Headmaster's Newsletter
Friday 27 March 2026
Dear Parents,
After almost eighteen years at NCS I’ve grown wise to the time-warpy phenomenon that is Hilary Term. Years ago, it was probably seen as the ‘quiet term’ (it never really was) so it became (it seemed) the logical place in which to put extra events. Fast forward to 2026 and we get to enjoy a succession of engaging and inspiring events which take us beyond the day-to-day curriculum: the SHTEAM Festival, Holloway Lecture, Festival of Literature, College Day, to name a few. To make sure that we aren’t caught out, planning for these events essentially needs to be in place by Christmas, which means that – with a lot of forethought – we get to enjoy riding the wave of term, rather than worrying about the next risk assessment, then the next one, and then the next one.
As important as the bread-and-butter curriculum work is, it is also important that we have these extra events, and I dare say they will be some of the things most remembered by the boys as they enter adulthood, looking back misty eyed at their prep school years. As I say, I have been here for quite some time, and I still stop to pinch myself at the kinds of things the NCS community gets to enjoy. I think this was writ large again this Wednesday morning during our Spring Service. Now firmly in the calendar, this service gets to showcase the boys’ musical and literary talents, bringing the whole community together to (I hope!) put the Winter behind us and look forward to some brighter, warmer days.
Another fairly recent addition to the NCS ritual year is the House Brunch, which the boys enjoyed this morning as an end-of-term treat. This centres on the verticality which we value so much here, bringing boys of different ages and year groups together, to enjoy some teamwork exercises and quizzes (while enjoying some lovely brunch refreshments). I quite often talk to adults who felt that they were siloed when they were at school – they either didn’t interact with other year groups, or they were labelled as sporty/musical/academic and not encouraged to look beyond their particular ‘tribe’. Working against such an approach has the effect, I hope, of broadening the boys’ horizons, and of getting them used to existing happily alongside people who aren’t immediately like them.
All of these events tend to require a lot of additional work by my colleagues, on top of their day-to-day planning, teaching and marking. As term comes to an end, I’d therefore like to reiterate my thanks to them, and indeed to the whole NCS community for helping to make the school such a special place. As might have been recognised nationally recently – but I don’t like to talk about that. Much.
Have a wonderful break, and I hope you get plenty of time for some rest and reconnection with family and friends.
Matt Jenkinson
The calendar for Trinity 2026 is available on the NCS website at https://www.newcollegeschool.org/whats-on
We wish the choristers well as they perform in the first concert of their US tour, at St Thomas Fifth Avenue, in New York this evening!
We recently had a very successful Judo grading, resulting in a large number of boys moving up to their next grade and receiving acknowledgement through the traditional coloured belt ranking system. Our end of term high Judo achiever awards were presented to three deserving judoka in each group on Tuesday 23 March during the regular club sessions. The requirements for these awards are to demonstrate the core values of judo, which include respect, discipline, courtesy, determination, and hard work. The awards went to: Years 3 -4: Gold (trophy): Kit; Silver: Harry G; Bronze: Rowan. Years 5–8: Gold (trophy): Monty; Silver: Maani; Bronze: Tino.
Best of luck to the Chamber Choir boys who are taking part in the St Luke Passion in Chapel on Saturday (from 18.00)! https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/st-luke-passion-tickets-1981339053445?aff=ebdsoporgprofile
We are delighted to welcome back violinist Timon Bergmann, a former NCS pupil, to give this year’s Wykeham Day Recital. The recital will take place on Saturday 13 June at 11am in The New Space. All are warmly encouraged to attend. Tickets are available from: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/wykeham-day-concert-timon-bergmann-tickets-1985708913815?aff=oddtdtcreator Sports roundup: The final round of matches of the hockey season has been played, and we have signed off in style this week. Firstly, the U9 boys were in action as they made their way across to St Hugh’s. In three very entertaining games, the NCS teams played some scintillating hockey on their way to three brilliant wins. The C team game was a very tight affair for the first three quarters of the game, but in the final seven minutes the boys scored three unanswered goals to snatch victory in style. In both the B and A team games, the hockey ebbed and flowed, with both home and away teams scoring quite freely. But as the games progressed, the NCS teams firmed up their defensive efforts and ensured a comfortable win in both games.
The U11s, ably supported by some brilliant U9 guests, played host to CCCS in the final fixture of the term. First up were the C & D teams, and what a couple of matches these were. The hockey on show was brilliant, and it was a real pleasure to see the progress the boys have made this season as they stroked the ball around the pitch with confidence and aplomb! This great work served to create a multitude of scoring chances, and the strikers did not disappoint as both the C & D teams won, 6–2 and 5–1 respectively. In the A and B team games, the hockey was equally impressive and saw both NCS teams emerge victorious. After a steady start in the A team game, the score was 1–1 at half-time, but with a slight change in tactics the NCS boys turned on the style in the second half and scored another five unanswered goals to win the game 6–1. The U9s present in the B team game played their part in securing another impressive win, with two of the younger boys scoring on their U11 debuts. However, it was down to the sensational James A from Year 5 and his hat-trick that the performance of the day belonged, as he helped his side to an 8–2 win. A fantastic way to sign off the hockey season, and we now begin to look forward to sunny days and the unmistakable sound of leather on willow!
Upcoming Events
Monday 20 Apr 2026 Staff INSET Tuesday 21 Apr 2026 Staff INSET Wednesday 22 Apr 2026 Start of school term VMT 1:1 music lessons start (pre-prep and prep) After-school enrichment activities start (pre-prep and prep) 9.00 Chapel. Speaker: The Headmaster 11.50 Year 6-8 Wellbeing: How to prepare for assessments while staying happy and healthy, led by the Headmaster 17.00 Year 7 leadership evening (ends 19.00) Sunday 26 Apr 2026 Start of university term Monday 27 April 2026 All week: Year 3-8 NGRT and NGST in ICT room NCSPA Meeting, CLC Wednesday 29 Apr 2026 Junior Mathematics competition 9.00 Chapel. Speaker: Liz Boughton, Chaplain, St Edward's School