31 October 2014

Children at Bolton School Nursery have been wishing one another 'Happy Halloween' today! Dressing up in their favourite costumes, they enjoyed a fantastically spooky day.

Over half term, a group of girls and teachers travelled out to India to visit the charity SKCV Children's Trust. As well as helping out with the everyday activities of the charity and getting to know the former street kids who are now being looked after by SKCV, they also made front-page news in the local paper!

On World Food Day in October, representatives of Unilever Food Solutions visited Bolton School to talk to the Senior Boys and Senior Girls in their morning assemblies. They talked about the fantastic work the World Food Programme does to end hunger, and commended the School for the work already done to help! The representatives met with School staff after the assemblies to discuss what more can be done in future.

Finally, the Friends of Bolton School Choir will be launching next week! Come along on Wednesday if you are interested in joining or supporting this latest musical venture.

24 October 2014

At the end of last week, pupils from Years 10 to 13 took part in an inspirational Engineering Careers Day. The day's keynote speaker was engineer and TV personality Kate Bellingham, who reassured her audience that there was no need to "fit a box" to be an engineer - a theme repeated by several of the speakers throughout the day! This was a great opportunity for those interested in a career in engineering to learn more about the wide variety of options available from industry professionals and higher education providers, including four Bolton School alumni.

Thursday of last week was busy across the Foundation. All of the pupils from Hesketh House Junior Girls' School, enjoyed a day off their normal timetable to take a trip to Port Sunlight! There they learned more about Edwardian and Victorian life, as well as finding out about the village's founder, none other than Bolton School's benefactor William Hesketh Lever.

On Thursday evening, the Junior Girls' Chess Team took part in their first matches of this year's Bolton Primary Schools' Chess League. The girls did well, each winning at least one game each!

Pupils and parents from the Boys' Division were delighted to attend a talk on twenty-first century dinosaur hunting from palaeobiologist Professor Phil Manning on Thursday evening. Professor Manning spoke about his work at the University of Manchester as well as regaling the audience with tales of digging up fossils in America.

In the Girls' Division, the Under 16s Netball team were recently successful in the Bolton Town Championships. They played to an extremely high standard and came away from the final victorious!

Year 13 pupil Haseeb Hameed has also had some sporting success in recent weeks: following a season of spectacular scores, he has signed a deal with Lancashire County Cricket Club! He will join the professionals next season, after taking part in the England Development Programme this winter.

On Friday evening, guests flocked to the Arts Centre for a Cooking Masterclass arranged by the Old Girls' Association. Local chef Mike Harrison demonstrated three delicious courses; and with wine provided by T. Wright Wines and a chocolate tasting session courtesy of Choc Amor, a wonderful time was had by all who attended. The evening was organised in support of the UK branch of the Phelan-McDermid Syndrome Foundation, and by the end of the evening a spectacular total of £1772.00 had been raised for the charity!

17 October 2014

After a hugely successful Open Morning last Saturday, the last week before the half term break began with a primary liaison event for Year 2 pupils from the local area. Gifted and talented Year 2 boys and girls were invited to Hesketh House Junior Girls' School to take part in Puzzle Challenges which stretched their abilities while the children also had lots of fun!

Over the summer holidays, three Sixth Form boys were selected as UCLan Young Researchers. The boys worked alongside the university staff to further three very different research projects, which were matched to their personal interests and aspirations.

At the end of September, the Boys' Division Golf Team took part in the XL Club Schools' Golf Day, and emerged victorious! They brought home the trophy, and team member Nathan Clark also won an individual prize.

Finally, to round off the week, the School hosted an Engineering Careers Day on Friday. This was a great opportunity for pupils in Years 10 to 13 to hear from industry professionals about the wide variety within the field of engineering, and what to do if they decide to follow a path into this interesting, creative and innovative career. The day was opened by keynote speaker Kate Bellingham.

