20 December 2019

The Year 2 Choir brought festive cheer to the local community with a special Christmas performance at Christ Church, Heaton. The children sang carols and songs from their Christmas play.

In the Girls' Division, the Ceremony of Carols combined traditional songs and readings with contemporary reflections on the spirit of Christmas to make for a memorable evening. There were stunning performances from the choirs throughout.

Watch a selection of videos from the Ceremony of Carols via the links below:

• Hodie - Chamber Choir
• In Dulci Jubilo - Senior Choir
• The Shepherds Carol - Chamber Choir
• Ding Dong! Merrily On High - Senior Choir
• The Wexford Carol - Lower School Choir
• Nativity Carol - The Accidentals
• Three Kings From Persian Lands Afar

The Christmas Festival filled the Boys' Division Great Hall with a series of rousing carols, interspersed with beautiful choral performances and thoughtful readings and prayers. The evening was a wonderful celebration of Christmas.

Watch a selection of performances from the Boys' Division Christmas Festival via the links below:

• Gloria - Boys' Division Choir
• Christmastime - Lower School Choir
• Precious Child, So Sweetly Sleeping - Boys' Division Choir
• A Little Child There Is Yborn - Joint Chamber Choir
• Mary's Boy Child - Boys' Division Choir and audience

The Junior Girls told 'Stories from the Stable' at their Christmas Concert this year. The Nativity was recounted through song, poetry and narration from the points of view of the animals who were there when Jesus was born.

Click here to watch the Junior Girls' Christmas Concert in full.

A traditional Carol Service heralded the Christmas period for the Junior Boys. As well as traditional songs and lovely choral performances, a selection of Biblical and secular readings helped to celebrate the spirit of Christmas.

Christmas traditions in Girls' Division raised money and donations for a variety of charities throughout December. Activities such as the Christmas Post and Prefects' Panto as well as more recent additions to the festive calendar like the Urban Outreach Hamper Challenge all focused on helping others while having fun.

The impressive creations baked and decorated by Year 8 and 9 Christmas Cake Club went on display in the Girls' Division just before the Ceremony of Carols. The Year 8 girls' cakes were judged by Miss Hincks, with two worthy winners earning prizes for their efforts.

Over the Christmas period, look out for Year 9 pupil Mia who will appear as a mill girl in BBC One's all-star remake of 'A Christmas Carol'! A trailer for this new, dark adaptation is available here. The programme will air in three parts from 22 to 24 December in the prime-time evening slot.

In sporting news, two girls in Year 8 have this term been selected for regional netball academies. The Junior Boys' Gymnastics Final took place on the penultimate day of term and showcased a very high standard of performance from all eleven boys who took part.

Girls' Division pupils in Years 7 to 9 performed Shakespeare's comedy 'As You Like It' in the Theatre. This impressive production ran for three nights in early December and delighted audiences with their interpretation of this tricky text.

Old Boy Oliver Hill recently got in touch to share his achievements since leaving Bolton School in 2015. Not only has he graduated from university with a first and directed his own short film, he has had the opportunity to work on a number of large-scale film and television productions.

Boys' Division pupils helped to celebrate the end of the international year of the Periodic Table with a contribution to the updated elements song. Spot the Bolton School boys in the The Elements Song 2019 here.

Girls in Year 11 enjoyed a chocolate workshop at Slattery's towards the end of term. They enjoyed learning the history of chocolate making and had a go at making their own chocolate creations.

A date to save for 2020: on Monday 10 February at 7.00pm, Miranda Krestovnikoff will give a free, public talk entitled 'The Sea Around Me'. She will share some of the highlights from her 20-year career filming marine wildlife around the UK. Subscribe to our mailing list here to receive reminders and updates about forthcoming Enrichment Evenings.

13 December 2019

Pupils from across Bolton School have come together to support Urban Outreach's Christmas Hampers campaign. The 'Hamper Challenge' saw families from the Girls' and Boys' Division Senior and Junior Schools collect 2,600 selection boxes to be included in the charity's 1,300 hampers given out to families in need.

