Headmaster's Newsletter Friday 4 July 2025
Dear Parents,
You are receiving this as we reach the end of another school year at NCS (our 645th!), and just a few minutes after celebrating the boys’ achievements at this year’s prizegiving. It’s in the nature of prizegiving speeches for headmasters to attempt to bestow some inspirational words of wisdom, that will in theory resonate with the listeners throughout the rest of their lives. I was outdone in this respect just a few short months ago, when Colonel Chris Hadfield, former Commander of the International Space Station, spoke to the boys during our SHTEAM Festival. It is rare for every member of the school community to stop and to come together for a single event, but for the half hour or so that Colonel Hadfield spoke to us, there was not one member of the community — adult or child — who was unmoved by his message. He spoke of being eight or nine years old, and being determined that he would go into space. Such an ambition is hardly rare among children; it’s up there with being a professional footballer or gladiator. But Hadfield actually turned that dream into a reality, undermining some of the cynicism that might lead us to assume that aspirational astronauts in reality end up doing jobs that are more mundane and tedious. Hadfield’s message was a stirring combination of the impractical (have a dream) with the practical (word hard at difficult subjects). And it is a message that it is difficult to argue against: you only get one go at life, so you may as well aim high, dream big, and work as hard as you can to get there, no matter what the naysayers might mutter.
I say ‘work hard’ but perhaps I mean ‘work well’. As I hope our Year 8 leavers have noticed during their time here, we have been trying to get them into effective working habits that lead to effective learning and overall positive wellbeing. Those habits, we hope, they will now take with them to their senior schools. We are lucky here to have the freedom to innovate our curriculum and many of our systems, so they work for the young people we have in front of us. As a result, their days here will have prepared them for future assessments — they will become more consequential as the boys get older – while, at the same time, nudging them towards personal habits that will increase the likelihood of them enjoying happy and meaningful lives, with healthy relationships and positive overall wellbeing. Which takes us back to the often-mentioned virtuous circle: if you are happy you are more likely to be learning and working well; if you are learning and working well, you are more likely to be happy.
There is no escaping the fact that the education they have enjoyed here has been a privileged one. It is a privilege to get direct access to an astronaut, or to perform in ‘Tosca’ in the Playhouse, or in ‘All the King’s Men’ in the Sheldonian. To visit a beautiful medieval chapel every Wednesday morning. To be taught by an incredibly talented and dedicated team, right across the school. To benefit from the intellectual freedoms we enjoy, where we can develop and innovate the curriculum without too many external stultifying forces. To do all of these things in the centre of a university city which teems with the excitement of learning. I am told, rather bizarrely, that the ‘benefits of good learning’ are not always a priority in schools. We say it a lot, because it’s true, that with such privileges come very pronounced responsibilities. So I implored our leavers: don’t waste such privileges, but use them for the benefit of others and the world around them, including the world which I am assured exists beyond the end of Savile Road.
Thank you, as ever, for your commitment, loyalty, hard work, support and excellent company over the course of this year. NCS is the wonderful community it is because of people like you. I look forward to seeing you back at the gate in September after what I hope is a restful and enjoyable summer break.
Matt Jenkinson
We have had a very busy final week of term! Many congratulations to the boys in drama club who put on a wonderful midsummer’s entertainment on Monday, including their LAMDA showcase. Tuesday evening saw the choristers take part in a concert with three of Oxford’s other choral foundations at the Town Hall. On Wednesday morning we had our Year’s End service in chapel, with music and readings from across the school; then in the evening we had our leavers’ concert, taking place for the very first time in the New Space in Gradel Quad. Yesterday pre-prep put on their Summer Show before, at the other end of the school, our Year 8s took their final bow as they performed a play-reading of A Midsummer Night’s Dream in the cloisters over in College. Many thanks to all my colleagues who prepared and supported the boys over rather a large number of special end-of-year events!
At the end of this term we say goodbye to a couple of colleagues. Freddie Mainstone has been our gap year sports assistant over the past three terms, and it has been a real joy welcoming him back to his old school. Freddie has been an excellent colleague: patient, diligent, and hardworking. He has also lent us his not inconsiderable sporting talent; I’m not sure we’ll have a footballer of his calibre back on the staff any time soon. We thank him for all he has done over the past year, and we wish him all the very best for his future.
