Quarter Finals Galore, Model United Nations & Interform Update!

Welcome to the Fourth Year Blog!

Well done on another action-packed term! Be it fundraising, sports, coding challenges, MUN or music – you’ve all kept yourselves incredibly busy outside of lessons! Enjoy a well-deserved rest over the break!

If you’re finding yourself lost without your busy schedule of schoolwork and homework and are bored of Christmas movies and chocolate, here’s a few suggestions (some of which you may already have done during the School wide screen time initiative!):

1. Create a Christmas quiz for your friends or family. Then have some fun socialising together!
2. Go for a walk or a run, perhaps somewhere different to your ‘usual’!
3. Learn something new: The Royal Institution 2023 Christmas Lectures are based around AI – have a watch here. Or listen to a podcast, BBC Sounds have plenty of loads of interesting subjects to discover. Take a listen here.
4. Get crafty – make some Christmas decorations (or something for another celebration) you can use next year! My favourite is my garland of origami five point stars that I learnt to make following a YouTube video!
5. Give your parents the night off and cook or bake something for your family – perhaps your favourite festive treat?

And all that’s left for me to say is Happy Christmas from everyone in the Fourth Year team!

Miss Brown

Interform Mathletics

In November, our Maths whizzes battled it out for the form and individual prizes in the ‘Mathletics’ competition! Congratulations to 4D, who won overall, and to Adrian S (4D), Syn Foh N (4F) and Arie B (4C) who took the top three individual positions! 

Form Charity Quiz

From wearing odd socks and coming to school in MUFTI, to quizzing and compiling shoeboxes, you have all been busy fundraising for Form Charity. Let’s hear from Oscar R , Rohan R and Arie B (4C) about how it went!

On Wednesday 6 December, teams consisting of Hampton and LEH pupils together competed in a quick-fire quiz, raising money for Hampton’s chosen charities: The Jamal Edwards Self Belief Trust, The Woodland Trust and CARA. It included four rounds which were: general knowledge, Christmas traditions, Christmas movies and Christmas songs. The first three rounds were worth ten points, whilst the last was only worth five. The quiz itself was an extremely enjoyable experience, with the general knowledge questions being an area where we excelled. As our team (Form 4C) consisted of three individuals who enjoy Geography, we breezed past these, and our recent indulgence in Christmas tradition was greatly appreciated in our conquest of the rest of the competition. Of course, the girls helped quite majorly, as our team dominated the test of knowledge. This was reflected in the results, as we came out on top with 23 correct answers out of 35, two higher than the teams tied for second. This was a massive leap in the right direction for interform as it allows us to be more confident in our chances of securing a coveted place at the top of table going into the Christmas break. Many thanks to the Fourth Year quiz teams, and to LEH, for taking part in the Form Charity Christmas Quiz!

Take a look at the results from the interform quiz:

Music Success

Harry N (4B) has won two awards at this year’s festival: The H R Taylor Charitable Trust Piano Prize and the Beethoven Junior Cup. The festival concert and prizegiving ceremony took place recently, and Harry had the opportunity to perform at the concert and receive the prizes from the Sutton Mayor! Well done Harry!

On a similar musical vein, Ralf S (4D) played the Last Post excellently for our Hampton School Remembrance Day Assembly, and Daniel T (4J) for the Hampton Prep Remembrance Assembly. A fantastic thing to do for the School community.

The two Christmas Concerts last week were fantastic and such events never fail to amaze me with the exceptional musical talents we have at Hampton School. The Carol Service was also an excellent evening. We are delighted that so many Fourth Year pupils are involved with co-curricular music and are always proud to see you on stage!

Combined Cadet Force

Shreyan K (4C) explains how members of the CCF sometimes spend their weekends:

On Sunday 3 December, 13 cadets from Hampton, LEH and Hampton High left early in the morning to RAF Halton where we competed in the Royal Air Squadron Trophy against 18 other squadrons. We began the day by testing our knowledge about the RAF before completing our drill sequence. Next was shooting, where I managed to fire five pellets in a 20mm radius, and first aid where four cadets were required to carry out the procedure when helping someone trapped under a smoking car. Then it was drone flying through an obstacle course and aircraft recognition where we split into teams of three or four. To finish the day, we completed an escape room in 14 minutes that consisted of multiple physical and mental challenges that, when completed, provided a code to escape the room. Overall, it was very fun to take part in the competition and represent LEH CCF and Hampton.

Screen Time

The whole School took part in a Screen Time initiative led by Mr Fuldner. I particularly liked the idea about making sure I am in ‘conscious control’ of my device use! Joshua R (4E) reports on how he found the process.

We all know how addictive our screens can be – once you start mindlessly scrolling on YouTube or other social media platforms, it can be really hard to try and stop yourselves. You might find yourself being distracted from other aspects of your life. Sometimes, I even wonder how people, in the not-so-distant past, lived without the gratification that you can get instantly from looking at your phone.

