Welcome to the First Year Blog!
After seven weeks it is definitely time for a break – the First Years have given it their all this half term and an opportunity to rest and recharge is certainly needed for everyone. Not without a fun-packed final week though, with trips, and of course matches, clubs and fun lessons as always! Have an amazing break everyone, and we will look forward to seeing you back at School in November!
MEET YOUR MENTORS!
Hi Ben and Leo! How are you? We wanted to ask you some questions about your Hampton School journey and are curious to know more about you. Just answer the questions based on your truthful opinion. So that covers the intro, now let’s begin, shall we?!
What was your favourite memory at Hampton?
Leo: It has got to be the ESFA finals in 2018 and 2023.
Ben: For me, it is the same thing too.
What was your favourite trip?
Leo: My favourite trip was a Cricket tour to Dubai.
Ben: The French day trip was my favourite.
What is your favourite lunch?
Leo: Definitely, the sausage and pasta casserole on Thursdays.
Ben: It’s tough, but it has got to be the burger and curly fries.
If there is any tip you would give to a First Year Hamptonian, what would it be?
Leo: Enjoy every day at School because when you get to Sixth Form you will really cherish and remember the days of Lower School.
Ben: Go to as many clubs as possible so you can socialise, make friends, and just have fun.
If you could go back in time and change anything during your time at Hampton, what would you change?
Leo: I would go to more clubs in the lower years.
Ben: I don’t think I would change anything because the decisions I have made in my time here at Hampton makes me the person I am today.
What lovely answers! Ben, Leo, thank you for your time today. We cannot wait to embark on our journey here at Hampton and with all your amazing tips, it sure is going to be a fun ride!
By Ridhaan G (1F) and Krrish A (1F)
CASTLES AND HILLS
This week, First Year Hamptonians went on their Geography and History trips to Windsor Castle and the South Downs – thank you to Amaad, Will, Leonardo and … for sharing their experiences!
This week, we went to Windsor Castle. It wasn’t as far as I thought (around half an hour) and when I got there, it seemed quite small. It looked just like a regular castle- one that you would see in cartoons – with the classic cylindrical turrets running up the corners of it. But when I stepped inside, the scene immediately changed. Out of the window, I saw huge buildings and lawns that covered most of the space in the castle. We even went for a tour (obviously not the full thing- it would take forever) and discovered the chapel that the Queen was buried in. We even saw the occasional soldiers marching in squads to and from the keep – the main building where all the precious loot was kept. Once, when the soldiers were marching through a crowd, the leader shouted at one of the tourists to move as they went past! The tourist became so scared that he nearly tripped himself up as he dashed out of the walkway. We had lunch later: a sandwich, a packet of crisps and even a small chocolate freddo. We then travelled over back to the chapel and, sadly, we were not able to take any pictures. We also had to be respectful and not speak too loudly. Soon after, we walked into the endless rooms where the Queen used to play (to me, they all looked the same) and finally reached the end of the day. I found Windsor Castle an exciting place to explore. I walked back to the coach with my phone’s storage space filled with photographs of the castle and spent the rest of the rest of the school day watching Horrible Histories in the Lecture Theatre at School. By Amaad B (1W)
I loved the Geography Trip to the South Downs. It was an incredible way to start our trips at Hampton. The beginning was quite tough up the steep slope up the hill, however, the rest of it was lightly undulating and was much more manageable. Ending with the Devil’s Dyke was a good reward after walking all day. The dyke was beautiful, but I would not want to walk up it as the sides were very steep. The geography also behind the dyke was very fascinating as it had no water running through it to erode the sides. By Will H (1F)
We walked for hours on the trip to South Downs and believe it or not we managed to walk a mighty 8 km! It was extremely windy and cold, and our limbs grew numb. We walked a lot through the hills and saw a lot of chalk on the ground. We ended our hike in Devil’s Dyke. We sat down and listened to a story of how the dyke was created. According to the story, it was created by a devil who one day told a priest he would dig a dyke through his village. He and the devil made a bet that if the devil could not finish the dyke before sunrise he would surrender and leave. So, the priest and a sister worked together to trick the devil into thinking it was sunrise by creating giant bonfire causing the rooster to crow. The plan worked as hoped and the devil ran away leaving an unfinished dyke. Throughout the hike, we also saw a variety of animals such as sheep and horses. At the final stop, we walked through the dyke, down the steep slopes forcing us to watch our every step.
