Headmaster's Newsletter Friday 24 October 2025
Dear Parents,
One of the more eye-catching headlines in the press recently was ‘Woman Fined 110 Euros After Cat Miaows Too Loudly on French Train’. The volume of feline emittances on European railways would not usually, I suspect, make it into the news. But it did so because there has been a lot of legitimate concern in recent months about how people behave, and how much noise they make, on public transport. In just one day over the summer the media was full of headlines like ‘My music is blaring out on the Tube – will anyone challenge me?’ or ‘Phone narcissists still walk among us’ or ‘I asked a bus passenger to turn his phone down – he called me miserable’. Pretty much everyone reading this newsletter will, I suspect, have encountered the issue: people listening to music via their phones, or making calls, or having work meetings, without using headphones.
I first encountered this many years ago, on a train in LA, and was quite taken aback (a) that anyone would have the audacity to do so, especially when the music was so terrible, and (b) that no one was saying anything. I didn’t say anything, because I’m British, and because I didn’t want to risk getting, you know, shot. The second memorable occasion was on a flight when the gentleman diagonally in front of me was listening to his music through his phone speaker. In his defence, this was a Bluetooth-failure-related accident, and he was mortified when the lady next to him pointed it out. Not as mortified as she was, though, when she realised that she was gently reprimanding John Hannah from Four Weddings and a Funeral. Then, most recently, I was on a train heading towards London through Kent when I had to endure someone’s TikTok ‘viewing’ on full volume. At least when there’s music you can usually kind of inwardly hum along to it. You can’t do that to TikTok which is designed to sap people’s attention spans so all you get is 1.5 seconds of music/sound/noise before the TikTok zombie swipes onto the next mind-rotting yet seemingly well-remunerated nonsense.
The cavalry is allegedly coming to the rescue, though, because Transport for London have put out some videos and posters politely asking people to use their headphones. Which won’t work, because I suspect the kind of people who don’t think about the people around them won’t watch such videos or read the posters. And, if they do, they will simply extend their ‘not caring’ to include ignoring the message in the video/poster. There are talks of on-the-spot fines, which is all very well except it will be a lottery as to who actually gets caught – I’m assuming there will be very few employees actually patrolling and issuing fines. It is worth noting that there already exists a byelaw prohibiting people from blaring out loud sounds from a phone on trains. The number of people prosecuted by Transport for London in 2024 under that byelaw? Zilch. And I suspect train company employees will become less inclined to issue these fines once people start kicking off in train carriages. As above, the kind of people who don’t care about people around them are probably somewhere near the same category as those who get aggressive when someone challenges them over their antisocial behaviour. Anyway, how many people will just say they were just getting their earphones out, and the Bluetooth dropped accidentally? How many train company employees want to get into that fight? And how many of them want to get into a tit-for-tat with John Hannah?
The fundamental issue is that the culture has changed, and if we want the above behaviour to be reversed, then the culture needs to be reversed. But that is much easier said than done when new generations go on public transport and see antisocial behaviour as the norm. It all comes down to manners, and a fundamental awareness of how our actions affect those around us, which is what, thanks to William of Wykeham, NCS has been banging on about since 1379. So we will do our little bit with the pupils on Savile Road, while gently sighing and tutting as much of the rest of the world appears to just give up and do whatever they want, heedless to everyone else around them.
Have a great half term, and make sure your cat doesn’t miaow too loudly on the train.
Matt Jenkinson
Throughout their time at NCS boys are encouraged to be actively involved in helping the wider world, for example through charity work. It has been heartening and joyful to see so many of them embrace the cake sales in aid of the Atlas Foundation, either by baking, buying cakes to share with others or by helping sell produce at break times. There were some fabulous entries to the bake off competition and the traditional golden spoons will be awarded after half term. We concluded the week with a non-uniform day, a ‘throw a hoop on the spider legs’ game at playtime, and a riotous Year 8 vs staff penalty shoot-out. We have raised almost £1000 for our chosen charity. Well done to everyone involved and thanks to Emma Barnes and the charity committee for all their work.
Thank you to Caroline Hitchings, and all our pre-prep colleagues, who hosted a wonderful QED week on ‘Feeling Good: Healthy Body, Healthy Mind’!
We are looking forward to our Years 7-8 performances of Richard II on Wednesday and Thursday, 12-13 November, 18.00-19.00. Please note that entry will be via the Song Room (it will be signposted), and that boys will be picked up from in the chapel itself after the performances (just after 19.00). Please do not use the antechapel entrance, but always use the Song Room door for entering and exiting. Thank you.
On Sunday 14 December at 6pm, the New College School Chamber Choir and Choral Society will present their annual Christmas concert in New College Chapel. This year, we are performing alongside members of The Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra in a festive programme including Respighi's Lauda per la Natività del Signore and Britten's Ceremony of Carols.
Tickets are now on sale via https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ncs-christmas-concert-respighi-britten-tickets-1741687266499. Tickets at a discounted rate are available for NCS parents: simply use the promo code 'Respighi1379' at the checkout.
Sunday, November 02, 2025
13.3 Years 7-8, Richard II rehearsal, NCS (ends 16.00)
Monday, November 03, 2025
12.30 Year 2 trip to the Ashmolean to see Guy Fawkes' lantern (back at school for 2.00p.m)
14.00 Years 7-8, Richard II rehearsal, chapel (ends 15.45)
Tuesday, November 04, 2025
14.00 U9 A-C Football vs Summer Fields, home
Wednesday, November 05, 2025
9.00 Remembrance Day Service, Chapel. Speaker: Mr Jim Mainstone, former Commissioned Officer & Marine Intelligence Specialist
14.15 U11 House cross country, uni parks
15.45 Years 7-8, Richard II rehearsal, chapel (ends 16.45)
Thursday, November 06, 2025
8.50 IMPS visit, Year 6
Friday, November 07, 2025
8.50 Year 8 and 8S Evolution workshop
Sunday 9 November 2025
9.00 Year 8 Only, Richard II rehearsal, chapel (ends 11.30)
Monday, November 10, 2025
National Anti-Bullying Week begins
Switch Off Fortnight begins
14.00 Year 7 Only, Richard II rehearsal, chapel (ends 15.00)
18:00 Pre-Prep Chorister Information Evening (online)
Tuesday, November 11, 2025
13.30 U8 & U9 Football vs St Michael's Primary, home
Wednesday, November 12, 2025
8.15 School Council Meeting, Creative Learning Centre
9.00 ISEB pre-tests (tbc)
9.00 Chapel. Speaker: Mr Alastair Chirnside, Warden, St Edward's
U11 A-D Football vs St Michael's Primary, home
14.15 U13 House cross country, uni parks
18.00 Richard II performance, Years 7-8, chapel (please enter via the Song Room)
Thursday, November 13, 2025
9.00 Flu Vaccinations (Rec-Year 8)
18.00 Richard II performance, Years 7-8, chapel (please enter via the Song Room)