a pupil.

In a science lab, a teacher produced a tray of various foods ‘How could they be preserved?’ she enquired Every hand shot up In ICT, pupils were gathering data on farming – ‘geese for me!’ exclaimed one girl Meanwhile, Skellig, by David Almond, was in for a drilling in a year 7 English lesson, while another English set were busy writing short letters to the government regarding the execution of British soldiers in WW1. Head is working on the curriculum becoming more cross-curricular. Turnover of staff too high, say parents, but ‘the ones coming in are very good.’

‘My, my, haven’t you grown?’ came a booming voice from the learning enhancement department – and then a second time! – giving us cause to question whether we should have accepted the home-made biscuits served up in the head’s office earlier. To our relief, the head of the department was rehearsing his Santa role for the Christmas fair. The department is packed with games and fun-filled resources, alongside tables and computer areas, to help with eg maths and English boot camps Oneto-ones and booster groups also available (costs extra from year 5) Supports a range of mild learning difficulties, with dyslexia topping the chart ‘Very positive handling of everything that comes from my child’s autism,’ added a parent Four EHCPs when we visited A speech and language therapist visits weekly But the facility doesn’t just promote its wares to those who are ‘struggling’ – it’s open to anyone trying to reach their ‘personal success’, whatever their starting point Touch typing and emotional literacy both popular Excellent neurodiversity display, reminding passers by that eg Billie Eilish has Tourette syndrome

Dedicated room for EAL too, complete with clocks of the world

The modern Charles Jennings music school (named after Handel’s librettist) would be the envy of many secondary schools Long lists of orchestras, ensembles and choirs on the noticeboards ‘The head of music wants everyone, and I mean everyone, to learn an instrument!’ said one pupil – and around a quarter do, including a good few playing the harp. Watch this space for more of a battle of the band feel, plus more music tech – the department is currently felt to be a touch too highbrow. House music popular.

Art boasts a large light-drenched studio and masses of talent, with around 12 art scholars in year 8. We were blown away by a twisted piece of wood that one pupil had meticulously filled in with blue gemstones and ceramics – spectacular. Textiles, fine art, sculpting all popular, with pupils about to make Christmas cards on our visit. Year 3s upwards use DT machinery, and lap it up, looking quite the part with their overalls and goggles. Greenpower is well-liked, with pupils racing at different circuits some weekends.

As with the senior school, very sporty Hockey is king, with football and cricket also popular No rugby Tennis, cross-country, netball (girls only) and swimming also taught –the pool is great, although the exterior and changing rooms let it down (next on the refurb wish list apparently) Many of the more serious swimmers board as school happy to ferry them around Fabulous Astro, football and cricket pitches and a vast (for a prep) sports hall. Pupils in years 7 and 8 head up to the senior school to train with higher-level coaches. Fine if sport isn’t your thing –‘My son isn’t sporty at all, but it hasn’t held him back.’

Marmite reaction to Saturday school – ‘it can be very tiring for the year 5s,’ felt one parent. But head believes it allows rich pickings for enrichment, as well as competitive sport. ‘It is what it is,’ shrugged an acquiescent pupil.

Clubs and societies 4-6pm daily – pupils can stay for tea, as well as be dropped from 8am in the mornings to complete the wraparound circle. Chess, knitting, languages, Marvel movie club, sport and swimming among the staples – head looking to move away from ‘a mishmash list’ to ensure ‘the skills genuinely complement classroom learning’ Debating club a hit –they’d been discussing space exploration tourism: a waste of money or not? The confidence of pupils is a credit to the school –nobody gets het up about speaking out here

In the glass-walled dining room, we discussed with friendly pupils the merits of summer vs winter birthdays over a tasty fish and chip lunch Food is fantastic and table manners immaculate – ‘it’s one of the reason we chose the school,’ said a parent Pupils asked us questions too – always wins brownie points

O U R V I E W

Pupils look after each other, often linking arms when walking, and form teachers lend an ear when required There’s a visiting counsellor (shared with senior school) Parents are kept in the loop and school is planning talks for them on eg mental health and resilience. There’s a nutritional element too, with a focus on linksbetween food and mental health. Leadership opportunities are so common that the school wasn’t able to meet our requirement of providing pupils to chat to who didn’t have one (aimed at avoiding only ever meeting the Perfect Peters). Houses provide ‘healthy competition’, eg tug of war, spelling bee, maths challenges, fun runs and fundraising for local charities. Low-level misdemeanours lead to loss of golden time for littluns – ‘my friend lost a whole two minutes on Friday,’ said one boy, shaking his head with the shame of it – and ‘refs’ (reflection time) for older ones, with detentions thereafter. School sweats the small stuff when it comes to manners, kindness and uniform, but it doesn’t feel draconian.

Majority of families are local, with around 10 overseas pupils from eg USA, Hong Kong, Singapore, Brazil and Spain Plenty of money floating around, say parents, though not exclusively – one told us she was holding down ‘three jobs to send our child there’ Lots of old girls and boys among the parent body. Pupils we met were great company –chatty, articulate and polite, with a twinkle in their eye. Perhaps not the best place for quieter types, reckoned some.

B O A R D I N G

The girls’ house has a cottage-style feel, with thoughtfully decorated dorms of up to five beds. Boys have larger dorms of up to seven beds and barer walls – ‘Ha! We’re much better than them at making the rooms look nice!’ grinned our female guide, though all manage to feel homely. ‘The tunnel’ –actually a narrow corridor packed with beanbags and telly – is popular among the boys, who also have access to a huge common room (also open to girls), while the girls get two smaller ones to themselves. All are cared for by the dozen or so staff who live on site.

Weekend activities include ‘more downtime than in the past so it feels like home from home’, but also everything from Halloween Spooktacular (120 boarders doing a themed feast and disco) to shopping and theatre trips Mini golf and laser shooting regularly feature too

M O N E Y M A T T E R S

Scholarshipsat 11+ in sport, music, drama, art, DT and academic. Twenty per cent fee remission for scholarships and 10 per cent for exhibition awards. Means-tested bursaries from year 3.

T H E L A S T W O R D

Repton Prep is really going places. Its traditional, family feel remains, but there’s a sense of change in the air – a feeling of really looking forward. The whole place bursts with energy and cheerfulness. Stable leadership is reassuring for parents after a turbulent time. First-rate facilities.