31 January 2020

Ambitious students from five local schools joined Bolton School Sixth Formers for an Oxbridge Conference in the Arts Centre. The Year 12 students' thinking was kick started by talks about the application and interview process, tips on writing Personal Statements and an insight into life as a student from an Old Girl of Bolton School.

Bolton School celebrated Chinese New Year with a whole week of different activities across the age groups. These included dance workshops for the Junior Boys and Infants, themed crafts at the Nursery and even a Chinese lunch.

The Girls' Division welcomed Raynor Winn to give a free, public talk about the true story behind her memoir 'The Salt Path' as part of the ongoing series of Arts and Sciences Enrichment Evenings. More than half of the audience had read her the book and so, after a brief overview, she opened the floor to questions and spent the next hour discussing her inspiring journey.

A team of four Junior Boys were victorious at the Area Heat of the National General Knowledge Championship organised by Quiz Club! The group pitted their wits against rivals from several other schools in the tense competition. They are now one of 100 teams who will compete in the National Final.

Author Alex bell chatted to pupils from the Boys' and Girls' Division during a fascinating lunchtime Skype call. One session focused on her book 'The Polar Bear Explorers' Club' which was shortlisted for the 2019 Bolton Children's Fiction Award, while the second group of older students talked about 'Frozen Charlotte' and the horror genre.

Pupils at the Junior Boys' School learned all about Hajj in a workshop delivered by Imran Kotwal from Muslim Learner Services. The session saw boys move between pilgrimage sites to replicate the five days of Hajj and kept the group engaged throughout.

Bolton School hosted the qualifying round of the Rotary Club Young Chef competition. Two Girls' Division students were involved alongside pupils from four other schools across the north-west.

Nursery Manager Jasmin Sanders looks back on her first year at Bolton School and discusses how she has settled in, what is special about Bolton School's Nursery and her plans for the future.

Coming up in a couple of week on Monday 10 February is our next Enrichment Evening: Miranda Krestovnikoff will share her remarkable encounters with marine wildlife around the British Isles in 'The Sea Around Me'. Join us at 7pm for this free, public event. A full list of Enrichment Evening events for the rest of the year is available here. Subscribe to the mailing list to receive emails about forthcoming events.

24 January 2019

Children at Bolton School Nursery were excited to trade their weekly football lessons for a visit from Lofty the Lion! The Bolton Wanderers mascot came to the Nursery to meet children in all age groups.

The Old Boltonians' Association this year turns 125 years old and an assembly was held to celebrate the occasion. The Headmaster spoke about the longstanding history of Old Boys' events and meetings and the global membership of over 5,500 Boys' Division alumni today. A number of former Presidents attended the assembly alongside current pupils.

A team of Year 9 girls has won the North-West round of the ESU Churchill Public Speaking Competition. The trio took on the roles of speaker, questioner and a chairperson and rose to the challenge admirably. They are now looking forward to the next round of the competition.

In alumni news, two Old Boys have been recognised in the Queen's New Year Honours list for 2020. Graham Pendlebury becomes a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for public service, while Andrew Jowett has been awarded an OBE for services to education in Zambia.

A book written by Old Girl Marion Dunn was published this week: 'The Boxing Diaries' charts her experience of taking up boxing at the age of 50!

17 January 2020

Victoria in Year 11 will this year help to provide student insights and perspectives on exams as a member of AQA's new Student Advisory Group. She visited London this week for a Parliamentary Reception to launch the group.

Old Boy Rt Hon Sir Ernest Ryder, who recently returned to Bolton School to give the Tillotson Lecture, has been named the next Master of Pembroke College, Oxford. He will take over the role from June this year.

Year 6 pupils from the Junior Boys' and Junior Girls' Schools enjoyed taking part in the National Young Mathematician's Award regional heat! The two teams combined lots of different skills, including teamwork and presentation skills, to hopefully impress the adjudicators with their solutions to maths problems.

Year 2 pupils at the Infant School stepped back in time to experience the Titanic disaster with the Freshwater Theatre Company. During the workshop, they used their imagination to build the ship and find out what it was like to be a passenger on board in 1912.

Finally, a repository of blogs covering a wide range of topics written by the Heads of both Senior Schools are now available online. Find them via these links: Girls' Division Headmistress Sue Hincks and Boys' Division Headmaster Philip Britton.