NEWS FROM
HAMPTON TH E N EWSLET T ER F O R HAM PTO N S CHO O L
AU TU MN 2021 INSIDE THIS ISSUE • AVON TYRRELL • COP26 • HAMPTON SMALL BOATS HEAD
GUYS AND DOLLS The much anticipated Hampton and LEH Senior School Musical Guys and Dolls was a sell-out success! Following the cancellation of all live theatre due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the 113-strong cast, crew and musicians worked around the clock to bring the spectacular 1950’s New York musical to the Hammond Theatre stage in just six weeks, rather than the usual four-month time frame.
• PUBLIC EXAMINATION RESULTS
“Everyone involved in Guys and Dolls has been phenomenal and worked so hard to deliver a stand-out show to a delighted audience bereft of theatre for over a year. Bravo!”
• SPORT UPDATE
Mrs Jo James, Head of Drama
• PERFORMING ARTS
• THIRD YEAR TEAMBUILDING
02 | NEWS FROM HAMPTON AUTUMN 2021
A LEVEL RESULTS Our Class of 2021 had much to celebrate after receiving confirmation from national awarding bodies of superb A Level and Pre-U grades. 92% of all grades were at A* or A. This year’s Leavers showed impressive fortitude in response to the Covid-19 pandemic and the cancellation of summer 2021 public examinations. As they now continue their studies at leading universities in the UK and overseas, we wish them every success and happiness.
GCSE RESULTS Our Fifth Years celebrated an outstanding set of GCSE and IGCSE results with 98% of all grades at 9-7 (A*-A). These results are the culmination of months of endeavour in response to the challenges of the pandemic, which led to the cancellation of public exams. This excellent set of results provides a strong foundation for their Sixth Form studies.
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MATHS SUCCESS
In a first for Hampton, our mathematicians were awarded a remarkable three Gold medals in the Junior Maths Olympiad. This problem-solving competition is designed to challenge the best young mathematical minds in the UK. The results of Second Years Prabodha Ariyaratne, Jihwan Moon and Adrian Sprljan earned them Gold medals and placed them among the top 30 mathematicians in their age group nationally.
TOP OF THE BENCH Hampton’s young chemists excelled in the Top of the Bench regional competition organised by the Royal Society of Chemistry. Schools from across London and Middlesex competed, with Hampton missing out on top place by just one point! A highlight was our team’s superb performance in the rapid-fire Periodic Table Quiz. Out of 100 students competing, Hamptonians secured 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th places.
COP26
As one of the winners of a nationwide environmental competition, First Year Gui Gargour was given the opportunity to present his views on how to tackle climate change to world leaders at the COP26 conference. In his recorded speech, Gui called on leaders to create more energy efficient homes nationwide. He also advocated that supermarkets ‘become super at no plastic creation’ as they currently contribute to half of the UK’s plastic waste.
04 | NEWS FROM HAMPTON AUTUMN 2021
AVON TYRRELL Clear blue skies greeted our new First Years as they embarked on their very first trip as Hamptonians to the Avon Tyrrell Adventure Centre.
Designed to help new pupils get to know each other, the boys had lots of fun as they enjoyed activities including high ropes, orienteering and archery. The highlight of the New Forest adventure was the raft building competition, with some impressive constructions taking to the water.
THIRD YEAR TEAM BUILDING DAY Third Year Hamptonians teamed up with their new classmates for an action-packed day of activities in the sunshine on the School fields.
Pupils were encouraged to work together to problem-solve tricky challenges such as Toxic Waste, Egyptian Moves and Skyscraper. The day culminated with the always popular Giant Ski Race, producing laughter, head scratching and some very inventive team work.
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#NEVERAGAIN
Hampton’s pupil campaign group Genocide80Twenty ran a Genocide Prevention Week to raise awareness of past and current genocides perpetrated across the world.
Senior Hamptonians teamed up with pupils from local, national and international partner schools to produce a newspaper and a range of articles and videos. Many influential human rights campaigners, journalists, politicians and academics rallied to support the young people’s cause and spread their message #NeverAgain. “Your commitment to using your voices as strong advocates for change is inspiring” Baroness Valerie Amos, Master of University College, Oxford
CLUBS GALORE With over 50 clubs and societies back in full swing, lunchtimes for Hamptonians are action-packed.
From Beekeeping Club to Basketball and Lego Robotics to Board Games Club, it has been fantastic to see pupils making the most of the opportunities on offer. This term has also seen the launch of The Writers’ Room, which offers pupils an opportunity to develop their story writing skills.
06 | NEWS FROM HAMPTON AUTUMN 2020
A MIDWINTER’S NIGHTMARE Senior dramatists from Hampton and LEH put on an immersive murder mystery in a whodunnit that kept the audience guessing until the very end. Loosely based on A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the action moved from Athens in the 1600s to the present day, as the actors helped the audience identify the culprit behind Hermia’s murder.
NEW BOYS’ CONCERT The impressive talents of 49 First and Third Year pupils were on show in the annual New Boys’ Concert. Music ranged from Chopin to AC/DC and Elgar to Paul Weller, with our vocalists, guitarists, pianists, brass, woodwind and string players proving that the future of music at Hampton is bright.
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HAMPTON COURT CHORISTERS Fourth Year pupil Benedict Foley Cook has been appointed as Head Chorister of Her Majesty’s Chapel Royal Choir at Hampton Court Palace. Benedict, along with fellow pupils Third Year Nathaniel Carson and Filip Lorenc from the First Year, are looking forward to a busy festive period as they sing with the Choir of the Chapel Royal.
