Headmaster's Newsletter
Friday 22 May 2026
Dear Parents,
Going to school in the ’80s and ’90s, I don’t have especially rosy memories about school food. From primary school, I have glimpses of recollections: sitting at our desks to eat packed lunch (there was no such thing as a dining room); “dinner ladies” who got a bit grumpy if we spoke too loudly; and an initiative where, once a week (I think), we could pay £1 for a plate of sausages, chips and beans. In secondary school, lunch culture was more of a free-for-all with a thousand adolescent males finding ways to get by. I seem to remember there being a lot of chips with barbeque sauce available. It’s a miracle we survived, really, but we did.
Schools these days are a lot better attuned to the importance of healthy diets, and ‘I understand how to eat well and I have a balanced diet’ has been our wellbeing theme this week. We work closely with our caterer, Thomas Franks, to provide healthy and balanced meals, and the school council regularly gives feedback on the food and provides suggestions for future menus. They even carried out a taste test to choose our future sausages. In assembly this week, Natalie Bath spoke about the importance of nutrition – and especially breakfast – in the sporting context of our forthcoming Sports Day. We know that food is not only a source of energy and nutrients, but also a key influence on physical health throughout our lives. Equally, we know that early dietary patterns are strongly linked to risks of conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and other chronic illnesses later in life. And that children’s food preferences and habits are shaped by a combination of biological, social, and environmental factors.
A particularly significant influence is the family environment. Children learn a great deal through observation, especially of their parents, and mealtimes therefore provide a powerful setting for shaping behaviour. Supportive, structured approaches, often rather unhelpfully described as ‘authoritative’, tend to encourage healthier self-regulation and more balanced eating. In contrast, overly restrictive or pressuring approaches, as well as the use of food as a reward, can sometimes have unintended effects on children’s relationship with food. Regular family meals, where possible, are associated with better dietary quality and healthier long-term habits. We also know that wider influences matter. The availability of processed, energy-dense foods can be problematic, obviously, and we know that children who are frequently exposed to food advertising or who eat while using screens are more likely to consume less nutritious diets. Meanwhile, habits formed early in life, such as trying a variety of foods, repeated exposure to new tastes, and consistent routines around meals, can significantly improve dietary quality over time. The occasional chip smothered in barbeque sauce might then be ok, so long as it is within a wider and healthier nutritional context!
Have a great weekend,
Matt Jenkinson
Congratulations to all those involved in our OCCO concert last Saturday morning over in the antechapel, and especially to Vivaldo cello concerto soloists Jack and Yoav, and to our Year 7 choristers who sang so well in Bastian and Bastienne: Misha, Oscar, Frankie, Ambrose, Felix and Aloysius.
Very well done to our Years 3 and 4 boys who took their form assessments in their stride this week.
Pre-Prep have clearly loved their QED week on the theme of 'All Creatures Great and Small', and it has been wonderful to see so many imaginative costumes arriving at the gate. My thanks to our wonderful Pre-Prep team for approaching the week so imaginatively, and to Caroline Hitchings who has once again masterminded it.
Thank you for all your support during Charity Week, raising funds for the Alexander Devine Hospice. Thanks to your, and the boys’, efforts the NCS community has raised over £1000 for this very important cause. Thanks to Emma Barnes, Nick Hanson and the charity and eco- committees who worked together for this Charity Week.
On Tuesday Year 6 went to Wendover Woods in the Chilterns on their geography field trip to explore the forest and practise their map reading skills. The boys enjoyed using their OS maps to spot landmarks and orientate themselves on the footpaths. The boys were fantastic orienteers, managing to find nearly all the posts that were very hidden away. They enjoyed an ice-cream from the café, the beautiful views and imagining what the iron-age fort would have looked and smelt like thousands of years ago.
