Hampton

[pearlmummy]

Hello Hampton parents! We are considering an offer from Hampton at 11+. However, we don't know anyone who attends (or has ever been!) and although we like what we see we would really appreciate some feedback on what's it's really like when you attend - from child and parent perspective. Good and not so good please!

Good choice

Yes great choice. Fantastic academic results combined with great facilities for sport and music. Down to earth and great ethos. An all round school. We're delighted our DS is going there

Weighing up between Hampton & RGS.
Spoken to parents, boys & staff.
I think Hampton offers so much for boys. It's academic, sporty, great for drama and the space is amazing. Boys seem happy and sixth formers are lovely young men.
RGS is academic, the head teacher is nice. However it doesn't seem as inviting in many ways. If I were a confident sporty boy and had free choice, I would choose Hampton.
Hampton had 23 boys go to Oxbridge last year
RGS 38
However Hampton boys go on to do a wide variety of courses at Russel Group Uni's.
Some boys are RGS types, some are not.
I felt the sixth formers at RGS were still children being moulded, where as the sixth formers at Hampton were independent thinking young men.
Don't shoot me down, just observations.

I don't know that much about RGS but the impressions I have gained have always been positive and for me both schools have a lot going for them. I never looked at the leaving stats myself!

I'd be looking at some of the practicalities also - which one is easier to get to both by school bus or public transport? What about the playing fields... at Hampton they're offsite aren't they? Which suits you best at weekends if you want to go and watch matches etc? If they have away matches which school is best for dropping off at 8am and picking up later on a Saturday? I like the long day at Hampton, the lunchtime clubs, and generally this means getting the bus home at 4.15... but there are some things after school (cricket at the moment 4-6 Weds for some Y7s for example). Football at Hampton was one of the deciding factors for us!

AFAIK Hampton has onsite playing fields. It's RGS's that are a bus ride away, and that is imo a drawback of the school. (But the only one.) If my DC had been sporty confident types, we'd probably have chosen Hampton too. But they are both quite geeky. RGS doesn't exclusively cater for geeks but it is a very warm and welcoming home for them.

Typically RGS has more Oxbridge successes than Hampton, which given they have similar cohorts on entry suggests a slightly more academic thrust to the school. I may be wrong but am pretty certain Hampton fares better at sport. (They've always thrashed us at rugby when I've watched.)

RGS is easier for public transport and general safe but fun teenage hanging out around town which was important to us. We didn't want them to be buried in books every night. We like that they stop off for a coffee or to see a film before heading home sometimes. And that we never have to collect them from after school activities as they can just pick up a later train.

I'm pretty smitten with RGS. One of our sons had some severe problems (not school related) in his first two years and the school was outstandingly supportive of him. They flooded him with extra help and back up from a variety of sources which he could opt into as he chose. It cemented my trust in the school.