HAMPTON PIPER
MUSIC WORKSHOP Senior musicians mastered the art of playing Balinese Gamelan instruments while learning about Indonesian culture. The end result was a vibrant East Asian musical celebration in the Hammond Theatre.
Upper Sixth pupil Shane Bowden took advantage of lockdown life by taking up a new hobby - learning the bagpipes! Shane’s musical talent shone through as he mastered the difficult instrument in under 12 months. At this year’s Remembrance Service, Shane impressed the Hampton community with his moving rendition of the Flowers of the Forest and now hopes to perform with his pipe band at a prestigious military tattoo in Europe.
08 | NEWS FROM HAMPTON AUTUMN 2021
THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH’S AWARD Over 50 Fifth Year pupils were involved in the Silver DofE expedition to Dorset this term.
The adventurers made the most of the mild autumn weather as they retraced the route taken by Guthrum and his Viking army in 877AD. Along the walk, they enjoyed spectacular views of Poole Harbour, Corfe Castle, Swanage Bay and Wareham Harbour .
RUSSIAN TOY WORKSHOP Third and Fourth Year Russianists enjoyed a toy making workshop which offered an insight into Russian culture.
After being shown a folk art exhibition of traditional handmade clay toys, sculptures and whistles, the boys made and painted their own whistles in the authentic Russian style of Filimonovo.
SOUTH DOWNS The South Downs National Park was the destination for our First Year pupils as they donned their walking boots and waterproof jackets for their first field trip with the Geography department.
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ADVENTURE SOCIETY
A trip to the Surrey Hills saw our First Years enjoy a fun weekend of cycling, tackling a vast range of trails. The boys embraced every challenge, from the steep inclines of Pitch Hill to the single tracks criss-crossing through ancient woodland. The young adventurers also enjoyed a nighttime orienteering hike and a fiendishly competitive afternoon of board games.
MEDIEVAL HISTORY WORKSHOP
First Year Historians were treated to an afternoon of interactive activities as they discovered more about life in medieval times. The boys tried their hand at making a living as a medieval craftsman. They also tried on a range of armour to understand more about the art of war, and found out all about the medicines used to treat the Black Death.
10 | NEWS FROM HAMPTON AUTUMN 2021
In our latest partnership initiative, Hampton School has joined LEH and Reach Academy to launch a ground-breaking new sixth form college for Feltham. Opening in September 2022, Feltham College will be an innovative model of post-16 education, based on an alliance of state and independent educators alongside leaders from the business and health sectors. It will be a centre of academic and vocational excellence offering choice and opportunity to the young people of Feltham.
GB GYMNAST Gymnast Rex Booth, along with three teammates from Richmond Gymnastics Association, secured a Bronze medal for Great Britain at the European Acrobatic Championships. The young gymnasts performed a complex routine that received high praise from the judges.
AFGHAN REFUGEE DONATIONS The Hampton community showed overwhelming generosity in response to an appeal by the Afghanistan & Central Asian Association to support Afghan refugees in our local area. Donations of warm clothing, shoes and suitcases flooded in and were delivered to the charity headquarters in Feltham.
CHESS CHAMPION
Fourth Year chess whizz Rajat Makkar has chalked up some impressive titles this term and is delighted with his current form. After a superb winning performance in the U14 UK Schools’ Chess Challenge, French-born Rajat went on to clinch the U14 French Chess Champion title.
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HAMPTON SMALL BOATS HEAD
650 rowing crews from across the country headed to the Molesey stretch of the River Thames for the Hampton Small Boats Head. Cancelled last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, blue skies and plenty of sunshine welcomed the junior oarsmen and women. The banks of the Thames were lined with supporters as the crews competed over the 3000m course from Sunbury Lock to Hurst Park. Hampton’s 28 crews performed well, with a Gold medal in the J17 double sculls event. The J15 rowers achieved two Silver medals in both the double sculls and the coxed quads.
Cross country athletes excelled at the Richmond Schools’ Championships. 36 Hamptonians from across the year groups competed at the event, which attracts top runners from across the borough. Second Year athlete Marcus Solomon won Gold in the U15 race, Fifth Year Ethan Flack received the U17 Bronze medal, and in the U19 event, Henry Fagan crossed the finish line with the fastest time.
QUINS DEBUT Last year’s School Captain and Rugby Captain Jamie Benson OH (2021) made his senior debut for Harlequins watched by current and former Hampton rugby coaches. Jamie, who is juggling a professional rugby career with a degree in Natural Sciences at Cambridge University, impressed during the first two games of the Premiership Rugby Cup, chalking up 12 points across two games.
Credit: Juan Gasparini/JMP for Harlequins
CROSS COUNTRY SUCCESS
FOOTBALL The First XI have reached the semifinals of the U18 Independent Schools Football Association (ISFA) Cup after a superb performance against Repton School. The new year will see our First XI join the U15 and U13 teams in the next stages of their respective ISFA competitions. The U13s join the U16s in the last 16 of their English Schools Football Association (ESFA) tournaments. Congratulations also to Josh Pye and Jamie Wilson who have been selected for the ISFA U16 National squad training camp at St George’s Park.
RUGBY
Our rugby players are enjoying an excellent season. The Hampton First XV reached the last 16 in the prestigious RFU Schools Cup, and the U15s made it to the fourth round in their RFU competition. Hamptonians also had a strong run in the Middlesex Rugby Festivals. Our U18 (Second XV), U16 and U12 teams all finished as runners-up in their age group competitions, and the U13s and U15s both won their tournaments.
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