Welcome to the Third Year Blog!
It’s been another busy week. Of course, it’s a contractual obligation of running the Third Year blog to talk about it being a busy week, but the irony is that it ALWAYS IS A BUSY WEEK.
The Hampton House of Commons started its second session with the Prime Minister stepping down and a change in the parties in power. Evidence, were it needed, that a week is a long time in politics.
The U14B football team had their ESFA last 16 fixture on Thursday, managed by Hampton’s very own Jose Mourinho, Mr Leafe. Would they march on towards the cup final? Or would their heroic charge be halted? Find out below…
The final preparations for Joseph, the Junior Musical, are moving on apace, with the first performance being just a couple of weeks away. The History, Archives and Archaeology Club have been busy digging up a part of the School fields to see what they could find; and there’s a Model United Nations in session at LEH over the weekend. Rounding off the week, the School Rock Concert will be tearing the Hammond Theatre apart on Friday night. You, my friends, will have to wait until next week’s blog to hear about some of all this but, in the meantime, there is plenty to get your teeth in to in this week’s instalment below.
Heads of Year message
Commiserations to the U14B football team for their ESFA cup defeat on Thursday. We know the boys will be disappointed not to have a shot at the final, but we’re still proud of them for making it as far as they did in the competition.
There are some fantastic co-curricular activities taking place during lunchtimes at the moment. Form Tutors remind the boys about these via notices at morning registrations and there are further reminders on the digital displays around school. This week there were announcements made about Philosophy Circle, Diversity and Inclusion Club, French Flash Fiction Club, Neurodiversity Society and Pride Society. Boys can view the full range of activities in the co-curricular guide linked here.
Uniform
Several Third Year boys are regularly forgetting to wear their blazers to school, often wearing a coat instead due to the cold weather. This will be treated as a conduct issue for repeat offenders. Boys are allowed to wear sensible hats, coats and gloves to keep warm on their journeys to and from school, but they must revert to full school uniform throughout the school day whilst on site. This means they must wear a school tie and blazer with a white shirt (tucked in and buttoned up), dark trousers, dark socks and smart black shoes (non-trainers). If they are cold, it is permissible to wear a vest under the shirt and/or a dark V-neck jumper. Coats should not be worn in school. Persistent failure to meet these uniform requirements is a conduct issue and can lead to sanctions and/or contacting parents.
It is also important to note that chewing gum is not allowed on the school site.
Absences
For medical absences, please notify your son’s Form Tutors via email (cc’ing absence@hamptonschool.org.uk) on the morning of each day of absence by 8:45am, or complete the absence form via the parent portal. For planned absences and appointments, please contact Heads of Year requesting the absence with as much notice as possible.
Boys – Please let us, your Form Tutors or the relevant subject teachers know if you have any difficulties. Have a lovely weekend.
Best wishes
Mr T Rigby & Miss M Bedford
Cross Country Success
Fantastic to hear about the success of Third Year athlete Marcus S (3E) who defended his U15 title with another strong performance in the 4.2 kilometre race at the 2023 Middlesex Schools’ Cross Country Championships.
Marcus will now represent Middlesex at the English Schools’ Cross Country Championships due to take place in Nottingham in March. Well done Marcus!
The Hampton Dig
Archer J (3E) and Joshua R (3E) tell us how they’re getting on in The Hampton Dig:
We had just reached the subsoil, which is deep underneath the ground, when we found some very interesting objects. There were six fragments of ceramic in front of us, each about a few cm in length and width. The fragments were predominantly white but one of the pieces had a solid strip of dark blue running through it. This made us think that the pieces all belonged to a single tile.
However, that theory could not possibly be correct because after brushing away many years of soil, we soon realised that the fragments were glazed white on both sides of the piece. If it was a tile, one side would be glazed and the other would not. At this moment, we were feeling a bit lost; we really did not know where these fragments had come from and whether the fragments were even from the same original ceramic piece.
Under the inspection of a 40 x microscope in our school lab, we could see that each of the pieces had exactly the same white glaze, and the cracks in the ceramic were consistent with each piece. Then, we suddenly had a breakthrough moment when we discovered that one of the pieces was actually curved. After doing some research, we discovered that blue and white ceramic pottery was mass produced in the Victorian times. We still had the question to answer: how did it end up in our School field? Broken ceramics would be used as a drainage system in the bottom of pots in the garden. This actually made a lot of sense – the land that Hampton School sits upon today used to be a farm called the Rectory Farm in Victorian times.
U14B Football Update
Some wise words from the U14B football coach Mr Leafe after this week’s ESFA Cup match:
Sitting down to write this, I reflect that it can be very difficult to find the right words after a disappointment or a defeat. On this occasion, however, I realise that the reasons for the U14B team to be proud of themselves are all too easy to see. Whilst it may well be too soon – at least for me – to delve too deeply into the match which knocked us out of the competition, I am more than happy to study in detail the sublime team goal which put us 1-0 ahead; a front-to-back move all started by goalkeeper Joe saw Finn sweep the ball into the bottom right-hand corner after slick passing and movement through the midfield. Unfortunately, we would go on to defeat and an exit from the competition at the ‘Last 16’ stage. The boys should be immensely proud of their character throughout this game and our cup run; consistently, their effort was unquestionable, they did everything as a team and always picked each other up. This is a team that wants to learn and wants to develop, and a bright rest of the season lays ahead.
the Art of the Book
Joshua R (3E) tells us more about an event he visited over the Christmas break:
During the holidays, I went to see an exhibition called Paul Nash and the Art of the Book. The exhibition was about an artist called Paul Nash (1889-1946) who was a landscape painter, illustrator, and one of the foremost war artists of the 20th century. The display explored his work as an illustrator and designer of book covers and dust jackets. His style completely changed after his experience of war and this influenced him to create new pieces of art. The exhibition started with some of Nash’s early traditional illustrations. Nash created many designs for bookplates, which are small 3 by 3cm black and white decorative labels for books. Although the drawings were absolutely tiny, Nash managed to incorporate so much detail. It felt like I could almost jump into his drawings!
