23 May 2014

On Wednesday, the Year 8 girls were given a spectacular Career Day which hopefully expanded their horizons and showed them how varied their future options can be. There was an acting masterclass for the whole year group, followed by talks on Civil Engineering, Fashion and Design, Entrepreneurship, Microbiology.

We also found out that two Year 10 boys were given the amazing opportunity to commentate at the ASA National Youth Water Polo Championships! They both really enjoyed the experience, and it was a huge privilege to be able to learn from the professionals.

The Year 8 girls rounded off the half term with a brilliant French language performance titled ‘Mon pére ne me conprend pas’- a play with a hint of magic about a girl who doesn't get along with her father. The girls found no difficulty in understanding the language and enjoying the play to its fullest!

The Senior Boys School cricketers had cause for celebration on Friday: their victory over Sedbergh School saw Bolton School become the North-West T20 Cricket Champions and Fred Kenyon Cup Winners!

On Friday, despite inclement weather, the Junior Boys donned fancy dress and headed for the Levels for their annual Fun Run! As the afternoon wore on, the sun began to shine and the boys really started to enjoy themselves. There was a really wide variety of creative costumes on show, and there was fun to be had even for the spectators as they spotted their own children and the characters represented by others. This year's chosen charity is Bolton Hospice.

The Junior Boys' Football Team headed down to Wembley on Friday to represent Bolton Wanderers in Saturday's Kids' Cup Final - and won! The boys had a fantastic time, and playing football at this iconic venue is a memory that will last a lifetime.

16 May 2014

Four Year 11 boys have been given second place in the Oxford Network German Olympiad! Chris Boulos, Giri Nandakumar, Jordan Reed and Anchit Chandran entered the group section, and did very well to impress the judges with their work.

There has been plenty of action for Bolton School's cricketers recently!

England U17 cricketer Haseeb Hameed led the Bolton School team to triumph in the first round of the HMC T20 Competition last week. Haseeb scored a century in both of the games played - a fantastic achievement!

The U13 cricketers have also been out and about recently. This week, we received a report of their Worcester tour and news of their more recent successes!

The staff have also been out on the cricket pitch! After a five year absence, the staff team went up against Duke of Darwen's XI and emerged victorious.

However, the big story this week is that today was the Year 13 pupils' last day in school before Study Leave. The Girls' Division celebrated in grand style, with the girls in fancy dress and a Leavers' Lunch in the Arts Centre. It was a fantastic send-off for the girls, who are now launching into final preparations for their A-Level exams.

9 May 2014

Over the Easter holidays, Year 12 pupil Haseeb Hameed was appointed Captain of the England U17 Cricket team just days before they travelled out to tour Sri Lanka! Haseeb enjoyed his time in Sri Lanka and is now looking forward to the start of the English cricket season.

This week saw the conclusion of the Bolton School Bake Off! After eight rounds, just three contestants were left to compete in the final during Wednesday lunchtime. The girls all baked delicious dishes for the judges, Miss Hincks and Miss Wadey, and worked right down to the last minute to ensure everything was perfect! However, there could only be one winner: Anna Hill, with her twist on the classic vanilla slice.

On Wednesday evening, Girls' Division pupils gathered together for the May Serenade. As the final musical event before the exam period, this was a moving occasion for the Year 13 pupils involved, as it will be the last time they perform as members of Bolton School. It was an evening of beautiful music, and certainly a fitting send-off for the Sixth Formers. A video of the Middle School Choir performing 'Catch a Falling Star' is available here.

You can also listen to the whole May Serenade concert on Bolton School's Soundcloud.

Old Girl Shakti Patel has been awarded an Engineering Leadership Advanced Award from the Royal Academy of Engineering. This is an amazing achievement, and will give her the support she needs to become a leader in her field.

Finally, the Girls' Division Environmental Club and History Club joined together on Thursday to plant poppy seeds in memory of those soldiers who lost their lives during the First World War. They sprinkled poppy seeds along the side of the netball courts, and expect to see the flowers bloom in July.

2 May 2014

A number of students were involved in school trips to Europe over the Easter break.

The Junior Boys thoroughly enjoyed their Ski Trip to Alpe d'Huez in the French Alps. There were ten first-time skiers on the trip as well as some more experienced boys, all of whom improved considerably over the course of the week. Their adventures were keenly followed by parents on the daily blog.

Meanwhile, the Senior Rugby Team toured Portugal. The trip was a resounding success: the 1st XV team won the U19 Plate Final against Agronomia, while the 2nd XV team combined with Myerscough College to form a Mid-Lancashire XV and win third place in the U17 competition at the International Rugby Youth Festival!

On the first day back after the holidays, the fun wasn't quite over for the Sixth Form boys: on Monday afternoon, they completed a charity fun run in fancy dress! The boys were rewarded with 'giant' games and ice-creams at the end of their four laps. The money raised will be donated to Guide Dogs UK.

Tuesday saw Bolton School welcome 20,000 new inhabitants in the form of the school's first ever honeybee colony! This is the culmination of a project which has been years in the making, but members of the Boys' Division Beekeeping Club finally have a hive of their own.

We heard from Old Girl Vanessa Barber this week. She has recently launched her own business, Beautiful Ink, designing wedding stationery. With her totally unique and quirky designs, it is no surprise that she has enjoyed amazing success in the year and a half that she has been operating.

It has been an excellent week for football in school. On Monday, Girls' Division pupils in Years 7 and 8 took part in the second annual Girls' Football Festival. This event was arranged by Bolton School in association with the Independent Schools Football Association, and saw eight teams of girls compete for the trophy.

This week, the school also hosted this year's Football Festival for Primary Schools. Tuesday saw forty teams taking part in the friendly event for Year 3 and 4 pupils. The Year 5 and 6 competition kicked off on Thursday evening, with over eighty teams taking part! The two-day event was a huge success, with boys and girls thoroughly enjoying the experience.

Finally, the week ended on a high with Battle of the Bands 2014. Professional musician Aziz Ibrahim acted as judge, and ultimately selected Year 9 band Parallel Oreos as the winners! Students from the Girls' and Boys' Divisions had a great time listening to all five finalists in the Arts Centre.