Inspections & Reviews

Hampton School is regularly inspected and assessed by the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI), the body approved by the government for the purpose of inspecting independent schools in the UK. The School was last fully inspected in April 2026 and we are delighted that Hampton received a glowing report and met all requirements. To read a summary of the ISI Team’s key findings, please click on the booklet below:

Key Findings

The School is a positive and welcoming place where pupils thrive

Mutual trust and respect are at the heart of the School’s culture

Pupils are stretched academically so that they make the progress of which they are capable

Pupils are offered a particularly wide range of activities to choose from, including a host of music, performing arts and sporting opportunities

Leaders aim for every pupil to develop a sense of belonging as a valued member of the School community

Inspectors awarded Hampton a rare ‘Significant Strength’ accolade. This is the ISI’s highest form of commendation in any given area. It indicates that a School has gone substantially beyond expectations, delivering exemplary provision that serves as a model of excellence.

LEADERS MAKE PROMOTING PUPIL’S WELLBEING THEIR HIGHEST PRIORITY. THIS IS PARTICULARLY EVIDENT IN THE SCHOOL’S CO-CURRICULAR PROVISION

THIS IS EXCEPTIONALLY COMPREHENSIVE AND WELL-MANAGED AND HAS A HIGHLY POSITIVE AND BENEFICIAL IMPACT ON ALL ASPECTS OF PUPILS’ WELLBEING

THIS IS A ’SIGNIFICANT STRENGTH’ OF THE SCHOOL

The FULL report can be read here:

2026 ISI INSPECTION REPORT

Previous Inspections:

Full ISI Inspection: Focused Comliance and Educational Quality Inspection Report – March 2023

Inspectors judged Hampton to be ‘Excellent’ (the highest possible recognition) in all categories. They found that Hamptonians’ achievements are exceptional across academic and co-curricular areas of School life.

2023 ISI Full Report

Regulatory Compliance Inspection – March 2019

The 2019 inspection visit reported only on the School’s compliance with standards. Hampton School has met all of the inspection criteria and as such is judged to be fully compliant. The School met the standards in the schedule to the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014 and no further action was required as a result of the inspection.

HAMPTON SCHOOL RCI REPORT

Integrated (Educational Quality and Compliance) Inspection: March 2016

ISI inspectors awarded Hampton the highest judgement possible in every category. Their main findings were as follows:

2016 ISI REPORT SUMMARY Download the full report

Standard Inspection: February 2010

ISI inspectors judged Hampton to be excellent (the highest possible recognition) across all categories.

2010 ISI full REPORT

The Good Schools Guide (GSG) is a respected independent guide to schools in the UK. You can read their full report via the link below, but here are just a few of their comments on life at Hampton:

The strong focus on the boys’ happiness, alongside ‘really good teaching,’ helps them achieve exceptionally well.

It’s cool to be clever, and there’s a prevailing spirit of intellectual curiosity.

Pastoral care is ‘second to none’: parents give it an A*.

Intellectual exploration is celebrated in every corridor.

One of the most genuinely inclusive, diverse independent schools in the London area.

academic and aspirational, it’s nonetheless a very inclusive and caring school, providing as many all-round opportunities as possible.

Some of the politest boys you could hope to meet …..we loved their ready humour and zest for life.

VIEW THE FULL REPORT

Hampton School is proud to be among the top UK senior schools included in the Tatler Schools Guide 2026. Here are just some of the comments from recent reviews:

Hampton is a ‘pastoral paradise’ according to one parent, while another says ‘We often have to pinch ourselves that our boys go to school there’

Hampton boys ’emerge grounded men of the world’

Head, Kevin Knibbs, is ‘off-the-scale brilliant!’

I cannot tell you how many times over the years we have thanked our lucky stars that we made the decision we did,’ says one parent

students love the ‘relaxed and jovial’ atmosphere in which they look out for each other: ‘People don’t just try to be the best they can but try to help those around them be the best they can.’

To read the latest Tatler review see below:

‘I cannot tell you how many times over the years we have thanked our lucky stars that we made the decision we did,’ says one parent, who has sent multiple sons to Hampton. Being among the oldest independent schools in the country, its motto of ‘Wisdom surpasses wealth’ has certainly stood the test of time. This sentiment is threaded through a thriving community partnerships programme, in which Hamptonians assist in reading development and chess lessons at local primaries, and exam results are always very strong. Sixth-formers have been given the chance to roam outside the curriculum with the introduction of an electives programme that offers topics ranging from acting and directing to ancient Greek art – not forgetting design engineering, for which students build environmentally friendly kit cars for racing. Clubs are interesting and varied, and a new Illusion Lab, which challenges pupils to create optical illusions, is a big hit. A number of sportsmen have achieved national acclaim, with one football player recently making his Premier League debut while another boy, who came up through the rowing programme, is now an U19 world champion in the Junior Men’s Eight. With five choirs and more than 20 ensembles, music is so much a high note that in 2024 the 50-strong a cappella choir scored five-star reviews at the Edinburgh Fringe. Most importantly, students love the ‘relaxed and jovial’ atmosphere in which they look out for each other: ‘People don’t just try to be the best they can but try to help those around them be the best they can.’

Open Morning