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FIRST YEAR FUN!
Avon Tyrrell Adventure
First Years descended on the New Forest for an action-packed, two-day adventure.
With Sixth Form mentors on hand to offer friendly guidance and support, our new Hamptonians tried their hand at high ropes, archery, orienteering and also enjoyed a night walk through the forest. A raft-building challenge was the highlight of the trip, with each team building their own raft before setting sail, with fingers crossed, on the Avon Tyrrell lake.
RECORD GCSE RESULTS
Well done to last year’s Fifth Years on achieving the strongest GCSE examination grades seen at the School. Well over half (57%) of examination marks were at grade 9, and 83% of grades were 9-8.
The Headmaster, Kevin Knibbs, offered warm congratulations:
“Our current Lower Sixth deserve the highest praise for achieving such exceptional GCSE results which are testament to their hard work and dedication. It’s wonderful to see them build on their successes as they make the most of Hampton life in the Sixth Form.”
A LEVEL RESULTS
The Class of 2024 celebrated superb A Level results with 41% of grades at A* and more than three quarters of grades at A*-A.
These exceptional results have paved the way for departing Hamptonians to pursue a broad range of prestigious degree courses with an impressive 45 Leavers taking up places at Global Top-10 academic institutions.
MUN
Young debaters impressed at the Reigate Grammar School Model United Nations (MUN) conference.
A team of 15 Hampton delegates took part in the conference, representing Jordan, Mozambique and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Picking up three delegate awards at the close of the event, Hamptonians demonstrated excellent oratory skills.
No Limits Lessons Day encouraged pupils to engage with their subjects in new and exciting ways.
Teachers devised a range of innovative and fun lessons including: navigating passport control in Modern Languages; reenacting a mock Tudor Parliament in History; creating Play-Doh landforms in Geography; and playing Greek Scrabble in Classics.
NO LIMITS LESSONS ARKWRIGHT SCHOLAR
Lower Sixth Hamptonian Leo Luczkiw has been awarded a much sought-after Arkwright Engineering Scholarship. The scholarship includes a financial award to spend on STEM-related activities and recipients are assigned an industry mentor, who provides advice and guidance about future study and career development. Leo hopes to study aerospace engineering at university, with a focus on sustainability.
TEAM BUILDING DAY
Third Year joiners teamed up with their new classmates for an actionpacked team building day.
Designed to help foster friendships and build communication and teamwork skills, activities included The Spiders Web, Sky Walk and Deep-Sea Rescue. Upper Sixth mentors were on hand to provide friendly support as the Third Years enjoyed tackling the fun challenges in their Form groups.
TALK!
We welcomed a range of distinguished guests to the Talk! series this term.
Hamptonians, partner school pupils and members of the community packed the Hammond Theatre to hear our inaugural speaker Lord Patten of Barnes talk about an extraordinary career that has included serving as the last Governor of Hong Kong, Chairman of the Conservative Party and Chancellor of the University of Oxford. Other guests included journalist and US specialist Nick Bryant, and Jeremy Wrathall, founder of Cornish Lithium.
CHEMISTRY WEEK
The School marked national Chemistry Week with a packed schedule of events for all year groups.
Junior Chemistry Club discovered how to make copper sulfate crystals and senior Chemists put their knowledge to the test in the national Top of the Bench competition. Scientists were also treated to lectures on the Quantum World and the 2024 Nobel Prize for Chemistry delivered by Mr Worrall and Mr Schofield, respectively.
SCIENCE DAY ISSP
Hampton’s annual Independent/State Schools’ Partnership Science Day welcomed Year 9 pupils from four local partner schools.
Young scientists from Hampton High, Orleans Park School, Teddington School and Tolworth Girls’ School joined peers from LEH and Hampton to enjoy hands-on lessons and explore Science beyond the curriculum.
THE COMEDY OF ERRORS
Lower School dramatists took to the Hammond Theatre stage in this year’s Junior Theatre Company’s production The Comedy of Errors.
The budding actors delivered a vibrant ensemble performance, telling the classic tale of rival cities, long-lost siblings, and hilarious mistaken identities.
NEW PUPILS’ CONCERT A CHRISTMAS CAROL
The 2024 joint Senior Production saw a cast of Hamptonians and pupils from Hampton High bring Charles Dickens’ timeless classic to life.
The haunting Victorian ghost story followed Ebenezer Scrooge’s transformation from miser to a symbol of Christmas spirit. The young cast perfectly captured the essence of Dickens’ characters, blending moments of chilling suspense with heartwarming redemption.
New Hamptonians showcased their exceptional musical talents playing a varied selection of music to an audience of delighted parents and staff.
From Handel to AC/DC and Beethoven to Imagine Dragons, the young musicians showcased their talents on a range of instruments including the clarinet, electric guitar, trumpet, marimba, and drums.
EDINBURGH FRINGE 2024
“Boy can they sing!”
Theatre
Weekly
Hampton School’s exceptional male-voice choir, Voices of Lions, made a triumphant return to the Edinburgh Fringe, performing to record audiences at the world’s largest performing arts festival.
The 45-stong choir took to the stage at Old St Paul’s Church for their eleventh appearance at the Fringe. The choir’s diverse repertoire ranged from Stephen Sondheim’s Send in the Clowns to an energetic performance of I Get Around by The Beach Boys.
