Newsletter TRANSITION
2018
Sir Vince impressed by new leadership team MP Sir Vince Cable has hailed the strong leadership at Hampton High and says it is in the “best shape” for years. Sir Vince took a tour of the school with students before meeting with senior teachers during a visit last week in January. The MP praised the strong leadership of new headteacher Rebecca Poole, who took charge in September, for engaging students. Speaking during the visit, he said: “I was highly impressed by the three young people who showed me around today. From this brief visit it is clear that you have an engaged and enthusiastic cohort of students. “In my years visiting Hampton High, I have seen many comings and goings, many ups and downs, but I am very pleased to discover the school in the best shape I have seen it for many years. “Today I have learned the reason behind this is a very strong leadership team that has been put in place. “The previous Kunskapsskolan Swedish model was an experiment that clearly did not meet the needs of the students.” Hampton High Headteacher Rebecca Poole said: “We were delighted to welcome Sir Vince Cable to Hampton High. We were able to talk about the changes
School tour: Sir Vince Cable gets to know some Hampton High students students had experienced as well as the clear direction that the school is travelling in. “He was very impressed with the students he met and offered the possibility of some work experience in his parliamentary office.”
Camp brings extra benefits YEAR 7 students were able to make new friends, get to know teachers and learn teamwork and leadership skills during our annual camping trip. In September, Hampton High’s Year 7 students travelled to the PGL camp at Marchants Hill in Beacon Hill, Surrey. Pupils enjoy a fun-packed weekend of outdoor activities that included archery, rafting, rifle-shooting and abseiling. Year 7 student Megan Hancock said: “My favourite part was definitely the rafting because even though my feet got cold, I really enjoyed being on the water. “We learned so many new skills and
made so many new friends. We also learned the importance of teamwork.” Head of Year 7 Ms Povey said: “The trip is a fantastic way for new Year 7 students to make new friends and start their
secondary education with Hampton High. The transition into secondary school is a difficult one and this weekend away helps students to settle in, make new friends and develop independence.”
Hampton High Transition Newsletter n 2018
Students flying high after exams success HAMPTON High celebrated remarkable exam results with a huge spike in passes at both A Level and GCSE last summer. Students bucked the national trend by posting an increase in the top GCSE marks in the first year of the new numerical grading system in 2017. The school achieved a 66 per cent pass rate at Grade 4 or above (the A*- C equivalent in 2016) in Maths and English, a 20 per cent increase on the previous year. At A Level, our students produced recordbreaking results with 35 per cent of sixth formers achieving A* to B and 67 per cent scoring A* to C grades. This is a ten per cent improvement on last year. All students who applied for university have been offered a place at their first choice, with the rest of students leaving to take up apprenticeships. Headteacher Ms Poole said the future could yield even greater results. She added: “Hampton High has made huge strides in this year’s exam results. “We must continue that good work by instilling a very strong work ethic in our pupils, a pride in their school and, above all, an academic rigour. Results will continue to improve at this school.”
Leap for joy: Students had good reason to celebrate their results
Facebook group replicates old school gate community
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Parent Caroline Norris explains why she set up a Facebook group for parents at the school and how it can help Year 6 parents joining the school…
Facebook. We now have well over 300 parents in the group with children from Years 7 to 12. We have been where you have been, we have had the same questions. Our online
community of supportive families now replicates the community we had on the school gates. It is a ‘go to’ place for news, info and queries, or if you want to celebrate your child’s achievements with supportive, likeminded parents. We are very proud of the Hampton High parent community we have built and we are eager to share it with you. After joining, we encourage you to share, post and like as much as possible, as we depend on your support and contribution. The only thing we ask is that you do not use the forum to air grievances. However, if you do need specific help or have an individual issue, we can direct you to the right member of the senior staff who can respond promptly and appropriately. To find out more, search ‘Hampton High Parents’ on Facebook and click to join.
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Moving from primary school to secondary can be a daunting experience. Our children go from a small, familiar environment to the complete unknown. Through my sons, I had made lots of friends at the primary gates who I could turn to if I needed any support or advice. But that all stops when they leave. When your child joins secondary school, you are bound to have loads of questions: about the uniform, after-school clubs, what they are eating at lunch or about homework and using the ‘Show My Homework’ app. You might just need to know the contact details of a teacher you want to talk to. Perhaps you just want to share your child’s achievements without boring all your friends! So who do you go to? That was one of the main reasons why I started ‘Hampton High Parents’ on
Hampton High Transition Newsletter n 2018
Partnership brings opportunities Assistant Headteacher Claire Regis talks about our partnership with local independent schools...
By Rebecca Poole, Headteacher, Hampton High
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has generously supported Hampton High students in their everyday school life. We are delighted to be able to offer our students the opportunity to learn Latin at Hampton from Year 8, and Computer programming from Year 9. Our Year 11 students have benefited from having Hampton 6th formers acting as maths mentors. We are also proud of our partnership work with the Combined Cadet Force. We currently have nine students who are learning to fly as part of their training with the CCF.
My expectations were surpassed! Josie Kelly has one son at Hampton High and two daughters at primary school. Here she talks about her experience of being a parent at Hampton High…
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academically. At this school, all students are assessed individually so that their performance and expectations are compared to their previous work rather than class or national averages. He has been rewarded for positive behaviour, too. At the end of each term, the students with no behavioural points and 100% attendance get a treat and last term it was ice skating at Hampton Court – a great incentive. He has also been involved in the whole school drama production of Annie and joined other school clubs – he loves the media club. The school has exceeded my expectations. I have faith in Fred’s continued development and do not plan to look anywhere else when his sisters Daisy and Erin graduate from Hampton Juniors.
