19 February 2016

Bolton School teacher and Old Boy Mr Teasdale is one of four teachers shortlisted for the Royal Society of Biology's School Biology Teacher of the Year Award. His inspirational lessons and his dedication to providing high-quality extra-curricular activities, such as the New Biology Society and the Exotic Animal Care Club, have helped him to reach the final stage of the judging.

The School was delighted to launch the sixth year of KPMG Summer Internships last week. Old Boy Matt Fray and his colleague Hannah Maughan came to talk to Year 12 pupils about this wonderful opportunity, which was set up by Old Girl Katie Clinton, now a partner in KPMG. Two successful applicants will complete a four-week paid internship with the firm's Manchester office in the summer holidays, experiencing the corporate environment in the Financial Services Audit and Corporate Finance teams.

Two delegations and ten individual pupils from the Boys' Division were commended at this year's Model UN event held at Manchester High School for Girls. For the first time, the School sent three delegations, representing Chad, Qatar and Venezuela, and also provided a Guest Chair to the Economic and Social Committee. The boys discussed a wide range of issues related to UN's Sustainable Development Goals on behalf of their allocated country and debated to a very high standard throughout the weekend.

Children from twelve local primary schools took part in this year's Maths Challenge at Bolton School! The teams of four Year 6 pupils competed in three timed rounds, and enjoyed tackling the crossnumber, logic puzzle and speed test together.

Pupils at Beech House, Bolton School's Infant School, have also been investigating maths: every week, the children in Year 2 have fun together by solving open-ended maths problems based on a theme. This helps them to use their maths and figure out rules rather than just working out sums.

Girls in Year 4 at Hesketh House were excited to have their classroom invaded by a Roman Centurion for a special lesson on Roman Britain. The girls were conscripted into the legion and found out about a Roman soldier's equipment. They also learned about the incredible invasion techniques that helped them conquer more than thirty countries. The girls were really fascinated by the whole workshop.

This week's Inspiring Mind is John Markland, an Old Boy who attended the School from 1956 to 1966. He went on to study Geography, which was followed by twenty-five years in local government. He was also appointed the Chairman of Scottish Natural Heritage for seven years. He is now a Trustee of the Gannochy Trust. He reflects fondly on his time at Bolton School and the inspirational teachers he had during his time here. He also offers some great advice to current pupils.