Talk:Repton School

Beating
I've not read Dahl's 1984 autobiographical Boy. But I see that article tells us this:
 * "According to Dahl, this headmaster was Geoffrey Francis Fisher, who later became Archbishop of Canterbury and Bishop of London in 1939. However, according to Dahl's biographer, Jeremy Treglown, Dahl's memory was in error: the beating took place in May 1933, a year after Fisher had left Repton. The headmaster concerned was in fact John Traill Christie, Fisher's successor.

So I think the recently added text needs amendment. Martinevans123 (talk) 12:45, 1 March 2020 (UTC)

Incidents
Toned down section, most of it was sensationalistic, not convinced the two incidents left even need to be in this article in terms of importance. Racingmanager (talk) 22:58, 8 March 2020 (UTC)

Refined a few more bits and attempted to make it more neutral. Racingmanager (talk) 23:25, 8 March 2020 (UTC)

Edit requests
Hello editors!

I have a lot of requests coming your way about posting more information on the history of Repton. Most of this information has been compiled by the school's historian, and I think a lot of it can be beneficial when it comes to the History section of this article. I'm posting what I have and letting you decide what belongs/doesn't belong on the page because I have a COI.

I've trimmed what the historian originally wrote to make these requests more reasonable, but I understand that this may be a lot still. I've vaguely edited Wiki before so I've coded everything to the best of my ability, but let me know if anything needs to change to make this easier for you.

''I have a COI with this article. While I do not work at Repton and am not being paid for this, I do know someone who works in communications for the school and that is how I am able to obtain this information in the first place.''

Thank you for taking a look. ChicagoHawthorne (talk) 20:16, 19 March 2020 (UTC)

Dr. Steuart Pears, who was headmaster of Repton School from 1854 to 1874, oversaw the reestablishment of Repton as a major public school. When he arrived, there were just 48 boys. When he left twenty years later, there were nearly 300. He managed, through a series of reforms, an extensive building programme which included new boarding houses and a Chapel (completed in 1859) to firmly establish a respected community. The Pears School hall is named after him.

Dr. Furneaux, headmaster from 1882 to 1900, further expanded Repton, as boarding accommodation and teaching facilities were increased, and the school prospered both on the games field and in the classroom. He retired in 1900 and became Dean of Winchester.

The next headmaster was Lionel Ford, serving from 1901 to 1910, who had once been his first Head of the School. During this time, the Chapel was enlarged, the Science Block, the Gymnasium, Armoury, Shooting Range and Swimming Bath were built, and the Priory ‘Tithe’ Barn turned into the Art School.

William Temple was headmaster for four years from 1910 to 1914. Temple, at the age of 28, was young and a newcomer to schoolmastering, and was mainly content in his short tenure to leave the school unaltered. His influence was mainly felt in its intellectual life, where he served as an inspiration to the boys. It was with them that he was most effective, whether in the classroom, or in the Debating society where he frequently spoke, or in his Chapel sermons. He went on to become Archbishop of Canterbury.

Geoffrey Fisher, headmaster from 1914 to 1932, came to Repton at a particularly difficult time, at the onset of the Great War. Just over 1,500 Old Reptonians served in the Great War, with 355 of them dying in the conflict. During the war, Repton was a pioneer in teaching boys about current affairs, and a Civics class was established under the leadership of two temporary masters, Victor Gollancz and D.C. Somervell.

Fisher was succeeded by John Traill Christie, headmaster from 1932 to 1937. Of Christie, it has been said that during his brief reign revolutionary changes were not to be expected, nor were they required. He was the first-ever lay headmaster in the School’s history but was particularly gifted as a preacher and as a broadcaster on religious subjects.

Michael Clarke took over at perhaps the most critical period of Repton’s history, serving as headmaster from 1937 to 1943. In the face of the serious economic situation then confronting almost all public schools, and a consequent reduction in numbers of boys, he closed one of the boarding houses. In August 1938, the M.G.M. picture ‘Goodbye Mr. Chips’ was filmed at Repton, for which many of the boys served as extras during their summer holidays.

Theodore Lynam Thomas (often known simply as TLT) was headmaster from 1944 to 1961. He was at the helm during the boom period which followed the Second World War, when numbers steadily rose from 273 to 470 in little over 15 years. In March 1957, to mark the quatercentenary of the School’s foundation, Her Majesty the Queen and Prince Phillip visited the School. As a result of the anniversary appeal fund, an extensive building programme was put in hand, and building was soon undertaken for a theatre (now known as the 400 Hall), a new Chemistry Block and new workshops within the Precinct, as well as extensive alterations to the Science Block.

