Headmaster's Newsletter
Friday 1 May 2026
Dear Parents,
On 10 May about six thousand athletes will be running in and around the University Parks in the annual Town and Gown run. Being a centrally located school, we are peculiarly well-placed to be providing a good number of those runners, in both the junior and senior events. It is now customary to see our neon-green NCS shirts making their way around the course, making it easier for us to keep an eye on our runners, and for them to stand out against the sea of red shirts which pretty much every other school seems to don. The race raises money for Muscular Dystrophy UK, and we are very proud of all those who take part, especially those from the NCS community – pupils, teachers, parents.
In Tuesday’s wellbeing assembly one of those runners, Nick Hanson, talked about the event in the context of our theme for the week: ‘I exercise to make sure I stay physically healthy’. Though we could include ‘mentally healthy’ in there too, such is the well-established connection between exercise and good mental health. Year 7 had their say on the importance of exercise, too, during that assembly. Alongside some of the more usual elements of the discussion, it was interesting to hear their views on the importance of balance. Our boys are growing up in a society in which there are increasing pressures on how one looks – or how one perceives one looks – and thanks to the ‘looksmaxxing’ trend, this now very much extends to physique. So the boys talked about the importance of exercising commensurate with one’s physical development, and staying cognizant of the dangers of over-exercising, or getting exercise and strengthening out of proportion.
Speaking of exercise, last Sunday saw Brett Morrison take on a slightly longer challenge. He ran the London Marathon, from Blackheath to The Mall. Well over a million people applied for places in the marathon (I wasn’t one of them – with this ankle?!); each year around sixty to seventy thousand actually get places, and the majority of them finish. The event’s official charity changes each year, with recent ones including Marie Curie, Pancreatic Cancer UK, Samaritans, and Great Ormond Street Hospital – though, of course, there are thousands of individual runners raising money for their own choice of charities. Brett was running to raise money for NSPCC and we are very proud of him and his (very) sub-four-hour finish.
Have a great weekend,
Matt Jenkinson
Many congratulations to Steve Potts and his partner, Rach, on the birth of Luca over the Easter vacation. We are looking forward to meeting him on Savile Road!
Our next open morning is on Friday 15 May, 10.00-12.00. All families are welcome to join us to view the school in action, chat to pupils, staff, and current parents and find out more about an NCS education. Places can be booked via https://www.newcollegeschool.org/open-day-booking. Do please pass on this information to any families you think might be interested in joining our special community. Keep an eye out for our adverts on social media too (www.facebook.com/newcollegeschool, www.instagram.com/newcollegeschool/) and don’t be shy when it comes to pressing the ‘like’ and ‘share’ buttons. Almost 80% of respondents in our community surveys report that they first heard about NCS through word of mouth, so do please keep spreading the word. Many thanks!
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.
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. Please see the separate Parentmail for sign-up instructions.
Upcoming Events
Monday 04 May 2026 Bank and school holiday Tuesday 05 May 2026 14.00 U8 A&B Criicket vs MCS, Home 14.00 U9 A&B Criicket vs MCS, Away Wednesday 06 May 2026 8.15 School Council Meeting, CLC 9.00 Chapel. Speaker: Sorrel Shamel-Wood, Children, Families and Schools Chaplain, University Church 9.35 Trip to Botanic Gardens (Year 4) Return 12.20 14.00 U11 A&B Cricket vs MCS, Away 14.15 U13 A&B Cricket vs Bruern Abbey, Away 14.15 U13 A Tennis vs Bruern Abbey, Away Friday 08 May 2026 12.00 U11 A County Cup Cricket vs MCS, Away Monday 11 May 2026 13.30 U13 A&B Cricket vs MCS, Home 13.40 U13 A Tennis vs MCS, Away 17.15 Junior Recital (Years 3-5), Auditorium Tuesday 12 May 2026 Year 7 Geography Field Trip to the Earth Trust 14.15 U9 A&B Cricket vs Chandlings, Home 14.15 U8 A&B Cricket vs Chandlings, Away Wednesday 13 May 2026 9.00 Chapel. Speaker: Matthew Albrighton, NCS Governor and Headmaster of Burford School 14.00 U13 A&B Cricket vs Summer Fields, Away 14.00 U11 A&B Cricket vs Summer Fields, Home Thursday 14 May 2026 8.45 Year 5 Beating the Bounds (return 11.10) 13.30 U8&9 A&B Cricket vs St Michael's, Home Friday 15 May 2026 Open Morning 14.00 U11 Cricket House Matches (Yrs 5&6), Field