Our second trip was to Windsor Castle. We walked through the castle and saw many amazing artefacts. We saw a variety of weapons and armours decorated with gold and gems as well as priceless antique furniture, paintings and tapestries. We learnt a lot about the history of the castle and the strategies used by the guards to defend the castle. We watched the palace guards change shifts and visited the overgrown moat used to protect the castle. The history of the castle was very intriguing and believe it or not, the moat around the castle was where most of the waste from the castle went. The guards defending the castle would also set up nasty traps in the moat to prevent anyone from attacking the castle. They also use spikes, boiling water and even flaming arrows to fight off enemy soldiers. To end off the trip, we went to the nearby chapel which happened to be where Queen Elizabeth II was laid to rest. Many people had come to pay their respects including us. After visiting the chapel, we then left and went back to School. This was such an amazing week! By Leonardo P X (1L)
Take a look at some of the photos from the Geography Trip on Monday to get a flavour of the First Year visit to the South Downs:
GOALS GALORE
Goals galore have been coming in for the U12B team this half term, with Hampton scoring 12 while only letting in 4! They have won three out of three games in total so far, from close finishes in the home match against Thomas’s Battersea where they only just won 5-4, to bigger wins when Hampton beat Alleyn’s School 5-0. The U12B team started off their campaign brilliantly as they beat Alleyn’s 5-0 nil. The defence did outstandingly in keeping a clean sheet, as did the attack, who scored five quality goals. The scorers were Jasper T (2), Oscar C and Finn T (2), the assists were from William P and Mika R (2). The goals ranged from Finn’s screamer, to Jasper’s amazing run, to Oscar’s sliding tap in! After this outstanding win, the U12B team looked like they were in a brilliant place for the rest of the season.
Hampton carried their momentum into another victory, this time over Thomas’s Battersea, but not in the way they would have liked. They started off well, getting a goal through Jayen L’s pass to Oscar C, who slotted it past the keeper. Next came a banger by Mika R when, from outside the box, he smashed it into the right side of the goal, and then just before the half time whistle blew Finn T scored from a not cleared away header. Soon after play resumed, Thomas’s got a quick goal, but Hampton soon got two back as William P glided one over the keeper before Jasper T slotted one of his brilliant runs home. From 5-1 Hampton seemed like they would get an easy victory, though with fifteen minutes left to play, Thomas’s got a goal back. Hampton’s confidence then came crashing down and in twelve minutes Thomas’s got another two, before Hampton though played out the nervy two minutes to win the game! They learned a lot from that game and if they ever get into another situation like that again they will hopefully be a bit more composed.
For the final game of the season Hampton were facing Forest School after a long journey. From the moment the whistle blew Hampton were on it, as in the first five minutes William P got the ball and did a through ball where Jasper T’s pace beat the defenders before slotting home a one-on-one into the net! Straight after that, Mika R whipped a ball into the box, where Jasper headed it in! From this point, though there were chances at both ends, neither side could get a goal. In the second half, Hampton were quite comfortable to sit back and defend, which they did fantastically, although with fifteen minutes to go Hampton were able break down the tired Forest’s team and managed a couple of good chances, but were unable to score. This win proved to be a great defensive performance for the whole team and it showed yet another side to the team against the hardest opponents yet. Now hopefully the U12B footballers will keep up their 100% record after half-term. By Harry M (1H)
THE FIRST HALF TERM
It has been a thrilling first half term, learning a variety of new and fascinating things. The teachers at Hampton have been supportive during lessons and have helped us settle into a new school very well. The best thing is that the School offers a range of different opportunities: trips, co-curricular clubs and even some brilliantly maintained playing fields to play sports on. One of our recent trips that we went on this week was the History trip to Windsor Castle, organised by our excellent history teachers. All the forms had an amazing experience, being blown away by the history and facts about the Anglo-Saxon era and why castles were built at the time. We were also intrigued by the colossal rooms and the expensive paintings, as we walked through the historical castle. To add to the excitement, we also visited the South Downs, this time for Geography. Unfortunately, some classes were unable to go due to poor weather. I am sure though, those who did go had another fantastic time. Furthermore, multiple boys have worked hard and as a result, earned 10 merits; we have enjoyed receiving our certificates, signed off by the Heads of Year. Remarkably, some First Years are on their way to another one. Everyone has put a lot of effort in all their subjects over these last few weeks and has engaged in many fun activities. It is definitely time for a rest and to have a wonderful half term break off school – this also applies to our fabulous teachers. By Riyaan G (1B)
Hampton First Year pupils are now more than one month into their journey as Hamptonians. This blog is an account of my experiences so far. I felt a rollercoaster of emotions. Excited, curious, and surely nervous! New uniform, first time on a school bus and a lot of responsibility on my shoulders, I felt like a young adult but deep down inside, my heart was racing. I couldn’t wait to meet my new classmates and future friends. Hampton felt so big and scary back then and now, that I am no longer a newbie, I can’t say the same. In the first few weeks, I would get lost and end up discovering an entirely new place. It was a labyrinth of classrooms, corridors, and playgrounds. The teachers, however, were understanding and provided us with handy maps till we familiarise ourselves with the layout of the school. The experience so far has been thrilling; I wake up every morning knowing that I was in for a fun-packed day, full of new learning and discoveries. No two days are the same. Hampton was a looming building back then, now, it’s something that I can call my second home. Hampton is full of surprises beyond academics so that we can make the most of our time here. In addition, the teachers have been very supportive – helping us get better when we make mistakes and making lessons engaging.
