Headmaster's Newsletter
Friday 6 June 2026
Dear Parents, As this newsletter gets sent out, we are preparing for our annual Year 8 Leavers’ Evening. This is a fun (!) evening based around some Taskmaster-style challenges, plus a nice dinner and one or two other surprises, to mark the end of the older boys’ exams. It is also the beginning of the ritual send-off for our Year 8s which (sniff) we begin at this time every year. Closure, the ceremonial bringing things to an end, is important at such moments of transition. Hence the event-packed next few weeks, which will include Wykeham Day, some Shakespeare in the cloisters, and prizegiving – among many other things. I should say that it is not total closure, though, as I like to remind people that you never really leave NCS.
As I say, this evening marks the end of assessment week, and I would like to congratulate the boys for the sensible and stoic way in which they have approached their exams. I’m not surprised: we gradually increase the demands of assessments as the boys go through the school, so there are no dramas by the time they get to Year 8. In an educational world which, in some ways, seems to change quite a lot, the ability to do exams remains a constant. There are some observers who think that this is all a bit unnecessary and stuffy, but it remains the case that, even in a world of AI, for various reasons we will need to be able to retain and analyse information. It would be hard to justify an education system in which retention were totally discarded. We also need to think carefully about the impact on brains and mental health, not just on the workplace, should we be tempted to abrogate everything to an AI prompt. Happy and sustainable brains need a good creative workout – so we may as well teach the boys at a young age how to do that workout effectively.
I could, for example, ask Copilot or ChatGPT to write this newsletter for me. But I think it’s a good thing to sit and consider what I think about various aspects of education and growing up, rather than letting a machine do the work for me. It’s also an enjoyable thing, dare I say it, for me to do so – an interesting diversion from some of the more bureaucratic exercises with which I could I fill my day. I wonder how many of the boys would admit to having rather enjoyed the past few days: getting to show us what they know, putting their ideas on paper, and – especially for the Year 8s – bringing together all that they’ve learnt here. As in all areas of education and life, there is a balance to be struck, and there are few who look (say) at GCSEs and think they are an effective way of assessing very much. But equally it would be a mistake to eradicate the whole principle based on some unwise practice. I remember one of the best feelings at school – aside from when I realised I would never, in my life, ever again have to do another bleep test – was putting down the pen at the end of the final exam. I hope the boys are enjoying that sensation this afternoon, having done their very best over this past assessment week.
Have a great weekend, perhaps filing those revision notes away,
Matt Jenkinson
I’m pleased to announce that the Gradel Building – including our new pre-prep, Years 3-4 classrooms, dining room and auditorium – has won a RIBA South Award. The judges’ write-up, which notes our ‘whimsical classrooms’, can be read at https://www.ribaj.com/riba-awards/2026/south/david-kohn-architects-the-gradel-quadrangles-education-oxford/
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. Wykeham Day then continues at 13.00 with the school fete in the playground and sports hall (until 15.00). There is then a special evensong in chapel at 17.45, to which current and former NCS families are very warmly invited. There is then a dinner at 18.30, in the medieval College dining hall, which is sign-up only.
St Margaret's Church is having a choir taster day for adults and children on Sunday 7 June from 14.00 until 17.30. The church, based on St Margaret’s Road, Oxford, has an inclusive choir for adults and children. There is no audition and all are welcome. For more information email choir@stmargaretsoxford.org or just turn up on the day.
Oxford Opera Company, with whom NCS often partners, is running a Summer Camp this August which will provide attendees with the opportunity to develop their confidence and skills in a creative and supportive environment. Our collaboration with the company has already provided memorable experiences, including NCS boys performing in Tosca at the Oxford Playhouse and Opera Highlights at the Sheldonian Theatre. Oxford Opera Company also offers a Saturday afternoon termly workshop, where students explore acting, dance and singing, working towards performances and productions. To find out more and book a place, please visit: https://www.ticketsource.com/oxfordopera
Upcoming Events
Monday 08 Jun 2026 12.30 Year 6-8 Careers talk (ends 3.30) 14.00 U13 A Cricket vs d'Overbroeck's, Home 14.00 U13 A Tennis vs d'Overbroeck's, Home 15.45 U11 A Tennis vs MCS, Away Tuesday 09 Jun 2026 Junior Maths Kangaroo and Junior Maths Olympiad 8.45 Year 8 Geography field trip to Swindon wind/solar farm return by midday 9.00 U11 A IAPS Cricket vs Summer Fields, Away 14.00 U8 A&B Cricket vs Summer Fields, Away 14.00 U9 A&B Cricket vs Oratory Prep, Home Wednesday 10 Jun 2026 8.15 School Council Meeting 9.00 Chapel. Speaker: Benedict Furger, former NCS Head Boy 11.00 Sports Day (Field) Thursday 11 Jun 2026 14.30 Pre-Prep Summer Recital Friday 12 Jun 2026 Provisional date for ABRSM exams 8.50 Full Dress Rehearsal Run Y3-5 (8:50-11:50 Auditorium) no game fixtures 13.30 U11 A-D Cricket vs St Michaels, Home Saturday 13 Jun 2026 Wykeham Day 11.00 Wykeham Day Concert, New Space 13.00 School Fête, Playground (ends 15.00) 17.45 Wykeham Day Evensong, New College Chapel 18.30 Wykeham Day Dinner (sign-up only) Monday 15 Jun 2026 14.00 Years 3-5 dress/tech rehearsal, The Talented Mr Wykeham (auditorium) 17.15 Years 3-5 performance, The Talented Mr Wykeham (auditorium) Tuesday 16 Jun 2026 9.30 Year 3 Natural History Museum Rock Stars 14.00 U9 A&B Cricket vs CCCS, Home 16.00 Year 8 - deadline for uploading Special Subject to AllShare 17.15 Years 3-5 performance, The Talented Mr Wykeham (auditorium) Wednesday 17 Jun 2026 9.00 Chapel. Speaker: The Chaplain 14.00 U11 A&B Cricket vs CCCS, Home 14.00 U13 A Tennis vs Abingdon Prep, Home 14.00 U13 Cricket Training, Field Thursday 18 Jun 2026 9.00 Induction for new pupils and 'move-up morning' 14.00 Year 8 TED Talks, session 1 (auditorium) Friday 19 Jun 2026 Last day of VMT music lessons 10.00 till 12pm Year 3 Shang Gallery Ashmolean 10.00 Pre-Prep Sports Day 14.00 Year 8 TED Talks, session 2 (hall) Saturday 20 Jun 2026 University term ends Sunday 21 Jun 2026 17.45 Last Evensong, New College Chapel