17 July 2015

As the summer term drew to a close last week, a group of four Year 7 boys travelled down to Cambridge to take part in the National French Spelling Bee. This was the third consecutive year that the Boys' Division has made it to this national event. The boys performed extremely well, with Amir Chuahan coming in ninth place - an amazing achievement when 75,000 took part in the competition overall.

The School also hosted a Learning with iPads Conference towards the end of term. This was in conjunction with Kelway and Apple, and was a great way for local primary and secondary school teachers to learn more about how iPads can be used to aid learning. The attendees were welcomed by Girls' Divition Headmistress Sue Hincks, and Boys' Division Headmaster Philip Britton gave a talk about Bolton School's e-learning journey. There was also a presentation from the Junior Boys' and Junior Girls' School iPad Ambassadors: Year 5 pupils who assist other pupils who are having issues with the technology.

Friends of the School recently came together for the annual Friends of Bolton School Dinner. The Headmaster and Headmistress helped to bring everyone up to date with everything that has happened over the past year, and this informal evening also offered the opportunity for the Friends to reminisce together.

The Rt Hon Lord Justice Ryder (Sir Ernest Nigel Ryder), who is an Old Boy of the School, has been appointed the Senior President of Tribunals by the Her Majesty the Queen. He will assume this post from 18 September 2015. He is also Deputy Lieutenant of Greater Manchester, a trustee of the Nuffield Foundation and Chancellor of the University of Bolton.

Now that the School has broken up for the summer holidays, a variety of trips are taking place, including the Girls' Division trip to Tanzania. Follow their exploits on Twitter @TanzaniaBSGD.

This week's Inspiring Mind is bestselling author and former scholarship girl Kate Long. The author of seven novels, with an eighth due out next month, Kate discusses her fond memories of Bolton School and what the experience meant to her.

10 July 2015

There were plenty of events going on in School right up until the end of term. The Year 8 girls - and staff in the English department - have been hard at work preparing for English Speaking Board (ESB) examinations. This helped the girls to develop their public speaking skills and confidence.

In recent weeks, as part of the SPACE Programme, boys in Year 10 have been completing bi-weekly volunteering at Rivington Terraced Gardens to help Rivington Heritage Trust and Groundwork Cheshire, Lancashire and Merseyside to conserve the area for future generations. Although the work is hard, the boys find it very rewarding, and they have already begun to make a difference.

Girls in Year 6 have also been working on their conservation skills this term in order to accomplish the first level of the John Muir Award. The girls used their week-long trip to Patterdale to achieve the necessary requirements: discovering and exploring a wild place, sharing their experience through poetry and art, and completing a conservation project. They also learned more about John Muir himself and the importance of conservation.

Boys' and Girls' Division pupils have had their GCSE and A Level artwork on display at the University of Bolton as part of the Best of Bolton Schools' Art and Design Exhibition. This is a fantastic opportunity for pupils' work to go on display and to show the breadth and variety of artwork in the School. Year 13 student Robyn Lomas won the Fine Art Prize for her piece.

Recently Year 12 pupil Dominic Walker took part in the ESSA Swimming Championships. He swam in the Backstroke and Medley races, earning a silver medal in both events.

There has also been great news from the Boys' Division Model UN society: they attended the WiMUN Conference last week, and not only did individuals win their debates, one of the School's two delegations won the Outstanding Delegation award! This is a fantastic achievement for a relatively new society.

Last Friday, a group of Year 10 girls visited the University of Salford to take part in 'Dragonfly' - a day of science and engineering tasks designed to give them a taste of the courses and careers available in these fields. The girls had an excellent time completing the tasks throughout the day.

There were also several events taking place last weekend: the School held a special Sports Reunion on Saturday as part of the 100/500 Celebrations. Old Boys who used to be part of the School cricket team began the festivities with a match on Friday. They teamed up with the current First Eleven cricketers to play in two mixed sides, which made for a very interesting and evenly matched game.

