Repton School: 13 plus entry guide

About Repton School

Repton School is a private boarding school in Derbyshire for boys and girls aged 13 to 18. It’s one of the oldest public schools in the UK, yet maintains a modern outlook and offers an excellent 21st-century education.

Students at Repton are taught to be ‘unbounded’ – to be intellectually curious, internationally-minded, and to seek every opportunity. The school has high academic expectations and gives students space and freedom to explore new ideas and interests. A wide-ranging academic enrichment programme, incorporating competitions, workshops, events and talks from visiting speakers, stretches pupils beyond the curriculum.

The extracurricular programme is integral to life at Repton, with a vast array of activities on offer during the evenings and weekends to broaden students’ horizons. The school is particularly well known for its sporting prowess, offering students first-class facilities, professional coaches, and a packed calendar of competitive fixtures. Every student takes part in sport at least three times a week, with over 80% of students representing Repton in at least one sport.

• Headteacher: Mark Semmence

• Address: Repton School, Repton, Derby, DE65 6FH

• County: Derbyshire

• Age range and gender: 13–18, boys and girls

• Number of pupils: 600+

• National league table rank (Sunday Times Parent Power): 218

• A level results: 78% A*–B

• GCSE results: 60% 9–7

Repton School fees & financial assistance

The current fees at Repton School are £13,485 per term for boarding pupils and £10,000 per term for day pupils. The fees include the cost of tuition, sports, laundry (if boarding), access to the health and wellbeing centre, access to the sports centre, the library, and meals.

Financial assistance

Repton School is able to support bright children whose families would not otherwise be able to afford the school fees with means-tested financial assistance, known as bursaries. Known as a ‘transformational bursary’ at Repton, this covers the full school fees as a minimum. In some cases, this bursary can extend to cover the cost of school uniform, a laptop, and extracurricular enrichment activities.

Learn more about transformational bursaries at Repton School.

Scholarships

Repton School also offers a range of scholarships at 13 plus entry. These are not means-tested but instead awarded based on the student’s talent in a particular area. Scholarships can provide financial value of up to 20% off school fees.

If you would like your child to be considered for a Repton scholarship, you will need to apply when they are in Year 8:

• Academic: apply by early December. Assessments take place in mid-January

• Art: apply by early December. Assessments take place in mid-January

• Drama: apply by early December. Auditions take place in late January

• DT: apply by early December. Assessments take place in mid-January

• Music: apply by early December. Auditions take place in late January

• Sport: apply by early September. Assessments take place in October

• CB Fry (sport, academic, and creative): apply by mid-September. Nominated pupils will be assessed on each of the three individual discipline assessment dates

Repton School admissions process

Repton offers a personalised admissions process, in keeping with its mission to provide an education tailored to individual needs. However, most applicants will have a similar admissions journey.

Applying from outside of the UK? Find out everything you need to know in our guide to applying to UK schools from overseas.

1. Register your interest

If you’re considering Repton School for your child, it’s advised to arrange a personalised visit first. Visits consist of a personal tour – guided by the Deputy Head of Admissions – and the opportunity to meet with the headmaster.

Once you have visited the school, you will be invited to formally register your child for a place. A registration fee of £100 applies.

The school welcomes enquiries throughout the year for entry at 13 plus, but it’s recommended to complete your child’s registration in the September before joining the school.

2. Entrance assessment

As Repton is a selective school, your child will need to meet certain academic requirements to be allocated a place.

Children applying for a place at 13 plus will take either the ISEB Common Entrance exam or the CAT4 test in the autumn before the year of entry (i.e. the autumn term in Year 8) and have an interview with the Deputy Head of Admissions. The admissions team will also request a reference from your child’s current school and a copy of your child’s recent school report.

3. Offers

After your child has completed the entrance assessment and interview, the school will write to you with the outcome of their application. Offers will be based on your child’s performance in the exam and interview, combined with their most recent school report and school reference.

Your offer letter will outline the timescale for accepting your child’s place. You will need to pay a deposit of £1,000 to accept, or equivalent to a full term’s boarding fees if your child is an international applicant. The deposit is refunded against your final school bill.

How to prepare for entry to Repton School

Here are some top tips on how to best prepare your child for 13 plus entry to Repton School.

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Engage with their progress: celebrate their improvements in their areas of challenge together! An accurate, ongoing assessment of your child’s strengths and development areas is instrumental for preparing efficiently. Atom's Parent Portal gives you data-driven insights into your child’s areas of strength and development.

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