News from Hampton Autumn 2019

NEWS FROM TH E N EWSLET T ER F O R HAM PTO N S CHO O L AU TU MN 2019 INSIDE THIS ISSUE • ARKWRIGHT SCHOLARSHIP • ENVIRONMENT SOCIETY • ISSP SCIENCE DAY • MOBY DICK • PUBLIC EXAMINATION RESULTS • SPORT • TRIPS • VOICES OF LIONS

UGANDA

Sixth Form Geographers headed to Uganda, to study the country’s landscape and culture as well as work with several local charities.

The week-long trip introduced Hamptonians to a range of diverse ecosystems such as the Mabira Rainforest and the tropical savanna grasslands.

A trip to the source of the River Nile allowed boys to observe tectonic landforms which have given rise to the great lakes.

Hamptonians also worked with a street children’s charity in the city of Jinja and helped to build a new kitchen in the village of Kira.

There was also time to kayak on the Nile and visit the Murchison Falls National Park.

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RECORD Hamptonians achieved a record-breaking set of A Level and Pre-U results with 45% of all grades at Forcompared the third year Hampton boys achieved record-breaking A* with running, the national average of 8%. results at I/GCSE, with 75% of all grades at A* or the new 9 to 8 79% of grades were at A*- A confirming Hampton’s place among grading.

In total, 94% schools. of marks were A*,leavers A or the the UK’s highest performing Over 90% at of our now equivalent. have places at Russell Group or other world-leading universities.

The Headmaster, Kevin Knibbs, warmly congratulated the boys on their remarkable results:

“These wonderful A Level and Pre-U results are testament to the talent, enthusiasm and dedication of our boys and their teachers, and once again place Hampton in the top echelon of schools nationally.”

SUPERB GCSE RESULTS Hampton boys celebrated impressive GCSE results with 72% of all grades at 9 - 8, the equivalent of an A*.

Over 90% of grades were at 9 - 7 (A*- A) compared to the national average of 21.9%.

Well over half the Year Group received straight 9 - 7 (A*A) grades and 53 Hamptonians chalked up a clean sweep of top grades.

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YOUNG

ARKWRIGHT Lower Sixth pupil Thomas Tomlin has been awarded a much sought-after Arkwright Engineering Scholarship.

Each year, over 1,300 pupils apply for the prestigious award which is aimed at nurturing future leaders of the engineering profession. Thomas is being sponsored by NATS, the UK’s main provider of air traffic control services.

DOUBLE In a first for the School, two Hampton pupils have received the prestigious Roentgenium Award in the Cambridge Chemistry Challenge.

Upper Sixth Formers William Boyce and Edward Allen were among 8,000 pupils who took part in the 2019 competition, with their results placing them in the top 1% of junior chemists in the country.

Of the further nine Hamptonians who won Gold Awards, plaudits go to Matthew Cresswell who took part in the competition a year early.

Hampton’s budding journalists scooped 11 prizes at this year’s Newsquest Young Reporter Awards.

In total, 51 Hamptonians participated in the news reporting competition, writing over 400 stories between them on topics ranging from non-league football to local allotments.

All the articles were published online on the This Is Local London website.

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AVON Clear blue skies greeted our new First Years on their arrival at the Avon Tyrrell Activity Centre.

Designed to build communication and teamwork skills, the young Hamptonians faced a range of fun challenges including high and low ropes, orienteering and the everpopular raft building competition, which resulted in more than a few dunkings in the local lake!

THIRD Third Year pupils teamed up with their new classmates for a day of fun team building challenges including Spider’s Web and Skyscraper, as well as the highly anticipated Giant Ski Race finale.

Joint Head of Third Year, Miss Victoria Smith, praised the Year Group for their positive approach to the day: “Everyone enjoyed this fun opportunity to get to know each other, their Form Tutors and Sixth Form Mentors.”

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ISSP SCIENCE DAY After three years of tending the Hampton hives, Beekeeping Club enjoyed its first ever honey harvest.