On the day of the Reunion itself, Old Boys and Old Girls returned to face current pupils in football, lacrosse, netball and rugby fixtures on the School grounds and a water polo match at Bolton One swimming pool. The event was attended by several Olympic athletes, including Sir Philip Craven, President of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and current head of the Old Boys' Association. There was a fantastic atmosphere throughout the day, which culminated in a Reunion Dinner in the evening.

Also over the weekend, the School played host to the Bolton Youth Orchestra, Salford Youth Orchestra and Bolton School Orchestra as they collaborated to put together an informal concert. Despite having only Saturday and Sunday morning to prepare, the children put on a fantastic and varied concert on the Sunday afternoon.

At the start of the week, the Boys' Division welcomed Paul Burrell, former butler to Princess Diana, to give a talk to pupils on modern history. He spoke to boys in both the Senior and Junior Schools and gave a fascinating glimpse into life in the Royal household. He also imparted some excellent advice for the future.

In the Girls' Division, Years 7 and 8 put on their annual Celebration Concert. This event focuses on the achievements of the younger pupils in the school, accompanied by performances from the girls themselves. The standard of the music was very high and made for a very enjoyable evening of entertainment.

Children in Year 2 at Beech House also put on a show before the end of term. This annual concert is a way for the children to say farewell to their Infants' School before they move on to Junior School in September. The 2015 Year 2 Concert was themed around 'travel' and pupils were able to showcase their many and various talents throughout the evening!

As the term drew to a close, it was time for the Boys' Division to award the Lyde Cup to the winning House. At the presentation assembly, Mr Wadsworth announced that Wigan House had won the Cup this year! The Headmaster also paid special tribute to Mr Wadsworth, who is retiring from his post.

Year 10 pupil Caroline Blair attended the Salters' Chemistry Camp at the University of Bath this week. She was one of 60 pupils selected for a place, and was able to use the university laboratories to carry out new and exciting experiments as part of the experience. She also stayed in the university's Halls of Residence for the duration of the camp.

This week, the Senior Girls were able to meet Peanut, the third Guide Dog the Girls' Division have sponsored so far! The Girls' Division has raised over £9,000 to sponsor Guide Dog puppies over the past seven years: an amazing achievement. It was great for the girls to be able to meet Peanut in person and receive an update on his training so far.

Sixth Formers in the Boys' Division have been hard at work fundraising throughout the year, and were able to announce in the last week of term that they have raised £2,022 for Barnardo's.

Boys' Division teacher Dr Kristy Turner has been selected to join the editorial team of the magazine 'Education in Chemistry'. Dr Turner has been a contributor to the magazine and blog for several years, and is delighted to take up this new post with the publication.

This week's Inspiring Mind is Sir Philip Craven: Bolton School pupil from 1961 to 1969 and now President of the International Paralympic Committee. In this interview, Sir Philip talks about his time at School and his sports career, and offers advice to current pupils.

Over the holidays, Sixth Formers Kate Ball and Abigail Harrison will be embarking on summer internships with KPMG! This is a really exciting opportunity for the girls to experience working for one of the 'Big Four' professional services firms in the UK, and to get an idea of what it would be like to have a career in this sector.

Next year, the School will once again host the monthly (Bolton) Historical Association lectures. More information and details about the talks can be found on the School website here.

3 July 2015

Though the end of term draws near, there are still plenty of exciting events going on throughout the School. Last Friday, Bolton School hosted the Bolton Children's Fiction Award Ceremony. Over 600 pupils from local schools attended the event, where they enjoyed sessions with the attending authors and became the first to learn that Tom Hoyle's book Thirteen was the winner for 2015!

On Saturday, all areas of the School came together for the Foundation Family Festival - one of the events arranged as part of the 100/500 Year Celebrations. This was a fantastic occasion which was very much enjoyed by all those in attendance. There was something for all age groups, and plenty to see and do - from watching pupils abseil down the clock tower to a bird of prey exhibition, human table football, a tin can sculpture and much more!

