22 February 2019

This year's Joint Production of 'Into the Woods' transported audiences to the land of fairytales. The cast's impressive acting skills and beautiful singing created three wonderful performances that explored the themes of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's musical to the full.

A Cafe Culturel lunchtime enrichment talk in the Girls' Division invited pupils from both Divisions to explore the idea of feminism for the Love Island generation. Mrs Brandon, Deputy Head of the Boys' Division, gave a thought-provoking and insightful talk on this complex topic.

Year 5 pupils from both of Bolton School's Junior Schools joined local pupils to take part in a Maths Challenge hosted by the School. The overall winner was Clarendon Cottage, with Park Road and Hesketh House pupils taking the other podium positions.

The Bolton Town Championships were a huge success for two Senior Girls' Swimming Teams, who won their tournaments.

Y7 pupil Mabelle Dawson celebrated reaching the English and British Gymnastics Championships which will take place next month.

The Junior Girls recently held their annual Modern Foreign Languages Day, which this year immersed pupils in the culture and language of Italy. A carousel of exciting activities included making Venetian masks, learning the numbers one to twenty through song, and a workshop on Romeo and Juliet.

The Year 8 Boys' Vaulting Final was one of the best in recent years according to members of staff who judged the competition. The eight finalists put on an impressive show of athleticism in front of their peers and PE staff.

Senior Boys in Year 11 visited Bolton Lads and Girls Club to learn about the benefits of taking part in National Citizen Service (NCS). In addition to finding out more about this national scheme, they enjoyed team-building activities and tried out the club's facilities.

The Nursery looks forward to continuing excellence while welcoming new head Mrs Jasmin Sanders. She has a varied background in Childcare and Education and some exciting new developments in mind for the future.

Coming up after half term, the Girls' Division will host another free, public Enrichment Evening. Barrister Sophie Cartwright will talk about 'A Career in Law: My Experience with Tips & Advice for Aspiring Lawyers' on 5 March at 7pm.

15 February 2019

The Nursery has welcomed a new Head: Mrs Jasmin Sanders is an early years professional with a varied background in Childcare and Education. She looks forward to continuing the excellent provision of early education at Bolton School Nursery.

Year 10 pupil Victoria has raised over £400 for Oxfam by organising a snack sale during breaks and lunchtimes. She enlisted help from her friends to run the stall, which offered a range of sweet and savoury treats.

Last week, pupils from both Senior School Division and at the Junior Girls' School became Hogwarts pupils during their book clubs as the Library hosted lunchtime celebrations in honour of Harry Potter Book Night. Newly sorted, they played games to see which Hogwarts house would win the most points.

The Junior Boys' Music Festival took place with week, with former Boys' Division Director of Music Mr Martin returning to act as adjudicator. Boys performed a delightful variety of music across the two days of the Festival, both individually and in duets and ensembles that involved a huge number of pupils.

Young musicians at Hesketh House also had their chance to shine at the Junior Girls' Music Festival. Almost 100 pupils gave individual performances, even more girls were involved through ensembles, and everyone had the opportunity to join the audience at some point across the two days.

Pupils at the Junior Boys' School enjoyed an interactive and informative Hajj workshop. Pupils were taken on a metaphorical pilgrimage to Mecca, through which they learned more about this Pillar of Islam.

Footballers Lizzy and Anna have been selected to attend football camps with England Women's youth teams! Lizzy will attend a U15 European Double Header Fixture Camp, while Anna was invited to the U16 team for a camp at Loughborough University.

8 February 2019

Bolton School was incredibly proud to win the Independent School of the Year and Senior School of the Year categories at the prestigious TES Independent School Awards 2019. The School's wide-reaching outreach activities and community relationships played a key role in securing both awards.

Sixth Form students in both Divisions gained an insight into the World of Work by spending a morning hearing from visitors representing a wide range of professions. The keynote address was given by Old Boy Alex Hilton, Head of Sustainability at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and a further eight alumni from both Divisions were among the twenty-two speakers throughout the morning.

A team of three pupils in the Girls' Division has progressed to the Senior Section of the District Final of the Rotary Club Youth Speaks competition. Their success follows that of a team of Bolton School girls competing in the Intermediate Section, who also won their heat.

Sixth Form students helped Bolton-based Chartered Surveyors Edwards Genesis to celebrate 10 years of being in business by creating artwork for a calendar.

Historacle - a history magazine produced by A Level history students in the Boys' Division - has won the Best School History Magazine prize from the Historical Association for the seventh time. Now in its 10th year and looking towards its 25th edition, Historacle covers a fascinating range of topics and areas.

A group of seven Girls' Division pupils ran for the Bolton Town Team at the recent Greater Manchester Cross Country Championships. These girls helped Bolton to podium positions in the Year 7, Year 9 and Year 10 categories, with impressive individual results as well.

Sixth Form students studying French at A Level enjoyed a day with native speaker Richard Peltier during which they discussed a range of topics. All of the sessions were conducted entirely in French and helped to advance students' fluency and confidence.

1 February 2019

This week the Boys' Division bid farewell to former Headmaster Mervyn Brooker (2003-2008) in a special memorial assembly. Old Boys, the Head of Games Mr Paul Fernside, Chair of Governors Michael Griffiths and current Headmaster Philip Britton offered their tributes to "a good man" and celebrated his contribution to Bolton School.

A video of the memorial assembly can be viewed here.

Over 90 students from six local colleges attended the inaugural Oxbridge Conference hosted by Bolton School. Visiting speakers from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge offered insights into the application process, tips on how to stand out and encouragement to apply. Bolton School alumni who are recent graduates from these prestigious universities also gave their perspectives and advice, and helped to facilitate activities throughout the day.

Girls in Year 9 were given a typical British soldier's perspective on the First World War through the one-man play 'Meet Tommy Atkins'. Tommy's story and the event of their history textbooks were brought to life by writer, director and actor Peter Gill.

The school has enjoyed a dusting of snow throughout the week and children in the Nursery Class took advantage of the wintry weather with creative outdoor activities.

A team of three Girls' Division pupils has made it to the District Final of the Rotary Club Youth Speaks competition. The girls went up against five other schools in the Intermediate category but, after confidently delivered introduction, arguments and vote of thanks, they were crowned winners and will compete in the next stage of the competition in March.

All of the girls in Year 11 walked down to Bolton Lads and Girls Club to find out what National Citizen Service (NCS) is all about. They found out how taking part in NCS can benefit them while at the same time helping their local community, and also discovered the range of fun activities available at Bolton Lads and Girls Club.