Mr Ackland joined Hampstead School almost 20 years ago, only retiring in recent months. Staff in the profession talk about those special teachers. Mr  Ackland, Ben, was certainly in that illustrious company. Someone who was one hundred percent committed to the mission of educating young people in a comprehensive setting, Ben engaged students and staff alike in a way that was notable for its humanity. Always calm, always positive, he was a solicitous figure in whom we could all seek solace. He had the uncanny knack of making you feel like the centre of the world when he was speaking to you. All else blurred into the background when you had Ben’s attention. The noise, the trouble, the trauma, all dulled in that bubble of warmth. I personally saw so many students and staff benefit from this. And so they walk out there, in the community and, by now, around the world – young people who have benefited from Ben’s warmth and compassion and have now integrated that humanity into their own. The footsteps of great educators don’t cease when their own do; they persist through the generations. Ben taught people to approach others with conspicuous compassion – in other words, to tread lightly in this oft-troubled world.

Aside from being a fantastic teacher and leader in the Sixth Form, Ben immersed himself in the wider life of the school. A highly accomplished cyclist, Ben led cycling trips, enrichment events, trips to universities and many others besides. Those who remember them will not quickly forget his turns at the International Evening, where he would run a stall dressed as a quintessential English gentleman, serving tea and scones to the attendant guests. Aristotelian mimesis - life imitating art – Ben was known for his sartorial elegance, always convivial and a true, gentle man.

A man of letters, few people could speak like Ben. He was called upon to speak whenever there was the need for someone to do so, often with only the most tenuous links to his areas of responsibility. But people wanted to hear Ben speak! A natural orator, he had fantastic comedic timing and a vocabulary and breadth of knowledge which was envied by all who met him.

Ben was notable for his many and varied interests. He made and produced music, notably with the band he was a member of – At Swim. He had an enviable knowledge of a very wide cross-section of musical genres. He was an audiophile and was happy talking at length about music equipment and music production. He very much enjoyed trips out on his motorbike and weekends away with his family and his son and his friends. Ben loved theatre and the arts and was that rare kind of Renaissance person with whom it was always so easy to spend time.

I know I speak for many other staff when I say that we haven’t yet really come to terms with Ben’s death. Such was Ben’s warmth and guidance, it felt like it would always be there. Skies over Hampstead are currently much greyer, but we realise we were fortunate to share time with someone who shone so brightly. We go on inspired by our memories of his actions and his exceptional contribution to this community. I know that many of us hope that we can assimilate some of his outstanding qualities into our own and, in that way, be living testimony to a really extraordinary human being.

After a long battle with cancer, Ben died on 15^th March 2025 and is survived by his wife and son.

Written by Mr Robert Hague, on behalf of Hampstead School.

A passionate English teacher, Ben had a profound love for literature and storytelling. During lockdown and beyond, this passion led him to record and publish unabridged audiobooks of classic texts in his own voice sharing the beauty of timeless works with the world. This collection remains available on his YouTube channel which you can visit here.  

Also during lockdown, when the school stood eerily silent, Ben captured its emptiness in the video below, which is both humorous and thought-provoking - a testament to his unique perspective and ability to find light in even the most unusual circumstances.