24 - 28 January 2011

History really was brought to life for twenty seven boys from Bolton School this week when they met Auschwitz survivor, Arek Hersh MBE. The pupils from across Years 9 to 12 met Arek at the Imperial War Museum North as they took part in Holocaust Memorial Day: Untold Stories. Mr Hersh shared his amazing story, through a presentation, dvd and workshop and told the boys of how, at age 11, he was first sent to a concentration camp.

Also this week the Boys' Division are pleased to announce that the U15s football team has made the ISFA Cup National Football final again! The boys beat Manchester Grammar School to make it through to the Rensburg Sheppards ISFA Cup Final, where they will meet Whitgift School from South Croydon. In earlier rounds the boys beat Bury Grammar School, 4-0; Leeds Grammar, 2-0; and overcame Grange School 6-2 in the Quarter Final. The final will take place at Burton Albion's ground on Thursday 3 March at 6.00pm.

Year 10 girls have been celebrating the fruits of their hard work at the end of last term by handing over the cheques to the three charities they chose to benefit from their annual Christmas Post Charity Event. Almost £1,400 was raised over four days which the girls split between the burns unit at Royal Manchester Children's Hospital, the Alzheimer's Society and the Scoliosis Association. If you take a look at the Girls’ website you can also read an extract from a parent on why she chose a single-sex school for her daughters.

This weekend is set to be a busy one for the school as the local primary school children who have been taking part in our SHINE Saturday lessons will have their own ‘graduation’ on Saturday evening, with a dinner where they will be presented with certificates for taking part in the scheme. Also, Old Girl Laurie Ashworth (Class of 2001) will be performing on BBC Radio 2's 'Friday Night is Music Night' at 8.00pm on Friday 27 January. Laurie has recently won the prestigious Kathleen Ferrier Song Prize and was narrowly beaten in the final of the BBC Radio 2 Kiri Competition; a nationwide search with Dame Kiri Te Kanawa to find a new opera star.

17-21 January

This week the School announced that Tenacity of Bolton, the 60 foot yacht built by the boys of Bolton School, is set to circumnavigate the British Isles this summer in a series of legs with crews from different schools! This is the latest chapter in the amazing story of what started off as a school technology project for the new millennium, and since completion in 2007 has been utilised by Bolton School pupils for sailing training voyages, and is now also available for commercial hire by groups and individuals. Apart from a couple of legs of the trip which have been reserved for alumni of the School, the intention is for other schools to help sail the boat around Britain.

After last week's Entrance Exam, we are holding a Supplementary Exam for those who missed the exam and those who still wish to apply. The Girls’ Division exam will be held on Tuesday 25 January, and further details can be obtained from Mrs Lynden Graham on 01204 434786. The Boys’ Division's Supplementary Exam will be held on Thursday 27 January and details can be obtained from Mrs Susan Yates on 01204 840201.

Following a successful Christmas card recycling campaign in which they collected 6500 cards, the Junior Girls’ Eco-School club have now signed up for an innovative recycling programme called Recycool which turns old mobile phone and used printer cartridges into cash and Green Leaves for the school. Recycool develops the pupils’ enterprise skills as well as teaching them about recycling and the importance of protecting the environment and also allows them to raise funds that will be used for vital resources and equipment. You can support the Recycool initiative by donating your own empty printer cartridges, mobile phones and PDAs to the collection box at the Junior School.

Due to pupil migration and our move to a larger school, there are a few places are available for girls wishing to start in September of this year in Year 3 and Year 4 of the Junior Girls' School. If you are interested in learning more about a place at our Junior School, please call Miss Jennifer Agogue on 01204 434761 or email juniorgirls@boltonschool.org

10-14 January 2011

It was a week of topping the tables this week for Bolton School with high scores in A Level and GCSE rankings released this week.
Bolton School Girls' Division has been ranked as the top school in the North of England and 23rd best school in the country in this year's government ranking of schools by GCSE results! The new rankings are based upon the proportion of pupils achieving the new English Baccalaureate qualification. This is awarded to pupils attaining A*-C GCSE passes in maths, English, two science qualifications, a language and geography or history. Unfortunately however Bolton School Boys' Division did not feature in the table as the government still refuses to recognise the IGCSE qualification.

However their successes did not go unnoticed at A Level as Government tables of schools and colleges' performance have placed the Boys' Division at the top of the Bolton and Bury leagues, narrowly ahead of the Girls' Division in the Bolton region. The ranking was compiled based on the average points score per student; the boys achieved 1043.2 per student and the girls achieved 1038.4 per student.

And the Boys’ Division achievements were further recognised by the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) Report which found Bolton School Boys' Division to be excellent in each of the ten categories in its Inspection Report. The school was found to be "highly successful in meeting its aim to realise the full potential of each pupil". Public examination performance was "outstanding" and "above the national average of boys in selective state schools." The "excellent teaching" was praised along with the all round nature of the school, the quality of pastoral care and the personal and moral development of the boys. Likewise personal and social education and careers advice were outstanding.

Blog 5-7 January 2011

A short week for the school this week as we return from our Christmas and New Year break and get ready for the year ahead!
The sporting success we got used to during the last year continued during the holidays as Year 13 pupils Sam Higgins, Alex Davidson and Matt Stansfield represented the North as part of an Independent Schools Barbarians squad in the Divisional Championship at Moseley Rugby Club at the beginning of January. The boys were selected as part of the 25 strong North team made up of the best rugby players from Independent Schools in the area and the championship saw the North team compete with teams from the Midlands, the South East and the South West in a number of matches. This is a fantastic achievement for all the boys, but Sam impressed further and has now been selected to represent the country as part of the Barbarians National squad of 40.

And we are already looking forward to the coming year with this year’s Entrance Examination which will take place on Thursday 13 January. The exam is for pupils who wish to take up places at the School in September 2011 and consists of verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning and mathematical tests designed to test a child's 'innate' ability. Applicants are called for interview following the Entrance Examination, with these interviews taking place early in February. The interviews are used, along with Headteachers' reports and the Entrance Examination performance, as a means of assessing the applicants. Offers of places are then posted at the beginning of March.