Over 1,000 pupils from across the region joined Bolton School boys and girls in the Great Hall for the Royal Society of Chemistry's Flash Bang Show. This chemistry demonstration is annually hosted by Bolton School and enjoyed by pupils from state and independent schools in Year 9 and above.

The Bolton School Foundation gathered to pay tribute to Chairman of Governors and Old Boy Michael Griffiths, who has retired from his post. He has served for 33 years as a Governor and took over as Chairman in 2007. He is succeeded as Chairman by fellow Old Boy Ian Riley.

The guest speaker at this year's Tillotson Lecture as The Rt Hon Sir Ernest Ryder: an Old Boy who is now the Senior President (Chief Justice) of Tribunals in the UK. He talked eloquently about the changing face of justice, giving a comprehensive overview of the justice system's past, present and potential future before taking questions.

The Boys' Division production of 'A Christmas Carol' took place in the Great Hall last week. The impressive performance of this Dickens classic from a cast of talented pupils delighted audience for four nights and was reviewed by Old Boy Sam Warburton.

The families of children attending Beech House, Bolton School's Infant School, helped to bring Christmas cheer to those less fortunate by contributing a huge array of children's toys to the joint Bolton Lions and Bolton News appeal.

Pupils from the Senior School also performed at the Beech House Winter Sparkle Fair recently.

Boys' Division pupils and Sixth Form students from Haslingden High School have been working together on an exciting joint project with optometrist Professor Phil Morgan from the University of Manchester. They have been working to find out how long disposable contact lens material lasts in the environment.

Bolton School Nursery's Christmas Party took place in the Arts Centre, bringing together the children and their families for lots of festive fun.

Pupils in the Boys' Division took part in a Holocaust art project to create moving tributes to the victims and survivors. The work was created by looking at art as an act of spiritual resistance and was based on this year's Holocaust Memorial Day theme: Stand Together.

Congratulations to Old Boy and Lancashire cricketer Matt Parkinson, who has been invited to the England squad for the upcoming tour to South Africa.

Coming up in the New year, the next Girls' Division Enrichment Evening will feature Raynor Winn, author of 'The Salt Path'. Join us for this free, public talk on Monday 27 January at 7.00pm to hear about the remarkable tale of one couple's 630 mile journey around the South West Coast Path. Subscribe to our mailing list here to receive reminders and updated about forthcoming Enrichment Evenings.

6 December 2019

The Junior Boys' School has been named the Fundraiser of the Year at the Bolton News School Awards! The award recognises the work the boys do each summer in raising huge amounts for charity through their fancy dress Fun Run.

Last week, a 400-strong audience of Bolton School families and members of the local community enjoyed an address from anthropologist Alice Roberts. She spoke about how the taming of dogs, horses and cattle changed the world. Her fascinating address culminated in an engaging and wide-ranging Q&A session.

In the Boys' Division, the Deputy Head (Academic) Mr Nic Ford has been listed as one of the 25 nominees for the i25 Awards, which recognise innovation in teaching and learning using technology. During his time at Bolton School, he has overseen the roll out of the one-to-one iPad programme and ensured that the devices have been fully integrated into school life as a teaching and learning tool.

Girls' Division students in Year 7 held a sponsored silence earlier this term to raise money for Hits Radio's Mission Christmas Cash for Kids Appeal. The year group's charity representatives then visited Smyths toy store at Middlebrook for a lunchtime 'trolley dash' to spend the cash on presents for those less fortunate.

Over the weekend, a team of Sixth Form girls won a place at the next round of the English-Speaking Union's (ESU) Mace competition after successfully arguing against the motion "Voting Should be Compulsory".

The Nursery's Butterflies and the Nursery Class for Three- and Four-Year-Olds started Bolton School's festive celebrations with their joint Nativity. They performed 'Whoops-A-Daisy Angel' in front of a large audience of delighted parents, grandparents, siblings and family members.

Looking ahead to the new year, the annual Burns Night Supper and Ceilidh will take place on 25 January 2020. There are currently 35 tickets remaining at £35 each and those interested in coming along for an evening full of tradition should contact the Girls' Division Parents' Association via email at bsgdpa@gmail.com.