Headmaster's Newsletter Friday 7th October 2022
Dear Parents,
This has been rather a poetic week at NCS. Our artwork of the week, in Monday’s assembly, to mark the beginning of Black History Month, was Benjamin Zephaniah’s ‘The British’. The poem celebrates the ‘melting pot’ of Britain and calls for ‘unity, understanding, and respect for the future’. It ends with a stark and timeless warning: ‘An unequal spread of justice will damage the people and cause pain. Give justice and equality to all.’ Then, on Thursday, Dr Gausden began National Poetry Day with an assembly on the importance of poetry and the role it plays, even if we don’t always notice, in our lives. A couple of weeks ago, in the context of the Queen’s funeral, I noted how two successive Poets Laureate distilled their reactions in poetic form. It is, of course, their job; but the fact that we still have the role perhaps suggests that there is still an appetite for poetic responses to major national occasions. If you think back to the last presidential inauguration, I imagine that one of the abiding memories was Amanda Gorman performing her poem ‘The Hill We Climb’.
But what National Poetry Day reminds us, is that we don’t need major state occasions for some poems to be wheeled out. Another former Poet Laureate, Andrew Motion, once said that he has three reading speeds: the fastest for ‘business’ materials like meeting minutes; a middle speed for newspaper articles and the like; and a slow speed for poetry. Poetry slows us down, makes us think more carefully about the emotions and messages that are being conveyed by the poet. When done well, poetry can sit up there with the highest forms of the arts. I have also previously written about the enjoyment that can come from picking poems apart to see how they work. This is a sometimes controversial position to take. Lawrence Ferlinghetti said that ‘Like a bowl of roses / A poem should not have to be explained’. But tell that to a pupil who (a) will sit exams on poetry at some point and (b) really rather enjoys seeing what techniques are used, and to what effect.
Or, indeed, tell it to the legions of adults who were put off poetry in school because it was declaimed from on high, and not made accessible, therefore in effect denying them a rich cultural experience for subsequent years or decades. I’m pleased to say that poetry is everywhere at NCS, from Mrs Hess’s wonderful displays and poetry slams in the library, to my colleagues (and myself) who have spent, and continue to spend, time and energy on poems, how they work, and what enjoyment can be derived from them.
Have a great weekend,
Matt Jenkinson
As you will probably already know, we are very keen for the boys’ voices to be heard at NCS. To that end, we have three committees on which the boys can sit (a useful skill to learn for later life!): our school council, eco-committee and charity committee. I’m delighted that the committees’ meetings have already begun this term, and the boys have been having their say in how the school can continue to progress in the future, including when it comes to sustainability and supporting communities beyond our own. My thanks to Miss Krebs and Mr Morrison for chairing these committees so effectively. The charity committee has selected the Nalang Model Academy (our NCS link school in Nepal) as their charity educational charity for this term. The charity committee would like to support their ICAL programme: learning English language through nature. Charity week falls the week before half term. Some of the fundraising efforts will include: cake sales on Monday-Thursday, a Year 8 versus teacher dodgeball match, paper plane competition and Home Clothes Day on Friday. We will also look to develop some educational experiences for pupils to help expand their understanding around the ICAL course and the daily experiences of pupils in our link school. Further information will follow next week.
Thank you to those parents who have volunteered to set up our new ‘regional’ Whatsapp groups, to facilitate NCS families sharing information about local issues and organising rideshares and the like. We are still looking for volunteers to set up the following regions: North 1 (city north and Jericho, and adjoining areas); South 1 (city south and Kennington, and adjoining areas); South 2 (Boars Hill and Abingdon, and adjoining areas); West 1 (city west and Botley, and adjoining areas); West 2 (Cumnor and Witney, and adjoining areas). Please email office@newcollegeschool.org if you’d be willing to help out setting up the Whatsapp groups for those areas.
We are looking forward to our Open Morning, which is tomorrow at 10.00-12.00. We have a good number of pupils who have volunteered to be guides. I’m especially pleased to see names of lots of our newest pupils on the list; it’s great that, after five weeks here, they are already so proud of their school that they want to show it to the next generation of NCS families! Please note that all pupils attending school tomorrow morning (including Music Academy pupils) should wear full school uniform. There is still time for prospective families to register at https://www.newcollegeschool.org/open-days -- do please pass on this link if you know of any families who would be interested in joining our wonderful community. Although the morning is primarily for prospective parents, current parents, especially those from the Pre-Prep, are most welcome to get a further insight into the upper part of the school.
The first evensong of university term is this evening at 18.15 in New College chapel. All NCS families are very warmly invited to the service, and indeed all subsequent services in College, details of which can be found at https://www.new.ox.ac.uk/chapel.
