31 January 2014

Bolton School's Sixth Formers have had cause for celebration this week as offers have been steadily rolling in from universities around the country - including those elusive Oxbridge places! This year, eight Bolton School pupils have received offers from Oxford and Cambridge. We wish them the best of luck in achieving the grades needed.

One Sixth Former has had more reason than most to celebrate: Tejal Shanbhag has not only received an offer from Cambridge, but she has also received an offer of a place and a bursary from Imperial College London!

There has been some good news for one of the school's Old Boys this week, as well. Councillor Christopher Peacock has been nominated for the Young Councillor of the Year award!

From the Boys' Division, we have received an update from Quadrangle Radio. There are new episodes of 'What's Occurring', 'Who Let The Doctors Out?' and 'An Audience With ...' available on Soundcloud with more coming soon! This will include the inaugural 'Level Headed' sports feature.

The boys have also been celebrating Shakespeare’s 450th Birthday throughout the year, with a variety of theatre trips, in-school productions and drama performances! There is plenty more to look forward to - not least of all the Joint Production of Romeo and Juliet!

Meanwhile, in the Girls' Division, Year 7 has received a heritage lesson from Old Girl and former teacher Mrs Haslam. This interesting and informative talk showed the girls the history the school and the changes that have happened since Bolton School was formed in 1915.

This week, Sixth Formers from both divisions pitted their knowledge against young scientists from around the UK as part of the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Olympiad. Over 20 students were involved, and on Wednesday they sat the two-hour Round 1 examination. Now they are all waiting to hear whether they can join the top 30 students in the country for Round 2.

Boys and girls also came together on Thursday for Café Culturel. This was a rather different experience to the Chemistry Olympiad! It was certainly a more relaxed atmosphere as pupils from Year 11 to 13 enjoyed tea and biscuits at the start, before settling down in the Girls' Division theatre for a short lecture on medieval history from Old Girl Dr Fiona Edmonds.

On the sporting front, the Girls' Division netball teams have been enjoying a fantastic winning streak! The Y7, Y8, Y9, Y10 and Y11 teams have so far won all of their games in the Bolton Netball Competition!

The Junior Boys' Football Team also deserves high praise this week. They won the final of the Primary School Football Championship 5-2 vs Egerton. They will go on to represent Bolton Wanderers Football Club in the Football League Trust Kids’ Cup, and certainly have Wembley in their sights!

24th January 2014

The highlight of this week has to be the Bolton Schools’ Swimming Championships - and the visit from not one but two British Olympic medallists! Rebecca Adlington and Steve Parry arrived at the poolside at Total Fitness Bolton to cheer on swim relay teams from local primary schools. The pressure of such prestigious company only served to inspire Bolton School's junior swimmers, with the Junior Girls and Boys aquitting themselves really well in their races.

The Junior Boys have had further reason to celebrate this week. On Thursday, they made it through the semi-finals of the Primary School Football Championship! We wish them the best of luck in the final next week.

Since the start of the Autumn Term, the Junior Boys have been learning Mandarin with a teacher from Manchester University’s Confucius Institute. They are learning the language in leaps and bounds, and already have an impressive grasp of the basic vocabulary and the subtleties of pronunciation.

Meanwhile, in the senior schools, pupils have been busy connecting with local primary schools.

On Saturday, the Boys' Division welcomed SHINE back to the school for the fifth year running! Gifted and talented Year 5 pupils enjoyed History and English sessions on the day, with plenty more exciting activities to look forward to, including four different languages and an archaeology trip.

 

Friday saw girls from 18 primary schools in the local area attend the annual Just4Girls event in the Girls' Division. This day of Maths, Chemistry, Biology and Physics was a huge hit with the girls, and just goes to show that these traditionally 'male' subjects can be fun for girls too!

Both the Boys' and Girls' Divisions are now looking forward to this year's join production: Romeo and Juliet. Are you a you a Montague or a Capulet? Either way, this year's production promises to be a treat for young and old alike. Click the link for more details and ticket information.

17th January 2014

Bolton School's boys have been inspired by a number of talks this week.

The Year 9 boys received some words of wisdom from Old Boy Professor Malcolm Stevens on Monday, in advance of making their module choices for GCSE. He recalled his own days at Bolton School, gave the boys a potted history of his career, and even let them touch his lucky tie!

Boys in Year 13 were also lucky enough to receive a visit on Monday. Clive Drinkwater, Regional Director of UK Trade and Investment North West, came to inspire pupils with anecdotes from his career, and impress upon them the importance and value of international trade. This is the first time Mr Drinkwater has addressed sixth form pupils, and he was impressed by the boys' attentiveness and ability to engage with a complex subject.

The Bolton Wanderers’ Community Trust also came to the school to collect money raised through a non-uniform day in support of the Wanderers Hearts and Goals’ Campaign. The £1000 will buy a defibrillator, which will be placed in the Bolton area.

