WHAT? WHERE?

Repton Prep is a rural co-ed day and boarding school for pupils 3-13 years, grandly situated in 55 acres of Derbyshire countryside, with the Palladian mansion Foremarke Hall as its elegant centrepiece. A strong all-rounder country Prep option, the school was previously known (unsurprisingly) as Foremarke Hall School, but was rebranded as Repton Prep in 2020, thereby neatly underlining Repton School’s offer of a through-education from 3-18 years, and the synergy between the Prep and its more famous older sibling (read our Repton review here). 90 per cent of pupils here progress to the Senior school so it’s not an idle boast.

Repton Prep is one of the larger prep schools I’ve visited at 400 pupils with a near-as-dammit 50/50 split of boys to girls, and an average class size of 18. The majority of children here are day pupils, though 25 per cent of pupils board, either termly or flexi.

You’ll be rubber-necking the views for hours around Repton Prep, but when you can tear yourself away from the manicured lawns and lake, you’ll find Nursery and Pre-Prep children in their own well-appointed, modern campus (up to Y2), Y3-4 share a building with the theatre and Science Labs and Y5-8 have purpose-built specialist classrooms around a modern quad. The mansion house is home to the library, boys’ and flexi-boarding houses, the Head’s study and offices.

FACILITIES

If you like cornicing, marble fireplaces, sash windows and flashbacks to Mr Darcy in frilly shirts, you’re in the right place. But beyond the pleasing Georgian aesthetics, this place is a play palace for kids.

SPORT

This is an area of huge investment and success for the school and the roll call of facilities reflects the space sport is given in the curriculum and beyond. Already you’ll find six cricket pitches (including an artificial wicket), nine football pitches, a full-sized floodlit astro-turf, a six lane 25m swimming pool, sports hall with indoor cricket nets and climbing wall, four hard tennis courts, netball courts, six rounders pitches, a low ropes course, a grass running track and a cross country trail. What next, its own lake for sailing? Well, actually yes, there’s one of those too.

However, there’s also a new five year Strategic Plan, elegantly boxed for prospective parents should you wish to take a look, that includes further development of the outdoor spaces, swimming pool area, and a redevelopment of the Theatre.

Football, hockey and cricket are major sports here, fielding both boys and girls teams with hockey the particularly strong suit along with athletics and tennis. Swimming is another area where Repton Prep excels, with its swim club affiliated with Swim England and offering professional coaching from Director of Swimming, Ash Morris, that sees a stream of children taking part in national championships.

The roll call of wins and finals is as long as my arm but briefly (sort of), this year in football the U11 Boys were ISFA Midlands Regional Runners Up and IAPS Regional Finals; the U12 Girls became National Swimming Champions and the U12 relay squad were Double Champions in the Freestyle and Medley relays; the U13 girls tennis team were IAPS Girls National champions; the hockey U12 boys were the National IAPS Plate Winners. I mean, I could go on.

There’s no doubt Repton likes to win at sport (and there are five specialist sports teachers to make sure it happens including an ex Birmingham City football player and an ex Scottish hockey pro ) but the school fields squads of up to five teams in some sports so it’s also about participation and inclusion – all children will get a chance to represent the school. Alternative sporting options on offer here, largely extra-curricular, include fencing, orienteering, kayaking, sailing, paddleboarding and dance. It’s worth noting that Repton Prep doesn’t offer rugby – as one of, if not the leading hockey school in the UK, the focus is firmly on wooden sticks here.

The children know how lucky they are with sport here – the only criticism they could muster was that the cricket stumps were a bit rusty!

CREATIVE ARTS

There’s a dedicated Music School here which includes the teaching of music IT – kids in Y7/8 compose with Mixcraft. With 11 dedicated practice rooms, 300 music lessons a week, and four performance spaces, including one outside, there is a serious appetite for music – though, that said, only half the children learn musical instruments at Repton Prep which is slightly below the average I tend to come across. Running variety of ensembles and orchestras requires numbers and this is where Repton Prep’s size is very much to its advantage. There are 8 instrumental groups, including a main Orchestra and Jazz Band and various smaller chamber ensembles, plus six choirs.

Drama is well supported with its own theatre space and well-established LAMDA tuition (currently 20 per cent of Prep pupils take part), but the Strategic Plan has earmarked a serious upgrade and expansion of the theatre to create the opportunity for theatre-in-the-round, music and dance productions and a whole school social space. From the plans it looks snazzier than most regional theatres, but there’s no firm date attached to it yet, so if you’re having a look around remember to ask for any update.

Artists will love the inspiring, purpose-built Art Studio that includes kilns, digital and animation capability, along with a new Textiles provision (the kids were making jewellery on my visit) and there’s also not-so-secret weapon here in the form of Artist in Residence Tom Voyce at the Senior School, the winner of Sky Arts Landscape Artist of the Year 2017.

