Headmaster's Newsletter Friday 6 September 2024
Dear parents,
Welcome back to the start of this brand-new school year — the 645th school year in NCS’s history. I hope that you all had happy and restful vacations with your families and friends. And an especially warm welcome to our new NCS boys, families and colleagues, who may very well be reading one of these newsletters for the first time.
Over the summer I met up with some American friends in South Carolina, teachers who just twelve years ago set up their own school. Being Headmaster of a school that is six and a half centuries old is, in many ways, very cool — but you don’t get to start the school from scratch; you inherit certain values, routines, buildings, expectations. When you have a brand-new school you get to decide a lot of things, including the school motto. My friends chose ‘Non nobis solum nati sumus’: ‘Not for ourselves alone are we born’. It’s a nice motto, and it does what mottoes are meant to do: it snappily sums up the ethos of the place and what simple message it wants its students to take through life. I used to be quite fond of my old school motto, ‘Sub umbra alarum tuarum’: ‘Beneath the shadow of thy wing’, because it summed up a feeling of protection and nurturing. You had to work, but there was a protective canopy over you (much like here!). I was less impressed when, a few years ago, in a fit of modernisation the motto was changed to ‘Aspire, Achieve, Excel’, which sounded a bit more like a list of Microsoft applications than a guide to life.
Here at New College School we have one of the most famous mottoes in the business: ‘Manners Makyth Man’. But we are not the only school to have this motto. Famously, William of Wykeham gave it to Winchester College and to New College, which is why we inherited it along the way. But outside the Wykeham foundation, you can encounter ‘Manners Makyth Man’ all over the place. In the UK, it has either been adopted in the past, or is still used, by: Urmston Grammar School, Portway Secondary Modern School, Hildenborough Primary School, and Aylesbury Road Boys’ School. Lochinver House has a ‘MMM’ award. You can also find ‘Manners Makyth Man’ at Rosebank Primary School in South Africa, Kaonga Primary School in Zambia, and Bo Government Secondary School in Sierra Leone. If we cross the Atlantic we can find it adopted by Kent Place School in New Jersey, USA and Royal St George’s College in Toronto, Canada. If we go a very, very long way we can find ‘Manners Makyth Man’ at Dudley Public School and Sydney Technical High School in Australia and Te Puke School in New Zealand. There is clearly something about the motto that is very attractive.
The motto resonates around the world because, in its beautifully alliterative way, it brings our attention to something at the very core of our existence. It is tempting to think of ‘manners’ in the very basic sense of holding doors open for others, being polite to one another, looking one another in the eye, choosing our language carefully, shaking hands firmly (but not too firmly). These are all important things, and they constitute the oil that lubricates our society. We all need to live alongside one another, and one way to do this effectively is to treat one another well, to use good manners in our interactions. I’m sure we can all think of times when people, either friends or strangers, have used poor manners towards us, and I’m sure we can all remember how bad that made us feel. On the flip side I’m sure we can think of times when our days were made that little bit better by someone smiling at us, asking us how we’re doing, wishing us a ‘good evening’ at the school gate at the end of the day.
But manners go deeper than holding a door open; they have an ethical aspect, they speak to our moral character. When William of Wykeham chose his motto, he lived at a time when one’s life and career was, to a very large extent, dependent on the circumstances of one’s birth. Wealth, property, jobs, were largely inherited. Then came along low-born William of Wykeham who became Bishop of Winchester, Keeper of the Privy Seal, Chancellor, and one of the wealthiest men in the country. For him, it was ‘worth not birth’ that determined his future. Manners made him, and so manners could and should make others. The fact that the motto is in English rather than French or Latin, the common languages for high-status mottoes at the time, could be important. It could have been a confident statement from this upstart William that he didn’t feel the need to adopt a high-status language once he had succeeded in life — a nod that low-status English was good enough for a man who cared more about one’s moral behaviour than one’s material wealth.
A cursory Google of ‘Manners Makyth Man’ shows just how deep this motto has gone into the consciousness of the world beyond William of Wykeham’s foundations. When newspaper columnists want to whinge about the terrible state of society’s manners, usually among the young who spend more time staring at their phones than answering them, they often use ‘Manners Makyth Man’ as their headline. And these complaints get more and more frequent as time goes on and manners apparently decline. One journalist in The Times recently talked about the growth of ‘etiquette courses for awkward youngsters … [designed to help with] introducing yourself with confidence, establishing eye contact, using the correct forms of address for a prospective employer, and so forth. Not mumbling, not looking at the floor and not calling your interviewer “bro”, basically. And maybe, like, not saying, like, like every third word?’