The School also hosted the launch of the Bolton Sports Alliance this week. This initiative aims to deliver high quality Physical Education, School Sport and recreational activities for Bolton. The inaugural meeting was attended by World, Commonwealth and European Champion Beth Tweddle MBE, who gave a short presentation at the meeting to highlight the broader opportunities available via the Alliance's associate providers.

Summer sports fixtures are well under way, and perhaps the most prestigious of these is the annual match between the 1st XI Cricketers and a team from the MCC Club. This was a great opportunity for the boys, and they learned much from the experience despite an unfortuante loss on this occasion.

Meanwhile, the U14s cricket team progressed to the Lancashire County final against Manchester Grammar School. The Bolton School boys put in an excellent effort and came away champions! They will now progress to play nationally in the U15s tournament next year.

The annual Year 5 Science Festival brought together pupils from schools in the local area for a fun day of scientific descovery themed around sport. The children worked in teams of four and enjoyed a carousel of activities, including chemistry, biology and physics tasks. The children all agreed that they had a fantastic time and learned something new over the course of the day.

Pupils from both Divisions recently attended the Greater Manchester Chemquiz: a competitive and fun day of chemistry for secondary school pupils in the area. The Girls' Division team worked really well together and particularly enjoyed the quiz. The Boys' Division team came in second place after they were narrowly beaten by just 0.07%!

The Junior Boys raised an amazing £5,653.10 through this year's Fun Run! They decided to split the money between two charities this year, and recently presented the cheques to representatives from Cancer Research UK and Derian House in a special assembly.

Old Girl Anna Stuttard has been given the Distinguished Friend of Oxford Award! This prize fomally acknowledges individuals who have acted as exceptional volunteers for the wider benefit of the University. She was praised for her wisdom and commitment in ensuring that Oxford's research meets the highest ethical standards.

Find out more about this week's 'Inspiring Mind', Old Girl and Bolton School Governor Dr Sheila Fisher. After leaving the Girls' Division, Sheila consultant surgeon specialising in cancers of the Head and Neck; she has recently been asked by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Authority to Chair the Committee on Safety of Devices through a period of transition, and is also Chair of one of the Health Research Agency National Research Ethics Committees. She gives a fascinating insight into her Bolton School experience as part of the School's commemorative '100 Inspiring Minds' project.

26 June 2015

In the past few weeks, Boys' Division pupils have had the chance to finally meet the two trainee Guide Dogs that they were able to name and sponser through training as a result of last year's fantastic funraising campaign! The two dogs, Pippin and Fil, visited the School during lunchtime on two separate occasions and groups of boys were able to get to know them in person.

Over the coming summer holidays, a group of four Year 12 students will help Dr Ian Magedera with his research on Representations of India in French Literature. The girls, who are all studying A-Level French, recently spent a day training for the research work at the University of Liverpool.

Children in the First Steps and Tweenies Rooms at Bolton School Nursery were joined by their dads to celebrate Fathers' Day at the end of last week. A fantastic time was had by all.

On Monday, Bolton School hosted the 2015 School Archivists' Group Conference. Over 50 delegates enjoyed a day of lectures which provided many pieces of advice for caring for collections. This was a fantastic event for the School to host during the 100:500 anniversary period.

Meanwhile, pupils in Year 2 enjoyed a fantastic day at the seaside! The children spent a day at Formby exploring the beach and both learning and having a lot of fun. They have been working on the Learning Challenge question, 'Why do we love being beside the seaside?' and the trip to Formby was the perfect way to put their classroom work into action.

A team of four Mathematicians has placed 21st out of 1700 schools in this year's Maths Challenge Trophy! The boys travelled to the Royal Horticultural Halls in Westminster, London along with 87 other teams to compete in the final, and did extremely well to place so highly in this competitive maths challenge.

Tuesday brought with is pleasant weather and even some sunshine for Beech House Sports Day. The Year 1 and Year 2 pupils at Bolton School Infants School took part in a range of activities, including giant egg and spoon races, sack races, slalom and long jump. The competition was very close between the four teams, with the Green team eventually emerging victorious.

Girls' Division pupil Hannah Stephenson recently competed in the 300m event at the Mason Trophy, where she came third in her event. This is a fantastic achievement given the high standard of this inter-county competition.

This year, the girls in Year 9 have been supporting the 'Send My Friend To School' campaign. Every pupil in the year group wrote a personal message, which was then sent to the MP for Bolton North East, asking him to take them to parliament for the September meeting for world leaders updating the Millennium Development Goals.

The School once again hosted the Bolton School Sports Festival this year. Eleven primary schools from across the region sent a team of Year 5 pupils to participate in this multi-sport event, and a fantastic time was had by all. The competition was very close throughout, but the eventual winners were Horwich Parish School.

The Centenary Prizegiving took place on Thursday in the Boys' Division. British Ambassador to Vietnam Mr Giles Lever, who is also an Old Boy of the School, was the guest speaker at this event and presented the prizes as well as giving an insightful address. Chair of Governors Mr Michael Griffiths and Headmaster Mr Philip Britton also offered interesting and thought-provoking comments over the course of the evening, as well as mentioning the School's long history and heritage.

19 June 2015

This year, Bolton School Sixth Formers have completed over 10,000 hours of volunteering in the local community. The School recently held its annual awards ceremony celebrating the pupils' inspiring commitment and dedication. Sixth Form students received vInspired certificates for their efforts; the charity also commended the School for being the highest achieving establishment in the country this year.

Yesterday the Junior Girls welcomed E. B. Colin - the author of Pyrate's Boy - to Hesketh House for a day of swashbuckling storytelling. The girls were really excited to meet a real author, particularly those girls who had read the book, which is shortlisted for this year's Bolton Children's Fiction Award and was also the basis of a recent writing competition in the Junior Girls' School. Year 5 and 6 pupils listened to the author reading two exciting passages from her book and also took part in collaborative creative writing sessions to make up a pirate story of their own.

During the recent good weather, children at Bolton School Nursery tried their hand at bread-making over an open campfire during Forest School. These weekly sessions allow children in the Nursery Class for 3 and 4 Year Olds and the Butterfly Room (3 to 4 years) to learn in a natural environment and offer the opportunity to try new activities.

A gallery of photos from Forest School sessions is available here.

Four girls in Year 8 recently took part in the Salters' Festival of Chemistry at the University of Manchester. The girls were selected for their enthusiasm for the subject, and were able to take part in competitive, practical Chemistry activities on the day.

Year 6 pupils at the Junior Girls' School put on their annual Shakespeare production yesterday evening. In front of a packed audience in the Girls' Division Theatre, the young actors took to the stage to retell Romeo and Juliet in their own words, giving the classic tale a modern twist. The girls studied the play to get to grips with the plot and themes before reworking the well-known story to make it their own. They did an amazing job and gave an enthusiastic performance on the night.

The Joint Junior Orchestra also put on a show this week at Clarendon Primary School. They performed several pieces, and there were even opportunities for some pupils in the audience to get involved. The primary school children really enjoyed listening to the music, and this opportunity also gave the musicians some excellent experience for the future.

Old Boy Sir Ian McKellen has donated original artwork to the Boys' Division's "Pop Up" Creative Arts Exhibition. This will be part of a Secret Postcard Sale, encompassing work by artists in the Boys' Division and also by famous creative practitioners such as illustrator Chris Aaran! The theme of the overall exhibition, which includes work from pupils in the Art, Music, Drama and English departments, is "Conflict" and there will be some very thoughtful pieces on show. The exhibition will be held in the Market Place in Bolton on the 27th of June.

In news from alumni, Old Girl Natasha Lomas has been offered a place with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Youth Orchestra. She left the Girls' Division last summer to study music at the RNCM.

12 June 2015

Year 9 girls recently embraced the challenges of the Duke of Edinburgh expedition - braving some of the worst conditions ever seen on Bronze expeditions, and impressing instructors at Patterdale Hall, the School's adventure learning centre, with their hardiness! The girls will now go on to complete the skills, volunteering and physical sections of the Award. Bolton School is the largest independent school provider of pupils achieving the Duke of Edinburgh Award in the North-West of England.

This week the Intermediate Guitar Group travelled to St Mary's RC Primary School to give a performance as part of the School's Community Music Programme. The group played a wide variety of styles and did an excellent job of entertaining the younger children with their music.

At the end of the summer, the 'Butterflies' will leave Bolton School Nursery to go on to primary school, and so as part of their Leavers' celebrations the boys and girls were taken on a special trip to Blackpool Zoo. There were lots of different animals to see and learn more about on the day, from small meerkats to huge elephants. The children particularly enjoyed the impressive sea lion show!

To view a gallery of pictures from the Butterflies' trip to Blackpool Zoo, click here.

On Thursday, the sun was shining brightly for the Year 3 Outdoor Learning Day at Hesketh House, the Junior Girls' School. The weather was absolutely perfect as the girls tackled orienteering, archery, team building and bushcraft. The girls were really enthusiastic about the experience, and are now looking forward to their first trip to Patterdale Hall next year!

You can catch up with the Senior Boys' latest cricket updates on the Asons' Cricket Reports page. Last week there was a dose of Cup Fever as the younger boys faced the next round of County Cup matches.

Finally, the 'Inspiring Mind' this week is Old Boy Arno Kitts, who describes himself as "an example of what genuine open access through a bursary fund might achieve." He says in his interview that he can track his career success back to his roots at Bolton School, and now works for BlackRock, a leading investment manager.

 

5 June 2015

A group of Year 5 pupils at the Junior Girls' School recently attended the AJIS Sings! event in Cheshire. They had a fantastic time learning new songs in a variety of styles - from African rounds to a number from the hit musical Matilda!

The Year 8 girls have been making the most of their post-examination period. They enjoyed a multicultural day of Modern Foreign Languages which gave them a taste of several different cultures to inspire them to find out more and increase their interest in language learning. From Spanish salsa dancing to German baking, and introductory workshops in Russian and Italian, there was plenty for the girls to learn while also having lots of fun.

A comedic play entirely in French also piqued the Year 8 girls' interest in languages this week. Erreur d’identité - or 'Mistaken Identity' in English - was performed by two native French actors and stretched the girls' skills while also being very entertaining.

Meanwhile the Junior Boys headed to the start line for their annual Fancy Dress Fun Run, which this year supported the charities Derian House Children’s Hospice and Cancer Research UK. The boys donned a spectaular array of colourful costumes, with members of staff also joining in the fun to raise money for the chosen charities.

Old Boy Ross Warburton recently stepped down from the post of president at Bolton Lads and Girls Club - passing on the torch to Old Girl Baroness Trish Morris! Baroness Morris first became involved with the club over 20 years ago and was honoured to become its president.

Year 9 girls from local schools have been inspired by the Spread Your Wings maths project, organised by Girls' Division teacher Miss Reynolds. The five-week course held at Bolton School was run in association with the Shine Trust UK, and gave the girls opportunities to apply Bin Packing algorithms, Minimum Spanning Trees and Shortest Path algorithms to a variety of real world situations.

 

This week's 'Inspiring Mind' is former Head Girl Lesley Ainsworth, who attended the Girls' Division from 1968 to 1975. She went on to study Law at the University of Oxford and, after many years of experience in competition law, was appointed a panel member of the Competition and Markets Authority in 2013. In her interview, she reveals her fondest memories and greatest inspirations from her time at Bolton School, and offers some great advice to current pupils.