The wide variety of co-curricular activities Hampton provides is phenomenal with clubs ranging from Beekeeping, Lego, sciences, sports, and drama to multiple different orchestras. There are lots of clubs! Enough to suit all the boys with all our different personalities and a chance to extend our learning beyond the curriculum. My favourite clubs so far are the Wicket Keeping and Chemistry Club. Special mention to the extravagant lunches here offering a plethora of dishes to choose from (and it’s a lot better than my previous school!) Hampton has made me grow in a way I haven’t before. I am only one month in, but I feel different. I feel part of a community – one that I will always be part of. By Reyansh J (1L)
BOOK REVIEW
Ratburger by David Walliams
Ratburger is an awesome book with an entertaining story. It is an action-packed book with a mind-blowing adventure. It is about an idle lady named Sheila who survives on prawn cocktail crisps whose stepdaughter is Zoe. Recently, Zoe’s dad had lost his job from an ice cream factory and therefore was relying on his benefit money. But suddenly, Zoe’s hamster dies. A new pet is awaiting her, but Burt the pest exterminator has malicious plans about Armitage (her pet that she named in an extremely awkward situation). Buy the great Ratburger to discover more about Armitage, Zoe, Zoe’s dad, Sheila and Burt. In this book Zoe was very brave and courageous because she saved Armitage’s life and her dad from the deadly pulverisation machine. I thought Ratburger needed more suspense at the end of the book but that doesn’t hide the fact that it is an amazing book. Ratburger is a funny, warm fuzzy kind of story. Lovers of Roald Dahl will LOVE David Walliams!
About the Author: this sensational book is authored by David Walliams. He is author of many enormously successful novels and has published a variety of extraordinary books with millions of copies sold. David is the creator, with Matt Lucas, of the phenomenally popular shows Little Britain. In addition, he was one of the judges in Britian’s Got Talent.
My rating of this novel is 4.5/5
By Shaurya D (1L)
SPECIAL SHOUT OUTS!
Erik P (1W) and his sister are taking part in a charity challenge “Swim 8km in October”, an event organised by Great Ormond Street Hospital to fundraise for kids’ treatment. Erik has personally already swum around 12K to date, and probably will be able to swim more than 20K in October. We look forward to hear you get on – swim well!
Ethan S-W (1L) participated in the Hampton Junior Chess Tournament held at Richmond Junior Chess Club in October. He participated in six games and all the games were ECF rated. Ethan successfully qualified for the London Junior Chess Championship to be held in December. Well done on your achievements Ethan, and good luck for the London Championship – let us know how you get on!
We love to hear about what you have been getting up to outside of school and to celebrate your successes in the First Year Blog! Please do send any information about any of your achievements through to Mr Fuldner (d.fuldner@hamptonschool.org.uk).
TUTEE OF THE WEEK
Every week, the First Year Tutor team nominate a Hamptonian who they have been particularly impressed with, and Mr Hill and Mrs Peattie provide him with a football to use on the fields for the week!
This week’s tutee of the week is Noah P (1J) for his excellent approach to school life and positive attitude. Well done Noah!
HAMPTON HUNT
Each week I will set you a challenge where you need to find out a random fact, number or indeed anything else around the School – you won’t be able to do this from home! Points for the interform competition will be awarded to the Form with the most correct entries over the course of the term! You have until the end of Wednesday to complete the challenge; you will find out in next week’s blog if you’re correct, and you will be given a merit by your Form Tutor the following Monday. And who knows – you might get to know the School better in the process!
Last week’s challenge: What is the heaviest element printed on the benches in the Tardis Quad? The answer is the element Oganesson.
A big shout out to the 24 First Years who correctly found the answer to last week’s Hampton Hunt. Well done to Ilakian D (1H), David T (1H), Dushyant P (1H), Ying Z (1H), Liangxu Z (1H), Luoke W (1H), Julian M (1H), Francisco C I (1F), Aman C (1F), Thomas P (1F), Ridhaan G (1F), Charles B (1F), Atharv J ( 1F), Jack M (1F), Krrish A (1F), Noriki W (1F), Justin K (1F), Yusuf R (1F), William H (1F), Yousuf H (1B), Charlie F (1B), Sebastian W (1W), Naivedya A (1L) and Sujay N (1L) for getting the correct answer! Make sure you collect a merit from your Form Tutor next week! 1H are at the top of the leaderboard this week with twelve correct entries.
If you did know the answer but didn’t enter it into the blog last week, make sure you do so this week as it won’t count otherwise!
This week’s challenge:
How many different languages can you find that are written in red in the language cloud in the languages corridor?