John Thorn’s tenure as headmaster, from 1961 to 1968, is seen as radically different than that of his predecessor. In terms of style: “Whereas Thomas had been massive and taciturn, Thorn had a naval briskness. Thomas smiled and twinkled, but never showed his teeth; Thorn laughed, and was swift in repartee.” [quote by Hugh Brogan] In 1967, Repton won five entrance awards at Oxford and Cambridge, and twelve Commoner places. Thorn also founded the William Temple Society, where Reptonians could engage in philosophical and cultural discussions, irrespective of their particular academic disciplines.

John Gammell took office as headmaster in 1968 and oversaw perhaps the most dramatic innovation in the School’s history – the gradual introduction of girls. It started with the arrival of two girls in 1970, and by 1979 the first purpose-built girls’ boarding house, The Abbey, had been opened. It had 42 boarders in its first year and was full with 60 pupils the following year. In the years that followed another three girls’ boarding houses have been added to Repton – Garden, Field and Mitre.

David Jewell came to Repton as Headmaster at Christmas in 1978. Under his guidance, the proceeds of the 1982 Old Reptonian Appeal went towards the transformation of the old Sanatorium into the Robert Beldam Music School, together with work on the Tanyard and Pears School.

Because of a fall in numbers, Graham Jones, headmaster from 1987 to 2003, had to take the difficult decision to amalgamate two of the boys boarding houses – Brook House, which had existed since 1869, was closed, and its boarders were united with The Hall to form School House.

Under Robert Holroyd’s headmastership, from 2003 to 2015, both numbers and buildings within the school increased. The Science Priory was built; the 400 Hall Theatre was completely refurbished; the old Squash Courts were made into a new gallery and textiles studio for the Art department; the old Mitre West wing was converted into a modern teaching facility for the entire English department, and the Library in the Old Priory was given a new lease of life. The school marked its 450th anniversary in 2007 with a royal visit from HRH the Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, a Son et Lumiere which celebrated its history, and a series of summer concerts featuring, amongst others, Michael Ball and Bryan Ferry.

The period 2015-2019 saw a number of changes in leadership but development continued with the creation of a new teaching block, the Lynam Thomas Building, in the Precinct and a major refurbishment and extension of the Sports Centre, including a new indoor sports hall and hospitality suite. Alastair Land, headmaster from 2016 to 2019, was succeeded as Headmaster by Mark Semmence.

ChicagoHawthorne (talk) 20:16, 19 March 2020 (UTC)

Reply 20-MAR-2020
Regards, Spintendo  07:11, 20 March 2020 (UTC)
 * Please provide the for the referenced publications.
 * When ready to proceed with the requested information, kindly change the  template's answer parameter to read from yes to no.
 * Done where possible. Thanks Spintendo! ChicagoHawthorne (talk) 20:10, 20 March 2020 (UTC)
 * Thank you for providing the OCLC,'s it's much appreciated. Unfortunately however, the request does not state where in the History section this information is to be added to. The information also uses a tone which is generally not used in Wikipedia articles, by not attributing, through the text, certain statements (e.g., "...and the school prospered both on the games field and in the classroom" and "Temple, at the age of 28, was young and a newcomer to schoolmastering, and was mainly content in his short tenure to leave the school unaltered. His influence was mainly felt in its intellectual life, where he served as an inspiration to the boys." and "During the war, Repton was a pioneer in teaching boys about current affairs" and " it has been said that during his brief reign revolutionary changes were not to be expected, nor were they required" and "Michael Clarke took over at perhaps the most critical period of Repton’s history, serving as headmaster from 1937 to 1943. and "It was with them that he was most effective, whether in the classroom, or in the Debating society where he frequently spoke, or in his Chapel sermons") When claims are made in the article, it's important to attribute them to authors in the text, which this text does not do. It's for these reasons that the text is not acceptable in its current form. Regards, Spintendo  15:38, 23 March 2020 (UTC)

I have done what I can to add these things in so far as I can. — Preceding unsigned comment added by StoneyLittleton (talk • contribs) 13:01, 25 March 2020 (UTC)
 * Hi, StoneyLittleton. I appreciate your time and efforts to implement what you can! ChicagoHawthorne (talk) 16:33, 1 April 2020 (UTC)

Watkins/Brooke
Trying to work out how Vernon Watkins (who arrived at Repton in 1920) had a school crush on Rupert Brooke, who had died five years previously. MongogramForCandy (talk) 19:30, 17 January 2024 (UTC)

Jonathan Arnold
This major cocaine smuggler and son of former Deputy Police Commissioner for Staffordshire, Sue Arnold, went to Repton School Overlordnat1 (talk) 08:41, 24 March 2024 (UTC)