News from Hampton: Spring Term 2024

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CHARACTER DAY

NEWS FROM THE NEWSLETTER FOR HAMPTON SCHOOL

HAMPTON

SPRING 2024

Book Character Day saw Second Years dress up as their favourite literary heroes, while raising money for Form Charity.

Hobbits and Harry Potters were out in force alongside detectives Sherlock Holmes and Skulduggery Pleasant. Robin Hood emerged from Sherwood Forest and the Mad Hatter dropped in from Wonderland. Teachers entered the spirit of the occasion in style, and there was a special visit from award-winning gothic author, Cliff McNish.

UNIVERSITY OFFERS

The Class of 2024 are on track to join some of the world’s leading educational institutions after their A Levels.

Upper Sixth Formers are receiving offers to read a wide range of courses across many disciplines - a large number from global top-ten universities. This year, 23 Hamptonians have offers from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge to read subjects from PPE to Maths, and Medicine to Law.

HELP AWARDS

The Hampton Extended Learning Programme (HELP) offers pupils the chance to undertake an academic project supported by a teacher mentor.

HELP is aimed at fostering a love of learning alongside developing research, communication, and organisational skills. Congratulations to the Fifth Year and Upper Sixth project prize winners.

YOUNG APP DEVELOPER

Upper Sixth Former Felix Lyon is celebrating after his new app was published on Apple’s App Store.

After learning the Apple app programming language, Swift, Felix designed and built the app from concept to delivery. Called TaskSensei, the app is aimed at helping pupils aged 11 to 16 organise and manage their homework assignments.

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All 22 regional winners debated for three hours with passion, but Caleb and Ishaan impressed the adjudicators with their rigour, their clarity, the relevance of their arguments, and their ability to convince the judges Institut français du Royaume-Uni

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FRENCH DEBATING

Ishaan Das and Caleb Weinstein are winners of the 2024 Joutes Oratoires Lycéennes competition.

Organised by the Institut Français, language pupils from across the country take part in this challenging tournament. Eleven teams reached the final where they debated topics from teachers’ pay, to whether western governments should encourage a higher birth rate and finally, the legitimacy of using violence.

The judges awarded Upper Sixth Hamptonians Ishaan and Caleb the winners’ trophy after being impressed with their superb linguistic and oratorical skills.

PHYSICS GOLD AWARDS

Hampton physicists have been recognised in the 2024 British Physics Olympiad.

The competition is designed to stretch and challenge top young physicists across the country. Five Hamptonians achieved awards in round one, and plaudits go to Ishaan Das and Henry Ayres who made it through to round two where they achieved Gold and Silver awards, respectively. Their excellent results place the two Hamptonians in the top 3% of pupils who sat the paper.

STEM FAIR

The annual Hampton and LEH STEM Fair saw Hamptonians from across the year groups showcasing a range of innovative inventions. Around 40 pupils participated with ingenious ideas spanning VR experiences, to building wind tunnels that test vehicle ergonomics, and 3D printing of model aeroplanes.

ART EXHIBITION

The Lower School Art Exhibition included First Year lino prints and paintings inspired by the natural world.

Second Year work included ceramic cakes, pastel studies, and work on a still life theme. Our Third Years showcased pieces from their Public Art project including works on narrative art. Their ceramic pots were inspired by a visit to Roche Court New Art Centre and the work of the artist Peter Randall-Page.

LINO PRINT WORKSHOP

Sixth Form artists enjoyed a visit from printmaker and illustrator Paul Catherall.

The acclaimed artist, famous for his work with Transport for London, worked with A Level pupils on lino printing techniques.

FIRST YEAR COOKING WEEK

Cooking Week encourages First Years to venture into the kitchen, discover newfound culinary skills and create a meal for their family. The week culminated in a whole-year tea party with Hamptonians bringing in their tasty treats for all to enjoy - including The Headmaster!

This year’s Middle School production of Bleak Expectations saw a cast of Hamptonians and pupils from LEH take the Hammond Theatre audience on a joyfully anarchic journey through Dickensian London and beyond.

The young dramatists performed the hilarious and chaotic caper with aplomb, showcasing their perfect comic timing in the fast-paced and energetic production.

BLEAK EXPECTATIONS

ISSP MUSIC DAY

Hampton School and LEH hosted the 2024 Independent/State Schools Partnership (ISSP) Music Day, involving over 130 musicians from seven local schools.

Rehearsing during the day in groups including choral, string and wind ensembles, the young musicians came together to perform an evening concert for family and friends. The finale was a rousing rendition of Stephen Sondheim’s Sunday, a joyful end to a wonderful day of music-making.

ROCK CONCERT

Musicians from across the year groups took part in a spectacular evening of rock.

From covers of iconic tracks such as Blur’s Parklife and These are the Ways from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, to an original song from the Third Year band Eclipse, the evening showcased the impressive talent of our young musicians.

PYGMALION

This year’s Sixth Form production was a retelling of George Bernard Shaw’s muchloved play Pygmalion.