We also say goodbye to the school’s long-serving violin teacher, Gillian Secret. Gill has taught hundreds of young violinists during her decades-long service to NCS. She initially arrived at NCS in 1991 to cover three weeks of violin teaching; that three weeks became thirty-four years. When Gill arrived at NCS there was already, in situ, a cello teacher who also deserves tribute being paid. Liza Petter, alongside Gill, built up the number of string players in the school over decades, so that before long there were enough players for the Handel Concerti Grossi, Bach’s third Brandenburg Concerto and Double violin Concerto, and Vivaldi’s four-violin concerto – all of which were played in chapel or in the Holywell Music Room. Between them, Gill and Liza taught music in the pre-prep and in the prep school, as well as in the Saturday morning music programme. They have also both worked as freelance players, frequently coming across NCS alumni who have gone on to make music their career. Liza stepped back from her VMT teaching a little while ago, and Gill retires this term, so it is only fitting that we take this opportunity to thank them for their incredible loyalty and service to the school, and to mark what is in many ways the end of an era.
We are looking forward to some new arrivals in September. Camilla Scarf will be joining NCS from September 2025 as a Sports Assistant. Camilla was formerly a Sports Coach at Headington School, and she has many years’ experience coaching sports outside the school environment as well, including at Falcon Boat Club. Our new part-time Year 3 TA, from September 2025, will be Rebecca Leszcynski. Rebecca studied at the University of Wales before spending over twenty years as a pre-prep and prep school teacher. She taught at Daneshill School, Hatherop Castle and The Abbey School (Tewkesbury), before becoming Head of Pre-Prep at CCCS. More recently she has been TA at Moulsford Prep and she is also currently studying for a Level 3 Diploma in Counselling.
Finally, Gabrielle (Gabi) Maas will be joining NCS as our new violin teacher. Gabi studied at Chetham’s School of Music in Manchester and at St John’s College, Cambridge. She holds a DPhil in music from the University of Oxford. Gabi has run her own private teaching studio, and has taught violin at the University of Glasgow at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, and at the Bath Traditional Music Summer School. She has been guest sub-principal with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and has played with the English Baroque Soloists, Dunedin Consort, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, and Instruments of Time and Truth. Gabi has also taught at Harrow and she is also part-time French lecturer at Hertford and St Peter’s Colleges at Oxford. I am sure that Camilla, Rebecca and Gabi will be made very welcome.
Please note that, from September 2025, our Designated Safeguarding Lead will be Brett Morrison. Rosemary Cox will become Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead (with special focus on EYFS).
There will also be a slight change to our form tutor teams from September. Natalie Bath will become form tutor for Year 5, while Stephen Young will move to become assistant form tutor for Year 7. All other form tutoring arrangements will remain the same as this year.
We will run our usual Reading in Interesting Places competition over the summer. If your son wishes to submit a photo of himself reading in an interesting place, please do so by sending a high-resolution JPG to office@newcollegeschool.org by Monday 1 September. I would love to read what the boys have been up to over the summer, so if any of them keep holiday diaries please do send these in via the school office at the start of the new academic year.
The theme for our annual SHTEAM Festival next Hilary will be ‘Our Green Planet’. We will be exploring this theme from many different angles across all our subjects, running talks and workshops, as well as incorporating the theme in our day-to-day lessons. If there are any parents, taking into account their specialist knowledge, who would like to offer a talk or workshop to the boys on an aspect of ‘Our Green Planet’, do please contact emma.krebs@newcollegeschool.org.
Our (at least) annual reminder that the school’s Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) policy is always available to view via the drop-down menu at https://www.newcollegeschool.org/wellbeing-and-happiness. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact either Brett Morrison on brett.morrison@newcollegeschool.org or myself via office@newcollegeschool.org.
Meanwhile, the school’s Attendance and Registration policy is available at https://www.newcollegeschool.org/page/?title=Attendance+and+Registration&pid=111
NCS families may be interested in the Oxford Saints Flag Football Camp, 18-20 August at Tilsley Park, Abingdon, 10.00-14.00. It is open to pupils in Years 5-9 and is £6 per day or £15 for all three days. Please email youth@oxfordsaints.com if you are interested.
Upcoming Events
Monday, 1 September 2025
INSET for Staff, 9.00-16.00
Tuesday, 2 September 2025
INSET for Staff, 9.00-16.00
Wednesday, 3 September 2025
Start of Term
After School Enrichment Activities start (pre-prep and prep)
9.00 Chapel. Speaker: The Headmaster
Saturday, 6 September 2025
9.30 OCCO INSET (staff only)
Monday, 8 September 2025
18.00 Reception and Year 1 form tutor information evening
Years 2 and 3 form tutor information evening and introduction to the prep school
Tuesday, 9 September 2025
9.00 Portrait photos
18.00 Years 4-6 form tutor information evening, internet safety and 13+ destinations briefing
Wednesday, 10 September 2025
VMT Music lessons begin
9.00 Chapel. Speaker: The Chaplain
14.15 U13 A-C/D Football vs Thorngrove, home
14.15 U11 A-C/D Football vs Thorngrove, away
Thursday, 11 September 2025
18.00 Years 7-8 form tutor information evening and PSB briefing
Saturday, 13 September 2025
9.00 OCCO commences