Joey is from China, below are some of his thoughts on his time so far at Repton;
I started at Repton in B-block (year 9), so I have just completed my first year. I was very excited about the prospect of boarding at Repton because even though I didn't really know much about the School before I came, I had enjoyed myself during the time I spent boarding at Foremarke Hall.
I found it quite easy to settle in at Repton, everybody was generally very nice to me. I got to know everybody quite easily through activities and lots of other ways. I am in the U14Bs football team and the athletics team, I also really enjoy badminton.
I think I have coped well so far in lessons when English isn’t my first language; talking to friends helps me improve my English a lot. When I went back to Hong Kong, my mum said that my English accent was good after just my first term in England. I have not really needed a lot of extra help with my English.
I am a member of The Cross and what I love about my House is definitely the food because we have one of the best cooks in the School and I really enjoy it! Overall my favourite thing about Repton is the freedom, you get plenty of time to spend relaxing and enjoying activities, which is exactly what we need from such a busy school with all the work you have to cope with.
As an Overseas pupil you need to have a UK guardian and mine is a friend's mum that I have known since prep school which is great. I sometimes go to my friend's house for exeats and half-term and I really enjoy it whenever I have a chance to go there.
To keep in touch with my family in Hong Kong I call my parents on my mobile during the weekends and I sometimes send e-mails to them too.
If I could give other Overseas pupils a useful tip about starting school as a boarder in the UK, I think I would tell him/her not to be shy and try talking to people around you in order to know people better and maybe you will even become friends.
Meta is from Germany, she came to Repton for just one year but ended up staying for two;
In September 2006 I visited Repton for the first time as an exchange student. This was an incredible experience for me and I was very impressed with the School and its atmosphere. In Germany I went to a day school with no school uniform which was entirely different to an English boarding school. After the exchange there was only one idea in my mind: I wanted to attend Repton School! My parents agreed and I was very happy to seize the opportunity to attend Repton as a Mitre girl for Year 11.
I honestly was very scared of the idea of boarding and starting a whole new life in Repton but after being warmly welcomed by my new roommate with a big caring smile, every anxious thought was forgotten. I did have some difficult days at first with homesickness and confusion but if I looked sad a teacher or house member would come and cheer me up and there was always someone to talk to. It was great to share a room with a very supportive and nice girl; she really helped me to find my way, as did my house mistress.
I made new friends very easily and was soon involved in various House activities. I love the way the girls in the House treat each other and how living with so many people of different age groups gave me the feeling of winning a new family.
By being involved in many musical aspects of the School, such as Concert band and Jazz band, as well as various sports engagements, I was able to make new friends from other Houses. Living in a boarding school and in the same village as the teachers gave me a completely new relationship with my tutors; it is a much closer and much more trusting community than at my old school.
Being taught all my lessons in a foreign language was a very new experience! All of my teachers and classmates helped me whenever I had comprehension problems and it was helpful for me to have an electronic translator to quickly look up words for my prep and to write essays.
After half a year at Repton, supported by my family, friends and teachers, I decided to stay on for another year to do my A-levels in the UK. Now, I am planning to go to university in England to do International Relations. A few years ago I would never have imagined this future for me, but during my time at Repton I have become more outward-looking and more self-confident. I think the experiences I gained during these two years will help me to settle in many new areas of the world and to easily adapt to new surroundings.
I think it is important, if you come to Repton, to be yourself and to be open-minded because this will help you find new friends from the first day, who you will stay in touch with for a life-time. Repton is a great place to be and will help you to become the person you want to be.