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I am embarrassed to admit that my expectations for Hampton High were pretty low. I attended the Open Evening, mostly so that I could say I’d seen it and used it as a low benchmark for the other schools. As I am sure you can guess, the opposite happened. I could not fault the school, the enthusiasm of the students showing us round, the teachers in the classroom, or the facilities available. It was by far the most engaging tour we had and I left feeling elated and confident that my children would thrive at Hampton High. The step up from junior to senior school feels massive. It can be quite a foreign and challenging experience. I really feel that the staff at Hampton High made the transition as pain-free as possible – from the induction days at the end of Year 6 to the PGL trip early in the autumn term. These were all great for settling and building familiarity and friendships. After just one term, my son Fred is completely comfortable as a Hampton High student. He is being challenged
We are very pleased to welcome you as new members of our school community. Since becoming Headteacher at Hampton High in September last year, I have been made to feel very welcome. Our students are warm, open and engaged young people with a thirst for learning and a desire to be successful. That is largely down to the support they receive not just from us, the staff, but from the uniquely supportive group of families which include the Friends of Hampton High and our governing body. I have also been incredibly fortunate to recruit two highly experienced and talented Deputy Headteachers to compliment an already extremely dedicated team of teachers and leaders. Last year, the school achieved a 20 per cent increase in their GCSE exam results, 66% (4+ English and maths) – the best comparative results in the school’s GCSE history. This year we have challenged our pupils to improve on that achievement. Our highly impressive A-Level results mean the sixth form is now becoming the destination of choice for our Year 11 students. Closer links with our local feeder primary schools mean we can share expertise and support the transition to secondary school, both emotionally and also academically. Our balanced and broad curriculum means we can challenge our students to fulfil their potential intellectually and creatively. Through our partnership with two of the country’s leading independent schools, neighbours Hampton School and The Lady Eleanor Holles, we are able to offer our students a unique, wide range of enrichment and extracurricular activities. This year alone this has included flying lessons, Latin lessons, science and maths mentoring, Coding club, Harvard talks and a Holocaust memorial talk. Finally, we would like to offer you the chance to visit the school at one of our scheduled transition events. There you will have the opportunity to tour the school with students, meet other parents and speak with the Headteacher and other members of the Senior Leadership Team. We look forward to welcoming you.
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High fliers: Some students have been learning to fly
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Hampton High is fortunate to be part of the Independent State School Partnership (ISSP) with Hampton School and The Lady Eleanor Holles School. The aim of the ISSP is to provide opportunities for students across all schools to collaborate and participate in a range of activities throughout the year. This academic year, students have already attended a Science Day, Maths Day, an Insight into Medicine event, a Languages Day and a Model United Nations Conference. In the Spring Term, students will have the opportunity to participate in a Drama Workshop Day, a Rambert Ballet tutorial, a photography masterclass, and an Art and Technology Day. In addition, our talented musicians will spend a day in rehearsals preparing to perform at a concert in the Hammond Theatre in March. All of these events are provided at no cost to the students, and we aim that each year group has at least one opportunity each year to participate in an event. Hampton School
Students are keen to learn
l Hampton High is holding a Transition Afternoon on Monday, March 5 at 3.45pm in the school auditorium. There will also be a Transition Morning on Thursday, March 8 at 9.30 am. Please apply by emailing: info@hamptonhigh.org.uk with “March Open Morning” in the subject line.
Hampton High Transition Newsletter n 2018
Acting early to help new students settle Head of Year 7 Libby Povey explains here how the school helps students to settle when joining from primary school…
support. We also have a team of pastoral support workers who students can talk to if they have any issues. We have designated our Wordsworth building as a safe place for Year 7s, which means they can socialise during lunch and break times away from older students, if they wish. Alongside tutor groups, we run a Personal, Social, Health, Culture and Education programme to help students build the school’s core values such as resilience, aspiration and respect. I hope this has helped to answer any questions you may have. We look forward to welcoming your son or daughter next September.
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The hard work of helping students settle at Hampton High is done before they even start at the school officially in September. We know they are going to have lots of questions about their new life at Hampton High and we don’t want them worrying about that during the summer. In July, we interview every single Year 6 student so we can find out about their specific needs before they join us. We make the first day as comforting and welcoming as possible. They start a day earlier than the older students. We begin with lots of team-building activities and games to get them interacting together. The size of the secondary school can be quite daunting, so we take them around the school so that they know where their classes are. Those who we feel might struggle settling in are placed in a form group with our transition specialist, Ms Savage, who is trained to deal with those who need extra
l Families who have any questions about joining our school are welcome to email Ms Povey on libby.povey@hamptonhigh.org.uk
Welcome: Head of Year 7 Libby Povey
And a final word from our recent arrivals... OUR Year 7 students have spent just over a term at Hampton High. We spoke to four of them to find out about their time here so far. Here is what they had to say…
Stella Flynn came to us from Hampton Juniors. She said: “The teachers make sure you know how well you are doing. The assessments mean you know what your strengths and weaknesses are. My favourite subject is biology. At the end of first term and I was given the most improved award for science. I was really proud.”
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SivEthan Gopalan joined us from Buckingham. He said: “There are so many fun and exciting activities at Hampton High. My favourite so far was the reward for good work by going ice skating. My favourite subject is PE because the sports facilities and the MUGA pitches at the back of the school are really, really good.”
Grace Ford joined us from Chatsworth Primary. She said: “The best bit about being at secondary school is all the different subjects you get to study. “I was in the cast for the school musical Annie, which was really fun and a great way to make new friends.”
Tom Mapes was previously at Hampton Hill Juniors. He said: “My favourite part so far has been the PGL trip. I made so many new friends and really got to know my teachers. “The history teacher, Mr Jones, is really brilliant. He makes the subject really fun and interactive.”
Hampton High Transition Newsletter n 2018