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.

8 August 2014 - Midsummer News Round-Up

The big news this week is undoubtedly that Girls' Division pupil Sharon Daniel has made it through to the final of Channel 4's Child Genius! We found out in July that chess prodigy Sharon was in the running for the title, and now she has made it through the previous three rounds to face the other five finalists.

We will definitely be watching on Sunday at 9pm to see how she gets on!

Artwork and creative writing by girls in Year 6 and Year 9 has gone on display in Bolton's Market Place. There is a wide variety of written pieces all based on the First World War, from fictional 'letters home' to poems, and many different styles of art to look at, including propaganda posters. This fantastic display will remain in the Market Place until the end of the August Bank Holiday Weekend.

After the Joint Jazz Band's spectacular performance at the Montreux Jazz Festival, the musicians and Miss Berry travelled on to Luxembourg City. They not only took part in a special workshop at the city's conservatoire, but also were able to play in the main bandstand to a very appreciative crowd!

The Year 8 boys have also been on tour over the summer. They travelled out to Holland for a Water Polo tour with coach Mr McGinty. They played against teams from five different clubs of varying ages. Although they often found themselves facing much older and more experienced opposition, they acquitted themselves very well throughout the tour and won the majority of their matches.

Closer to home, children with a passion for sport had the chance to meet their heroes this week! Bolton School once again hosted the Andrew Flintoff Cricket Academy, and the boys taking part were lucky enough to meet professional cricketer Darren Maddy! Darren coached the boys in the nets, advising them on both their batting and bowling, and passed on his knowledge in a question and answer session.

Young netball players also took part in the International Netball Roadshow this week. The girls taking part in the sessions, which took place in Bolton School's Sports Hall, were able to meet former England Netball Captain Karen Atkinson! Karen put the girls through their paces with a series of tough training exercises, focusing on ball skills, attack, and defence. She also took questions from the girls, and gave them plenty of hints and tips for improving their skills in future.

The children at the Nursery have been busy preparing the garden for the arrival of their new greenhouse. They helped the grown-ups to fill planters with compost and put various plants into the soil before watering them in. The garden they helped to create will soon become the Nursery's dedicated gardening area.

The Bolton School in Space team, who earlier in the year sent up a high-altitude balloon into the stratosphere, received a further accolade over the summer: they have been featured on Atmospheric Optics, the leading website in this field. Two pictures of an ice halo around the sun, one taken from the balloon and one from ground level, have been featured.

We also learned recently that the majority of the Gifted and Talented children who took part in the 'Maths Club' run by Mr Howarth and Miss Reynolds have achieved Level 6 in their Maths SATs, and the rest gained marks in the 90s from the Level 3-5 paper! This is a fantastic achievement for the children involved.

Finally, staff and parents from the Nursery will be taking part in the When You Wish Upon A Star Dragon Boat Challenge in Salford on the 16th of August! They are keen to maintain their podium position this year and hope to raise £850 to help make children's Christmas wishes come true. Visit the JustGiving page to donate!