And so, for the last two weeks, Fourth Year Hamptonians have been taking part in an initiative to lower our screen time. The aim was simple: to consciously control your screen time and reduce the amount of time spent on your phone, and instead take part in some other screen-free activities. In the first week, we recorded our average screen time in a normal week, so that we could see how much of a reduction in screen time that we could make during the second week.

I really enjoyed taking part in this initiative. I felt like my evenings became less about my phone and more about spending time with my family, and doing other fun activities. Personally, I helped my younger cousins write a letter to Santa, while my friends started to read new books and take part in some mindfulness. Overall, I managed to reduce my screen time by 3 hours, and I had noticed some positive changes about my screen-time habits that I would like to keep in the future! I now think that this Hampton experiment was a really valuable one, which hopefully taught all of us that there are much better things to do than to scroll through your phone.

A huge thanks to Mr Fuldner and all of the other teachers involved with this initiative!

Well done to 4E, who managed to win the initiative!

Model United nations

Matthew W and Cassian B-S from 4F, Kanishk M (4E), and Leander K-B (4J) all attended the Benenden MUN conference last Monday. They sadly didn’t win any prizes but Miss Bellingan reports that they were very successful in debating! Kanishk and Leander were representing New Zealand on the Special Committee on AI in a Digital Age and Disarmament and International Security Committee respectively. Matthew and Cassian were representing the Russian Federation on the same committees.

Sports RoundUp

There’s been plenty of sports action this term, with two of our squads making it to the quarter final stage of a national competition! Catch up on some of the action from across the Hampton sporting arena:

Rugby

Great to hear that the U15A rugby team have made it through to the final eight of the Rugby Football Union National Cup competition after an impressive win against Berkhamsted School. Their coach, Mr Scarratt, praised the Fourth Year rugby players on their fantastic performance:

IT WAS A GREAT TEAM EFFORT FROM OUR U15A RUGBY PLAYERS WHO THOROUGHLY DESERVE THIS SUCCESS. THEY HAVE WORKED TIRELESSLY ALL SEASON TO PREPARE FOR THESE CUP MATCHES AND PUT ALL OF THIS INTO PRACTICE AGAINST A VERY GOOD BERKHAMSTED SIDE. BOTH TEAMS CONTRIBUTED TO A COMPELLING FOURTH ROUND MATCH, BUT OUR PUPILS’ SKILL IN ATTACK, AND RESOLVE IN DEFENCE, PROVED THE DIFFERENCE. THEY SHOULD BE JUSTLY PROUD OF THEIR EFFORTS. IT IS CERTAINLY AN EXCITING TIME FOR HAMPTON RUGBY AS THE TEAM HEADS INTO THE LAST EIGHT OF THE COMPETITION.

Next stop, the quarter finals!

Let’s hear from Sebastian W (4D) who tells us how the U15B rugby team have got on this term:

We started off the season with a good win over Trinity, whom we had been defeated by last year. Although we were down by 12 points at the end of the first half, we were able to bring it back to finally win 24 – 22 with Philip S (who is relatively new to rugby) scoring the winning try. We also had a re-match against Claremont where we prevailed to win 27 – 0. Unfortunately, we didn’t do as well against Cranleigh School eventually losing after a tough contest. However, it was a good game and we were able to use some of our more experimental shapes and options, such as our 11 man lineout. Sadly, our game against John Fisher School was cancelled due to frozen pitches but this is quite a common occurrence with winter time rugby. Our last game of the half term is against St John’s School Leatherhead but this might prove challenging as many of our players are unavailable. Hopefully some of our new players will be able to step up and we will prevail! Overall, I think this half term has been very successful with some of the best rugby we have played in a Hampton shirt, and a 66% win rate is far better than last year. 

Football

Freddie T (4F) gives us an insight into a very successful season for our U15A footballers:

After a trip away in Holland, the U15A team looked to continue their winning streak with a game against Downsend on the second day back. Prolific striker Rio added four more to his tally for the season, which helped the team see out a comfortable 5-1 win. Just a few days later, the squad looked to resume their run of good form in the Elgin League with a return to Eton. With the first game against Eton being a tight 1-1 draw the team knew it would take hard work and determination to gain three more vital points in the League. Hampton provided exactly what was needed and claimed a big 3-1 win over another good side. Again just a few days after their win, the U15As had to reset and focus on yet another must-win game in ISFA against Sherborne School. After a long and tiring trip to Dorset, the team put in a good performance to win 8-2 and book themselves a place in the draw for the round of 16. The boys then enjoyed a relaxing week without any fixtures before playing their first friendly of the half term away at Ardingly. Despite a poor performance, the team fought hard and won 4-2 courtesy of a superb volley from Charlie M and yet another hat-trick from Rio. Edging closer to the end of term, the U15A footballers still had two more important games to win before stopping for Christmas. A 1-0 win and another three points in the league left just one more game standing in the way of the team achieving an unbeaten half term: ISFA round of 16 back at home against Downsend. Despite what seemed like a convincing scoreline earlier in the term, the boys knew that they would be difficult to beat. After leading 2-0 at half time, Downsend pulled a goal back mid-way through the second half. A mixture of hard work, fight and determination helped Hampton see the game out and advance through to the quarter finals which will be played after Christmas. 