It is easy to take manners and our motto for granted and in chapel on Wednesday, at the start of this school year, I reminded the boys why they really, really shouldn’t. The way we interact with one another is important. The way we speak to one another is important: pupil to pupil, pupil to teacher, teacher to pupil, teacher to teacher. We should add parents in there too. We may think, sometimes, that we are being funny with our friends when, at times, we might inadvertently be being hurtful. It is important that we think of others around us, about helping their days go as well as possible — in return, they will help ours. I implored the boys to ask one another, ask their teachers, how their day is going. Ask if there is anything they can do to help. And I reminded them not to just do it today and tomorrow; but to remember to keep it up for the rest of the week, for the rest of the term, and beyond. These good manners speak to our general courtesy but also to our moral worth. They build up and, ultimately, help to make us who we are, and who we will be in the future. People who define themselves by their material possessions tend to be insufferable and unhappy; I told the boys to be the kinds of people who define themselves by the positive ways they behave and how they treat others.
I wish you all a very happy and purposeful Michaelmas term.
Matt Jenkinson
Many congratulations to Brett Morrison, Rebecca and Joe, who welcomed Nico to the family over the summer. Also to Hayley Bishop and Jon, now Mr and Mrs Somers, following their wedding in the beautiful summer sunshine. And to Karen Quarterman and Colin, who welcomed Chloe to their family over the vacation.
Congratulations to Darren Greenfield on his appointment to the kitchen at Cheney over the summer. I’m sure we would all like to thank Darren for his service to NCS over the past decade, and especially for his willingness to help us all out on many occasions, in addition to his day-to-day work in the kitchen.
Congratulations, too, to Isobel Rose who was been appointed to the music department at John Hampden School in High Wycombe from January 2025. I’m thrilled that we will still have Izzy with us for Michaelmas, so we will get to say ‘thank you’ and ‘good bye’ at Christmas. In her stead, I am delighted to announce that Natalie Bath has been appointed Assistant Director of Music and Chorister Tutor at NCS from January. Natalie received a distinction in her BMus at the University of Cape Town before pursuing postgraduate studies there, and then received a PGDip (distinction) in Singing at the Royal College of Music in London and an MEd in International Education from the University of Dundee. She has taught across all the key stages, including as: Director of Music at Abercorn School in London; music and singing teacher at Beaulieu Nursery, Prep and College in South Africa; Head of Arts at Raffles World Academy in Dubai; and, most recently, music teacher at Jumeirah College in Dubai. Natalie is also a professional opera singer and singing teacher, having been in-house soprano for Cape Town Opera and vocal coach for Dubai Opera Festival Chorus. She also plays the piano and clarinet, among many other instruments. Natalie has also taught drama and been a head of house and form tutor. When she isn’t doing all of that, she enjoys swimming (at which she has competed at national level), sailing, camping, hiking and travelling.
Our new hi-vis school/sports jackets have arrived (you can’t miss ’em!) and have been distributed to the boys this morning. A number of NCS families may now have some out-of-use school coats cluttering their homes. One of our NCS parents has generously offered to facilitate a donation of these coats to primary schools in townships in South Africa, areas where neither schools nor homes have heating, so during cold and wet winters waterproof coats would be really appreciated. If any families would like to donate their old coats, ideally once they’ve been through a washing machine, please drop them into the school office by lunchtime next Wednesday (11 September).
The school’s 2024-25 safeguarding policy is available on the school website via
https://www.newcollegeschool.org/_site/data/files/documents/D6305F7E0FB2B5FA67F9F2525D50E1D4.pdf
The school’s RSE (Relationships and Sex Education) policy is always available to view at https://www.newcollegeschool.org/wellbeing-and-happiness. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact brett.morrison@newcollegeschool.org or office@newcollegeschool.org.
An enormous ‘well done’ to NCS alumni Xander and Merritt who performed in the National Youth Orchestra at the BBC Proms over the summer, in a fantastic concert featuring Mahler’s First Symphony. At the time of writing, the Prom is still available on iPlayer, and you don’t want to miss the incredible finale. Watching the concert, it was heartening to see so much musical talent on display; with the right support, this bodes very well for the future.
