Headmaster's Newsletter Friday 25th November 2022
Dear Parents,
In July 1991 my art teacher (whoever it was) reported that I did ‘not show great inspiration in art work’, which was perhaps a little harsh on a nine-year-old. In music I apparently joined in ‘with our singing’ but did ‘not give the impression’ that I ‘really enjoy[ed] this lesson’. On the plus side, though, I was ‘becoming more relaxed in PE lessons’, ‘proving quite agile’ (!); my sentence construction had ‘greatly improved’ due to my ‘better understanding of punctuation’; and I was quite good at history. The following year, my art teacher (still no clue who they were) at least conceded that I showed ‘control in the use of line and experimenting with a range of mark making materials’ (pens?!). PE was clearly going well because I showed ‘good coordination and rhythm’ (!!); my work on Tudors and Stuarts was ‘well presented’, with ‘questions answered in an orderly and detailed way’ – was that my first review? Overall, you will be pleased to hear, that I was commended for being ‘relied upon to carry out all duties meticulously’.
I am thinking a lot about reports at the moment, because it’s what large chunks of my days are currently devoted to. Before your sons’ reports wend their way to you in the last week of term, I read through all of my colleagues’ comments. It is a joy to read reports where the teachers know the boys so well (I read reports from other schools for prospective pupils here, and I’m afraid it’s not always the case). As this is my fourth year of reading these reports as headmaster, it is great to watch the boys’ progress and to enjoy it as they make their way through the school.
The Reception-Year 8 model works so well because the boys get to enjoy an unbroken education for nine years, growing up happily with familiar peers and teachers, and developing a real pride in their school. They learn so much more than the nuts and bolts of curriculum content – as vital as that is. They learn core values about how to treat one another, how to view themselves and others in the world, and how to develop desirable character traits like kindness, understanding, and loyalty. It is such traits that will get them a long way in their lives, rather than just having an eye for the main chance, which is sadly so prevalent in modern society. I am very privileged to work with a team who know the boys so well, and who are so brilliant at nurturing and coaxing them all the way through their time here. Indeed, when I’m not reading reports at the moment, I am writing references for our boys for their 13+ entry to senior schools, or for the scholarships they are applying for. With our experience of the boys under our belts, it is great to be able to help in finding the right school for them when they leave here at the end of Year 8. Quite often it is not until Year 6 or 7 that this ‘right school’ becomes clear, as the boys develop and sometimes change so much over the crucial middle years. But what a privilege it is to be a big part of the process that does all it can to make sure we get these crucial formative years as right as we can. And, again you’ll be relieved to read, I don’t make snarky comments about the boys’ art!
Have a great weekend,
Matt Jenkinson
Please find attached to the newsletter Parentmail some detailed information about the Warden’s Essay Prize. This will be of particular interest to older pupils, though the competition is open to all NCS pupils. The theme is biodiversity, inspired by the gargoyles and grotesques that have been commissioned for our new Gradel Quadrangles. The essay should be no longer than 1,000 words and the deadline (to office@newcollegeschool.org) is midday on 9 January 2023. The prize is £500, which should get a fair few boys interested! Full details, as I say, are in the attachment.
Good luck to the choristers who are embarking on their Christmas schedule this coming Sunday with the Advent Carol Service in New College. Information about their Christmas events can be found at https://www.newcollegechoir.com. Services are streamed at https://www.youtube.com/user/NewCollegeChoir.
On Tuesday, pupils in Years 7 and 8 took part in a short workshop, learning how to play a set of bronze handbells cast in the 1740s. This event was part of our music scholars' programme. The boys were fortunate to study with Tony Crabtree, one of the most experienced bell-ringers in the country, and who led the team of ringers in our performance of Britten's Noye's Fludde last summer. Tony taught the boys how to read handbell notation (a system of numbers, rather than note-heads) and taught them to play six Christmas carols, including Away in a manger. My thanks to Tom Neal for organising such a stimulating workshop for the boys.
As part of our Educational Partnerships Programme, the annual inter-schools debate took place in New College on Wednesday, and it did not disappoint. The teams from Oxford Spires Academy, Cheney School and NCS were knowledgeable, professional and above all very brave in their speech making and rebuttal. It was quite extraordinary where the motions took the students, but what an excellent forum for sharing ideas. Unsurprisingly, discussion on who should choose their Headteacher (governors or students) went on long after the debate was over. In the prepared debate, many pertinent observations were made as to the pros and cons of the implementation of identity cards. Colleagues at all the participating schools were most impressed. It was a delight to have such keen undergraduates involved too; they were firm but fair in their evaluations and extremely on point with their individual and team feedback. It was rewarding to see the young team members finding a moment with them, after the debates, to try to glean further tips for success. Huge congratulations to Gary for winning Best Speaker at NCS and to Cheney School who were the overall winners this year. Absolutely everyone played their part in making it such a success. A special thank you must go to Chris Gausden whose expert debating skills were put to such good use in preparing the boys. He and Louise Brown, who arranged the event, are very much looking forward to next year already.
