Message from the Head
On behalf of the whole Repton Senior School community, I would like to offer you a very warm welcome to the Senior School.
In its ethos and structure, the Senior School is built upon those holistic, broad educational principles which characterise Repton as a whole. Growth into adulthood involves development of the whole person - mind, body and spirit - and a Repton education looks to emphasise such wholeness in a balanced and complementary way.
How does this work out in practice? Academic life is of course fundamental, especially as teenagers prepare for the hurdles of public exams and for their lives beyond school. Complementing this intellectual foundation are the many other facets of genuine educational breadth: spiritual development; creativity and artistic expression; sport; health and fitness; service and leadership. There is a truly eclectic activities programme. Pastoral care is founded on a strong house system, which nurtures the academic and pastoral development of each pupil. We are looking for the school to be a place where the whole community is supported and involved, where there is security and safety, where there are well thought-out routines and where there is always courtesy, warmth of welcome and hospitality.
As an international school with a British dimension, Repton has great privileges and opportunities. The Senior School looks to play a full part in contributing to the local community here in Dubai and to Emirati and international education. Contacts through Repton UK and through our experienced, well-qualified staff support our ability to forge links in the UK, the USA and internationally. These are of great value both in adding a enviable extra dimension to our educational provision and in helping pupils as they choose and apply for university places and work placements/internships after school.
In the curriculum, following the introductory years, Senior School pupils embark on two-year IGCSE courses. IGCSEs are excellent, internationally recognised middle-level qualifications, and they form the foundations needed for the next stage, namely Sixth Form study in Years 12 and 13.
The Sixth Form at Repton is an exciting place to be, the culmination of school education. Pupils follow the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Course, a passport to top quality university entry all over the world. This course is a complete programme of education, with the study of six main subjects and additional elements of a theory of knowledge course and a range of activities and community service projects.
Lastly, looking beyond the curriculum and the varied elements of the school’s educational provision, I would like to say something about the way in which the Senior School is very much part of a community of education. In a co-educational environment, with both boarders and day pupils, the school fosters strong and binding relationships between parents, pupils and teaching and support staff. Of all the characteristics of the school, it is perhaps this one which contributes most to its ethos and atmosphere. A place where all members of the community are valued and where all can both benefit and contribute, is surely the most favourable of environments in which to learn and grow.
Nicholas Clements
Head of the Senior School October 2011
