Hampton School

Hampton School
Hampton School
	Hampton School main building and gate, opened 1939, as seen in 2013
Address
	Hanworth Road, Hampton; London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, TW12 3HD; United Kingdom
Information
Type	Private school; Senior school; Day school
Motto	Praestat Opes Sapientia; (Wisdom surpasses wealth)
Established	1557; 467 years ago (closed 1573); ; Re-founding 1612; First grammar school, 1697 (closed 1830); Second grammar school, 1834; As fee-paying grammar school 1868 (bankrupt 1909); Under government control 1910; As voluntary-aided 1955; As private school, 1975; 49 years ago
Founder	Robert Hammond
Department for Education URN	102946 Tables
Headmaster	Kevin Knibbs
Gender	Boys
Age range	11-18
Enrolment	1,567
Capacity	1,650
Colour(s)	Black and yellow
School fees	2024/25: £26,040 per full academic year (plus other charges) £1,320 (5.3%) 2023/24: £24,720
Feeder schools	Hampton Prep School
Alumni	Brian May, Jim McCarty, Paul Samwell-Smith, Tony James, John Scott, Paul Casey, Louis Lynagh
Alumni name	Old Hamptonians
Website	http://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

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

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

in alphabetical order

Simon Amor (1992–97), captain, England Sevens, 2003
Zafar Ansari (2005–10), Surrey and England cricketer
Kenneth Baker, Baron Baker of Dorking, CH (1946–48), former Home Secretary and Secretary of State for Education
Andy Beattie, rugby player
Paul Brand, Professor of Legal History at the University of Oxford
Vic Briggs, musician (Brian Auger and The Trinity; Eric Burdon & The Animals)
Paul Casey (1989–95), professional golfer (currently winner of 13 European Tour Events)
Monty Munford (1972–79), Bollywood actor and writer for The Economist, Forbes and The Telegraph
Jim Chandler (1935–42) represented Britain at pistol shooting in the [1948 Olympics]
Thurston Dart (1933–38) musicologist and harpsichordist
Keith Faulkner CBE (1955–62), chairman, Working Links, Manpower
Tom Gearing (2003–2006), finalist of the Apprentice
Walter Hayes, Sunday Dispatch editor, senior executive at the Ford Motor Company
Murray Head (1959–62), musician
Geoff Hunt (1959–66), former president of the Royal Society of Marine Artists
Matthew Hurles, Professor at the University of Cambridge^[12]
Tony James, pop musician^[13]
Max Kretzschmar (2007–2010), footballer at Wycombe Wanderers FC
Louis Lynagh (2012–2019), rugby player at Harlequin FC
Peter Lovesey (1948–55), author
Justin Hulford (1982–89), author
Chris Martin, Ocean rowing oarsman
Mike Martin (1996-2001), Liberal Democrat MP for Tunbridge Wells
Sir Brian May, CBE (1958–65), musician (Queen)
Jim McCarty, (1955–62) founding member of The Yardbirds
Zach Miles (1964–71), chairman, Vedior
Matt Brittin (1979–86), CEO of Google UK
Iain Morris, (1984–91) co-writer of E4's The Inbetweeners
Daniel Pemberton, (1989–96) composer
Toby Roland-Jones (1999–2006), Cricketer, Middlesex and England
Paul Samwell-Smith (1955–62) founding member of The Yardbirds
John Scott CBE FBA (1960–1968) sociologist and former pro vice-chancellor, Plymouth University
Greg Searle, OBE (1983–90), Olympic gold-winning oarsman
Jonny Searle, OBE (1980–87), Olympic gold-winning oarsman
Barry Sheerman (1951–57), Labour MP for Huddersfield since 1983 and chairman of the Education Select Committee
Graham Skinner, Air Vice Marshal (retd) CBE (1956–63)
Ollie Stanhope MBE, Paralympic gold-winning oarsman
Professor Michael Sterling (1957–64) vice chancellor, University of Birmingham; chairman of the Russell Group
Dave Travis (1957–1964) UK international athlete, former UK record holder at javelin
Dr. Michael Underwood (1737–1820), surgeon and writer on surgery, discoverer of infantile paralysis^[14]
Air Marshal Sir Peter Wykeham-Barnes, KCB, DSO and Bar, DFC and Bar, AFC (1926–28)

Notable staff

Martin Cross – Olympic rowing gold medallist Rowing at the 1984 Summer Olympics
Maurice Xiberras – Last leader of the Integration with Britain Party (IWBP) in Gibraltar
Andy Beattie – former rugby union player for Exeter Chiefs and Bath Rugby and current coach of the school's 1XV team.

Sources

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