29 March 2019

The spectacular Gala Concert at the Bridgewater Hall brought together the talents of pupils in Years 3 to 13 for a night of stunning music. Junior and Senior School boys and girls performed a wide variety of pieces, culminating in a roof-raising Tribute to the Beatles as the finale.

The Girls' Division's series of Arts and Sciences Enrichment Lectures featured a talk on law from barrister Sophie Cartwright. She discussed the vast and wide-ranging world of legal careers, recalled some of her own cases, gave an overview of the qualities and skills needed to succeed and offered tips and advice to aspiring lawyers.

The arts and sciences enrichment continued for pupils at the lunchtime Cafe Scientifique. University of Manchester PhD students Susmita Sett and Sankarshana Srinivasan gave interesting and informative presentations about pulsars and dark matter.

Boys' Division pupils in the Sixth Form welcomed Old Boy Professor Meric Srokosz back to School to give talks on climate change and oceanography. In two addresses, he examined the connection between the oceans and global warming and talked about his work studying the physics of waves.

Old Girl Becky Smethurst also returned to Bolton School recently to speak to pupils in their science lessons about her career in astrophysics. Now a Junior Research Fellow in Astrophysics at Christ Church College, Oxford University, Becky is carrying out cutting-edge research into Galaxies and Super Massive Black Holes and was able to discuss her research in several classes.

The U13 Netball Team continued the School's winning streak with their victory in the Bolton Schools' Tournament. A large number of girls have also been selected for the U13 Lancashire Lacrosse squads and seven pupils from Years 10 to 12 have been selected for the North-East Super Counties Lacrosse Squad.

Individuals have also enjoyed sporting success recently. Golfer Holly in Year 7 has won the Pro-Am Manchester Alliance's Mixed Pairs competition for the White Cup, setting two new records as not only the youngest winner but also the first to succeed her parents. Year 9 pupil Poppy has won medals at two recent acrobatic gymnastics competitions, earning herself a place at the British Championships!

Children in our Nursery Class finished the week by creating beautiful hand-made treats ready for Mothers Day!

22 March 2019

At Bolton School, technicians are vital members of departments ranging from the sciences to design technology, visual arts and drama. The contribution they make to the smooth running of lessons and extra-curricular activities was celebrated during Techognition week.

Science communicator Dr Emily Grossman visited Bolton School to address the question, Am I Too Sensitive For Science? The answer was a resounding no: Dr Grossman recounted her unusual career path, talked candidly about some of the challenges she has faced as a woman in science and discussed the need to dispel the stereotype that scientists are all cold, emotionless and male.

The talk was free and open to the public as part of the Girls' Division's ongoing series of Arts and Sciences Enrichment Evenings.

The Year 10 Christmas Post raised over £1,300 for charity during the festive period! Once all the money from the girls' cake and sweet sales was counted, representatives from Year 10 were delighted to present a cheque to their chosen charity, Rossendale Special Ski Club.

The U12 netball team were named Town Champions following an outstanding performance at the Bolton Schools' competition.

A trio of Boys' Division water polo players will represent England U16s at the EU Nations competition in Brno, Czech Republic at Easter.

History was brought to life for Junior Girls' School pupils in Year 5 through exciting interactive workshops. A time-travelling visitor told them more about life as a Viking, and they used their knowledge of mathematics to build models of a Viking longboat and Anglo-Saxon roundhouse.

The Girls' Division celebrated Science Week with a lunchtime filled with interesting experiments. These included creating a tame tornado, watching cornflour dance and the hair-raising Van de Graaff generator!

A talk on appeasement and the Second World War from author and former political journalist Tim Bouverie is the next event in the Girls' Division series of Arts and Sciences Enrichment Evenings. Tim's talk is based on his book, Appeasing Hitler: Chamberlain, Churchill and the Road to War, and promises a revealing and thought-provoking look at this key period in history. This free, public talk will take place on Wednesday 3 April 2019, beginning at 7.00pm.

15 March 2019

Bolton School’s Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provision has been found to be ‘outstanding’ in all categories once again by independent school inspectors.

The School's value to the local economy was recently revealed by a report from Oxford Economics. ‘The Impact of Independent Schools on the UK Economy’ found that Bolton School contributed £22.1m towards Bolton’s gross domestic product (GDP) in the last year.

Senior Girls were inspired by a successful and engaging group of Old Girls who spent International Women's Day 2019 in School. The day's keynote speech was given in morning assembly by Stephanie Barwise QC and this was followed by a range of careers talks, workshops and opportunities to chat for Years 8 to 10 and the Sixth Form. Among the 20 alumni guests was Hanna Miraftab, cosmetic dentist and TV personality.

Sixth Form students Emily and Matthew have shared their experiences of successfully applying to Oxford University after they and their peers received Oxbridge offers.

Pupils across the Bolton School Foundation took part in World Book Day activities. The Senior Girls, Junior Girls and Boys, Infants and children at the Nursery dressed up as literary characters and shared their love of books through a wide range of activities. The Senior Girls' Library even hosted a 'Murder Most Unlibrarylike' murder mystery game!

The Nursery Class also got involved with the World Book Day festivities.

Additional photos from World Book Day are available here.

Red Nose Day has also seen several areas of the School involved in fundraising for Comic Relief. Children in the Nursery, Nursery Class, Infant School and Junior Girls' School dressed in red or donned red accessories in exchange for a donation.

Bolton School was delighted to host this year's Bolton School Games PE Conference, which was attended by 51 representatives from 38 local primary schools. The day included an opening address from School Games organisers Brian Richardson and Bernadette O’Hare followed by workshops, seminars, a keynote address and a 'marketplace' of exhibitors.

The Under 18 Water Polo team have successfully defended their title at the annual English Schools Swimming Association (ESSA) competition. The U15s narrowly lost in the final of their age group competition.

In Girls' Division sport, the U12 and U13 Lacrosse teams have been crowned champions of the North! The U14 Netball team have also won the Town Championships for their age group.

Children at the Nursery recently celebrated St David's Day by filling the rooms with daffodils and wearing yellow to match the national flower of Wales.

An Electro City workshop had Junior Boys combining the joys of Lego building with their science and technology skills. Working as a group, pupils acted as architects, town planners and electricians to create their own towns, complete with lights in the windows!

Pupils from both Division benefitted from a fascinating careers talk from Old Girl Lindsy Slamon, who is now a Senior Crime Scene Manager. She spoke about what the job entails and what qualities are useful in her line of work, and also answered pupils' probing questions.

Infants in Year 2 visited the Lowry to enjoy a day of learning and discovery.

The Boys' Division Young Musician of the Year competition took place, showcasing the outstanding musical talent across all year groups. The audience was entertained by fourteen young musicians, each one having already won best in category awards in the previous round. A gallery of photos is available here. Click the links below to watch the winning performances:

• Beethoven's First Movement of Violin Sonata No. 5 performed by the Senior Young Musician of the Year
• Debussy's Clair de Lune performed by the Junior Young Musician of the Year

During half term, 32 young writers from Years 5 to 12 in the Girls' Division travelled to Patterdale Hall to take part in the annual Writing Retreat. They explored their creativity through workshops with tutors Mandy Coe, Tiffany Murray and Peter Sansom and also found inspiration through walks, shared poetry and a trip on an Ullswater Steamer.

Coming up next in the Girls' Division series of free, public Arts and Sciences Enrichment Lectures is a talk from Dr Emily Grossman on 20 March 2019 at 7pm. She will challenge stereotypes and discuss the challenges she has faced as a woman in science in ‘Too Sensitive For Science? Emotion, The Secret Asset in You Career’.