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Hampton School

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Hampton School
Hampton School main building and gate, opened 1939, as seen in 2013
Address
Map
Hanworth Road, Hampton

,
TW12 3HD

United Kingdom
Information
TypePrivate school
Senior school
Day school
MottoPraestat Opes Sapientia
(Wisdom surpasses wealth)
Established1557; 467 years ago (1557) (closed 1573)

Re-founding 1612 (1612)
First grammar school, 1697 (1697) (closed 1830)
Second grammar school, 1834 (1834)
As fee-paying grammar school 1868 (1868) (bankrupt 1909)
Under government control 1910 (1910)
As voluntary-aided 1955 (1955)

As private school, 1975; 49 years ago (1975)
FounderRobert Hammond[1]
Department for Education URN102946 Tables
HeadmasterKevin Knibbs
GenderBoys
Age range11-18
Enrolment1,567
Capacity1,650
Colour(s)Black and yellow    
School fees2024/25: £26,040 per full academic year (plus other charges) [2] Increase £1,320 (5.3%) 2023/24: £24,720 [3]
Feeder schoolsHampton Prep School
AlumniBrian May, Jim McCarty, Paul Samwell-Smith, Tony James, John Scott, Paul Casey, Louis Lynagh
Alumni nameOld Hamptonians
Websitehttp://www.hamptonschool.org.uk/

Hampton School is a fee-charging, boys-only private day school in Hampton, London, England. As of the 2024-2025 academic year, the school charges a minimum of £26,040 per year for attendance.[4] Until 1975, the school was a voluntary aided grammar school, with no fees. The school admits pupils aged between eleven and eighteen.

In 2021, 92% of the school's pupils achieved A* or A at A-Level. The school features 40th in one ranking of fee-paying schools in the United Kingdom by A-Level results.[5]

It has a preparatory school attached to it, for girls aged 3–7 and boys aged 3–11. It is next to The Lady Eleanor Holles School for girls, with which it co-operates in a number of co-curricular activities and shares several classes, clubs, facilities (including a swimming pool) and a coach service.

History

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In 1557, Robert Hammond, a wealthy brewer who was the largest tax-payer in Hampton, left in his will property for the maintenance of a "free scole" and to build a small schoolhouse "with seates in yt" in the churchyard of St Mary's Church, Hampton. The endowment was the Bell Inn, some other houses, and one acre of land. Hammond also founded a school at Kingston-upon-Thames.[1]

To mark this early history, Founders' Day is celebrated by the school towards the end of each academic year. The occasion is marked by a procession of boys walking from the school to St Mary's Church for a service including the school choir singing and readings.[citation needed]

Although the school was founded in 1557, there was provision in Hammond's will that the school would only continue as long as the vicar, churchwardens and parishioners carried out his requests. If not, then the properties would revert to his heirs. It seems that the school did not survive beyond 1568, or possibly earlier, and the properties reverted to the heirs.[1]

Subsequently, however, the school re-opened in 1612. This was as a result of a commission established to enquire into the fate of Tudor charities that had disappeared for various reasons. The "learned counsell on bothe sides" reached deadlock at the commissioners. However, in the spirit of compromise and through the generosity of the then legal owner of the properties, Nicholas Pigeon, the school was re-endowed.[1]

The early school was on the site of St Mary's Church by the River Thames. It moved to a site on Upper Sunbury Road in 1880. The new school buildings cost £8,000 and were built in the Elizabethan Tudor style to accommodate 125 day boys and 25 boarders. The school moved to its present site on Hanworth Road in 1939. The new 28-acre site allowed for expansion and the potential to provide for 600–650 boys. The foundation stone was laid on 5 July 1938 and a year later the school was opened. [citation needed]

In 1975, the school converted from voluntary aided status to become a fee-paying private school, after government changes to the administration of secondary education under the Education Act 1975.[6]

Headmaster Barry Martin retired in July 2013 after 16 years of service. He was succeeded by Kevin Knibbs in September 2013.

Sexual Abuse Cases

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There have been two incidents in recent years that involved crimes of sexual abuse perpetrated by teachers whilst at Hampton School.[7][8]

In 2020, Andrew Cook was found guilty of 37 sexual offences relating to pupils at the school while working as a teacher between 2011 and 2018. He was sentenced to a 6-year jail term. He had posed as a 16-year-old girl on social media, asked for, and received naked photos from several boys over nine years.[9][10] Cook was a rowing coach at the school. The school dismissed him following an internal investigation in 2018.[7]

In 2022, Christopher Arnold pleaded guilty and was added to the sex offenders register after filming through the window of a female shower room as someone was undressing inside. Arnold, a computer science teacher and assistant head of year, was in a romantic relationship with another teacher at the school.[8][11]


Notable former pupils

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in alphabetical order

Notable staff

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Sources

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  • Wild, Edward & Rice, Ken (2005) School by the Thames. Frome: Butler and Tanner Ltd (Ken Rice retired from teaching history at Hampton in 2007)
  • Hampton School Book

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Robert Hammond Founder of the Hampton School", Twickenham Museum, accessed 29 December 2023
  2. ^ "Fees - Hampton School". hamptonschool.org.uk. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
  3. ^ "Fees". Hampton School. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  4. ^ "Fees - Hampton School". hamptonschool.org.uk. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
  5. ^ "Top 100 Independent Schools by a Levels and Pre U".
  6. ^ "Schools (Status) (Hansard, 5 November 1980)". api.parliament.uk. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
  7. ^ a b Turner, Camilla; Tudor-Hart, Millie (8 July 2018). "Teacher at leading boys' school arrested on suspicion of sexual misconduct with pupils". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  8. ^ a b Sleator, Laurence (13 December 2023). "Teacher Christopher Arnold filmed female colleague taking shower". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  9. ^ "Jail for ex school rowing coach who posed as young woman online to get boys to expose themselves on camera". Reading Chronicle. 7 June 2020. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  10. ^ Turner, Camilla; Horton, Imogen (1 May 2020). "Ex-rowing coach at leading school pleads guilty to 37 charges of online sexual offences against children". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  11. ^ "Private school teacher blamed 'stress' after filming female colleague in shower". LBC. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  12. ^ Anon (2023). "HURLES, Dr. Matthew". Who's Who (online Oxford University Press ed.). Oxford: A & C Black. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U290131. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  13. ^ Interview with Tony James, Gary Crowley's Punk & New Wave Show, 21 October 2015.
  14. ^ Dunn, P M (2006). "Michael Underwood, MD (1737-1820): Physician-accoucheur of London". Archives of Disease in Childhood: Fetal and Neonatal Edition. 91 (2): F150–F152. doi:10.1136/adc.2005.074526. PMC 2672675. PMID 16492954.
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