CHRISTMAS CONCERTS
Musicians and choristers celebrated the festive season in style with three spectacular Christmas Concerts. Over 320 pupils from across the year groups delighted audiences in the Hammond Theatre.
Highlights of the concerts included the First Year choir’s lively rendition of The Twelve Days of Christmas, and an impressive solo performance by Upper Sixth violinist Harry Spence, superbly accompanied by the 60-strong Symphony Orchestra.
PHYSICS TRIP
Sixth Form Physicists had the opportunity to visit the European Council for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Switzerland, home to the famous Large Hadron Collider.
The trip offered a rare opportunity to see some of the most advanced instruments at the forefront of scientific research. Hamptonians also explored the city of Geneva, visiting the Old Town and the History of Science Museum.
WASHINGTON
Sixth Form Politics and History pupils enjoyed a fascinating trip to Washington DC, the heart of historical and political America.
WATERSPORTS TRIP
Second Year Hamptonians headed to Europe’s largest natural harbour in Dorset for an adrenalin-fuelled weekend on the water.
The young adventurers enjoyed activities including sailing, windsurfing, canoeing, stand-up paddle boarding and kayaking. The water temperature was a little chilly but soon forgotten with the help of a few layers of clothing and a wetsuit!
The visit included a behind-the-scenes look at iconic government sites, including the Supreme Court and US Capitol. The group watched an exciting NHL match between the Washington Capitals and the Philadelphia Flyers and enjoyed dinner at Barack Obama’s favourite diner Ben’s Chilli Bowl
MALAWI ADVENTURE
Senior Hamptonians travelled to Malawi for a three-week expedition. First stop was the Hampton School Safe Haven, a primary school for children in Senga Bay, where the group set to work painting the library and creating a mural from plastic bottles.
Snorkelling and scuba diving in the crystal-clear waters of Lake Malawi, and a safari in Liwonde National Park were also on the itinerary, creating memories which will last a lifetime.
BARCELONA
A trip to Barcelona offered Fifth Year and Lower Sixth Hispanists invaluable language practice and the opportunity to explore the art, history and culture of this vibrant city.
Hamptonians attended a local language school to improve their Spanish and enjoyed exploring the local area. From the weird and wonderful architecture of Antoni Gaudí to a fascinating tour of Camp Nou, there were plenty of opportunities for the linguists to immerse themselves in the Catalan capital.
RICHMOND CROSS COUNTRY
Our runners performed well at the 2024 Richmond Schools’ Cross Country Championships.
A team of 20 Hamptonians from First to Fourth Year competed on a challenging course in Bushy Park. Among our First Year athletes, an outstanding individual performance from Noah secured him the title of Richmond Schools’ Year 7 Cross Country Champion. Four Hamptonians now go forward to represent Richmond in the Middlesex Championships.
PARKRUN DOUBLE
Talented athlete Marcus Solomon kicked off his running season in style.
The Fifth Year Hamptonian chalked up two Bushy Parkrun wins, setting a 5K personal best.
With perfect weather conditions on his side for his last run in November, Marcus led from the start and ran the last kilometre at a sprint finishing in 15.41 minutes, an exceptional achievement for a 15-year-old.
FOOTBALL
Footballers across the year groups have enjoyed a strong season with seven teams still in their English Schools’ Football Association (ESFA) competitions including the U15As, U16As and First XI who are through to their respective ESFA Round 6 matches. Hampton’s First XI are also through to the last eight in their ISFA tournament, as are our U15A and U13A teams. It will be an exciting spring term!
CHAMPION ROWER WORLD
RUGBY ROUNDUP
Our senior players put on a strong performance at this year’s St Joseph’s Festival. Playing against the top teams in the country, Hamptonians topped their group at the end of day one. Other teams are also playing well, with the U16s reaching Round 4 of the National Cup Competition.
The U13s and U14s finished in the top three of their Middlesex Rugby Festival competitions and our U12s went all the way, topping their group to be crowned 2024 Middlesex Champions.
Congratulations to Hampton’s Captain of Boats Harry Oliver who has achieved the ultimate accolade in junior rowing. Having claimed two Gold medals for GB at the Munich Regatta, Upper Sixth Former Harry completed a hat-trick winning Gold at the World Rowing Championships as part of the Junior Men’s Eight.
SPORTING SUPERSTARS
PREMIER LEAGUE DEBUT
Josh King OH (2023) is enjoying a stellar footballing career. The former Hampton forward, who helped the School win the U18 English Schools’ Championship, joined Fulham FC after completing his GCSEs last year. At only 17-years-old, Josh enjoyed his Premier League debut in December, as he was cheered onto the pitch by an electric Craven Cottage crowd during Fulham’s 3-1 victory against Brighton.
“To see one of our own play in the Premier League is a fantastic achievement. We’re all very proud of Josh and will support him every step of the way.”
David Burke, Director of Football, Hampton School
PROFESSIONAL CRICKETER
Last year’s cricket captain Naavya Sharma OH (2024) has signed a professional contract with Middlesex County Cricket Club. It capped off a magnificent season for the seam bowler who was also called up to the England U19s Test squad, playing in both Test matches against Sri Lanka and finishing the series as the leading wicket-taker.
“Naavya has got talent in abundance, works hard to keep improving, and has proven at international U19 level that he’s ready for the next challenge.”
Alan Coleman, Middlesex, Managing Director of Cricket