Welcome to the third Year Blog!
And so there it is.
The corridors fall silent. The classrooms are empty. The bells have no need to ring.
The teachers silently file into the downstairs bunker underneath the Hammond and ease themselves into their cryogenic chambers for summer storage.
All is peaceful. All is quiet.
A summer of wildly untucked shirts awaits.
All this is both wonderful and bittersweet.
So much has been achieved; so many friends have been made; so many challenges have been overcome.
There is so much to be proud of for all of you. But now it is complete.
So, what can there possibly be in the Third Year Blog when the Third Year has finished? If there are no actual Third Years anymore, does the Third Year Blog still exist? If a Third Year Blog fell in the forest and no one heard it, did it make a sound?
All valid questions.
As it is, the Third Year Blog does not yet need to face this existential crisis, as we still have loads for this week’s blog.
Darts, Chemistry, Cricket, Creativity, Swimming, Biology, Geography AND the final results of the Williams Cup after the Giving Day 1557 Interform Challenge.
What a feast! What a year! What a year group! The Third Year Blog will be sorry to see you all move on to the Fourth Year! Go well! (FYI, the Third Year Blog is, frankly, embarrassed by the number of exclamation marks in that last paragraph, but sometimes the emotion can become too much).
Heads of Year Message
Summer Holidays Laptops Reminder:
School laptops are to be used for School work only. Some pupils have got this wrong and find themselves in trouble for inappropriate use. School laptops are not for using social media or for playing games. Please remember that there is monitoring software on School laptops and that this operates even when away from the School’s wifi – i.e. it still applies over the summer holidays.
Well done to everyone for their enthusiastic participation in the wide range of Giving Day events on Tuesday and Wednesday. The 1557 challenge was a real highlight of the final week of term – a great team effort all round.
Congratulations to 3B for winning the Interform Challenge this year. The final interform results table can be found further down this blog.
Thank you to all Third Year Form Tutors for your sterling efforts throughout this year – you have been amazing and wonderful in equal measure.
Well done to everyone for reaching the end of term in good order and high spirits. Thank you to all Third Year pupils for being good natured, collegiate, determined and innovative this academic year. As we said at the Prizegiving event last week, most important of all, you have been great company throughout.
We hope you all enjoy the summer holidays!
Best wishes
Mr T Rigby & Mr H Moore
Giving Day – Staff vs Pupils Darts competition
On Wednesday, the long awaited pupils vs teachers darts competition took place.
After a lengthy pre-match build up, as people slowly poured into the Main Hall, nerves were jangling. It was Monty R and Fred O who had been elected by their respective teams to throw for the bullseye to see who would kick off the match. Despite both darts being close, Monty’s dart was marginally closer, meaning that him and Jonty G would throw first.
After a very shaky start from all four players, with lots of darts straying from the 20, the magnificent Fred settled the game down with a 180 which was loved by the crowd, but involved a celebration which wasn’t quite as impressive! After that, the standard improved slightly in the leg, however the damage had already been done, with Monty and Jonty falling behind in the leg due to the 180 from Fred. After three missed darts at double by Fred, Charlie L pinned the double 16 in the first dart in magnificent style, with Fred thinking that they had won the match, only to realise it was first to two!
After that, there was no catching Monty and Jonty for Fred and Charlie, with a few good scoring visits, however the screw was really turned when Jonty took out 57 in two darts, followed by Monty taking out 78 to win the match, with a stunning 100% checkout rate from the pair. The teachers’ semi-final saw Mr Barnes and Mr Scarratt prevail, with a convincing win topped off by a double seven in one dart by Mr Scarratt.
The bullseye challenge from the raffle saw Tom S come close to the bullseye, and leading the challenge for the most of it. That was of course until the eventual winner, Alex C-S, stepped up and went marginally closer, with the decision only made after a long amount of time measuring who was closest.
In the main tournament final, Monty won the bull up against Mr Barnes, meaning he and Jonty would throw first. After brilliant scoring from the pair of them, Monty cleared up double 20 in 3 darts to conclude a 21 dart leg. The next leg again saw good scoring from the pair, however, potentially due to nerves, many darts were missed at double, until Jonty checked out 8 to win the match, and the tournament.
A fantastic competition and hopefully one that can be repeated!
CREST Award
As the year comes to a close, I was very pleased to receive the CREST Bronze Award. My project was a food calorimetry experiment, where I investigated how much energy is stored in everyday foods by burning samples like popcorn, spaghetti, and Wotsits, and then measuring how much they heated water. It was a challenging but fascinating experience that helped me build practical skills, understand more about nutrition, and compare my results with actual food packaging data. Next year, I’m aiming for the CREST Silver Award, and I’m excited to keep building on what I’ve learned so far.