The New College School ‘Welcome to the Foundation Service’ will be on Wednesday 12 October in New College Chapel. The service will begin at 9.00 and will take a little longer than our usual Chapel. This is the occasion when all new members of the school, boys and staff, are formally welcomed to the New College foundation by the Headmaster and the Warden of New College, the school’s chair of governors. We would like to encourage all families of new boys to attend this important occasion if they can. There will be reserved seating for families of new boys, in the stalls closest to the altar. You will be directed to your seat on your arrival in chapel. Please could other families sit in their usual positions at the organ loft end of the chapel, to allow us to move the boys a little further down the chapel than is usual on a Wednesday.
Many congratulations to Xander in Year 6 who has been named U10 coaches’ Player of the Season for Oxfordshire County Cricket!
On Thursday, a number of NCS pupils visited Steinway Hall in London for a piano masterclass with the acclaimed concert pianist Martin Roscoe. Afterwards, the boys were given a tour around the Steinway workshop and were given the opportunity to play the concert grand piano used for the Leeds International Piano Festival. The boys also managed to fit in a visit to the Wallace Collection. Congratulations and bravo to all, and my thanks to Mr Neal and Miss Rose for organising the trip and accompanying the boys.
As the weather starts to take a turn, please could boys have a coat with them in school? Thank you.
You will have seen in last week’s newsletter what great progress our new building has made over the summer. It is really beginning to take shape now ready for opening next academic year. As you know, this is part of a once-in-a-100-years renewal of the College/School Savile Road site, enabled by the generosity of a College alumnus. But we also want to do our bit by raising money for our bursary fund so that we can continue to offer the opportunities of NCS as widely as possible. So, as the building fast nears completion, we are continuing to offer parents the opportunity to name a seat in the new auditorium for £1,000 in support of the bursary fund. And remember that an outlay of £800 with gift aid will make up the £1,000. We’re very grateful to all those who have already contributed to the campaign, and it would be wonderful to be able to name all 120+ seats. You may want to name one in honour of your family or perhaps in memory of a loved one. Or perhaps a group of you may wish to get together to contribute and name a particular year group. Giving is easily done by filling in the Gift Aid form on this link https://www.newcollegeschool.org/_site/data/files/documents/DB58EB7AE291339DCB46774056A170A0.pdf and emailing it back the Director of the NCS Foundation robert.gullifer@newcollegeschool.org Many thanks!
Thank you to those parents who have already filled in our transport survey. The deadline is Friday 14 October at midday. If you have more than one boy at the school, please fill out one survey per pupil, in the relevant classes. Reception: https://forms.office.com/r/bynXjxBMyN; Year 1: https://forms.office.com/r/hG5Pmmmb0k; Year 2: https://forms.office.com/r/8e0QFgjx1s; Year 3: https://forms.office.com/r/Bm9WtPSppA; Year 4: https://forms.office.com/r/8tjFj3mjmR; Year 5: https://forms.office.com/r/GgbHki9v5j; Year 6: https://forms.office.com/r/jHtW7H9v5B; Year 7: https://forms.office.com/r/sevDpPLSLt
Upcoming Events
Saturday, 8 October 2022
10.00 Open Morning
Sunday, 9 October 2022
Start of University Term
WEEK 6 (University Week 1)
Monday, 10 October 2022
NCS Road Awareness Week
14.15 U13 A-C Football vs D'Overbroeck's, Home
Tuesday, 11 October 2022
14.00 U9 A&B Football vs Cothill, Away
Wednesday, 12 October 2022
9.00 Welcome to the Foundation Service, Chapel. Speaker: The Warden
14.30 U11A Football vs Bruern Abbey, Away
14.30 U11B&C Football vs Bruern Abbey, Home
14.30 U13A-C Football vs Cothill, Away
14.30 U11D&E Football vs Cothill, Away
Friday, 14 October 2022
8.30 Year 7 SRE Session. Ends 10.00
10.10 Year 6 SRE Session. Ends 12.50
14.00 Year 8 SRE Session. Ends 15.30
Saturday, 15 October 2022
18.00 PSB New Heads' Dinner (NC)
WEEK 7 (University Week 2)
Monday, 17 October 2022
Charity Week Begins
Tuesday, 18 October 2022
9.00 Year 1 to visit the Botanic Gardens
Wednesday, 19 October 2022
Orders issued
9.00 Chapel. Speaker: Thomas Simpson, former NCS pupil
14.30 U13A-C Football vs Cothill, Away
14.30 U11A-C Football vs Cothill, Home
14.30 U10A&B Football vs Cothill, Away
Thursday, 20 October 2022
Pre-Prep QED Day
Friday, 21 October 2022
Years 5-6 French Day
Home Clothes Day
8.30 Cross Country Presentation, Hall
Saturday, 22 October 2022
Start of Half Term