Headmaster's Newsletter Friday 11th November 2022
Dear Parents,
New College chapel witnessed two very different sides of war this week. On Monday and Wednesday evenings Years 7 and 8 brilliantly staged Henry V, with Shakespeare’s rousing rhetoric about ‘bands of brothers’, going ‘once more unto the breach’, crying ‘God for Harry, England, and St George’. But we also reflected, during Wednesday’s chapel especially, on the very real consequences of conflict, thinking about those who have died in war, especially those who had been pupils at NCS. It is, perhaps, ironic that a school that is not in the least bit militaristic has, over the centuries, produced at least two very significant military figures: Richard Goodwin Keats (Nelson’s mentor) and the record-breaking pathfinder bomb pilot Alec Cranswick, whose war poetry was read out by our Deputy Head Boys during our Remembrance service. Maybe this is a reflection that, historically when there was no option but to engage in conflict, NCS boys more than did their bit.
Of course, the miseries of war are still felt around the world, and increasingly close to home. Discussing such topics with pupils as young as those at NCS, especially at the early stages, can be difficult. There is the heroic ‘derring-do’ element of war that the boys are likely to encounter in some of the novels that they read; but we also need to be clear with them, in a calm and supportive way, about the miseries that war brings. We also need to be gently honest that, while we are privileged to live in a time and place of relative peace, there are millions of people who are not so lucky, and we always need to be on the lookout for signs of creeping militarism and stoking of conflict that can easily turn from the rhetorical to the physical. Even in supposedly mature democracies there are internal threats, and it is the duty of all of us – including NCS boys who will be active players in our democracy before they know it – to challenge those threats. There is the school of thought that the political pendulum swings from authoritarianism to liberal democracy and then back again. (You don’t need to look too far in supposedly healthy democracies today to see some evidence of this.) If it is the case, and I sincerely hope it isn’t, then weeks like this one should be forever at the forefront of our minds as a reminder of the reality of what happens if that pendulum swings too far.
Many of those old boys whose names I read out in chapel on Wednesday gave their lives to stop the spread of fascism and authoritarianism. That threat still lingers. It might not be as obvious or seem as urgent as in 1939; but we are all to remain alert to the signs. And that includes the boys as they grow, develop and become more and more aware of everyone’s vital role in the functioning of a peaceful and thriving democracy.
Have a great weekend,
Matt Jenkinson
As I mentioned above, we had two excellent performances of Henry V this week. I would like to thank all of our Year 7 and 8 families, and the boys themselves, for all of their preparations to help make the play such a success. I would also like to thank my colleagues for their support in getting the play from page to stage, especially: Chris Gausden for his co-direction; Elizabeth Hess and Emma Krebs for their help with costumes; Dave Bustin and Paul Mulford for the staging; Tom Neal for the music; Isobel Rose, Nick Hanson and Brett Morrison for helping to supervise the boys; and Jemma Kilkenny for the programme and poster design. Thanks, too, to Peter Cui for filming and editing the play for the NCS website.
A group of NCS avid readers, from Years 3 to 7, were selected to represent the school at this year’s Oxfordshire Book Awards on Thursday. Mrs Brown and Mrs Hess were proud of the boys’ behaviour and engagement in the event. Thomas’s suggestion of a name was used by the illustrator Sam Usher for his pirate in the drawing workshop; Eddie correctly answered a literary question and received a golden ticket for a book of his choice; and Albert bravely asked a question of one of the authors. We all enjoyed the energy of the compere, Jo Cotterill; sang along with John Dougherty; posed for a photo with Onjali Q Rauf; and received pencils, programmes, free books for the school library and plenty of cake. We now know what the shortlisted books are for next year so encourage everyone to get reading!
Also on Thursday, we took part in the Year 6 St Edward’s Maths Challenge. It was a team event with Thomas H and Tristan B in one team and Max L-L with Eugene F in the other. The challenge consisted of three different timed tasks testing the boys’ mathematical skills and teamwork. The boys’ mathematical prowess and exemplary behaviour were, as ever, very impressive and commented upon by Mr Young and Mr Morrison, who accompanied the boys. Special congratulations to Thomas and Tristan who ended up as the overall winners, facing stiff competition from 42 pairs!
Next week, NCS will join other schools across the UK marking anti-bullying week. Following on from Dr Lintott’s assembly to the prep school this week on how pupils can support one another, and the importance of using the firm support structures the school has in place, it is appropriate that the theme this year is ‘Reach Out’. Along with advice in assembly and wellbeing sessions during the week, pupils will be invited to wear odd socks to mark the week on Friday 18 November as part of the national awareness campaign.
As the rain becomes ever more persistent, this might be a good time to advertise to parents our new NCS umbrellas. These are available for £25 each via the school office. Please just email purchase requests to office@newcollegeschool.org and we will add the amount to your termly bill before delivering the umbrellas via your son. Aside from being cheerfully designed in NCS colours with the school logo, the umbrellas are very good quality. They’d also make lovely Christmas presents!