The CREST Award is a brilliant opportunity for anyone interested in science to go beyond the classroom and explore a topic in depth. It takes commitment, problem-solving, and careful planning, but it’s also really rewarding. I’d definitely encourage others to take part—especially those who enjoy working independently and want to develop their confidence in scientific investigation. It’s a great way to see how science applies to the real world, especially if you’re planning to take up science-related careers in the future.
By David B (3D)
London Youth Games – Swimming
Last Saturday, Nathaniel O represented Richmond at the London Youth Games, Europe’s largest community youth sporting event.
The London Youth Games Games bring together talented young athletes from across London to compete in a range of sports to proudly representing their boroughs. Nathaniel was part of the junior freestyle relay team that swam to a fantastic silver medal. He also competed in the 50m breaststroke, winning a bronze in his individual event. Well done, Nathaniel — a great effort and a result to be proud of.
U14A Cricket
This weekend held a great end to a successful cricket season for the U14As. Coming up against Whitgift, arguably the best team on the season’s fixture list, was always going to prove a challenge. Hampton lost the toss and were quickly put in to field. A great opening spell by Louis S enabled Hampton to take the quick wicket of the Whitgift number one. We bowled well and were able to keep the scoring rate down for the first half of the game but were unable to take another wicket until the 20th over, when Vayun J got the breakthrough wicket with a solid catch in the deep by Max J. In his next over Vayun was then able to take another wicket, as the other opener fell to his leg spin, scoring 77 runs.
During this phase, Hampton were able to keep momentum and pick up a fourth wicket, bringing Whitgift to 125-4 with only seven overs remaining. However, the next batsmen for Whitgift were able to score quickly, making a 99 run undefeated partnership from just 49 balls, bringing Whitgift’s total to 224-4 after 30 overs.
Our openers went out to bat, looking to see out the opening spells, but unfortunately some accurate bowling left Hampton at finding themselves at 5-1. A couple more dismissals before the halfway point left Hampton at 55-3 going into the 13th over and Sebastian W found himself coming in as we needed to accelerate the run-rate. Batting with captain Manav V, the pair were able to put on a 67 run partnership before Manav was dismissed on 47, agonisingly close to a half century. After another wicket fell only an over later we found ourselves needing 90 to win off only 7 overs, with 6 wickets in hand.
After hitting a convincing boundary off his first ball, Nico W was able to give Seb the strike for the next two overs, which he was able to hit for a total over 34 runs. Seb continued this impressive power hitting, dispatching almost every ball to the boundary, which eventually led to him reaching his third century for Hampton, and us only needing 9 from 12 to win.
These remaining runs were hit in only 4 balls, winning Hampton the game by 6 wickets with 8 balls remaining, and bringing Seb’s total for the game to a massive 119* from 60 balls. This was a very memorable game for everyone involved and was a highlight of the season for most players, it was certainly mine.
By Nico W (3F)
Richmond Arts Festival for Junior Writers
On 28 March 2025, I went to the Richmond Arts Festival for Junior Writers. At this event, young writers are invited to a theatre where their work would be read out and acted out by a group of young actors. I was lucky enough to get invited for my story about change: it follows a man as he transitions from a luxury life to a life in poverty.
To my surprise, I actually won my category and got to meet the mayor of Richmond to collect my reward. I would recommend entering to anyone who has a idea for a story. It is a really great way to hear your work be presented by people with a different perspective.
By Marcus P
And here is Marcus’ outstanding story:
Change for change
The sun had just peeked over the frosty windowsill of his sixth-floor apartment. He sat at the kitchen table as the cool London light rolled across the room. The heat from his hot chocolate warmed his freshly shaven face and soothed his mind. The taste of rich cocoa melted in his mouth. He walked across the room in his silk dressing gown and leather slippers. He peered out of the large windows into the stunning city scape. From the other room, the luxury toaster launches two pieces of golden-brown sourdough bread across the room and onto a beautiful porcelain plate.
Suddenly, there were six firm knocks on the door, and then another six firmer knocks. He set his steaming mug down and opened the oak door to see a man in a high visibility jacket walking away, turning a small mallet in his hand. Then, his heart sank down to his hips as he saw a piece of paper nailed to his beautiful door. Three words in bold red stood at the top of the page… Immediate Eviction Notice.
