The #ReptonRoleModels campaign shares current and former student successes to inspire and motivate the school community.

Celebrating success is vital in educational organisations. When schools recognise student achievements, pupils gain a sense of wellbeing and feel motivated to work towards their next accomplishments. Celebrating student success also brings school communities closer together and inspires other pupils to work towards their own definitions of success. Derbyshire’s Repton School is a great example of a school that goes above and beyond when it comes to pushing its students to achieve personal and professional milestones. The school also follows its former students’ success stories, celebrating their accomplishments as they launch their own ventures, pursue admirable charitable missions, and climb the ranks at influential companies.

Introducing the #ReptonRoleModels Campaign

In Repton’s latest bid to celebrate its current and past students, the school has now launched its #ReptonRoleModels campaign, which shares and promotes student success stories across multiple platforms. This has been especially motivational during the COVID-19 lockdown, during which many students have shown tenacity by creating and fulfilling their own opportunities for self-development.

Repton spreads the word about its student success stories by:

•       Creating A3 poster portraits of its role models for school displays.
•       Sending copies of the posters to the featured Reptonian (or their family).
•       Sharing each student’s story on social media and the school website.
•       Including student case studies in press materials, award applications, marketing and engagement tools, prospectuses, and adverts.
•       Offering House celebrations to mark each student’s success.

The Making of a Repton Role Model

No achievement is too big or small for Repton’s students, who span in age from 3 to 18. When it comes to selecting stories for the campaign, Repton looks for students who have fully embodied the school’s four principle values: Respect, Wholeness, Truth, and Excellence. These students represent every part of school life, from academia and societies to sport, performance, and arts. Many students also give back to the community, both out of school and by supporting Repton’s outstanding pastoral department. Meanwhile, many alumni have embarked on ambitious careers, disrupted the status quo, or made achievements ahead of their time.

All school staff can nominate students and alumni for the #ReptonRoleModels campaign, and the Headmaster finalises a decision on which students and alumni to approach.

Recent Repton Role Models

A few of Repton’s first featured role models include the following alumni.

STEM PhD Student Alasdair Hastewell

During his time at Repton, Alasdair Hastewell spent much of his time reading up on mathematical and physics theories and attending STEM lectures, both at Repton and further afield. He then took the plunge to study abroad, turning down UK university offers to study mathematics and physics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Hastewell is now pursuing these studies further in a PhD, also at MIT. His doctorate studies combine the core principles of physics with computer simulations and machine learning, which Hastewell is examining to develop research into a range of biological challenges. These studies position Hastewell ahead of his time as he develops an understanding of how technology can advance solutions for these biological challenges.

Surgeon Commodore Fleur Marshall

Old Reptonian and current Repton Governor Fleur Marshall joined the Royal Navy in 1992. Since then, she has climbed the ranks to undertake the Royal Navy’s most senior medical position. Having completed her GP training in 2003 and achieved membership of the Royal College of General Practitioners with Merit, the Royal Navy selected her as a Surgeon Captain in 2013. Marshall soon became the Regional Clinical Director of Defence Primary Healthcare and, in 2016, became the Medical Officer in Charge of the Institute of Naval Medicine.

Professional Footballer Will Hughes

Former student Will Hughes developed his sporting skills at Repton – becoming the school’s first XI captain in the competitive independent schools’ circuit – before playing for Derby County and Championship Club Watford. This year, digital sports magazine The Athletic interviewed Repton’s Director of Football Matthew Carrington to explore the sports coaching Hughes received at Repton and his life as a professional footballer today.

Learn more about Repton’s Role Models.

About Repton School

Together, Repton School and Repton Prep form one of the UK’s most prestigious boarding and day schools. While boarders enjoy a complete onsite experience, day students also partake in Repton’s inclusive house structure and benefit from the school’s community feel. Having become a Through School last year, Repton can now streamline student journeys from pre-school to A Level education, offering a vast array of traditional and contemporary subjects, pastoral-care activities, and extra-curricular opportunities. Nestled in the rural village of Repton, Derbyshire, the award-winning school is widely recognised for its outstanding exam results, sporting achievements, and student success stories.