HONEY

Hampton School hosted another successful Independent State Schools’ Partnership Science Day. Hamptonians were joined by pupils from Orleans Park, Teddington School, Hampton High, Tolworth Girls’ and LEH to participate in a range of interactive experiments.

The budding scientists investigated how energy changes in chemical reactions, the effect of pH on digestive enzymes and explored upthrust using handmade hot air balloons.

After three years of tending the Hampton hives, Beekeeping Club enjoyed its first ever honey harvest.

Our young apiarists have battled through a half-hive exodus and multiple queen bee abdications before finally reaping the rewards of their hard work.

Head of Biology, Mr Phil Langton, commented: “The Hampton colonies have produced over 14kg of honey, which is fantastic. Needless to say, the jars of honey flew off the shelves!”

ENVIRONMENT The Environment Society is going from strength to strength with the launch of a range of new initiatives.

From low-carbon days to improving the School’s paper use and recycling, the boys are aiming for Hampton to become an accredited Eco-School. Hamptonians also enjoyed meeting Sir David Attenborough at the Richmond Borough Youth Climate Change Summit, where discussions centred on how schools can reduce their carbon footprint and combat the impacts of global climate change.

HISTORIC DAY FOR HAMPTON & LEH The Headmaster and LEH Head Mistress Heather Hanbury joined a group of pupils and staff for the official opening ceremony of the new Hampton and LEH gateway.

The two schools enjoy close links across many areas of school life including co-curricular activities, trips and the coach network. The new gateway will ensure boys and girls can cross between the two sites in the safest and quickest way possible.

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RETURN The joint Hampton and LEH Senior School musical Return to the Forbidden Planet was out of this world!

The Sci-Fi spoof, based on Shakespeare’s The Tempest, told the story of Captain Tempest, played by Sixth Former Freddie Hodgson, and his crew as they travel deep into hyperspace on board the Intergalactic Starship Albatross.

Performed in front of packed audiences, this was a fast-paced and energetic production, with exceptional choreography and musical accompaniment.

ROMEO The 2019 Senior School Play saw pupils from Hampton and LEH put a 21st century spin on Shakespeare’s timeless classic Romeo & Juliet.

Verona in the 1600s was swapped for a modern-day South London, riven with knife crime. The violent death of two star-crossed young lovers brings to an end the longstanding feud between the Montague and Capulet families.

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MOBY There were rave reviews for Hampton dramatists who performed Herman Melville’s classic Moby Dick at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

The performance focused on exploring movement and space in a physical retelling of Captain Ahab’s obsessive vengeance against the white whale.

The official magazine of the Fringe, Fest, gave the production four stars commenting: “This 10-strong cast of young men perform not just with energy, but with restraint and nuance.”

NEW

VOICES OF LIONS

The annual New Boys’ Concert showcased the talents of First and Third Year pupils who treated parents and staff to an evening of musical entertainment.

Music ranged from Beethoven to Guns N’ Roses and Leonard Cohen to Lewis Capaldi with cellists, drummers, pianists, vocalists and brass players proving that the musical future

Hampton’s male-voice choir thrilled audiences at the Edinburgh Fringe this summer.

Over 50 Hamptonians travelled north for what was Voices of Lions seventh show at the Fringe. Performing in front of record audiences, the group sang hits including Bohemian Rhapsody and Cole Porter’s Everytime We Say Goodbye.

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MALAWI

Third to Fifth Year Hamptonians travelled to Malawi and Zambia for an unforgettable adventure.

First stop was the Hampton School Safe Haven, a primary school for children in Senga Bay, where Hamptonians helped build benches and decorate classrooms. The boys also found time to relax and enjoyed scuba diving and snorkelling at Cape Maclear, as well as a safari in the South Luangwa National Park.

Cร RDOBA Sixth Formers were employed in a range of industries during their work experience trip to Cรณrdoba. Work placements included nurseries, a veterinary surgery and a language school. One Hamptonian was a tour guide at the famous Torre De Calahorra.

Embracing the culture of the Spanish city, the boys had a go at the racquet sport Pรกdel and the flamboyant festival dance Sevillanas.

