6th July 2012

Year 10 pupils at Bolton School Girls' Division took part in two days of off timetable activities in a 'Getting Ready for Sixth Form Life' event. One highlight for the girls was a 'Commando Joe's' session where they took part in military-type exercises including an assault course, circuits, team relays and games. The girls took part in sessions entitled 'Young Thinkers', 'Young Citizens' and 'Young Consumers', and were given Sixth Form taster lessons. They also held their very own mini version of 'The Young Apprentice' complete with teachers in the roles of Sir Alan Sugar and his associates! The day encouraged transferrable skills such as team working, communication and leadership. Also in Girls’ Division, many pupils have had their work published in an anthology of short stories, after coming second in a 'Young Writers' competition for Greater Manchester and Lancashire. The competition was entitled Mini Sagas - Creative Capers (the title of the book), and girls from Years 7 to 9 each wrote a 'Mini Saga' to enter. The short stories were limited to just 50 words meaning the girls had quite a challenge on their hands.

Pupils from Hesketh House have won the Bolton Primary School Chess League for the first time. The girls finished top, above Edgworth Primary and High Lawn Primary, winners over the last two years. Their team includes a number of younger players, demonstrating a great deal of chess talent. While the Junior Boys have won the AJIS Cricket cup for the second consecutive year. After a hard fought semi-final, the boys beat Birkenhead in the final to take the trophy.

Sixth Form students from the Girls' Division attended a talk by HMPS North West Lead Psychologist, Carol Bond, aimed at giving them a better understanding of the negotiation skills needed to cope in a hostage situation. Carol spoke about the definition of hostage situations, their management and the psychological approach to resolutions, including 'what not to say and why'. Year 8 pupil George Blackwell is one of two Bolton School boys who have had their work published in the latest edition of Local History magazine. He and Alex Walmsley, from Year 13, wrote articles for The Historacle - the Boys' Division History magazine - which were then selected by the editor of Local History. George's article described how a distant relative, Margaret Blackwell, was able to survive the outbreak of bubonic plague in Eyam, Derbyshire, in 1665. Inspired by his Duke of Edinburgh Expedition to the Lake District, Alex chose to investigate the origins of the village of Buttermere.

And local Primary Schools were in School once again, this time 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. The pupils got to take part in forensic science activities including blood testing, fingerprinting, chemical analysis of soil samples, chromatography and microscopic fibre examination. They constructed marble runs taking the laws of Physics into account, and undertook a number of fun experiments involving chemical reactions and hydrogen explosions! In the afternoon, pupils were amazed by Richard Robinson's science show 'Life, the Universe and Everything', followed by an awards ceremony to recognise their efforts throughout the day. Each pupil was presented with a certificate, and each school received a copy of '100 Science Experiments' to take away with them.