Nash’s experience of WW2 really changed his ideas in life and this change was translated into his new artwork. Influenced by the new artistic and bold ideas of continental European artists, Nash’s work had evolved from traditional miniature drawings to new brave and dramatic illustrations of the horrors of war. I really could not tell that the early illustrations and the later illustrations were drawn by the same hand. The most powerful addition to the drawings was colour, and the contrasts between the bright colour was, in my opinion, really powerful. Now, there was a 3D effect to all of the drawings, and the depictions jumped out at you and warned you about the horrors of war. I could also feel the raw emotion that Nash was trying to portray about his experiences.
This was a really excellent exhibition that taught me a lot about how artists are inspired to create their work. All artists adapt and change depending on their experiences, and this was demonstrated well by Nash’s art. It is really rare in the art world for an artist to change their style so audaciously. In other words, art is about the journey and not the destination. I would give this an overall rating of 4 out of 5 stars, as the exhibition could have presented the illustrations in a way that would have really showcased Nash’s amazing artwork. Any budding illustrator or war historian would love this exhibition and I would definitely recommend it.
Third Year Blog podcast
As mentioned on the blog last week, we are keen to have a regular feature of a podcast created by Third Year Hamptonians. It could be about School life, it could be about a subject you are interested in, or it could be about something that is going on in the wider world. So, if you think you might be interested in giving it a go and have an idea you think could be interesting, please email Mr Green (tj.green@hamptonschool.org.uk). You might want to produce it by yourself, or there might be a group of you. Either way, let us know if you think you might want to get involved!
Lion Print 2023
This year’s magazine is going to be a collection of creative writing from pupils across the year groups. There will be no set focus or genre (we are hoping to include poetry and prose), so if you see yourself as a budding author and would like to see your work in print, please speak to your English teacher who will be able to give you more information. Take a look at last year’s Lion Print here to get a flavour of what;s involved.
Two truths and a lie
Last week, Miss Bellingan offered three facts about herself:
- Miss Bellingan is allergic to cranberries
- Due to an old family superstition, Miss Bellingan refuses to wear the colour purple on Wednesdays
- Miss Bellingan has a deep fear of sea sponges
Which was the lie?
Well, while there may be other old family superstitions that she adheres to that we are unaware of, we can confirm that Miss Bellingan is willing to wear the colour purple on Wednesdays.
This week, Mrs Whitwam, 3A Form Tutor steps up to the plate. Three ‘facts’ about her are below.
- Mrs Whitwam sung on the stage of the Royal Opera House
- Dr Who once gave Mrs Whitwam a birthday present
- Mrs Whitwam’s favourite food is Marmite and she always travels with it.
Which one is the lie? Answers in the blog next week…
JOSEPH AND THE TECHNICOLOUR DREAMCOAT
Tickets are still available for this year’s Junior School Musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat! The joint cast of Hamptonians and Waldegrave pupils will bring this magical musical to life. Performances take place on Tuesday 7, Wednesday 8 and Thursday 9 February and tickets can be booked here.
TALK! PROFESSOR PAROSHA CHANDRAN
“Modern slavery happens all around us and we need to know more about it.”
Modern day slavery is on our doorstep. Over fifty million people across the world are currently victims of modern slavery and the problem is increasing, including in the UK. Come along to the next Hampton School Talk! event on Monday 30 January at 1pm in the Hammond Theatre when we’ll be joined by Professor Parosha Chandran, the UK’s leading anti-slavery lawyer.
Join us for this unique opportunity to hear from Professor Chandran about her world-leading work as a human rights barrister, the cases she has fought on behalf of victims of modern slavery, and the legal precedents she has set that have helped to protect thousands of lives. There is no need for Hamptonians to book a ticket, just come along on Monday 30 January at 1pm.
Connection Corner
Well done to the everyone who had a go at last week’s Connection Corner. Merits go to all those who correctly guessed that the answers were all kinds of mint. Big shout out to Gabriel S, Chris C, Avraj M, Albert S, Aaron L, Ollie W, Henry P, Oliver A, Stanley A, Jude LS, Leander K-B, Agalyan S, Maurice R, Eugene K, Robbie M, Alex P, Ben B, Teddy H, Neel M, Ameya M, Oliver S and Joshua R.
Another tricky one to have a go at over the weekend:
In case, you’re still perplexed here are the answers from the last week’s conundrum:
Which Scottish tennis player won Wimbledon in 2013 and 2016? Andy Murray
Inches, yards and pounds are all types of what measurement? Imperial Units
What is the name for a slow-moving body of ice? Glacier
The game ‘noughts and crosses’ is known by what name in the United States? Tic Tac Toe
Connection answer: All kinds of mint (Murray, Imperial, Glacier, Tic Tac)
Have a great weekend!
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