Meanwhile the Girls' Division has been playing host to Maltese water polo prodigy Michela Zammit. Over the course of her visit, she and Thea Simpson have become firm friends through their mutual love of the sport.

We have also received exciting news from Teddy Pender in Year 13. Not only has he been offered a place at Bates College in the US, he will also be taking part in a charity relay with 100 other swimmers, including current and former Olympians!

In sporting news, we have been told this week that twins Michael and Samuel Platt have both been accepted into the RYA's sailing squads. Samuel is in the Junior Squad, while Michal will be joining the Intermediate Squad.

Finally, we have received news that Old Boy Giles Lever will be the new Ambassador to Vietnam. He is due to take up the post in July 2014.

10th January 2014

The first week back after the Christmas break has been full of good news.

We received word that Old Girl Rebecca Richards has been offered a place at Princeton University in the US! This is a fantastic achievement, as places at Ivy League universities are hotly contested.

We have also heard back from chess stars Mahima Raghavendra (Year 6) and Sharon Daniel (Year 7) who travelled out to Dubai over the holidays to take part in the  2013 World Youth Chess Championships! Both girls did really well in the tournament and are looking forward to more opportunities to improve their game.

On Thursday, there was a definite ‘boys versus girls’ atmosphere today as the Boys’ Division Chess Team B and the Girls’ Division Chess Team went head-to-head as part of the National Schools Chess Championships. Both teams played exceptionally well, and the Board One match between Sharon Daniel and Luke Cavanaugh was a particularly tough competition. The boys earned a victory of 3.5 points to 2.5: the absolute minimum required to beat the girls' handicap!

On Friday, the boys in one Year 10 drama class were put through their paces by choreographer and dancer Luke Saville as part of a dance masterclass arranged through The Lowry theatre in Manchester. This is a fantastic opportunity, and may even lead to a role in The Lowry's production of Lord of the Flies!

Before the holidays, the boys were busy helping out at Pocket Nook, a residential care home for young adults with autism, during their SPACE sessions. They are now planing further visits this term.

Finally, Sixth Form students are looking forward to a visit from Clive Drinkwater, the Director for UK Trade and Investment in the North West and a keynote speaker on a range of business issues. He will address Year 13 students on Monday.

20th December 2013

As the term drew to a close, the school seemed to be busier than ever! Old Girl Hannah Pike returned for a visit at the end of her first term at Loughborough University reading History and International Relations. She has been training hard to continue her sporting career, and has been awarded a sports scholarship as a result. As well as plans to play hockey for the university team, she also has her sights set on the Olympic hockey team for Tokyo in 2020!

Hesketh House and the Girls’ Division have also received exciting news from two of their pupils. Sharon Daniel (Year 7) and Mahima Raghavendra (Year 6) have flown out to the United Arab Emirates during the holidays to represent England U11s in the World Youth Chess Championship! This continues both girls’ outstanding achievements in the sport so far.

Meanwhile, over the weekend, the Junior Girls’ Choir and Senior Boys’ Division band the Parallel Oreos entertained guests at the Hilton Hotel in Manchester. This festive treat included songs from Hosanna Rock and traditional Christmas songs and carols.

As the school week started, the Christmas spirit continued. On Monday, Year 7 girls and Sixth Form chaperones took a lunchtime trip to Toys R Us in Bolton. However, this wasn’t just for fun: Year 7 collectively raised £2,404.90 from a day-long sponsored silence, and were at the toy shop to convert the cash into Christmas gifts for Key 103’s Cash for Kids’ Toys Appeal.

Monday evening brought the Boys’ Division Christmas Festival, held at the Victoria Hall in Bolton town centre for the first time. Although the setting was completely different, the Christmas Festival was as wonderful as ever. Traditional carols, biblical readings and contemporary reflections came together perfectly to celebrate the meaning of Christmas.

The Girls’ Division Ceremony of Carols was held in the packed Girls’ Division Great Hall on Tuesday evening, and was also a great success. A variety of uplifting Christmas songs and solemn readings, both traditional and modern, gave the evening a fantastic atmosphere throughout. The evening also saw an impromptu reunion of Old Girls after the Ceremony!

 

The final week of term has also seen the Nursery Class for 3 and 4 year olds perform their Nativity in Beech House. This was a great achievement for the children, as despite their young age, their performance ran smoothly and everyone remembered their lines.

The under-twos nursery class also invited parents and grandparents to Beech House this week for a Chirstmas-themed singalong. There was a great sense of inclusion throughout the session, with adults definitely encouraged to join in with their children.

Later on in the week, Hesketh House turned back time for Year 6 pupils, allowing them the opportunity to make traditional Victorian mince pies. They even got to try a 1861 ground beef mince pie, kindly provided by the catering staff, who had followed Mrs Beeton’s recipe.

Two teams of Sixth Formers have also had amazing success in raising funds to buy 600 Christmas puddings and 600 packets of variety biscuits for Urban Outreach. The campaign has involved pupils from both the Girls’ and Boys’ Divisions and from Junior and Senior Schools. Despite having only two and a half weeks, they raised the funds to pull off this amazing feat and on the last day of term they packed up Urban Outreach’s van to bursting point.

