“Dating back to 1379, NCS is one of the oldest continuously-functioning schools in the world – but fusty and overly traditional it is not. Besides an excellent reputation for music and academics, head Dr Matthew Jenkinson’s ‘youth, enthusiasm and willingness to challenge orthodox thinking’ has proven most attractive to parents. On his watch, the ancient prep has introduced weekly wellbeing lessons, unveiled a multi-million-pound development and replaced the CE with the progressive Pre-Senior Baccalaureate (for which topics include ‘liberalism versus authoritarianism’ and ‘Can science disprove the existence of God?’. Fun and games come in the form of Minecraft and Lego engineering clubs, trips to Sicily and France, and playing with Artemis the gecko.”