The inspiring theme for this year’s Young Art Oxford competition and exhibition was ‘Little Things That Matter’. It sparked an incredible wave of imagination and creativity across NCS. We are always proud to take part in this annual fundraising exhibition, which brings together talented young artists from schools across Oxfordshire, from Reception to Year 9. The opportunity for pupils to showcase their artwork at the prestigious Ashmolean Museum, and to have their work judged by respected professional artists, is truly memorable. Our NCS artists embraced the theme with such enthusiasm, producing imaginative and ambitious pieces inspired by a wide range of artistic influences. The competition was strong this year, with over three thousand artworks submitted, making it an outstanding achievement that twenty-six pieces by our pupils were selected for the exhibition. The Prizegiving evening was a fantastic celebration of creativity, talent, excitement, pride and support from many family and friends. We were delighted to see our young artists recognised in such a prestigious setting. The exhibition also raised valuable funds for Rafiki Thabo, which is an organisation that aims to support and improve the access to education for young people within their communities across Kenya, Uganda and Lesotho. Many congratulations to the following who were fortunate to exhibit their work: Beau, Ethan, Enzo, Benedict, Nicolas, Theo, Arthur, Xander, Henry, Arthur, Robert, Jacob, Lucien, Bowen, Eddy, Alexander, Luca, Leo, Theon, Raad, Chris, Charlie, Frankie, Misha, Ollie, and Andres.
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. You can sign up for the concert and dinner via https://www.newcollegeschool.org/wykeham-day-2026
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.
Sports Roundup: Over the last two days of the half term we have seen the sun come out and warm our bodies. The cold, windy Wednesday afternoons have been tricky at times as an umpire, but the boys have not disappointed, and we have seen a very impressive set of performances and results from across the school. In recent weeks the U8 and U9 teams have played brilliant games away at Chandlings and at home against St Michael’s Primary. In these games the U8 and U9 A teams maintained their winning streaks. The Chandlings team approached the game last week with a fair amount of self-confidence, but the NCS boys quietly went about their business and took a hard-fought win in a game that went down to the final over of the day. Once again, the NCS team demonstrated excellent sportsmanship in their conduct during, and particularly after, the game.
In the U11 games, Summer Fields were our guests last week and we enjoyed two cracking afternoons. The B team unfortunately did not manage the win on this occasion, but went down fighting to the very end with stellar performances with the ball. In the A team game, the NCS U11 bowlers put in the performance of the season; the deliveries from all six bowlers were accurate and difficult to play. In particular, the left-arm thunderbolts from our captain were impressive, and it was perfect when he struck twice in his final over to win the game by thirteen runs. This wonderful display was backed up this week in two brilliant games away at Bruern Abbey, with both the A and B teams winning their respective matches. In both games Bruern batted first and scored 92 runs. The B team, at the end of the match, were 19 runs ahead and deserved the win thanks to some great hitting. In the A team game, the NCS batters were disciplined and, in only losing five wickets, we reached the target with four overs to spare, with the captain still at the crease unbeaten.
The U13 teams were also in action this week and, coming off a great win against Bruern a couple of weeks ago, they were in confident mood away at Summer Fields. The boys opted to bowl first and, having restricted their hosts to only 87 runs, were optimistic of a rare victory over their local rivals. After our captain had hit a stunning 55 runs to lay a great foundation, the boys’ confidence grew even more. A number of wickets then fell, and when our last batter made his way to the crease, we were still three runs short of the win. He struck the penultimate ball for the three runs required, and won the game for NCS with a single ball to spare. Following on from two brilliant wins, the boys were hopeful of ending the half term on a high in the return fixture against Bruern Abbey. On a grass-covered wicket, once again the bowling was good and only 82 runs were hit by our guests. On this occasion we fell a twenty runs short of the target and so, at the half-term break, it is honours even between NCS and Bruern.
Upcoming Events
Monday 01 Jun 2026 Return from Half-Term Years 5-8 Assessment Week begins Tuesday 02 Jun 2026 14.00 U9 Cricket House Match Finals (Yrs 3&4), Field Wednesday 03 Jun 2026 9.00 Chapel (Pre-Prep and Years 3-4 & 8S only). Led by Pre-Prep 14.15 U11 A&B Cricket vs Oratory Prep, Away 14.15 U13 A&B Cricket vs Oratory Prep, Home Friday 05 Jun 2026 14.00 U11 Cricket House Match Finals (Yrs 5&6), Field 17.00 Leavers' Evening (ends c19.15) 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 8.45 Year 8 Geography field trip to Swindon wind/solar farm return by midday Junior Maths Kangaroo and Junior Maths Olympiad 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 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)