DT/ Engineering is a big deal at Repton Prep, with its jaw-dropping work space, offering everything from woodwork to CAD/CAM, 3D printing and the extra-curricular Greenpower Electric Car Racing, where pupils in Year 7&8 design, construct and race against other schools nationally. This year Repton Prep is building not one but three cars, which reflects DT’s popularity here. New to the curriculum, Year 6 are embarking on a Lego Robotics project this year too.

GENERAL

The roll call of stunning spaces continues with the library, on the ground floor of the main mansion. It can’t fail to inspire, with its high ceilings and gorgeous views out the front and rear of the building, and light, quiet space in which to sit with a book on one of the sofas or the banquette seating by the window.

The new large glass dining room is another slick addition. And lest we forget, the Prep pupils also have access to the facilities at the Senior school (click here for our Repton School review).

ACADEMICS

With children starting as young as three at the school, the academic cohort is mixed, though there’s a gently selective process for those who start in Y3. Since the rebrand there’s been an increased cohesion between the Prep and Senior schools academically, which is great for the Prep as it basically means more sharing of specialist teachers and use of Senior facilities.

The school has moved away from the Common Entrance exam and has created its own curriculum though they of course will prepare children for it, should you want to send them somewhere other than Repton. In 2023, those not continuing at the school gained places and scholarships at the likes of Oundle, Malvern and Uppingham.

French is taught from Year 1, Spanish is added for the Year 7s and Latin is introduced from Year 6. There are sets for maths, English and French and streaming for all subjects by the crunch time of Y8. The pupils I spoke to seemed settled and happy, describing the teachers as ‘super supportive’ and there was no sense of hot-housing or undue pressure – the school’s claim that here ‘your child will stay a child for longer’ seems to be working.

Saturday school is still a fixture at Repton Prep though it’s compulsory only from Y5 onwards. Mornings are dedicated to a normal timetable of lessons and sports fixtures take place in the afternoons. Repton Plus for children in Years 3 and 4 allows younger pupils (mainly siblings of older pupils) to come in on a Saturday morning for fun range of activities.

LITTLIES

It’s hard to fault this purpose-built nursery and Pre-Prep. Light, bright, chockful of art (even the loos are festooned with pretty pictures and wall hangings) and with large outdoor spaces for seamless indoor/outdoor flow and even its own walled garden and paddock to play in, it’s home to 131 pupils from Nursery through to Y2.

There’s 15 hours of Early Years funding possible here, and EYFS ratios are 1:8. Swimming is timetabled weekly. From Reception, French from Y1 and there are specialist drama and music teachers for all. There’s a Forest School programme – and yes, your children can climb (small) trees here! – and after school clubs include yoga, feel-good singing and nature club.

PASTORAL CARE

The big buzz word for Repton School, both Prep and Senior, is balance, and that does seem to play out in real time. Much is made of the equal third split between physical, academic and creative, and kids here are encouraged strongly to go out at breaktimes, run around in the woods, and let off steam.

Any school offering boarding at a relatively young age (you can start here at 7 years old) is going to be piping hot on pastoral care, and there are all the checks you’d expect, with AS tracking from Year 3 onwards, a Deputy Head of Pastoral & Boarding who creates and implements individual pastoral plans in tandem with form tutors, onsite counselling for any child who needs it, plus Wellbeing Wednesdays where the whole school engages in mindfulness activities, such as bluebell walks, yoga, colouring and reading for a double lesson.

There’s been a name change and upgrade to what was once the Medical Centre – now it’s the Health and Wellbeing Centre, which has moved to a more central position in the mansion and is absolutely lovely – about as far from a ‘medical centre’ as you can imagine, with two sweet bedrooms, a sitting room, bathroom and consultation room – the kids can use it to just decompress, there’s a registered nurse always on site, and there’s also a visiting counsellor they can meet here, booked in advance.

BOARDING

The boarding offered here is very much ear-marked for expansion, both within the UK but also internationally (it’s no coincidence the Head of EAL has moved on site), and facilities are getting a comprehensive design overhaul – you’ll be slightly envious of the Scandi hygge vibe to come.

There are four boarding houses – two for boys (full-time and flexi), two for girls (also full time and flexi, with the flexi provision already zsushed). You’ll find the girls house in the renovated mansion stable block and the other three houses in the original mansion -the boys stay in the Hall’s converted Gun Room, Wine Cellar, Still Room and Butler’s Pantry). Children here can board from 7-13 years, either termly, weekly or ad hoc – midweek events such as outdoor cinema nights and festivals are smartly drawing the flexis in and one boy I spoke to described flexi boarding as “basically a big sleepover with all of your pals”. Currently there are around 40 full time boarders, relatively bijou numbers due to the largely local pull-in for the school, but the aim is to hit around 60 eventually. There’s a new Year 8 common room, requested by the kids and sagely granted, to give them more independence prior to the move to senior schools.