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ADVENTURE SOCIETY The Surrey Hills saw our First Years put their cycling skills to the test. The group tackled a range of mountain bike routes from singletrack forest trails to the fiendishly challenging Ridge Hill. The young adventurers also enjoyed night-time orienteering and a competitive board games afternoon.

A trip to Provence in France offered Second Year Francophiles invaluable language practice and the opportunity to explore the region.

SCUBA Hamptonians travelled to Lanzarote to discover the underwater life of the warm seas surrounding the Spanish Island.

The boys had the opportunity to complete their PADI scuba diving qualification while encountering angel sharks, eagle rays, seahorses and huge shoals of sardines.

When the fledgling divers weren’t busy exploring underwater they had a chance to try more landbased activities including go-kart racing and dinosaur -themed crazy golf.

The group visited the famous ochre hills of Roussillon and the historic city of Aix-enProvence, where they learnt about the art of Paul CĂŠzanne.

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RUGBY

There has been some impressive rugby on show from across the age groups this term.

Hampton’s First XV reached the final four in the prestigious Champions Trophy for the first time, bowing out after an impressive performance in the semi-finals.

In the Middlesex Cup, Hampton’s Second XV showed their calibre after reaching the final of the First XV competition. Lower down the School, the U15s and U12s won their respective Middlesex Trophies.

CROSS Hampton’s runners excelled at the Richmond Schools’ Cross Country Championships, retaining their title as overall winners for the fourth successive year.

Plaudits go to our Senior boys, with Indy Barnes winning the Gold medal closely followed by Sam Southall. Finlay Hawker also finished first in the combined Second and Third Year event.

Several of our athletes now go forward to represent Richmond in the Middlesex Championships.

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FOOTBALL This year’s football season has included plenty of highlights, with over 220 matches played so far. Lower School footballers enjoyed a training camp at Ajax, where they met former Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar. The First XI’s defence of the U18 English Schools’ FA (ESFA) Trophy continues and six other Hampton teams are still in their respective ESFA competitions.

ISFA representatives include: Sami Omaar (U18), Jonah Blake and Joe O’Pray (U16) and Jamie Wilson (U14). Congratulations to Sam Evans on his selection for Surrey Schools (U16) and Chibby Nwoko who is currently in the FA England U15 squad.

GYMNAST Gymnast Rex Booth is flying high after winning a Silver medal for Great Britain in the Acrobatic European Championships.

TABLE TENNIS The U16 and U13 table tennis teams repeated their success of the last two years in reaching the London South Schools’ Table Tennis Association Finals.

Hampton’s U16 players won the Plate trophy with a convincing victory against Southborough High School.

Third Year Rex, along with three teammates from Richmond Gymnastics Club, was selected to represent GB after securing Gold at the British Championships.

Rex was delighted to add to his medal count:

“The feeling when our final score came up was an extremely happy moment for us.”

SPORTING

LOUIS LYNAGH Last year’s Rugby Captain Louis Lynagh topped off a stellar schoolboy rugby career with a professional contract at Premiership club Harlequins’ Academy.

Louis, who has six caps for England at U16, U18 and U19 level, joined Quins’ youth development programme as a 12-year-old and has represented the club at all age groups.

He says he is very excited to see what the future holds:

“It’s been a great experience so far – just learning from the players around me is the most important thing I can do right now. I’ve been playing rugby since the age of four and to actually get paid for doing what I love - it’s a dream come true!”

BLAKE CULLEN Senior cricketer Blake Cullen has received two national call-ups in the past six months.

During the summer, Upper Sixth Former Blake played for England U19s in their series against India and Bangladesh. Blake also joined the England U19s on their winter tour to the Caribbean to face the West Indies and Sri Lanka.

Blake, who is a regular with the Middlesex Second XI squad, is delighted with how his cricketing career is progressing:

“It means such a lot to me to be selected as it is a great honour to represent my country. My first wicket for England was a brilliant moment and one that I will always remember.”

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