Directed by Upper Sixth Former Piers Marchant, the cast of senior pupils from Hampton and LEH told the story of flower seller Eliza Doolittle, as she is taught to speak and act like a duchess. The actors’ witty execution of the play’s many comedic moments ensured a superb show, much enjoyed by an appreciative audience.

KEYBOARD FESTIVAL

The School’s first Keyboard Festival was a resounding success.

The week-long event introduced pupils to the harpsichord, piano and organ, as well as showcasing pupils’ exceptional talent. The festival culminated in a visit by renowned pianist Danny Driver who offered masterclasses to pupils followed by a public evening recital in the Hammond Theatre.

BATTLEFIELDS TRIP

Third Year historians visited First World War battlefields and museums in Belgium and France to gain a deeper understanding of the devastating 1914-18 conflict.

Hamptonians attended the moving Last Post ceremony at Menin Gate in Ypres, laying a wreath on behalf of the School in memory of all those who died fighting for their country.

TALK!

Our Talk! programme welcomed a range of fascinating guests this term.

Packed audiences of Hamptonians, partner school pupils and members of the community, heard from leading speakers including Foreign Office diplomat Olivier Evans marking the twoyear anniversary of the war in Ukraine; author and professor of Evolutionary Biochemistry at UCL, Nick Lane; and former ambassador in the Middle East, Nicholas Hopton.

We also had a behind-the-scenes peak at the iconic science fiction series Doctor Who courtesy of two directors of the popular TV drama.

SKI TRIP

Junior and senior skiers enjoyed beautiful conditions on the pistes of Wagrain in Austria and Passo Tonale in Italy.

From novices tackling nursery slopes to seasoned skiers confidently navigating more challenging runs, there was plenty of action out on the slopes. After a busy day of skiing, the Hamptonians enjoyed welldeserved après-ski entertainment including tobogganing, five-a-side football, and sampling the local cuisine.

DISCOVER HAMPTON

The School launched its inaugural podcast series Discover Hampton this term, showcasing the exceptional quality of teaching and learning at Hampton. The podcast enables listeners to tune into the Hampton classroom and experience lessons first hand including how to build batteries in Chemistry, understanding more about Bloody Mary in History, and learning about African drumming in Music.

Listen to our podcast series Discover Hampton here

FOOTBALL

It’s been a busy term for football with 35 teams playing 158 fixtures. Our First XI are in the County Cup final and our Second XI reached the final four in their English Schools’ Football Association competition.

Congratulations also go to the five Hamptonians chosen to represent their agegroup Independent Schools’ Football Association squads, and to Fifth Year Quinn Schutter who has been awarded a scholarship at Fulham FC Academy. This is the third year in a row that Fulham have signed a Hamptonian to their academy.

CROSS COUNTRY

Hampton’s runners achieved an excellent set of results at the Richmond Schools’ Cross Country Championships.

Among the 34 Hamptonians competing, First Year Rafi Berry won a Silver medal in his first race for the School; Fourth Year Marcus Solomon continued his run of success taking Gold; and for the seniors, Theo Webb (Upper Sixth) crossed the line in third place, closely followed by his teammate Sam Bond. Seven of our athletes were selected to represent Richmond in the Middlesex Championships.

LOUIS LYNAGH

OH (2019)

Former Hampton Rugby Captain Louis Lynagh had the perfect international debut in the 2024 Six Nations.

After announcing his departure from Harlequins to join Italian club Benetton, the flying winger was named in Italy’s starting line-up for the game against Scotland. The 23-year-old had the perfect match, scoring a try and playing a key role in the Azurri’s spectacular 31-29 victory.

All at Hampton wish Louis the very best as he begins his new chapter on the continent.

SUPER SEVENS

Hampton’s rugby sevens squads have been on top form this season.

Our U13s won the Plate at the Warwick Sevens and were the team of the day at the Invitational Surrey Sevens. At the John Fisher Sevens, it was the turn of the U15s to excel. After topping their group, the Fourth Years chalked up a remarkable 47-0 win against Whitgift School to take the trophy. Our First VII squad also enjoyed an excellent season winning the Middlesex Open.

The 2024 Hampton Fours and Eights Head involved 600 crews and 2,000 rowers from across the UK.

An impressive 23 Hampton crews took part, and results were outstanding across the year groups with eight Golds, plus a Silver and Bronze medal.

“Congratulations to our rowers on a superb day of racing, which saw Hampton win all the boys’ VIIIs categories – a first for the School in my time. Heartfelt thanks go to all those involved in making this such a superb day on the water for young athletes.”

Mr Colin Greenaway, Director of Rowing

“Fantastic to see Hampton crews setting the fastest times in so many categories at the Hampton Head. This is the best set of results I’ve seen from the Boat Club for a couple of decades – it bodes well for the coming season.

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Mr Martin Cross, Olympic Gold Medallist and Hampton History Teacher

RESULTS

J18 1st VIII First J18 2nd VIII First J16 1st VIII First J16 2nd VIII Third

J15 1st VIII First

J15 2nd VIII First

J14 1st Octuple First

J14 2nd Octuple First

J18 4+ Second

J18 2 First