Boys join Hampton from over 100 different feeder schools each year, and delivery of a smooth induction programme is therefore essential to help boys settle in as quickly as possible and make new friends.

Our staff have a wealth of experience of this important process and our induction programme is an established and effective one. Helping boys feel at home is a priority at Hampton.

Joining us in First Year (Year 7)

Form allocation

Before allocating boys to a Form, we ask them to choose which modern foreign language they would like to study and to name any other boys they would particularly like to be with. We try as far as possible to accommodate the boys’ wishes. Forms normally include 24 boys who stay in the same Form group for their first two years at Hampton. They will have different Form Tutors and Subject Tutors each academic year.

Welcome Morning

A Welcome Morning for all new boys and their parents is held at the end of the summer term prior to entry. Boys have the opportunity to meet the Head of First Year, their Form Tutor and other boys in their form.

New Boys’ Day

All First Year boys come into School for the morning before the start of the Autumn Term providing them with the opportunity to familiarise themselves with their Form room and the layout of the School before the rest of the boys return the following day. The boys spend the morning with their Form Tutor and their Sixth Form Mentors before having lunch in the Dining Hall.

Each Form is allocated two Sixth Form Mentors. These are Upper Sixth boys who have been specially selected to work with the First Year Forms. Their role is to be there to help, support and advise the boys, and to act as a link between the boys and their Form Tutor.

Avon Tyrrell

Two or three weeks into term, all the boys go to Avon Tyrrell Activity Centre in the New Forest for an overnight stay. During their time away the boys tackle a variety of problem-solving tasks such as high and low ropes courses, orienteering, raft-building and constructing an obstacle course. The emphasis in all their activities is on working together as part of a group, having fun and making new friends.

Teacher and Parent Meetings

During the first half of the autumn term all Subject Teachers of each First Year Form meet with the Heads of Year and the Form Tutor to review the progress of each boy. This is followed by a Pastoral Forum when the parents meet the Form Tutor to discuss their son’s pastoral and academic progress. A second Parents’ Evening is held in the spring term when parents can meet all their son’s Subject Teachers.

Joining us in Third Year (Year 9)

Form Allocation

Great care is taken to integrate those who join the Third Year at 13+ with the boys already in the School. Forms are reshuffled so that each contains a mix of newcomers and existing boys. Boys joining the School and boys coming up from the Lower School both have the opportunity to choose a few friends they would particularly like to be with and we try as far as possible to accommodate their wishes. We also ensure that boys from the same school and/or similar geographical location are placed in the same Form.

Welcome Evening

A Welcome Evening is held for all new boys and their parents towards the end of the summer term prior to entry. The evening provides an opportunity to meet the Heads of Year, Form Tutors and other boys joining the School, discuss subject options and generally learn a little more about life at Hampton.

New Boys’ Day

All boys joining the Third Year come into School for the morning before the start of the autumn term providing them with the opportunity to familiarise themselves with their Form room and get to know the other boys in their Form before the rest of the School returns the following day. The boys spend the morning with their Form Tutors and their Sixth Form Mentors before having lunch in the Dining Hall.

Each Form is allocated two Sixth Form Mentors. These are Upper Sixth boys who have been specially selected to work with the Third Year Forms. Their role is to help, support and advise the boys, and to act as a link between the boys and their Form Tutors. With the help of the Heads of Year and Sixth Form Mentors, the Form Tutors ensure that each of their tutees settles in as quickly as possible.

Team Building Day

In the second week, a day is set aside for all Third Year boys to participate in a Team Building Programme. The boys tackle a variety of problem-solving tasks with healthy competition between Forms. Most importantly, the emphasis is on working together, having fun and getting to know their new classmates.

Teacher and Parent Meetings

Form Tutors write to the parents of all boys about three weeks into the term to check that all is well. Parents have two opportunities to meet with their son’s Form Tutors during the autumn term. Firstly at a Pastoral Forum evening in September and then at a Parents’ Coffee Morning in October. In order to meet subject teachers, Parents’ Evening for all Third Year parents is held in February.

JoiNing us at Sixth Form

New Sixth Form pupils join tutor groups of around ten pupils. In September all new Lower Sixth boys come into School for the morning before the start of the autumn term. This induction morning involves meetings with the Head of Lower Sixth, Form Tutors and Heads of Department for each A Level subject option. Each new boy is also assigned a buddy in his Form to help him settle in and show him around the School.

There is an early Parents’ Evening in September for all Lower Sixth parents to meet their son’s new tutor and in October the Head of Year will write to the parents of new Lower Sixth pupils to report on their progress both academically and in terms of settling in. A Parents’ Evening for all Lower Sixth parents is held in the spring term.