May 2020

The Junior Boys' Fun Run was a very different affair this year. With schools still closed and the UK in lockdown, the Fun Run went virtual and the boys enthusiastically embraced a new challenge: to walk, cycle, run and hike enough miles to collectively circumnavigate the globe! They followed in the footsteps of Phileas Fogg but attempted to accomplish the feat in just 8 school days, rather than 80. Donations rolled in to JustGiving and by the end of the challenge, the boys had raised over £2,500 for Bolton Hospice.

Throughout the 2019-20 academic year, a small group of Junior Boys in Year 6 have been working on a project to commemorate the 75th anniversary of VE Day. At the start of the year, they interviewed Old Boy and veteran Kenneth Lee and used his experiences of the Second World War as their inspiration. 'Holding the Line' started out as a play but adapted to the restrictions of Lockdown to become an illustrated e-book and audiobook read by the boys themselves.

Listen to the audiobook and see the illustrations here or by pressing the play button below:

April 2020

At the end of March, learning at Bolton School went remote in response to the Covid-19 crisis alongside schools across the nation. Pupils and staff rose to the new challenges and adapted to the 'new normal' across the whole Foundation, from the Infant School, through the Junior and Senior Schools and right through to the Sixth Form. Though not everything went according to plan, there was much success with both teaching and learning.

As the UK lockdown continued over the Easter period, staff in the Girls' Division helped to ease the shortage of PPE in the NHS by laser cutting parts for visors, which were then sent on to local hospitals.

Meanwhile, in the Boys' Division, the to local charity Urban Outreach, which was working to produce food packages for families in need during the crisis. The bees were moved from their usual home in the Boys' Division to DTE teacher Mr Butchart's garden for the duration of lockdown.

Finally, two pieces of news from just before lockdown.

A group of Junior Boys enthusiastically took part in the Bolton Schools’ Dance Festival at Thornleigh College. The theme was the Olympics and the boys thoroughly enjoyed taking part.

Miranda Kestovnikoff's recent visit to Bolton School was one of the last before lockdown. Her talk 'The Sea Around Me' was filled with anecdotes about her time diving in the waters surrounding the UK and her encounters with the amazing creatures found around our coastline.