Welcome to the Third Year Blog!
A comparatively unheralded moment in the Hampton calendar is the point at which the pupils start getting into their Hampton Extended Learning Programme (HELP) projects. This is a scheme that pupils can choose to take part in (over 50 Third Years are doing so this year) where they have the opportunity to spend some of their own time producing a piece of work investigating and exploring a topic of their choice. They have the support of a teacher acting as a supervisor, but fundamentally it is something that is driven by the pupil themselves.
Apart from encouraging pupils to explore things that they are interested in, it is a great opportunity for them to learn how to plan and complete a longer project comparatively independently – while their supervisor is there to support, it is the pupil who will be driving the project. It is a great thing to do and it is wonderful to see so many Third Year Hamptonians getting involved.
Beyond celebrating the basic principle, the Third Year Blog was astonished by the list of project titles. If ever something was indicative of the incredibly broad range of interests here at the School, it is this list.
From ‘Will AI take over human art?’ to ‘SASUKE Ninja Warrior – Past, Present and Future’ to ‘Dog Psychology’ to ‘The History of Calculus’ to ‘The History of FROMSOFTWARE’ to ‘The Crisis of the 3rd Century and the Decline of Western Rome’ to ‘Quantum Programming’ to ‘Praying Mantis Evolution and Habits’ to ‘Dreams’ to ‘Genetic Engineering in Medicine’ to ‘The Search for Life on Other Worlds’, there truly is something for everyone.
While the HELP project is about academic enquiry, independent learning and just being interested in the world and everything in and about it, there are also prizes on offer for those projects which are deemed to be the very best. This means that the Third Year Blog is both jealous of and pities Mr Hill who will have the task of casting his eye over them all. He warrants our jealousy because it must be fascinating to be able to see all the wonderful work and thought that is ultimately produced. But he certainly warrants our pity as the Third Year Blog can only imagine how difficult it is to judge whether the project about a project about ‘The beginning and the end of the Universe’ is more successful than one dissecting ‘The evolution of Video Games’, or the one that is attempting to cover the small matter of ‘the Advancements of the Modern Era’.
Fortunately, the Third Year Blog is not faced with such a challenge. This is genuinely fortunate as the Third Year Blog may not even be able to successfully understand a HELP project focused on The beginning and the end of the universe, so we are far better off leaving that to other members of the Common Room.
The challenge the Third Year Blog does face is getting a year group who is coming up with so many wonderful HELP project ideas to write enough blog articles to keep the insatiably blog hungry public satisfied and, we fear, this is a challenge that has been more challenging this week than it normally is.
It goes without saying that the doors of the Third Year Blog are always open to any contributions that celebrate the remarkably broad skill set and interest range of the Third year pupils of Hampton, so if you have anything to share, please email it to Mr Green (tj.green@hamptonschool.org.uk).
Heads of year Message
Third Year Parents’ Evening
We hope that parents have all been able to make video call appointments for Third Year Parents’ Evening on Tuesday 27 January. We will write to parents separately next week with a progress report on the year to date to accompany your Parents’ Evening feedback from subject teachers. Please read the guidance on how to join the video call appointments carefully in advance of Parents’ Evening. Please contact Mr Gray (s.gray@hamptonschool.org.uk) if you have any queries regarding your Parents’ Evening appointments on Tuesday.
DASH and Lucid testing
We wrote to all parents at the start of term explaining that DASH and Lucid testing will take place this term. These tests are nothing to be worried about – pupils cannot and should not attempt to revise for them. There is no pass or fail, and the tests will not affect grade cards. The DASH tests will happen during Form Period on Thursday 5 February, whilst Lucid testing will occur during period 3 on Monday 2 February.
Co-curricular activities
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 registration and there are further reminders on the digital displays around school. This week was Art Week for First to Third Years and the audition process for the Lower School production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory have just been announced. Pupils can view the full range of activities via SharePoint here.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Auditions for Hampton’s Lower School Summer Show, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, will take place as follows:
The first round of auditions is on Tuesday 3 February 4.10 – 5.30pm in the Main Hall and recall auditions are on Wednesday 11 February 4.00 – 5.15pm in the Hammond Theatre.
If you are wanting to attend, please ensure you complete the form below by Thursday 29 January.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Auditions – Fill in form
Uniform
In the colder weather, pupils 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 (properly tied) and school blazer, with a white shirt (tucked in and buttoned up), smart black 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 black V-neck jumper. Coats should not be worn inside the school buildings.
Absences
If your child will be absent from School for any reason, please complete the absence reporting form, which can be found on My School Portal, on every morning of absence. For absences other than illness (e.g. if a pupil has a medical appointment during School hours) notice of this should be given in advance wherever possible. For planned absences, please contact the Heads of Year requesting the absence with as much notice as possible.
We hope that everyone enjoys the weekend.
Best wishes
Mr T Rigby & Mr H Moore
Rugby Roundup
U14B Rugby
After lunch on Friday, we all hopped into the minibuses and drove over to Fulham Boys School for our U14B rugby game. Fulham Boys started really well, and their speed and strength just put us on the back foot right away. Even with all that, we played well on occasion. Right before half-time, Tanish K got the ball, way back in our own half, and just kept going, dodging one tackler after another, scoring a full pitch try. Going into the half-time break, Tanish’s try had given us a chance, giving us hope for the second half.