…Six weeks later…
The cold sun had just peeked over the frosty roof tops, looking down towards the foggy pavements. He lay slumped in the doorway of an abandoned corner shop, with all his possessions to his side. The wind felt cold and harsh upon his face and the frost bit at his hands and feet. His breath was the only warmth that he had felt for six long weeks. He clasped his hands around his face in despair, he felt the stubble accumulating around his chin. His thin hoody was decorated with stains and marks. His stomach rumbled as he felt the crunch and taste of golden-brown toast. His mug that once held deliciously creamy hot chocolate, now held six humble pennies with a note saying, ‘spare change please’.
1557 Giving Day Challenge and the final Williams’ Cup standings
This week saw the final Interform Event, the 1557 Giving Day challenge. Each form had to try to cover the greatest distance across a combination of bike, ergo and running.
The efforts were huge and the results incredibly important for the almost unfeasibly prestigious Williams’ Cup.
So with no further ado, let’s dive in to those results…
1557 Giving Day Challenge results
1st 3D – 9 pts
2nd 3B – 8pts
3rd 3A – 7pts
4th 3C – 6pts
5th 3E – 5pts
6th 3H – 4pts
7th 3F – 3pts
8th 3J – 2pts
9th 3G – 1pt
So, what does this mean? WHAT DOES IT MEAN??
THE FINAL WILLIAMS’ CUP STANDINGS
1st 3B – 95 pts
2nd 3D – 92 pts
3rd 3A – 72 pts
4th 3F – 69 pts
5th 3E – 66 pts
6th 3C – 59 pts
7th 3J – 56 pts
8th 3H – 41 pts
9th 3G – 39 pts
So, 3B WIN! What a triumph.
Wildlife Photography Competition
If you’ve got some free time over the summer holidays, why not enter the Biology department’s Wildlife Photography Competition? Take a look at the poster below to find out more:
The closing date is Friday 26 September 2025, so you have plenty of time to go out and take some fantastic photos! Prizes will be awarded for all categories.
Geography Photography Competition
The Geography summer holiday photo competition is back for another year!
We’d love you to send us a snap of anything geographical you’ve captured over the summer, whether you’re staying in the UK or heading abroad. It could be a bustling urban scene, a peaceful coastal landscape, a mountain vista, or a local walk that caught your eye. The choice is yours!
This year, the two winning photos will be displayed – one taken in the UK and one taken abroad. From these entries, we’ll be awarding:
- 1st Place (UK)
- 1st Place (Abroad)
- Runner-Up (UK)
- Runner-Up (Abroad)
There is a limit of one entry per pupil, so choose carefully. Please email your photo to Mr Harrison at ch.harrison@hamptonschool.org.uk by the end of the first full week back: Friday 12 September.
We can’t wait to see your creative and geographical snaps!
Two truths and a lie
Last week, as our final liar of the year, we welcomed Mrs Morse of the English Department to the palatial surroundings of the Two Truths and lie suite. These are her claims:
- Mrs Morse used to live next door to the drummer from Coldplay and was embroiled in a legal squabble between her landlord and the famous sticksman about a taxi.
- Mrs Morse is a spoon whittler. If you give her a piece of wood, she will whittle a spoon for you. If she sees a piece of wood, she immediately pictures the spoon that she would whittle from it.
- Mrs Morse was pursued for 4 years by the GB paralympic rowing team because they knew she had a condition called Equinus Foot, which potentially meant that she qualified for their squad and they wanted her to row for them.
Mrs Morse was an elite rower, so the story about being pursued by the GB paralympic rowing team is a true one. She also did live next to the drummer from Coldplay and got caught in a legal crossfire about a taxi. What this means is that it is not true that Mrs Morse is someone who feels an uncontrollable urge to whittle a spoon when she sees a piece of wood.
Connection Corner
Time to reveal the answers to the very last Connection Corner of the year:
In astronomy, a cloud of gas and dust in outer space, visible in the night sky is called what? Nebula
What leafy salad do Americans call arugula? Rocket
What is the name of the predatory insect named for the look of their folded forelegs, which are held close together as if praying? Praying mantis
What is the name of the screenwriter, writer and producer of the Lord of the Rings trilogy? Peter Jackson
Connection: Guardian of the Galaxy characters (Nebula, Rocket Raccoon, Mantis and Peter Quinn)
Did you get the correct answers? Well done to Matthew L, Seb W, Hari L, Huw C, Sion K, Oskar P, David W, James G, Luke F, Joe B and Alex G.
And all that’s left to say is…