The first half of the U15B football season has been very positive. Under Mr Finnerty the team have progressed to the round of 16 in the ESFA Cup and the next round will be played once we get back after the Christmas break. Along with this, we have managed eight wins, two draws and four losses with three of those wins in the last three games. We hope we can keep this impressive form going into 2024 and I’m sure we can. By Joe P (4H) 

Last Tuesday the U15C football team played a thrilling game of football against Bedales School A team. We came into the game wary of the tough opposition we faced but were hopeful that we could demonstrate our ability and put into practice what we had learned in training. The game kicked off and immediately we knew it would be a tough game. Both teams played brilliantly, with great passing moves and passages of play until a great shot by Bedales number ten into the bottom right corner from outside the box put us one nil down right before half time. Undeterred, the whistle blew and the second half kicked off. Hampton pressed brilliantly and roughly ten minutes into the half it paid off as Louis H tackled the Bedales centre back and calmly converted from inside their box. We were now confident in our ability to win and it took until the final minutes of the game until we converted again, following a great passing move down the left hand side of the pitch and Louis H managed to find Omar O all alone on the right hand side of the box, who brilliantly converted into the bottom left corner. After, some solid defence in the final minute the final whistle blew and we came away with a great 2-1 win, with a deserved Louis H man of the match with a goal and an assist. By Theo S (4A)

Our first game of the U15D team’s second half term of football was against Downsend’s C team, and we managed to take an early lead with a goal from Oliver A (4J) before having to settle for a draw due to a goal from the opposition in the closing minutes of the game. A second game followed later in the week, against Eton, and we lost 5-2, conceding several goals in a matter of minutes. The following Saturday, a similar story unfolded with a 2-2 scoreline at half time, thanks to two penalties scored by Joseph M (4J) and once again, we conceded three goals in 10 minutes, going on to lose the game 6-2. Our final game was against Ardingly, and a thoroughly convincing and improved performance earned us a 4-0 win, thanks to goals from Oliver A (4J) and two from Dylan M (4F), one of which was a brilliant free kick. By Joshua C (4H)

Rowing

Fourth Year rowers have been working hard this term, with plenty of training on land albeit not on the water. Patrick M (4C) and Thomas L (4D) give us the lowdown:

Training for this half term has largely been limited to the land due to heavy rain and fast stream conditions. This ultimately led to the cancellation of Hampton Small Boats Head and all other races which had been scheduled, however not all is negative as we spent more time sweeping in eights with competitive battle paddles. We also had the opportunity to look forward to (or dread) the return of erg tests in the form of a 12 minute test and a 2km test rate capped at 24 strokes per minute – an introduction to a new distance which will be repeated in the summer and eventually at National Schools’ Regatta. The whole squad continues to drive each other onwards and to push each other to new highs. We look forward to another long term of hard work ending with the highly anticipated Schools’ Head of the River at the end of March. As a whole squad we would like to thank Mr Double and the rest of the coaching staff who have helped us over the course of the term and have kept us motivated in the hard winter months. 

Basketball

In our first game of the season, we went out with a seven man squad to Kingston Academy. We won 58 – 53, and it was a great effort all around! Our second game was against John Fisher and we put up a good fight against a more experienced team, but unfortunately lost to their expertise!

In our third game of the season, we played at home against Rutlish School. It went down to the wire, but in the end, we ended up losing by just two points 37 – 39. We have developed well over the term and in our last game, we had a really good win (55 – 41). It started off close, but towards the end we really built up a solid lead, and that carried over for the rest of the game. By Jack L (4D)

Special Shout-Outs

Huge congratulations to Dawood A (4H) who has made it through to the Hampshire County Cricket squad for his age group. Looking forward to hearing how you get on next year!

Dario P (4H) competed at an international Tennis Europe tournament in Oslo. Tennis Europe tournaments are international competitions played all around Europe consisting of players from around the globe. He reached the semi finals of this tournament playing against people from Norway, Lithuania and Great Britain. Well done Dario!

SHOEBOX APPEAL

Hamptonians spent the week organising, filling, and wrapping over 100 shoeboxes to donate to Solace Women’s Aid. Solace is a leading specialist charity in the UK supporting women and children experiencing domestic abuse. The lifesaving support that Solace provides to over 20,000 women, children and young people each year is so important. Each form donated items including stationary, toys, hygiene products, games and so much more. The donations will certainly make a huge impact on those in need and the life changing work that Solace do. On behalf of Form Charity and Solace, we would like to thank all Hampton staff and pupils for their valuable contributions to the shoebox appeal this Christmas.

Thank you to everyone who contributed!

Have a very Happy Christmas!