11 December 2015

The festive season is now well under way at Bolton School. On Friday of last week, the Junior Boys spent the morning making hand-made decorations and putting them up all around their school. They also wore their Christmas Jumpers for the occasion. As well as being a lot of fun, the morning left Park Road looking really ready for Christmas!

Last weekend, the Junior Boys' Choir put on a performance at Bolton Parish Church. They sang alongside the Blackburn and Darwen Band and made the evening of carols a really special occasion.

Children at the Nursery also got into the spirit of the season with their Christmas Party, which was held in the Arts Centre. The children and their families enjoyed entertainment, dancing, and even a special visit from Santa Claus!

This week, the Junior Girls held their annual Christmas Celebration. The title this year was 'Witnesses' and focused on the various characters who were present at the first Nativity. The girls gave a really beautiful and moving performance, which included a special song for Headmistress Mrs Brierley, who is retiring at the end of term.

To watch a selection of videos from 'Witnesses', click here.

The Junior Boys also held their Christmas Concert, which was filled with spectacular choral performances. The school's young musicians also played a number of pieces in the course of the evening, interspersed with readings. The boys put on a fantastic evening of entertainment for their parents to enjoy.

Children at Beech House have been putting on their Nativity performances throughout the week, to the delight of their parents and the staff. The children did a wonderful job of telling the Christmas story through narration, singing and dancing.

On Friday, the Girls' Division was full of festive cheer as the Year 10 girls put on their annual Christmas Post assembly! The Great Hall was filled with laughter at the start of the day as the girls acted out their sketches to the great amusement of their fellow pupils. This year, the Christmas Post will raise money for the Willink Biochemical Genetics Unit in Manchester.

Also on Friday, girls dressed in their best Christmas Jumpers to raise money for Save the Children. The festive jumpers, Santa hats and tinsel crowns really added to the Christmas atmosphere throughout the School.

GCSE and A Level students in both Divisions enjoyed a thought-provoking 'God and the Big Bang' conference this week. This event, which was held at School, showed how science and religion do not need to be in opposition and can in fact reaffirm each other. Guest speakers - all of them scientists of faith - helped pupils to understand more about the relationship between science and faith and encouraged them to ask questions throughout the day.

The Junior Boys hosted a special Cub Assembly this week to celebrate the successes of the 19th Bolton (Bolton School) Scout Troop. The achievement of Harry Mathieson, one of the Cubs, was particularly applauded as he received his 40th and 41st activity badges - meaning he has collected all of the 36 activity badges plus a few that he achieved before the new selection of 36 was introduced!

Bolton School Junior Boys welcomed a delegation of visitors from China this week, who had travelled to Bolton to celebrate the winners of a UK-China stamp design competition. Mayor Cllr Swarbrick presented the stamp awards to four pupils from Bolton School and four from Kearsley Academy who won the competition. The event was attended by all boys in Year 3 to Year 7.

Last week, Boys' Division Headmaster Philip Britton wrote a blog for the Sunday Times in which he looks at the Prevent strategy. He wrote about the importance of healthy discussion in schools and how schools can help young people of faith to find their place within society.

Students in the Sixth Form were able to show their entrepreneurial spirit at the final of the KPMG Enterprise Trophy. The finalists presented their business plans before the Dragon's Den style judging panel as if they were seeking genuine funding for the project. After some difficult deliberation, the judges announced that this year's winners were Pinpoint.

Pupils in Year 1 met local artist David Shuttleworth, who helped them to make some fantastic sculptures using nothing more than rubbish that would otherwise be thrown away! This was a really creative exercise that allowed the children to use their imaginations to turn junk into robots.

Beech House's Children in Need activities were lots of fun and really helped to raise money for charity. The children took part in an Enterprise Week which asked them to create Valentine's Day cards, and they also ran a sale! Overall they raised over £850.

Recently the Infants have been learning more about the dark through different activities, including creating their own versions of Van Gogh's 'Starry Night' painting. They have also enjoyed an exciting Tennis coaching session with an expert from Bolton Arena.

In February 2015, Bolton School will host an English Speaking Board teacher training event for Speaking and Listening. For more information about the event, click here. To book a place, please email events@esbuk.org.

This week's Inspiring Mind is Sylvia Walker, who taught Mathematics in the Girls' Division from 1972 to 1993. This wonderful reflection on her life and the difference she made in the lives of others paints a wonderful picture of a teacher who made a lasting impact on the School.