15 August 2014

A-Levels Results Day took place this week, and Upper Sixth pupils returned to school to celebrate another year of excellent grades.

In the Girls' Division, 15.4% of grades were at A*, 75.9% of papers were graded A*-B, and 91.1% of grades were at C or above. Almost half (48.3%) of the grades awarded were at A*-A and six in every ten girls achieved at least ABB grades. Four girls received three or more A* grades; five will go on to study at Oxford or Cambridge; and a number of students achieved excellent results while balancing their studies with extra-curricular pursuits, from playing sport for their county to making music with the Halle Youth Orchestra.

Pupils from the Boys' Division achieved top grades as well: 16.7% achieved an A* grade, and 91.1% of grades were at A*-C, which was an increase from 89.1% last year, bucking the national trend! Almost six in ten students achieved a minimum of ABB grades. A great many boys achieved excellent exam results while also pursuing a variety of personal interests. Four achieved three A* grades and two have secured Oxbridge places; the vast majority will go to their first choice university.

On receiving her A-Level results and learning that she had achieved the grades needed to attend Imperial College, London, Jennifer Heyes had an additional reason to celebrate. Her A*AA grades have secured her the prestigious Blue Tree Scholarship for the duration of her four-year course! The scholarship is awarded to bright and dynamic students who demonstrate a passion and talent for engineering.

One of the Girls' Division's younger pupils also had cause to celebrate this week: last Sunday, Sharon Daniel was victorious in Channel 4's Child Genius competition! Despite some tense moments in the final, Sharon pulled through and was crowned Child Genius of the Year 2014.

Bolton School has been updating its online archives this week: over 100 years of school magazines are now available online! Every edition of both the Boys' and Girls' Divisions' magazines can now be viewed via school's digital archive. With each one providing a review of the year, dating back to 1899 for the boys and 1893 for the girls, this is an amazing resource and a window into the school's past.

The school has also recently released a free online flip-book and PDF download of Fanny Eliza Johnson: A Thoroughly Modern Victorian Headmistress, a book about the headmistress of Bolton High School for Girls, which would later become Bolton School Girls' Division. Written by former Girls’ Division teacher Veronica Millington, the book offers great insights into the history of the Girls' Division between 1888 and 1893.