From the Headmaster's Study
28 March 2025
Warmer weather, longer daylight hours, and emerging blossom have heralded a welcome change of season as we’ve navigated the final days of a fulfilling spring term.
Reflecting on Hampton life since January, it has been a period characterised by palpable energy, common purpose, and fun. As ever, I am somewhat in awe of what Hamptonians have achieved and accomplished since term began. You can catch up on the many highlights via the accompanying e-newsletter and the spring edition of News from Hampton (NfH), which should have reached you via SchoolPost earlier this week.
As you will see in these publications, our musicians and dramatists have treated us to an impressive range of performances and productions, culminating in Wednesday evening’s splendid Spring Concert. Entitled Women in Music, the programme saw over 130 Hamptonians taking to the Hammond stage to perform pieces ranging from Billie Eilish to Florence Price. And while we have become happily accustomed to the brilliance of our Music department, this year’s joint Hampton and LEH Choral Society Concert was truly remarkable. A choir of over 150 singers, including Hampton and LEH pupils and parents (current and former) joined the orchestra to raise the Hammond’s rafters. Bravo to one and all!
A joint Hampton-Waldegrave cast and crew also delighted audiences when the Junior Musical Bugsy Malone was performed in February. Regular appearances for splurge guns and custard pies added to the joy and ebullience of this wonderfully uplifting show.
When it comes to entertainment, our sportsmen have been doing a marvellous job of keeping us on the edge of our seats while excelling in a range of regional and national schools’ competitions. This week sees the climax of the Rugby Sevens season, with Hampton teams across the age groups giving their all at the Rosslyn Park National Sevens.
Our rowers have also been in sporting action this week. From my vantage point near Hammersmith Bridge (sadly not on it this year due to zealous stewarding!), it was my pleasure to join a vociferous and knowledgeable band of Boat Club parents to cheer on our crews at the Schools’ Head of the River Race on the Tideway. Results, including two category wins, were very encouraging and bode well for the summer regatta season.
As you will read in NfH, it has been an especially successful football season even by our School’s traditionally high standards in the round ball game. Several squads have reached the latter stages of the English Schools’ FA (ESFA) and Independent Schools’ FA (ISFA) tournaments, and while our First XI squad sadly fell at the semi-final hurdle in both competitions, Mr Boyes’ U15As and Mr Leafe’s all-conquering Second XI have booked their ESFA Cup Final spots at West Bromwich Albion FC’s and Stoke City FC’s grounds respectively – we look forward to cheering both sides on next term.
Bon voyage to those heading out on any of 15 school trips over the Easter break. Travel provides many of life’s greatest lessons, and I encourage the 450 pupils travelling to destinations far and wide to make the most of every moment. I confess to being more than a little envious of them after being lucky enough to join the Iceland trip earlier in the term with our Fourth and Fifth Year Geographers. If my experience in the land of ice and fire is anything to go by, Hamptonians are incredibly fortunate to discover fascinating parts of the world in the company of my erudite and enthusiastic colleagues. I am indebted to them and indeed all members of the Hampton Common Room for their unwavering dedication to offering our pupils such an excellent academic and all-round education.
I’ll end by sharing something that, in our final assembly of term, I asked current Hamptonians to do over the upcoming break. I made this request while recognising that sitting down to watch anything longer than a 30-second TikTok or Instagram clip – let alone in the company of their parents – is increasingly rare for young people. Nevertheless, our boys have been asked to watch – ideally alongside you – the Richard Dimbleby Lecture 2025, given by Sir Gareth Southgate and called The Beautiful Game: Building Belief and Resilience in a Younger Generation. This speech, which available is on BBC iPlayer (linked here) has been rightly and widely lauded; it is well worth just under an hour of anyone’s time and attention.
I’ll avoid any ‘spoilers’, but there is a lot said by Sir Gareth that should resonate with all of us at Hampton, especially his view that belief and resilience rest on three key foundations: identity, connections, and culture. I couldn’t agree more and these elements are as important to our School community, and indeed wider society, as they were to his England football squad. No matter how talented you are as an individual, success is impossible without building meaningful connections with the people around you, something that is becoming harder, not easier to do, especially in an online world where you can have hundreds, thousands, even millions of followers, yet feel that you don’t have one person to turn to when you really need help. This is why we remind Hamptonians regularly (and unapologetically) of our School community’s guiding principle: aspiring to personal best while supporting those around us with kindness and respect. This is what creates human connections at Hampton, along with a sense of belonging, and a shared recognition that we are part of something bigger than ourselves.
In closing, I wish all members of our School community a restful break and I shall look forward to seeing everyone next term.
With kind regards and best wishes
