After two full and joyous days of music-making, Repton House emerged victorious! It was wonderful to be back in The Halls for House Song, a much-loved celebration that sees every pupil take to the stage. The Music Department has been buzzing throughout two weeks of rehearsals, culminating in beautifully blended part-song performances and a fantastic array of hastily formed bands for the Instrumental Ensemble class. The solo classes were equally special, showcasing an incredible standard of performance alongside a wonderful spirit of encouragement and support. Congratulations to Alena, L6, for winning the Bernard Burrell Award for best overall solo performance. A massive thank you to all our House Music Captains for their immense hard work, dedication, and enthusiasm in bringing this brilliant event together. And congratulations to Repton House again on a well-deserved victory!

Mrs Curtis, keen to again achieve the remarkable success of the 2024 shoe box appeal, challenged Repton to donate (toys, stationery, clothing, soap and flannels etc.) again this year. The operation aimed to fill at least one shoe box per Repton tutor group, with items useful or uplifting to the struggling children of the world, and to send them to these children in need. Last term the donations began, and a mountain of gifts donated by many generous Reptonites and their families formed in the JBR. The Repton tutor groups also got hands-on and put together the shoe boxes that the donations were each packed into, which was then done by a hard-working team of pupils. Boxes were organised and labelled by this team, who then on each box left warming messages such as: ‘Happy Christmas from Repton House, Norwich School, UK.’ Last year, Mrs Curtis anticipated that 7 boxes would be filled – one from each tutor group - and was met with the welcome surprise of a total of 40 boxes. This year, in a display of special festive kindness and thanks to the generosity the students showed, the team managed to fill a staggering 50 boxes, smashing the appeal, and demonstrating that when everyone chips in, a real difference can be made. We may never see the effect of this year’s donations; however, we can only hope that they lifted many Christmas spirits across the world. In which case, a massive thank you is due to all who donated, pupils, parents and friends, and of course to Mrs Curtis, who organised the appeal and drove the 50 packed boxes to our local drop-off point! Report by Theo Hunter (L6 Repton)