Headmaster's Newsletter Friday 22 November 2024
Dear Parents,
As we reach the end of Switch-Off Fortnight, we are very pleased to announce that -- thanks to Nick Hanson, the Eco-Committee, and all those involved at NCS -- we have been successful in meeting the requirements for the Eco-Schools Green Flag Award. Not just that, we have been awarded green flag status with distinction. We thought you would enjoy hearing about some highlights from the report written by the Eco-Schools’ Team.
They were pleased to see that there is such a large Eco-Committee at NCS, showing that our pupils clearly care about our planet and all plants, animals, and insects that live on it. Minutes from the Eco-Committee minutes provided an insight into our Eco-Schools’ work, and the dynamics of our pupil-led sustainability club. This club took charge of completing the Eco-Schools’ Environmental Review, wholeheartedly embracing the task. The team was also pleased to see that our Eco-Committee members are passionate about expanding their Eco-Schools’ efforts beyond NCS boundaries. Their Action Plan contains a diverse range of activities aimed at creating positive behaviours, making an immediate difference to our local environment, and expanding our Eco-Schools’ initiatives into the local community. Their activities provide the perfect opportunity to raise awareness, change behaviours, and educate others about environmental issues. The club places a lot of emphasis on informing as many members of the school community as possible about their Eco-Schools work, including through the Eco-Nomist magazine.
The Eco-Schools’ team also looked at our curriculum at NCS, which demonstrated that environmental issues were covered across a variety of year groups and subject areas. They recognised that environmental education at NCS is practical and engaging, empowering young people with the knowledge they need to confidently discuss and address ecological issues. The team noted that NCS is ‘clearly right at the heart of an environmental movement in the local area’. NCS families and the wider community are encouraged to get involved in initiatives like the Food Waste Action Week and Switch-Off Fortnight. The team also recognised the value of the NCS Eco-Code, which it described as being packed full of useful advice and creative ideas. Of particular note was last year’s SHTEAM Festival, on the theme of water, which provided plenty of opportunities to explore the theme in its wider environmental context. The team noted that ‘It transformed environmental education into a celebratory, communal event that engaged the entire school community, teaching collective responsibility in the process.’
Overall, the multi-faceted approach of hands-on learning, student leadership, integration with the curriculum, and celebrating success was hailed as one that the Eco-Schools team will be sharing as an example of best practice with other Eco-Coordinators and Eco-Committees across the country. Many thanks to Nick Hanson and his team for all of their hard work in achieving this distinction!
Have a great weekend,
Matt Jenkinson
The recording of Year 7 and 8’s performance of The Tempest is now available in the video gallery on the NCS website: https://www.newcollegeschool.org/video-gallery.
Congratulations to all those boys who took part in our junior recital on Monday evening. For many of the performers, this was the first time that they had played in front of such a large audience. My thanks to Isobel Rose for organising the event, and all my colleagues who helped support the boys along the way – and, of course, to the boys’ families for supporting all that practice!
Our Year 8 Language Ambassadors ventured to St Michael’s on Monday morning and Catherine Phillips had the following to say about the very successful lessons our boys taught there: “The boys were well prepared and delivered their lessons with confidence. They all had produced beautiful resources. Eugene taught the Year 4s a lesson on French Sports, teaching them keywords as well as cultural points. Max and Tristan taught the Year 5s a lesson on traditional food, popular sports and the fauna in the French Alps. Noah and Thomas taught a lesson on cultural elements in Spain and Colombia. All ambassadors had a good relationship with their young audience, asking them questions and involving them. They acted on advice to review and improve as they well along.” Thank you to Catherine, and to Louise Brown, for all of their support in this wonderful scheme.
I really enjoyed popping in to College to hear some of our Year 8s – Thomas H, Monty, Toby, Laurence P-A, Dominic, Tristan, Myles and Hugo – take part in the annual inter-schools debate on Wednesday. The structured form of the debates was fitting, considering that this week was UK Parliament Week. There were fantastic contributions from all pupils across the schools in attendance, with some very thoughtful arguments, for example, on the pros and cons of smartphones for under-16s. I’m pleased to say that this year’s NCS Year 8s came back to Savile Road victorious, with the inter-schools debate trophy. My thanks to Louise Brown for organising the event, Chris Gausden for his logistical mastery and support for the boys’ debating, and to the undergraduates who helped chair the discussions.
