For our RSHE policy please click here.

NCS plays a critical role in shaping the academic and personal development and also has a unique opportunity to equip students with the tools necessary for success beyond the classroom. One of these areas that NCS focuses on is career education. Integrating career education into the curriculum not only helps students gain a clearer understanding of potential career paths, but also prepares them to make informed decisions about their futures. In a rapidly changing world where the job market is constantly evolving, it’s vital that students are exposed to various industries, skill sets, and are encouraged to reflect personally on their interests in various employment sectors.

Moreover, providing career education at the prep school level helps bridge the gap between academic learning and real-world application. It allows students to develop crucial skills such as networking, decision-making, and goal setting - skills that will serve them well throughout their lives. By introducing students to a wide array of professions and encouraging them to explore different interests, prep schools can foster a more holistic and practical education. This kind of guidance enables students to understand not just what they are learning, but how that learning applies to their future careers, ultimately giving them the confidence and direction to pursue their aspirations.

If you or your child wish to discuss careers education in more detail, please contact Deputy Head Pastoral Brett Morrison brett.morrison@newcollegeschool.org, as the Careers Coordinator, Kate Lam, is on maternity leave from Trinity 2026 to Hilary 2027.

Please view the NCS Careers Guidance and Education Policy on the Contract and Policies page.

The Pre-Prep Wellbeing programme centres around pupils learning about themselves as developing individuals and as members of their communities, building on their own experiences and on the early learning goals for personal, social and emotional development. Pupils learn the basic rules and skills for keeping themselves healthy and safe and for behaving well. They have opportunities to show that they can take some responsibility for themselves and their environment. They begin to learn about their own and other people's feelings and become aware of the views, needs and rights of other children and older people. As members of a class and school community they learn social skills, such as how to share, take turns, play, help others, resolve simple arguments and resist bullying.

The programme centres around the Nurturing Programme’s four constructs of Realistic Expectations, Positive Discipline, Empathy and Self-Awareness and covers such topics as

• Getting to know each other
• Making Rules
• Praise and Criticism
• Getting in touch
• Personal Power
• Choices and Consequences
• Managing Anger
• Gentle touch and hurting each other
• Telling others/Keeping secrets
• Looking after oneself and the environment
• Keeping clean and Healthy
• Celebrating Differences
• Glad to be Me!

The Year 3 Wellbeing programme centres around helping the boys to become more independent and aware of themselves as they transition into the Prep School. Most lessons are based around the PSB Wellbeing grid which can be found in their school planner.

Key topics covered this year include:

• How to manage friendships
• Healthy eating
• Personal organisation
• Resilience and positive thinking 
• Kindness towards, and respect of our peers and family
• Responding to advice
• Communicating clearly
• Helping the wider world
• Growth Mindset
• What makes a good leader?
• Personal hygiene

Resources for parents and carers:

The Year 4 Wellbeing programme aims to help pupils develop healthy habits for life. This year students will learn to reflect on their emotions and establish links between thinking and behaviour.  

The key areas covered this year include:

• Relationships
• Communicating with others
• Understanding and giving praise and criticism
• Developing positive self-esteem
• Understanding and managing our behaviour (based on the Chimp Paradox for children)
• Choices and consequences for our behaviour
• Managing challenging emotions (i.e. anger, loneliness, frustration)
• Celebrating difference

Resources for parents and carers:

The Year 5 Wellbeing programme continues with the major themes of the Family Links nurturing programme. We help pupils develop crucial organisational skills and greater independence as they start to have a greater number of lessons with subject specialists and thus move around the school site for more of their lessons. In addition, they further develop ideas on how to have a positive influence on the world around them by looking at sustainability through initiatives such as switch-off fortnight, waste week & and walk to school week.

Key areas covered this year include:

• Building Self Esteem 
• What makes a good friend, in person and online
• Nutrition: understanding how to choose a balanced plate 
• Developing skills in relaxation
• Physical Wellbeing: staying fit and healthy 
• How do I feel? Recognising our emotions 
• Managing challenging emotions and knowing where I can seek help 
• Introduction to financial literacy
• Cyber safety

Resources for parents and carers:

The Year 6 Wellbeing programme continues with elements of the Family Links nurturing programme along with elements of Character Education. By the end of Year 6 many pupils are likely to have access to a smart phone. While NCS acknowledges that this is decision that each family will come to privately, from Year 6 lesson will include looking at maintaining positive relationships both in person and in an increasingly online world.

Key areas covered this year include:

• Purpose and setting goals 
• Cyber safety
• Friendships and social media 
• Nutrition and exercise
• Active listening 
• Dealing with pressure in positive ways
• Managing difficult emotions 
• Character strengths 
• Resilience 
• Forming connections 
• Decision making 

Resources for parents and carers:

As pupils enter Year 7 and begin their Pre-Senior Baccalaureate (PSB) they are afforded greater independence. We help boys to develop independent study skills and to be more proactive in their education. At the senior end of NCS pupils are expected to act not only as ambassadors for the school but also as role models to the younger members of the school community. 

Key areas covered this year include:

• Character Strengths
• Looking after my own wellbeing: sleep, diet and exercise
• Purpose and career guidance
• Resilience and dealing with difficult times in the present and future
• Fostering positive relationships in person and online
• Putting appropriate strategies in place to promote mental wellbeing  

Resources for parents and carers:

The Year 8/S Wellbeing programme establishes a variety of soft skills to allow pupils to develop lasting and positive relationships. The programme centres around helping the boys to become more independent ahead of their transition into the secondary school environment and enabling them to take ownership of the role they play in their own wellbeing.

Key topics covered this year include:

• Self-Care: appropriate sleep hygiene, balanced diet and appropriate nutritional choices, active lifestyle and the link between physical and mental wellbeing
• Identifying and understanding our emotions; roadblocks to wellbeing
• Independent study skills
• Communication skills, active listening and tolerance
• Authenticity and stepping out from the crowd
• Financial literacy, consumerism, impulsive behaviour and an online gambling case study
• Masculinity and gender stereotypes
• Risk-taking behaviour, decision making and the influence of alcohol, tobacco and illicit substances 
• Sex and Relationships Education

Resources for parents and carers: