7 - 9 September 2011

After a long Summer break we welcome back all our pupils and staff this week, and give a warm welcome to all those joining us. The first few days of the new term are always a hectic but exciting time and this year is no exception as we all settle into new routines. Our new pupils in all the Schools have been getting to know their new tutors and classmates and familiarising themselves with how the school works before their first full week of lessons next week.
Our excellent exam results over the summer mean that the Girls' Division has been ranked the 65th best Independent School in the country, according to the Daily Telegraph GCSE result rankings. The table is based on the percentage of subject entries graded A* and A, and puts the school easily within the top 100. In the Telegraph A Level results table, published the previous week, the Girls' Division again fared well and placed at 123rd in the rankings, and in the Manchester Evening News A Level league table for Independent Schools, the School was ranked fourth in the region. The Boys' Division also did well, ranking at 160 in the Telegraph GCSE table and 202 in the A Level table. They were placed 6th in the Greater Manchester league table.

Just before returning to school, Girls' Division pupils Natasha Lomas and Penny Roberts enjoyed success at the Lancashire County Tennis Championships at the Bolton Arena, which took place from 26th August to 4th September. Year 11 pupil Natasha Lomas won the U18 singles final and Year 8 pupil Penny Roberts also had a successful tournament as runner-up in both U12 and U14 girls' singles events.
And not only is Bolton School pupil Hannah Pike preparing to start her A Levels in the Sixth Form, she is also is looking to establish herself as an international Hockey star, having captained the England Under 16 girls' national side. Hannah was made captain for the Four Nations tournament against hosts Spain, Holland and Germany at Easter. She then helped her country to a 2-0 series victory against Scotland in Glasgow before taking on Belgium in Canterbury and Germany at the National Sports Centre at Lilleshall. Hannah was voted best overall player on and off the pitch in the 2011 squad.

Summer Break 2011

Students and staff at Bolton School Girls' Division celebrated another year of outstanding Exam results. At A level, ninety five per cent of girls achieved A*-C grades with the overall pass rate being at 99.4% and three girls recorded a full set of A* grades. The Boys' Division fared equally well with an overall pass rate of 99.4% and four boys recording a full set of A* grades. It was a record breaking year for Girls’ Division GCSE results as 43.5% of all grades were at A* with an overall pass rate at the A*-C level of 99.8%. Seven girls achieved the remarkable feat of securing 11 A* grades, with 34 of the 120 girls gaining A* and A grades only. The Boys also recorded an excellent set of GCSE results with three boys achieving 11 A*s and an overall pass rate of 5 A*-C grades of 99.2%.
The Girls' Division has also been named one of the top 100 schools in the country for successfully placing students in the top 30 universities in the country, in a report by the Sutton Trust. The School is one of only eight in the North West to be named in the list. The Sutton Trust research examines the success of schools during the last three years in gaining places for their pupils in the leading 30 UK universities, including Oxford, Cambridge, UCL, Imperial, LSE, Warwick, Durham, Birmingham, Manchester, Nottingham, York, and Edinburgh. Bolton School Girls' Division, with a 79.1% success rate over three years, is placed 67th in the rankings.
During the summer break some of our Year 10 girls experienced the trip of a lifetime when they headed out to East Africa to spend two weeks learning about life in Tanzania, particularly the Maasai culture and helping out at the LivLife Meserani Education Centre. Before heading off on their trip, the girls forged strong friendships with the Maasai via a Skype link up in their Geography lesson and through sending learning materials to help the tribespeople improve their English. Whilst out in Tanzania, the girls helped out at the centre teaching the children and playing games with them, and assisting in the organisation of a Sports Day. They got to know members of the Maasai tribe and their elders and helped to build a traditional Maasai hut. And our Senior Lacrosse and Netball teams enjoyed a tour to Canada and America, travelling to Vancouver, Vancouver Island and Seattle during the two week trip, playing matches against different schools and clubs along the way, as well as fitting in some sightseeing!
Also during the summer Sixth Form pupil James Roberts was selected to be part of the first ever Independent Schools FA Student Management Team for the 2011-12 season. As such, James will be partly responsible for coordinating the annual ISFA Leadership Camp which he has previously attended himself. He will be one of ten student faces for the camp, which this year will take place at Bradfield College on Saturday March 31st to Sunday April 1st 2012. The camp is aimed at developing core leadership skills of young leaders from around the country with National FA tutors guiding them through a range of footballing disciplines.

End of Summer Term 2011

The end of the school year is upon us, yet the final week has been just as eventful as ever! Hesketh House, the Junior Girls' School of Bolton School has now been officially opened by Sir Richard Brook, Director of the Leverhulme Trust. In a ceremony attended by all 188 girls aged 7 to 11 years of age, he unveiled a plaque which marked the official opening of the new state-of-the-art school. Parents then joined the party and there was a toast to the new school and a cake-cutting, and the afternoon ended with each child letting off a Hesketh House balloon, which symbolised the "learning without limits" ethos of the school.
There were further celebrations at Kidzone where the Mayor and Mayoress of Bolton were the special guests invited to celebrate ten years of success. They joined Heads from the Girls' Division, Boys' Division and Infant School, as well as teachers, governors and staff for a buffet lunch. And Beech House parents celebrated the end of the academic year with a Casino Royale themed Summer Ball. The glitzy, well-attended event was held at The Platinum Suite, The De Vere Whites Hotel at the Reebok Stadium. Funds raised on the night went to the Boot Out Breast Cancer charity.
In sport Year 13 pupil Henry Thompson has made school history by scoring an outstanding 186 runs against Cheadle Hulme School in a 50 over match. Bolton School ended their innings on 374-3 with another record being set when Thompson and Haseeb Hameed put on an opening partnership of 288 in 42 overs before the first wicket fell. Bolton School won the match by 125 runs. And our Junior Boys also enjoyed cricket success as the Under 11 team won the Association for Junior Independent Schools' Cup for the first time since 2008 against opponents from Newcastle under Lyme School. Three of our Junior Girls travelled to London and met with success at St Paul's School, Hammersmith in the national chess final - congratulations go to Year 4 pupil, Sharon Daniel, who won the Plate Award, having missed out on a final place by only half a point. Year 5 girls, Naadiya Mohammed and Zara Walsh also had a successful day, gaining 7th and 8th place in the U10s' National Girls' Chess Championship Final.
The Advanced Guitar Group gave an excellent performance at the Music for Youth National Festival this week after previous success in the regional heats where they were described as 'outstanding performers' by one of the adjudicators. Their main recital was given in the Adrian Boult Hall at the Birmingham Conservatoire, where the adjudicator complimented their playing as 'stunning and captivating with a true sense of flair'.
And the Senior School boys enjoyed a challenging final week before they broke for the summer holiday in which they focused on a variety of activities aimed at developing their horizons. Year 10 pupils were put through their paces by the army, who developed the boys' leadership, communication and teamwork skills through a number of assault courses and mental exercises. Year 7 enjoyed a week of culture,Year 8 had a week themed around outdoor pursuits, and Year 9 took part in a week revolving around Science activities. Throughout the activity week, Sixth Form students helped out in the running of events, whilst developing their own leadership skills.

27th June -1st July

A busy week for the School as the end of term approaches fast. On Monday, Holocaust Survivor Iby Knill visited the School to tell her story of how she survived a Nazi concentration camp and the effect it had on her life. Her visit was an invaluable opportunity for Year 9 pupils in the Boys' Division to hear a first hand account from one of three survivors of Auschwitz still alive in the UK. Iby's is a powerful message about never labelling groups and always having the courage to address individuals and their actions.
Pupils from twenty two primary schools from across the region took part in our Sports Festival this week. The annual event, now in its eighth year, saw pupils taking part in a wide range of events to test their sporting skills, including a rugby challenge and penalty shoot-out as well as having their golf, hockey, tennis, athletics and cricket skills tested. This year the overall winner was St Matthew's Primary with the runner up places going to St Peter's in Farnworth and Markland Hill CPS.
The Boys' Division rocked the great hall on Thursday evening with a sensational Summer Concert, culminating in a rock medley involving the whole of Year 7.The dramatic finale saw the Year 7’s join forces with soloists from Years 8 to 13 to belt out a series of classic rock anthems including 'These are Crazy, Crazy, Crazy Nights' from Kiss, Whitesnake's 'Here I Go Again', Guns and Roses' 'Sweet Child O Mine', Pink Floyd's 'We Don't Need No Education' and Bon Jovi's 'Living On A Prayer'.
Year 8 girls were delighted to welcome author Annabel Pitcher to their reading circle, who just seen her debut novel, My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece, nominated for The Guardian's Children's Book of the Year prize. Twenty nine year old Annabel ran a wonderful creative writing session with the girls, helping them create a character's voice.
And our Junior Boys presented a cheque for £3, 000 to the Red Cross Japan Tsunami Appeal, raised through their Annual Charity Fun Run and a Dress in Red Day. Jackie Pickersgill, Community Fundraiser for the Red Cross, came to collect the cheque and gave a presentation in assembly, showing the boys how their money will be used to benefit those affected by the disaster. Also at Park Road the Year 6 boys have been entertaining family and friends with their annual drama production which this year is 'Hoodwinked' -a modern and witty take on the 'Robin Hood' story.

20th - 24th June 2011

Twenty Seven primary schools visited Bolton School this week for a Science Festival aimed at inspiring young minds. The festival provided an opportunity for gifted young pupils from Year 5 to make use of Bolton School's laboratories and resources and to absorb themselves in Science for the day. Local schools entered teams of four who spent the morning in the Biology, Chemistry and Physics laboratories undertaking a number of challenging practical activities, assisted by their own "Science Buddies" - pupils from the Girls' Division and Boys' Division. Bolton School has been the Independent Schools Football Association (ISFA) Focus School for the Manchester and Northwest region almost two years now and during this time has been involved in many schemes and initiatives to drive football development in the region. Click here to see the full presentation. Sticking with sport, representing Lancashire our Year 8 rugby league team overcame Birkdale High from Sefton by 60 points to 8 to become this year's North-West Emerging Schools' Cup Final winners. Old Boy Tony Wadsworth, Chairman of the BPI, has been awarded the CBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours' List in recognition of his services to the British Music Industry. Tony, who attended Bolton School from 1967-1974, previously was the longest serving Chairman and CEO of EMI Music UK and Ireland from 1998 to 2008. Over the last three months the Catering Department has been raising money for Reece who has epileptic seizures, helping to fund a soft, safe play area for him within his home. Fundraising activites included an Easter raffle and a sponsored slim by Catering Manager Karen Riley and Boys’ Division Catering Supervisor Ronda Figgins, who collectively lost two and a half stone. In total an impressive £1158 was raised and Reece and his parents visited the school to be presented with the cheque.

13th - 17th June 2011

Our Sixth Form students enjoyed a fascinating lecture by eminent Sport Psychologist, Professor Ian Maynard of the Centre for Sport Performance at Sheffield Hallam University, as part of their Gifted and Talented Programme. In a lively and interactive session, enjoyed by Sixth Formers and staff, Professor Maynard spoke of how athletes have to be able to deal with pressure and as such it is imperative that they develop a professional attitude. He talked about anxiety and stress management, stressing the importance of avoiding negative self-talk, and how much of sport psychology can be transposed across to life situations, including dealing with exam and work stresses. Professor Maynard worked with Olympic athletes at the Barcelona and Athens games and in a wide variety of sports including lacrosse, rugby, cycling, diving and boxing; he is currently undertaking work with Premiership football referees.

Another opportunity for our Sixth Form students is the chance of a 4 week paid vacation programme at KPMG in Manchester. This unique new scheme will see one girl and one boy undertake meaningful employment with the accounting giant, spending two weeks in the Financial Services Audit Team and two weeks in the Corporate Finance team. The two lucky students will be involved in client work and will be "at the coal-face" undertaking real research in an ongoing summer scheme between the school and the big four accounting firm. Students are being asked to apply for the work placement as if they were applying for a full-time position and they will be judged on their application form and a subsequent interview.

In Senior Boys, the U15s' football team has received a Fair Play commendation from the Independent Schools' Football Association (ISFA). The awards are made on the basis of marks given and comments made by match referees in the ISFA Cup competitions and comments made by opposing schools.

Our Junior Girls undertook half an hour of vigorous walking around their school this week to raise funds for MedEquip4Kids, a charity based in the North West of England for paediatric healthcare facilities at local hospitals. Fun was injected into the "Walk4kids" event as girls were allowed to dress in their pyjamas - more of a sleep walk really! By the end of the day a fantastic sum of over £1,800 had been raised! The Year 6 Girls have also been busy performing their bite size interpretations of William Shakespeare's comedy, A Midsummer Night's Dream. After studying and exploring the play, pupils challenged their own thinking and skills of interpretation to produce short devised pieces. Under the title "Devising the Dream", the girls will perform their work to their parents. And the Year 4 girls had some interesting visitors from Blackpool Zoo, coming face to face with a giant hissing cockroach, a snake and a stick insect when Russell from the Zoo came to talk to them about habitats and adaptation. To the girls' delight he brought several animals from the zoo with him to demonstrate what he was talking about!

6th - 10th June 2011

This week Bolton School hosted a Technology Festival for local Year 4 primary school pupils, providing an opportunity for them to make use of the School's technology facilities and to absorb themselves in Technology for the day. Eight local Primary Schools took part, giving pupils the chance to spend a whole day focusing on technology and to experience activities in different technology areas. The day had a carnival theme - in Resistant Materials the pupils produced plastic masks which they each decorated in their own way, in Textiles they made colourful headdresses decorated with printed fabrics, and in Food Technology they made their own scone based smiley face pizzas. At the end of the day certificates were awarded to all pupils for taking part.

Year 12 students and their parents enjoyed a celebration evening this week as they collected certificates and gave presentations about the community work they had undertaken over the past year. In total, over 10,000 hours, the equivalent of 3 years' work had been undertaken by the Sixth Form students! All Year 12 students in the Girls' Division and the Boys' Division have to undertake a minimum of 20 hours of community work after which they receive their bronze certificate. Anyone undertaking 50 to 99 hours receives a silver award and 100+ hours students receive a gold award.


Our Junior Girls enjoyed a day with a difference when a Viking came to visit Year 4 and brought history to life. His talks and workshops about Viking life went down particularly well. He brought with him a wide range of artefacts, from cooking pots to animal fur, from swords to chainmail, and spoke to the girls about Viking life, invading and settling. In the afternoon the girls participated in workshops about playing Viking games, making thumb pots, sketching artefacts and acting out Viking warfare!
On Monday, Mrs Ruth Brierley, Head of Junior Girls' School, held an informal drop-in session for anyone wishing to learn more about Bolton School Junior Girls (aged 7-11). Further sessions are scheduled for Monday 13 and 20 June at 2.00pm If you (and your daughter) would like to attend one of these sessions, please call Jennifer Agogue, the Head's PA, on 01204 434761 to arrange your appointment.