28 August 2015

Two pupils from the Girls' Division have been celebrating the news that they have been awarded Arkwright Scholarships! These Scholarships are awarded to the country's most promising future engineers, and the rigorous application process required both Georgina and Khadijah to create a project, pass a two-hour aptitude test, and attend an interview at a top engineering university.

There has also been great news from recent leaver Haseeb Hameed this week as he made his debut with Lancashire Cricket's first team. Over the course of the summer, he also captained the England U19s in their match against Australia in Durham. Two other Old Boys have enjoyed a similarly successful cricketing summer this year.

The School was featured on local TV channel That's Manchester on GCSE results day. Both Boys' and Girls' Division Heads and pupils offered their comments on the day and the excellent results achieved in School. The broadcast is now available to view online via the That's Manchester YouTube Channel.

This week's Inspiring Mind is Old Girl Judith Todd. Judith attended Bolton School from the age of four, working her way up through the Infant, Junior and Senior Schools. She even stayed on an extra year as Head Girl! Judith's memories of Bolton School provide a fascinating insight into the School's past, and she also offers some great advice to today's pupils.

21 August 2015

GCSE students returned yesterday to collect their results, with many happy faces seen on the School campus. The percentage of papers graded A* and A increased this year in both Division in contrast to the national trend, which has seen a drop in top grades this year.

In the Girls' Division, nine pupils achieved at least 11 A* GCSE grades, and 7 out of every 10 papers were graded A* or A which is an increase on 59.4% last year. The girls also set a new record for recent years: 74% of girls achieved 11 or more A*-C grades. A number of girls managed to balance their studies with extra-curricular activities, including girls who have in the past year played county level Golf and national level Lacrosse, entered an international music competition, and self-published a novel.

Boys' Division pupils set a new record with 15 boys receiving 10 or more A* grades at GCSE. The percentage of papers graded A* and A was 54.6% up from 52.8% last year, and the percentage of A*-C grades also went up to 96.3% (93.1% in 2014). The School's U16 water polo captain, David Price, not only led his team to win the title of National Champions but also achieved a fantastic 11 A* grades and 1 A grade in his GCSEs. The rest of the water polo team also each received at least 10 A*-C grades.

Earlier this summer, the School's Saxophone Choir travelled to Luxembourg. The trip followed their performance at the World Saxophone Congress and Festival. The group was able to practice at the Luxemboug Conservatoire, where they received advice from Guy Goethals, a distinguished saxophonist and teacher. They gave two concerts in the city, one of which was held at Music D’ARCA.

The School said a fond farewell to Mrs Deborah Northin, the retiring Head of the Infant Department of Bolton School, Beech House. At the end of term, she was given a wonderful send-off by the children in a special leaving assembly, which saw the Nursery, Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 pupils dancing and singing in her honour. Mrs Northin is retiring at the end of the summer after a lifetime of teaching, including five years as the Head of Beech House.

Last week, children from the Caterpillar Room at Bolton School's Nursery went down to the woods for a Teddy Bears' Picnic! They brought in their favourite teddy bear from home to join them for this occasion. As well as enjoying a picnic in the wooded areas of the School's main campus, the children enjoyed fun and games in the Infants' School hall.

Finally, this week's Inspiring Mind is Tony Wadsworth CBE, Chairman and CEO of EMI Music UK & Ireland from 1998 to 2008. He talks about his connection to the School and his fondest memories of his time here in this interesting interview.

14 August 2015

The School was bustling with activity on A Level results day this week! The Boys' Division celebrated the best results in recent years, bucking the national downward trend, while Girls' Division pupils achieved the best ever A* results. In both Divisions, the overall pass rate was 100% and more than half the grades awarded were at A*-A.

The School's ten Oxbridge candidates were all successful in achieving the grades they needed to confirm their offers. These pupils were Sarah Richards, Natasha Hall, Than Dar and Katie Hurt in the Girls' Division and Sohail Daniel, Shyam Dhokia, Alex Johnson, Alex Lawrence, Henry Mitson and Paul Greenhalgh from the Boys' Division.

It has been an exciting summer for Bolton School's saxophonists: the Saxophone Choir and a Saxophone Quartet made up of current and former pupils travelled out to France in early July to attend the World Sax Congress and Festival in Strasbourg. The Saxophone Quartet competed in the semi-final round of the International Quartet Competition, and the Choir was able to perform on stage at the Walle de Bourse as part of the festival.

The Saxophone Quartet and Miss Berry were also selected to join the 'SaxOpen' Orchestra for the Sax 200 Concert, organised for World Sax Day as part of the World Streaming Show. This saxophone orchestra was made up of musicians from around the world, and their performance was part of a concert streamed live around the world.

Last week, youngsters enjoyed the Andrew Flintoff Cricket Academy and the Netball Roadshow. Former New Zealand cricketer Iain O’Brien paid a visit to the Academy to meet fifty-two boys and girls aged from 5 to 14 years from across the region! They enjoyed listening to O'Brien's advice and coaching tips as he ran through a number of training sessions on the Bolton School cricket pitches and in the Sports Hall. The group then quizzed him on his life and career.

Children from the Butterfly Room bid Bolton School Nursery a fond farewell this summer with their Leavers' Party. The sun was shining so the children were able to enjoy fun party games and a bouncy castle outside, as well as a show from Mr Tumbles the clown and some yummy treats to keep them going throughout the afternoon! They had a fantastic time and this was a fitting end to their time at the Nursery. These children will go on to start school in September.

A selection of musical performances from the Girls' Division Year 7 and Year 8 Celebration Concert are now available to enjoy on the School's YouTube or Soundcloud accounts. Click the links or press the play button below to hear the music from this fantastic event once again.



In Alumni news, two Girls' Division former pupils have been included on Business Insider's inaugural Women of Influence list! Nicola Rigby is Director at Bilfinger GVA, while Claire Sofield is Sales Director at Four Financial Recruitment. The list recognises the diversity and depth of the north-west's female business community.

The fifteenth Inspiring Mind is former Beech House headmistress Hilary Crawforth. She shares her fondest memories of the School from her time as Head in her interview, and provides an insight into the exciting and vibrant life at the Infants' School.