10 October 2014

It has been a busy week of preparation as the whole School gets ready for Open Morning on Saturday! However, there has still been time for some exciting events around School.

On Monday, the Boys' Division enjoyed a number of exciting SPACE sessions. The Year 9 boys took part in an interactive performance of Shakespeare's Macbeth, which was led by Sky Blue Theatre Company. Several boys took on the roles of the main characters from the play and acted out scenes in their own words with help from the Sky Blue actors. They also received direction from their peers in the audience. The boys had a great time and lots of laughs while learning about the themes and plot of the play.

Meanwhile, the Sixth Form boys attended a talk from Old Boy John Roberts, who is the founder and CEO of AO.com. He spoke about his own successful career since leaving Bolton School, and gave the boys some great advice for their future. The Sixth Formers were really interested to hear what Mr Roberts had to say, and very much enjoyed hearing from him.

In the Girls' Division, Year 9 pupils were given a talk on mental health from Old Girl Dr Lynne Daly. Lynne has worked for the NHS and the Ministry of Justice as a Consultant Adolescent Forensic Psychiatrist, making her the perfect choice to speak to the girls about this complex subject.

The Sixth Form girls have been busy planning an event of their own this week: on the 5th of November, a group of fifteen girls will be putting on Tea at the Riley, a free afternoon tea party for Bolton's older generation held in the new Sixth Form Centre. There will be refreshments including cakes baked by the girls, as well as the opportunity for a good chat and some great entertainment.

There will be several more opportunities to enjoy Tea at the Riley in the coming months. Anyone 'young at heart' who is interested in coming along should check the Sixth Form Girls' online Noticeboard for further dates.

The H Factor arrived at Hesketh House on Wednesday to help the Year 3 girls explore the subject of healthy eating! The girls were able to taste a wide variety of different fruits and vegetables, many of which they hadn't seen before, and also had the opportunity to create their very own pedal-powered smoothie on the smoothie bike!

3 October 2014

This week, Bolton School launched the Bolton Book Awards 2015! After much anticipation, the six books shortlisted for this year's award were announced during a special ceremony held in the Girls' Division Great Hall. Pupils from six of the participating schools were present to be the first to find out what they could look forward to reading over the course of the next few months, and were very excited by the choices on offer!

Continuing the literary theme, on Thursday Hesketh House was filled with rhythmic recitation as the Junior Girls participated in National Poetry Day. Year 6 girls read poems on the theme of 'Remember' to younger pupils, who were encouraged to listen and even join in.

The Junior Boys' School celebrated Harvest this week with their annual collection and a special assembly for boys and their parents. The generous donations from the boys' families will go to the St Luke's Drop In Centre for the ninth year running, and will help provide meals for the homeless, long-term unemployed and elderly. The assembly encouraged the boys to consider all the things they have to be thankful for, and also to remember those less fortunate than themselves.

The Junior Girls' School also spent some time considering the importance of sharing this week with their own Harvest Celebration assembly. They were joined by Mr Dave Bagley, from the charity Winter Watch, who helped to pass on the message that sharing is important, no matter how small the gesture. Parents donated generously to the Harvest appeal, and the items have been given to Winter Watch, which helps to support those in need during the coldest months of the year.

Beech House pupils in Year 1 were delighted to spend an afternoon at Justin's House on Thursday! They joined the audience for a recording of the popular CBeebies television programme, and got to watch Justin's antics live!

In the Girls' Division, Year 13 pupil Sarah Richards found out this week that she has been selected to join the Cheshire U19 Netball Squad. This is a great achievement for Sarah, who worked her way through two weekend trials in order to win her spot on the team.

Finally, Quadrangle Radio returns to the Boys' Division after a summer hiatus. With new student leaders, a new team, and lots of exciting new ideas for shows, this podcasting station is moving onwards and upwards with the start of the academic year. Check out the Quadrangle Radio Soundcloud or Twitter to keep up to date with the release of new shows.