Repton Dubai celebrates 15 years by exhibiting 16th-century artefacts from UK campus

Historical objects that date back to the foundation of Repton School in 1557 are on display

Memorabilia on display at Repton Dubai, which will soon turn 15. The campus is one of two UAE branches of one of England’s oldest schools. Ruel Pableo / The National

Repton School was founded in 1557 in Derbyshire village. Artefacts from hundreds of years ago are included in the exhibition. Ruel Pableo / The National

Dr Abdulla Al Karam, director general of the Knowledge and Human Development Authority, which regulates private schools in Dubai, looks at the exhibits. Mark Semmence, headmaster of Repton School in England, talks about its history. Ruel Pableo / The National

Guests ask questions at the exhibition. Ruel Pableo / The National

Old photographs are on show. Ruel Pableo / The National

The Dubai campus is in Nad Al Sheba. Ruel Pableo / The National

Dr Al Karam, left, and Khaled Almheiri, chairman of the Repton family of schools in the UAE, look at an old yearbook. Ruel Pableo / The National

Dr Al Karam delivers a speech to mark the milestone. Ruel Pableo / The National

Hanadi Saeed, head of Arabic at Repton Dubai. Ruel Pableo / The National

Repton Dubai was built in 2007. Photo: Repton Dubai

The exhibition will be at Repton Dubai for five to six weeks, after which it will travel to Repton Abu Dhabi. Photo: Repton Dubai

Repton Dubai during its construction phase. Photo: Repton Dubai

Repton School in Dubai is an independent day and boarding school in Nad Al Sheba. Photo: Repton Dubai

It has classes from preschool to Year 13. Photo: Repton Dubai

Children from more than 80 nationalities study at the school. Photo: Repton Dubai

The school says its former pupils have joined Oxford, Columbia University, Berkeley, Cambridge, Stanford, St Andrews, and other reputed institutions. Photo: Repton Dubai

Repton Dubai, the first overseas branch of the 465-year-old English school, is celebrating its 15th anniversary in the UAE this year.

To mark the milestone, it has organised an exhibition of artefacts, first-edition books, journals and pictures of the original school from the earliest days of photography.

Historical objects that date back to the foundation of Repton School in the 16th century are also on display.

It opened in Derbyshire, England, in 1557, the year before Queen Elizabeth I came to the throne.

The heritage exhibition, which began on Wednesday, has a dedicated wall that celebrates the work of author Roald Dahl, an alumnus of the school.

It includes a first-edition copy of The Magic Finger, a signed first edition of The Twits and an uncorrected proof of Going Solo.

Using augmented reality, the writer, who died in 1990, will make a one-of-a-kind appearance, taking visitors on a captivating journey as he reads an excerpt from The Twits.

David Cook, headmaster at Repton Dubai, in Nad Al Sheba, said: “We are a young school by international standards, but in Dubai, we’re quite an established school now.

“Repton UK was one of the earliest UK schools to want to plant branch schools abroad.

“The Repton community has grown immensely with talented pupils and teachers gracing the Repton Family of Schools over the past 15 years. It has been a tremendous journey for the Repton Family of Schools in the UAE so far. We look forward to growing our community even further.

“In the exhibition, there are some journals from the 19th century, which show how the school used to operate and timetables and curriculum from the 19th century, which is quite fascinating.”

The exhibition will run for five to six weeks. It will then travel to Repton Abu Dhabi, which opened in September 2013.

“I think schools have changed a lot. I think in the past, UK schools, in particular, used to focus on the classics,” Mr Cook said.

“The curriculum has developed a great deal now in terms of the focus on science, technology, and engineering and computing. All these subjects have developed over recent years.”

Also on display are some of the oldest photos of Repton School and archives relating to its former pupils.

“They will be able to see how the uniforms evolved, how classrooms and learning spaces have evolved,” he said.

Current pupils will be among the visitors.

Repton Dubai follows some of the traditions of its British sister school. Inter-house competitions are organised in Harry Potter style.

Houses are not named Gryffindor or Slytherin, but Latham House, The Orchard and The Garden, among others.

From sports competitions to debating, public speaking to singing competitions, Repton Dubai follows many traditions that have been a part of its parent school for centuries.

Hanadi Saeed, who teaches Arabic to non-native speakers, has been at the Dubai school since it opened in 2007.

“We had less than 50 teachers with 300 pupils. The school was very different at that time. Even then they offered a lot of after school activities like music, sports, tennis and rugby,” she said.

“I'm not only a teacher but also a parent of three children. My youngest one was in the nursery at that time and was just three years. This year, he will graduate from Year 13.

“The most special thing to me is seeing my pupils growing up with this language. After that, they will go to university but they can use this language. That is a big achievement for me.”

Her elder daughters attended the school and are now studying in the US.

“As a sister school, Repton UK is proud of our counterparts, as we collectively endeavour to create and develop innovative learning opportunities for Reptonians globally, building a stronger and deep-rooted understanding of the cultures of the world,” Mark Semmence, headmaster of Repton School, said.