Kate Lam has been on maternity leave for the past year and her Year 1 TA responsibilities have been taken on excellently by Jacinta Evans until Christmas. Kate has decided that she will not be returning to NCS full-time in January 2025; nonetheless, she will remain on the staff to lead some enrichment activities, offer some cover teaching, and continue as the school’s EDI rep. As a result of this, and following interviews last week, I am delighted to announce that our new Year 1 TA, from January, will be Yili Hu. Yili studied at the University of Melbourne and University College London. She has worked at the Athena Academy in Shanghai, the Grapeseed English Institution in Wenzhou, and at University College London. She has, most recently, been a Teaching Assistant at Maiden Erlegh School in Reading. We are very much looking forward to welcoming Yili to NCS, and I’m sure she’ll be made most welcome.
Our Year 6 parents’ evening is on Wednesday 27 November. The official start time is 18.00 though a few colleagues may be available from slightly earlier if you would like to make an early start. Parking is available, first come first served, from 17.00; please be very careful when driving into the playground in case there are still one or two boys leaving their enrichment activities or aftercare. We would very much appreciate it if parents could arrive in good time to make their way around by 20.00, to enable colleagues to get home at a sensible time. If there are any appointments which might require a longer slot than c.5 minutes, please could separate arrangements be made with individual teachers? Many thanks.
Next Generation Soccer Schools will be running Christmas sessions at NCS, running from Monday 16 December to Friday 20 December. Sessions will run from 9.30 to 16.00 and are open to pupils of NCS in Years 3-8 and their siblings. With places limited, don’t miss your chance to secure a spot for just £45 per day. Led by Stephen Potts, along with other FA/UEFA-qualified coaches, the children will enjoy top-notch training, skill development, and plenty of holiday cheer. To register or for more information, please use the link below. You are also able to pay via the gov.uk tax free childcare accounts or childcare vouchers. https://campscui.active.com/orgs/NextGenerationSoccerSchool?season=3559242. Please note that Next General Soccer School uses NCS facilities but is an independent company run entirely separately from the school’s operations.
For those NCS parents in the process of choosing the right 13+ school for their sons, Matt Smith, the author of the Attain Independent Schools' Guide 2025 (rrp £9.99), has very generously allowed NCS parents access to the book for free. The guide empowers parents to find the right school for their child, cutting through the marketing spin and erroneous league tables. It distils 25 years of experience for parents considering an independent senior school for their child. The book has been widely-praised by Heads from across the country, describing it as 'a terrific resource', 'sage, sensible and savvy' and 'the book that parents have been waiting for'. The Attain Guide 'helps parents cut through the branding, shiny PR and glitz' and is 'really well written, entirely from the perspective of supporting parents.' Just enter the discount code NEWCOLLEGE2025 to read the ebook free-of-charge at https://attain.guide
Upcoming Events
Monday, 25 November 2024
17.30 Senior Recital, Auditorium (Years 6-7), CLC (Year 8), (parking from 17.15)
9.00 Year 3 trip to Ashmolean Museum
Tuesday, 26 November 2024
14.30 U8 A&B Football vs CCCS, Home
14.30 U9 A&B Football vs CCCS, Home
Wednesday, 27 November 2024
9.00 Chapel. Speaker: Mr Oliver Wright, ordinand, DPhil candidate, former NCS pupil
14.30 U11 A-D Football vs CCCS, Away
14.30 U13 A-C Football vs CCCS, Home
18.00 Year 6 parents' evening
Thursday, 28 November 2024
14.45 U8 A-C Football vs Chandlings, Away
Friday, 29 November 2024
9.30 Years 3-4 visit to Sleeping Beauty at Oxford Playhouse
Monday, 2 December 2024
14.00 U13 Pre-season Hockey, St Edward's
17.30 Drama Club Christmas Panto
Tuesday, 3 December 2024
8.15 Chamber Choir rehearsal, CLC
8.50-10.10 Carol service readers' rehearsal (chapel)
14.15 U8 A-C Football vs Ashfold, Away
14.30 U9 A-C Football vs Ashfold, Home
Wednesday, 4 December 2024
All boys: no Games
9.00 Form period (no chapel)
14.00 Carol service practice
16.00 Rehearals for masterclass (The New Space, Gradel Quad)
18.00 Music Scholars' masterclass with William Howard (The New Space, Gradel Quad)
Thursday, 5 December 2024
14.30 Pre-Prep Winter Concert
Friday, 6 December 2024
All day Provisional date for ABRSM exams
Saturday, 7 December 2024
University Term ends
10.30 OCCO concert, Sports Hall