In March 2022, Repton School and another five schools from the international Repton family took part in the inaugural Repton Debating Festival. These other five schools included Repton Prep, Al Barsha, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Chi-Way in China. The festival took place online, enabling pupils over the world to take part. During the festival, pupils debated the statement, “This house believes that climate change is the biggest threat facing humanity”. The purpose of the debate was to encourage young people from around the world to get involved in current affairs and address the climate issues younger generations will face.
As the Repton family of schools continues to grow and collaborate, Repton School envisages a future where its global community enables its pupils to unite and work with peers worldwide, discovering their different cultures, lineage, and backgrounds. Repton is developing a unique collection of schools that share essential values and aims.
Praise From Repton School’s Jack Swanston
Jack Swanston, Repton’s head of higher education and careers, oversaw the three-day event, which saw the pupils attend debate workshops and practise the skills needed to partake in the British Parliament’s style of debating. Mr. Swanston praised the pupils for their commitment to the debate and their well-thought-out, fascinating validations for their arguments. He congratulated the winners from Repton Lower Sixth — Georgie B, Hugo X, Manav C and Sophie D — who succeeded in their debates. He also commended the Year 10 pupils Beth P and Bella C for their exceptional arguments.
Repton School’s Politics Curriculum
Repton’s Debating Festival marks the latest addition to the School’s Politics department’s efforts to help young people pose compelling arguments. The department is dedicated to helping pupils develop their interest in, knowledge of, and engagement with our political world. The subject is one of the most popular thanks to Repton’s impressive quality of teaching, fascinating course content, history of outstanding exam results, and the joy of unpacking the ways that politics affect our lives.
Repton encourages pupils to engage in their own debates and keep up to date with current debates in UK politics. Recently, debates concerning the Covid-19 lockdown and the Johnson Government and the impact of the Trump presidency on Britain’s relationship with the U.S. have been particularly illuminating. Repton’s Politics students learn how to analyse, critique, and evaluate contemporary political events, not only in the UK but also around the world. They learn how to place these events in wider contexts and make informed political arguments.
Many Reptonians continue to study politics and related courses at Oxbridge and other distinguished Russell Group universities.
Expert Politics Teachers
Repton School’s Politics teachers are highly motivated subject experts who encourage pupils to embrace the Enlightenment spirit of sapere aude (dare to know) and promote learning through stimulating, intellectually challenging discussions about questions and problems that surround the study and practice of politics. These teachers support pupils of all abilities and help them reach their potential in the subject.
Course Content
Repton’s A Level Politics course covers three topic areas: British Politics, American Politics, and Political Ideologies. Lower Sixth pupils focus on British politics and examine the role of political parties; the health of 21st-century democracy; links between law, government, and politics; and the effect that Brexit has had on UK politics.
As pupils progress through the Lower Sixth, they move on to explore the ideas, thinkers, and histories of four key political ideologies: socialism, liberalism, conservatism, and feminism.
Meanwhile, Upper Sixth pupils learn about American politics, focusing on the U.S. presidency, the role and importance of the U.S. Supreme Court, the debates and struggles of racial rights in contemporary America, and the history of the Democratic and Republican parties.
Pupils taking this course receive textbooks and articles from Politics Review to help them with their studies. They also follow the live Repton Politics Twitter feed, where the department tweets breaking news stories that are relevant to the Politics A Level course every day.
The Marriot Society
Almost all A Level Politics pupils attend the School’s History and Politics Society’s meetings. This pupil-led society, The Marriot Society, is one of the most popular in the school. Pupils engage in debates, lectures, and talks that start in the classroom and lead to further discussion.
About Repton School
Located in the village of Repton in Derbyshire, Repton School is one of the most prestigious schools in the UK. Its dedicated teachers and Pastoral staff shape the 1,000 pupils who attend the Prep and Senior schools into well-adjusted, respectful adults who pursue their ambitions to enjoy successful futures. Children aged 3-18 receive a thorough education across a vast range of traditional and contemporary curricular and co-curricular subjects. They learn on the School’s historic campus, which has retained its Augustinian and Anglo-Saxon architecture alongside new, state-of-the-art facilities and high-tech equipment.
Learn more about Repton School.