Finally, Beech House received a very special visitor on the last day of term: Santa Claus! Arriving on his vintage bus all the way from Lapland, Santa was the highlight of the day for the pupils, and an excellent way to end the term.

13th December 2013

December is always a busy month for Bolton School, and 2013 has been no exception. The second week of the month flew by, with a wealth of exciting events taking place.

With the Christmas season fast approaching, it seems that throughout the school minds have been turning to helping others at this time of year. In November, Bolton School’s Catering Departments have been collecting food and drink for the Salvation Army. They managed to put together three huge hampers to the Salvation Army, to be spread among the local community.

A sponsored walk to Rivington Pike earlier this year raised money for a number of charities, and this week the students were able to present the money to each charity's representatives.

The Year 8 boys were visited early in the week by the British Heart Foundation. They were delighted to be able to give the charity £1,045.

Year 10 boys were collecting money for Derian House. The boys raised £1,845 for the charity, which provides essential palliative and respite care for children, and support for their families.

The Boys’ Division also raised £1,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support as part of the same event, and presented the cheque this week.

The Boys’ Division Classical Guitar Quartet travelled to Manchester Cathedral to take part in the ‘Carols by Candlelight’ service in support of the NSPCC. The group have been together for twelve months, and although this was only their third performance, the two pieces they performed were extremely well received.

The Girls’ Division led the way for getting into the Christmas spirit by wearing Christmas jumpers. Students and staff of the Girls’ Division as well as the Sixth Form boys were encouraged to donate £1 to participate, with all proceeds going to Save the Children.

This has been the first of many Christmas events that the school has enjoyed. Year 2 pupils at Beech House have seen their hard work come to fruition in the form of their nativity, titled, “Is there a baby there?” At the end of the performance, there was a collection for the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital.

The Juniors Girls put on their Christmas Carol Service in the Girls’ Division Senior School Great Hall. This was a delightful event, perfect to welcome in the season.

The Junior Boys have also had their moment in the spotlight. Their Carol Service took place in the Boys’ Division Senior School Great Hall, and at the end of the service there was a collection for Park Road’s partner school, Ondukuta Combined School in Namibia.

Bolton School has also played host to this year’s Christmas lecture organised by the local section of the Royal Society of Chemistry, and supported by the University of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University and the University of Salford. Over 1200 students packed into the Boys’ Division Great Hall for ‘The Flash-Bang Show’ and were both enthralled and educated by the fast-paced experiments showcased throughout the evening.

 

The joint Boys’ and Girls’ Division team performed really well in this year’s Mock Law Trial Competition, picking up the school’s first ever prize at this event.

The Girls’ Division and Hesketh House have been strengthening the links between the junior and senior schools this week, arranging a drama workshop on Pantomime for Year 6 girls. The workshop was run by Sixth Form drama students, and was clearly a huge hit with the junior girls!

 

6th December 2013

Bolton School started December with a Classics Day for local primary school students. A series of workshops in the Boys’ and Girls’ Divisions introduced Year 6 students to Classics. Learning about Roman warfare, Greek and Roman theatre, and the gods and myths of the period proved to be an entertaining and enjoyable occasion for all involved.

The Boys’ Division has started work collecting money for Guide Dogs UK this month. The Year 7 pupils enjoyed a presentation from the charity as part of their SPACE programme, and as part of the session created money boxes with which to start their collection. The Boys’ Division hopes to be able to raise enough to cover the £2,500 sponsorship to train a puppy over the course of the academic year, so that Year 11 pupils can name the do just before their GCSEs in the summer.

The Boys' Division was also visited this week by the charity When You Wish Upon a Star, so that Year 8 boys could hand over the £1,000 they raised through a sponsored walk. This donation will make a huge difference, as it could potentially fund two once-in-a-lifetime Christmas trips to Lapland for children with life-threatening illnesses.

However, it is not just the senior school helping out the local community. Beech House have been filling sacks with toys so that under-privileged children in the Bolton area will receive presents on Christmas Day. The annual collection, coordinated by Bolton Lions, has been a great success this year, with the Bolton School Infants being one of the biggest collection points.

Christmas presents have been delivered a little early for the Girls’ Division football team. Steve Gustard of Moette Limited played the role of Father Christmas by designing and gifting the team two full football kits. The kits are complete with the Girls’ Division crest, and will give the team a strong identity when competing.

There was further good news from the Girls’ Division this week. Congratulations to Year 13 student Nadia Barabash, who has been awarded a placement on the highly competitive Deloitte Gap Year Scholar Scheme! Her hard work has got her though the tough selection process, and opened the door to a bright future in the financial sector.

The school’s joint Strictly Club brought both divisions together for an evening of glamour and fun to bring the week to a fabulous close. Over the course of the evening, performers and guests alike were entertained with a really wide variety of dance styles.