Fulham kept scoring in the second half, but we didn’t give up just yet. Derin A, in his first rugby game, scored a try, a fantastic achievement for his first ever rugby game. Alex P then had his shot at the conversion, and even with the angle, he got it in.Fulham Boys won 39-12, and even though we lost, we have plenty of hope going into our next couple games.
By Atharv J (3C)
Foot3C)ball Focus
U14A Football
Last Saturday the U14A team faced Dulwich College, a team who beat us in last year’s ISFA semi-finals. We had a slow start to the game, defending for the start of the first half until they broke the deadlock. 1-0 to Dulwich. After that, they were searching for another goal, trying to extend their lead before half time. Sadly, after good defending and a very impressive double save from Ollie S, they scored one more before the break to make it 2-0.
When we came back out from a powerful team talk, we started to ease into the game and created brilliant chances until Neil M won the ball high up the pitch and went to slot one past the keeper. Dulwich 2, Hampton 1.We kept on trying to find an equaliser in the dying minutes of the game until Dulwich scored from a corner. The whistle was blown with the score 3-1 to Dulwich College.
By Noah P (3F)
Anyone for Table Tennis?
Below we have two reports on Table Tennis from Wilson Y (3D). This is excellent anyway, but it is particularly notable, as he is playing for the School U16 Table Tennis team. Great work in representing the Third Year at the higher age group, Wilson!
On Monday 19 January, our U16 team travelled to Whitgift to play against their U16 squad for a league match. It was our first game of the new term, so we were all quite excited and nervous for our match. When we arrived we all started to warm up but our opponent seemed to be missing two players during warm up. When we started the matches, two of the opponents didn’t show up and as a result of that they forfeited those matches. So we comfortably won the match with a result of 8 – 2! Light work!
On Tuesday 20 January our U16 team played Rutlish School at home for our second match. We already had a victory under our belt, so we were confident that we would also be able to also win this game, but we knew that Rutlish would be a formidable opponent. We focused on our warmup and getting ourselves ready for the games ahead. For our singles matches we only lost two games and for our doubles match, we won both so we won the game 8 – 2.
By Wilson Y (3D)
Bebras Challenge
‘What is the Bebras Challenge?’, the Third Year Blog hears you cry (except that it would essentially be impossible for the Third Year Blog to hear you cry that at this point, as the blog is still being written, meaning that as that sentence is written you wouldn’t have read the headline and, therefore, would not have been crying ‘What is the Bebras Challenge’).
According to the organisers, ‘The Bebras Challenge introduces computational thinking to students worldwide. This exciting challenge takes place in schools, under the supervision of teachers, over a two-week period every November. Last year, over 3 million pupils from more than 80 countries participated!’
Of course, this sounds like EXACTLY the sort of thing that a Hamptonian might thrive at.
So it proved, with 119 Third Years receiving a Gold award – outstanding work.
However, worthy of special mention are the four Third Year pupils who achieved full marks, getting 165 out of 165.
Congratulations to Alex Z, Erik P, Charles B and Leo S!
Well done, all!
Hampton Innovators Competition
Do you enjoy creativity, teamwork, and a challenge? Want the chance to win a trophy and prize while tackling real-world issues? The Hampton Innovators Competition is now open and focuses on protecting the environment. Your idea should link to one of these UN Sustainable Development Goals:
• Responsible Consumption – reducing waste and using resources wisely
• Climate Action – tackling climate change
• Life on Land – protecting forests, biodiversity, and wildlife
Pupils can work alone or in a team (up to four pupils). Your idea doesn’t need to be fully practical — it can be creative, ambitious, and original, as long as it helps build a greener world.
📅 Deadline for applications: Friday 30 January
Finalists will present their ideas at a grand final later this term. Check your email for the entry link and full details.
Good luck!
The Hampton Environment Society
Two truths and a lie
You may remember that last week’s liar was Miss Vasanthakumar. This is what she claimed:
- Ms Vasanthakumar was once attacked by an octopus, having to beat it away with a tube of suncream
- Ms Vasanthakumar met her self-set year’s reading challenge and read 20 books in 2025
- Ms Vasanthakumar is a huge Marvel fan
So which was the lie?
Ms Vasanthakumar LOVES Marvel films, though she has not told the Third Year Blog her favourite. She also did read 20 books in 2025, meeting her self-set target. Yes Ms Vasanthakumar is a numbers wizard (witch?), but she is also remarkably well read. What this means is that she wasn’t attacked by an octopus and had no need to resort to hitting cephalopods with suncream bottles.
This week, Mr Zannetou is the teacher weaving a web of deceit for you. The Third Year Blog likes to think that all of these are true, but one is not…
- Mr Zannetou is affiliated with the Mozambican national football team
- Mr Zannetou raced cars (he is unspecific about which type of cars)
- Mr Zannetou was once a security guard for 90s pop idol and reality TV hero Peter Andre
Which is the lie?
CONNECTION CORNER
A big shout out to everyone who had a go at last week’s Connection Corner and well done those of you who answered all the questions correctly. Merits go to all those who correctly guessed that the answers were all types of mints! Merits go to Richard C, Rishi V, George T, Uzair SC, Kolawole A, Alex B, Ian L, James A, Charlie F, Kahana M, Sujay N, George W, Dante A, Ilakian D, Shaurya D, Jack T, Aaron J and Arjan C.
Another tricky one this week, have a go over the weekend and see if you can spot the connection:
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)