The NCS eco shop remains open this half term, selling a range of very reasonably priced eco-friendly stationery. Opening times will be every Thursday lunchtime. Please do encourage your sons to take a look at our stock which includes some lovely NCS water bottles. We are also continuing to recycle batteries and old stationery and have two recycling bins for these items. They are located at the bottom of the stairs to the school hall. Do encourage your sons to use these. We will be sending the items we collect to Terracycle, who offer a wide range of free recycling schemes. Finally, Switch off Fortnight begins on 14 November and we are looking forward, as a school, to trying to reduce our energy consumption by switching off lights, screens, etc whenever they are not in use. Eco reps will be helping to monitor and reduce our energy usage over the fortnight.
We are looking forward to our senior recitals (16 November) and our junior recitals (21 November). Please note that parking is available, first come first served, in the playground – but that parking is not available until 17.15 because we want to get the boys departed safely from their enrichment activities if they are not staying for the recitals. When arriving c.17.15 please be very careful of any boys who may still be crossing the playground; the same goes, of course, when you are departing. Refreshments will be available in the sports hall 15 minutes before each recital.
On Monday 21 November England will play Iran as part of the Football World Cup. Pupils from Years 3-8 will watch the match in the school hall. Pupils are to wear full school uniform but are invited to wear a football shirt or colour of the country they are supporting in the tournament for a cost of £2. The money will be donated to the Bobby Moore Foundation which supports research into prostate cancer. Due to the timing of the match Year 7 & 8 pupils will not need to bring in their football boots or shin pads on this day. Judo sessions will continue with slightly shorter sessions and music lessons will continue as normal.
From Mr Bishop: It was as though the football gods were smiling on us on Tuesday afternoon, despite the torrential rain before and after the fixtures, the U8 and U9 matches the games went ahead with blue skies and great conditions. The U8s made the short journey up to Summertown and played in three fantastic matches. Mr Swanepoel tells me that each and every boy deserves to be congratulated for their efforts but he did single out Chris N and Rufus K for their performances and they are deservedly players of the match. In the U9 matches the standout performance of the day was the U9 C team who recorded their second win on the trot with a 5-0 victory. This game was fantastic as we had five different goal scorers, something we’ve not seen at NCS for some time. A team decision to vote Hugh L player of the match just shows what great team spirit these boys have. The A and B teams weren’t quite as successful but they played in two very closely fought games and the boys were fantastic all afternoon. It was such a pleasure to see great football being played and such improvements made this term. Felix T and Aaron A were voted players of the match in the B and A fixtures respectively.
On Wednesday afternoon MCS came across the city to play four wonderfully exciting football games, leading to a mixed bag of results and honours even across the four games. The A and D teams both fought out entertaining draws with the A team having at least five shots saved on the line in the first half alone. 1-1 at the end of the day was a slightly disappointing pill to swallow as the NCS boys had shown control and dominance throughout the match. Max L-L, for the second week running, was voted player of the match; his skill, work rate and determination are second to none. In the B team game Mr Young was full of praise for the defenders; despite a defeat they had played with heart and dedication all afternoon. The standout performance of the day was from Mr Morrison’s mighty C team and the following from Mr Morrison himself goes some way in describing a wonderful match that I had the pleasure to witness: “The U11 Cs notched up a 1-0 victory. Laurence K was sublime all game and his incisive run and cross led to the game’s only goal with a composed finish by Isaac L. Hugo C again foiled a number of attacking opportunities. Dominic B, Jack B-E and Alexander M worked tirelessly in an open and attacking match. Congratulations to all boys.”
Upcoming Events
Monday, 14 November 2022
9.00 Languages Ambassadors to St Michael's (Year 8)
UK Parliament Week begins
National Anti-Bullying Week begins
18:00 Pre-Prep Chorister Information Evening (Virtual)
Wednesday, 16 November 2022
9.00 Chapel. Speaker: Mr Mike Windsor, Headmaster, Abingdon School
8.15 School Council Meeting, library
17.30 Senior Recital (Years 6, 7 & 8), Sports Hall
Refreshments beforehand at 17.15
Friday, 18 November 2022
09:00 Flu Vaccinations (Rec-Yr6)
Monday, 21 November 2022
17.30 Junior Recital (Years 3, 4 & 5), Sports Hall
Refreshments beforehand at 17.15
Tuesday, 22 November 2022
AM Handbell workshop for Y7-8 Music Scholars, Hall
14:30 U9A&B Football vs Sibford, Home
Wednesday, 23 November 2022
9.00 Chapel. Speaker: The Chaplain
8.15 Eco Committee meeting, library
14:30 U11A-C Football vs Sibford, Home
17.30 Governors' Meeting, McGregor Matthews Room
16.00 Inter-schools Debate - Venue to be confirmed 4-6 TBC
Friday, 25 November 2022
14.00 Thomas Cranmer Awards Competition, St. Edward's