All full time boarders enjoy sharing a variety of bedders, and the accommodation is as you’d expect – slouchy common areas with pool tables, table tennis and a gaming room with interactive headsets, and for the girls, cosy homely rooms with the usual pine furniture and pinboards.

No surprise if you’re living at Repton Prep that there’s a full programme of activities – treasure hunts, camping, trips and according to one giggling pupil, ‘lots of sweets’ which, let’s face it, is fair enough.

THE HEAD

There was a role call of interim heads at Repton Prep prior to and during the Covid years, but Sept 22 saw the arrival of Victoria Harding – former Head of Sarum Hall School in London, and previously Acting Head of Newland House School in London and Director of Music at Dragon School (ergo – excellent news for Repton’s music department).

Harding is warm and friendly, with the right balance of empathy for the children and ambition for the school. After years in London and Oxford, her down-to-earth Yorkshire roots mean she’s loving being back in the countryside and, since starting as Head, she’s pulled together a new vision for the Prep school that sees a mix of headline facility upgrades with improvements on the ground.

An early win, on a practical level, has been improved communication and social opportunities with parents including online evenings for boarding parents, live X/twitter feed, coffee mornings and lunches. A lack of outdoor teaching space is surprising in a school set in 55 beautiful acres, as is the lack of cookery provision for the kids, so these are priorities.

QUIRKS

The first house event of the year is a Tug of War which sounds fun and joyfully chaotic.The food here is apparently amazing – a food committee is blunt in its assessments and recommendations and by all accounts the chefs are up to the challenge. And guess what? Kids here can actually climb trees during play time – twice the height of the themselves is the rule.

WRAP AROUND CARE

Drop off is any time from 8am from Pre-Prep onwards and the school day ends at 4pm, though Prep pupils have the option of staying for free supervised Prep or activities up to 6pm Monday to Friday. Flexi boarding is exactly that – kids can book up 24 hours in advance if there’s space, but as you’d expect Friday nights are booked a term in advance.

SEND PROVISION

As a broadly non-selective school, you’d expect Repton’s SEN provision to be robust, and it is, catering to 10-12% of SEND needs, the vast majority of which is dyslexia. There’s a qualified Early Years SENCO, a full-time teaching assistant in every class in the Pre-Prep (three of whom are fully qualified teachers in their own right), and a screening programme every other year for dyslexia. A speech and language therapist, occupational therapist, clinical psychologist are all part of the SEND menu here, with the Learning Enhancement Department found in the Quad building.

ISI REPORTS

You can see the most recent report from 2019 here – bear in mind it’s older than some of the pupils here!

MOBILE PHONE POLICY

Mobile phones for boarders only and are held by Houseparents and provided to the children at designated times in the week.

TRANSPORT

There are four routes run by the school from Monday to Saturday from four routes from Ashbourne, Blythe Bridge, Belper, and Shenstone. The school buses can be used by pupils from Year 1 upwards, though Reception children would be considered with an older sibling on the bus.

FEES

Prepare to limber up your wallet. Nursery through to Y2 is £3,769 – £4359 full time per term. Day school fees from Year 3-8 cost £6480 – £8,100 per term. Boarding fees cost £8,870 – £10,485 per term. Single night flexi-boarding is a relative steal at £48.50 including tea and breakfast. Additional help from the Learning Enhancement team is £57.50 per hour one to one, or £32 shared. Music lessons are 40 minutes long and cost £363 per term for 30 lessons over the year.

WORD ON THE GROUND

Positive. The school has a good reputation locally for its all-rounder ethos and outdoor provision and the children are regarded as polite and grounded, despite the grandeur of their surroundings. One of the pupils I spoke to wanted more integration between the younger and older children in the prep school. Everyone seems to love the Head – the children clocked the fact she knew all their names by the end of the first half term, and apparently she’s “sooo nice”.

THE MUDDY VERDICT

Good for: If you’re looking for somewhere that allows your children to stay young, rumble around, and get stuck in, this is your place. Academically the pupils are well catered for – that’s a given at Repton – but this isn’t an exam factory and it’s the type of school that will suit the energetic and curious and joiners in. Working parents will like the flexi-boarding provision and families from further afield may find the more fixed boarding appealing. Sporty types will be in seventh heaven. You’ll enjoy swanning around the mansion house pretending it’s yours.

Not for: This is a country prep school, and it’s on a rural 55 acre site, so there’s a slight ‘in a bubble’ element here. Rugby isn’t catered for here so oval ball enthusiasts need not apply. Though there are good links between the Prep and Senior School, they are several miles apart so it’s important not to overstate the shared use of facilities – the Prep kids do use them but not every day. Want to see for yourself? Be my guest! Contact the school for Open Day and private tour options.

Repton Prep, Milton, Derby, Derbyshire DE65 6EJ. Tel:01283 707112.

Repton Prep School, Repton

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