1924 saw a considerable period of change for Hampton School. After an impressive 26-year tenure, Headmaster Mr. Roberts announced his retirement. He had seen the School through not only changes in management and a series of educational teaching developments, but also the First World War. Even with all of these changes, by 1924, there had been a significant rise in the School numbers and a growth to its reputation, of which, Robert’s predecessors would all have been enviable.
With such large shoes to fill, his successor, Mr. Mason was more than up for the challenge. From the start Mr. Mason, affectionally nicknamed ‘Bossy’, made significant changes to the School. Conscious of the importance of enhancing the Schools sense of community, one of his formative actions was to establish a Schools Captain.
Whilst the School already had Housemasters for each of the existing School houses (a system which had been established in 1907), Mr. Mason introduced two new positions; the School Captain and Vice-Captain. Acting as the representatives of the student body, these prestigious positions were annually awarded to the successfully elected candidates. Captains embodied the School ethos and acted as leading examples to younger pupils in their approach to academic study, personal qualities and contributions towards School life.
The first School Captainship was awarded in 1924 to F. E. Steffens OH (1926) and the Vice position to G. E. V. Lambert OH (1926). After finishing his time as a pupil at Hampton, Steffens returned in 1934 to teach mathematics (pictured below). Teaching over a period of 54 years, Steffens also latterly became Head of the Careers Department in 1963.
Following on from Steffens exceptional example, the role of School Captain has since evolved from a single position to now become a dedicated team of student leaders. Today, the School Captains Team, comprises of six pupils (Captains team of 2025-26 pictured below) each serves as a key ambassador, academic role model, and essential link between the student body and staff.