We are looking forward to our start-of-year information evenings next week. The details were sent out over the summer vacation, but please also find the key information below:
Reception and Year 1 form tutor information evening: Monday 9 September 2024, 18.00. Parking available on-site from 17.15: first come, first served. 18.00: meetings with form tutors in Reception/Year 1 form rooms. 18.30: drinks in dining hall
Years 4-6 form tutor information evening, internet safety and 13+ destinations briefing. Tuesday 10 September 2024, 18.00. Parking available on-site from 17.15: first come, first served. 18.00: 13+ destinations and internet safety briefing in auditorium. 18.30: meetings with form tutors in Years 4-6 form rooms. 19.00: meeting registrars of 13+ future schools + drinks in sports hall
Years 2-3 form tutor information evening, and introduction to the prep school. Wednesday 11 September 2024, 18.00. Parking available on-site from 17.15: first come, first served. 18.00: introduction to the prep school in auditorium. 18.30: meetings with form tutors in Years 2 and 3 form rooms. 19.00: drinks in dining hall
Years 7-8/8S form tutor information evening and PSB briefing. Thursday 12 September 2024, 18.00. Parking available on-site from 17.15: first come, first served. 18.00: academic and pastoral briefing in auditorium. 18.30: meetings with form tutors in Years 7 and 8 form rooms. 19.00: drinks in dining hall
And, for your diaries, here are the dates and times for this year’s parents’ evenings. For the prep school, parents’ evenings formally begin at 18.00, but there are often colleagues ready to chat to parents earlier (from c.17.45) for those who wish to get a head start. Parking is usually available from 17.15 once the playground is clear of boys leaving after-school enrichment activities. We request that parents arrive in good time to get around all of the teachers to whom they need to speak, usually no later than 18.30, to enable colleagues to get home at a sensible time.
Year 7 parents’ evening: Wednesday 2 October 2024, 18.00
Year 6 parents’ evening: Wednesday 27 November 2024, 18.00
Year 3 and 8S parents’ evening: Wednesday 15 January 2025, 18.00
Year 4 parents’ evening: Wednesday 29 January 2025, 18.00
Year 5 parents’ evening: Wednesday 26 February 2025, 18.00
Year 8 parents' evening: Wednesday 5 March 2025, 18.00
Pre-Prep parents' evening: Wednesday 19 March 2025, 17.30
Many thanks for sending in your pictures of the boys reading in interesting locations, for our annual competition. If you have any more to send in, please do email them to office@newcollegeschool.org. We will then be able to announce our winner and add to our photo wall outside the library. Holiday diaries are also very much enjoyed, so do please drop them into the office for us to read.
Please can I reiterate my usual plea about allergies? We aspire to be a nut-free school, due to a number of children with allergies, so we request that nuts are not put into school snack boxes, cakes, and the like. Many thanks.
Please note that, on Monday 16 September, a dead tree will be removed from Savile Road. This will require the use of a cherry-picker, so please be extra careful at drop-off and pick-up.
Upcoming Events
Saturday, 7 September 2024
9.30 OCCO INSET (staff only)
Monday, 9 September 2024
18.00 Reception and Year 1 form tutor information evening
Tuesday, 10 September 2024
18.00 Years 4-6 form tutor information evening, internet safety and 13+ destinations briefing
14.15 U8 A-C Football vs MCS, Away
14.15 U9 A-C Football vs MCS, Home
Wednesday, 11 September 2024
VMT Music lessons begin
9.00 Years 3 and 4 outward bound trip to Hill End
9.00 Chapel. Speaker: The Chaplain
14.30 U11 A-D Football vs MCS, Home
14.15 U13 A-D Football vs Thorngrove, Away
18.00 Years 2-3 form tutor information evening and introduction to the prep school
Thursday, 12 September 2024
18.00 Years 7-8 form tutor information evening and PSB briefing
Saturday, 14 September 2024
9.00 OCCO commences
Monday, 16 September 2024
All Week: Years 3-8 PTM in ICT Suite
Tuesday, 17 September 2024
9.00 Portrait photos (Auditorium)
14.00 U8 A&B and U9 A&B Football vs Cothill, Home
Wednesday, 18 September 2024
9.00 Chapel. Speaker: Mr Damien Ettinger, Headmaster, Cokethorpe School
14.15 U11 A-D Football vs Cothill, Home
14.15 U13 A-C Football vs Cothill, Away
8.15 School council meeting, CLC
Thursday, 19 September 2024
9.00 OPRO dentist mouthguard fitting