Year 3 had an exciting visit to the Ancient Sumer at the Ashmolean this morning. They saw cuneiform writing, jewellery, and the King List -- one of the most notable exhibits in the museum. My thanks to Victoria Hayter, Monika Calatayud and Elizabeth Hess for organising the trip and looking after the boys so well.
All of the boys, from Reception to Year 8, had a lovely surprise first thing this morning: we had a visit from the aptly named a cappella group, Out of the Blue. Semi-finalists on Britain’s Got Talent, and with 20 million views online, Out of the Blue are one of the country’s top a cappella troupes and they are just about to go on tour. The short concerts this morning were some of their first ‘gigs’ on the tour, serving as a bit of a warm-up!
A reminder that there will be no chapel service next Wednesday. The school will be rehearsing for our upcoming carol services, in chapel, in the afternoon.
We are looking forward to our Year 6 parents’ evening on Wednesday 30 November. The official start time is 18.00 though a few colleagues may be available from slightly earlier if you would like to make an early start. Parking is available, first come first served, from 17.15; please be very careful when driving into the playground in case there are still one or two boys leaving their enrichment activities or aftercare. We would very much appreciate it if parents could arrive in good time to make their way around by 20.00, to enable colleagues to get home at a sensible time. If there are any appointments which might require a longer slot than c.5 minutes, please could separate arrangements be made with individual teachers? Many thanks.
Please note that Tuesday 6 December will be the last day of instrumental lessons and after-school enrichment activities this term.
From Mr Bishop: On Tuesday of this week the boys from Year 4 played host to Sibford in the return fixture of the opening game of the season back. With the NCS boys spit into two teams we played a friendly nine a side game with the NCS boys lending a hand to the seven from Sibford. It turned out to be not only a great afternoon of sportsmanship and collaboration but the football was also brilliant: end-to-end action with super solo runs, crunching tackles and fantastic work from the two goal keepers. Midway into the first half NCS struck thanks to an Emil S through-ball that Luca P latched onto and thrashed into the top corner. Luca doubled the NCS lead just before the break with another thunderbolt of a shot, again using his pace to out-run defenders and score. In the dying seconds of the half, Luca became provider and slotted a great pass to Curtis F to score our third goal of the day. The second half was equally entertaining. With the teams swapped over the game was a little closer; the Sibford side had a particularly skilful young player who danced around the NCS defenders on more than one occasion only to see her shots bounce off the goal frame. However, Luca again turned provider and this time showed true sportsmanship whilst playing his part for the Sibford team. He made a wonderful cross-field pass to the Sibford superstar and she duly scored a great goal, which was no more than they deserved in a spirited second half. At Mr Gardner’s final whistle, the score remained 3-1 and with a role in all four goals the Sibford teachers voted Luca the player of the match.
The following day the U11 teams were again in action and they too played host to Sibford. However, before we get onto those games I need to mention the U11 D&E teams and their intraschool all stars match. After the rain and hail storms had abated I wandered over to the pitch and, although I knew it was Mme Phillips and Mr Gardner talking to the teams, it looked like Didier Deschamps and Gareth Southgate as there were white boards with tactics, cones, bibs and nodding boys full of understanding and motivation thanks to the coaching masterclass. As the game unfolded it was clear that the session with the white board had worked: the boys were playing a free flowing and fluid game of football with the wingers using the space to great effect to launch attacks. The ball was passed through the thirds of the pitch with pace and accuracy. Goals from Toby C, Myles T and Thomas B were just fantastic to watch and, despite the number of goals scored, both keepers showed good distribution and commanded their boxes with authority. The final score of 3-1 was not really important; most importantly the boys had played superbly well in difficult conditions and they’d all left the pitch tired but happy.
Across the field the A, B and C teams played out some very entertaining games of football with lots of goals scored. In the A team game, the 1-1 half time score was promising and the fact we’d taken the lead made it even more so. As the second half unfolded the NCS team continued to press and create numerous chances. The goals didn’t come though and as Sibford weathered the storm they gradually became the dominant force; a final score of 2-4 was a tough one to take but with one game to go, we need to be a little more ruthless in front of goal. In the B team game Mr Young was very pleased with a 6-0 win and he was full of praise for the entire team but he singled out Alexander C-B and Ollie B for their excellent games. Samuel J from Year 5 was also superb after his recent promotion to this team. Lastly, Mr Morrison’s C team, galvanised by a rousing team talk, played some of the best football of the year. They all played their part but Dominic B and Laurence K were again in great form all afternoon. A final score of 4-2 was an encouraging win and testament to the hard work they’ve been putting in all season long.