OPENING OF HAMPTON ACADEMY 5.11.10

Remember remember the fifth of November...well the students and staff of Hampton Academy will certainly do so this year! On this date the Academy was formally opened by government minister Lord Hill, followed by the cutting of a specially decorated cake in the library by the Mayor of Richmond, Councillor David Marlow.

 
Hampton Academy is one of the first two academies to be opened in the UK under the sponsorship of the Learning Schools Trust, which is the English arm of the Swedish education provider Kunskapsskolan, whose founder Peje Emilsson flew in specially for the occasion. The Academy is focused around the principle that all young people can learn more than they thought possible, through a personalised approach to learning.

 
Year 7 students were on hand to meet the invited guests and show them the new ‘Steps & Themes´ curriculum via portfolios of work, their logbooks and the e-learning tool, the Portal. One visitor commented that all the students he met ‘spoke with an engaging confidence and enthusiasm´ about their learning and their school.

 
Visitors were also able to study the architect´s model for the new buildings which will comprise Hampton Academy from 2013. Funding for this project was confirmed in July and work on the new building is due to start next April.

 
Following the reception, guests were treated to a dance display of four specially commissioned pieces to represent the four core values of the Academy, with the infectious rock´n´roll number ‘Life is what I make it´ ending the performance on a high note.

 
Lord Hill was then invited to open the Academy formally by cutting the ceremonial ribbon. He commented that he was delighted to have been invited to open both Hampton and Twickenham Academies, which he believed will provide an atmosphere where great learning can take place. Final year student George Rutherford gave the vote of thanks, following which Maham Khan, Year 10, presented the Minister with her specially commissioned piece of artwork, New Beginnings´ printed in the Academy´s signature colours of jade and purple.

 
Lord Hill was then taken to visit one of the new learning zones to see a year 7 class in action, whilst the rest of the guests accompanied the mayor back to the library to cut the ceremonial cake.

 
Principal Sue Demont´s verdict was ‘today was the culmination of three years´ hard work and preparation. It was wonderful to see our year 7 students embracing the new educational model and explaining it so eloquently to our guests. The future for Hampton Academy through these young people looks very bright.´