Repton School

Repton School is a co-educational independent school for day and boarding pupils in Repton, Derbyshire, England. The school has around 660 pupils aged between 13 and 18, of whom 451 are boarders. Repton School taught only boys for its first 400 years; Repton started accepting girls in the sixth form early in the 1970s, and within 20 years became completely coeducational.HistoryFoundation and early yearsThe school was founded by in a bequest of Sir John Port of Etwall, who died in 1557 leaving funds to establish a grammar school at Etwall or Repton, provided the students prayed daily for his family's souls.In 1559 Gilbert Thacker granted buildings at the site of Repton Priory for the school, but lawsuits quickly began between the School and the Thacker family focusing on use of the approach to their home. Relations with the Thackers deteriorated such that, by 1650s, the school and the family were embroiled in litigation. In 1642, the school commenced an action against the Thacker family and in 1652 the family also brought an action against the school which was settled out of court. The atmosphere around the dispute was aggressive and on occasions the Thackers diverted drains into the school's buildings by constructing dams. In 1670 a wall was built to keep the parties apart.Pupil numbers seem to have oscillated between 80 and 200 in the first hundred years, but as the school was free until 1768 it is unclear how teaching was afforded.The headmaster was free to keep, and did keep, cattle in a room within the school in this period.