20 June 2014

The Bolton School in Space project has finally achieved lift-off! The capsule climbed to a height of 108,000 feet and captured incredible footage and stunning photographs of its ascent and descent. The Bolton School in Space team overcame technical difficulties in order to retrieve the capsule and recover the camera with these amazing images:

The end of last week saw the Years 7-10 Summer Production of Oliver Twist, based on the classic novel by Charles Dickens. The cast can certainly consider themselves a huge hit with the parents, teachers and friends who came to watch the performance on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evening!

This week started off with a couple of cricketing success stories. Last year's U13 team completed some unfinished business and finally played Merchant Taylor's for the Lancashire Cup. The team played in brilliant sunshine at Formby Cricket Club, and Bolton School won the Lancashire Cup 2013! They are hoping to repeat the success in this year's competition.

The 1st XI team were out playing cricket last weekend. They faced off against GSL Leeds and also came out victorious.

On Monday, pupils studying GCSE and A-Level history in the Girls' Division received an excellent talk from university lecturer Dr Martin Alexander. He spoke about the causes of the First World War and gave students plenty to think about.

The school also hosted the annual Sixth Form Volunteering Celebration Evening on Monday. This was a fitting celebration of the Year 12 pupils' dedication to voluntary work, and the time they give up for their local community - which totaled 11,798 hours this year!

Watch the short film "Bolton School Volunteering - Making a Difference for Good" here.

The Riley Sixth Form Centre received its official opening on Tuesday. A plaque was unveiled in the Sixth Form Centre Reception by Governor Ian Riley, who was also the chief benefactor of the building, in front of dozens of guests that included donors, governors, present and former Head Teachers, current and past pupils, and other friends of the school.

There was an impromptu beekeeping lesson on Tuesday, as half of the Bolton School hive decided to move house alongside a newly-hatched queen bee! The honey bee swarm was very calm throughout, and provided an excellent education opportunity for students.

On Wednesday morning, the Year 2 pupils at Beech House played host to two special guests: RAF pilot Paul Hutton and ex-RAF pilot John Dunning, who are both Old Boys. They came in to speak to the pupils about their experiences with the Air Force and about flying more generally. The Year 2s were delighted by the visit, and had plenty of questions to ask!

Both Old Boys then joined eight other alumni for the Hesketh House Careers Carousel. These ten former pupils inspired Year 6 pupils from Park Road Junior Boys' School and the Junior Girls' School with tales of their chosen careers.

Old Boy Sir Ian McKellen received an honorary degree from the University of Cambridge. He was made a Doctor of Letters as part of the ceremony.

Four boys travelled down to Oxford to receive prizes on Wednesday. In a ceremony which took place at Oxford's Bodlean Library, they were awarded second place for their entry into the Oxford German Network's German Olympiad. The boys also received tours of two of the colleges from Old Boys who are now studying at Oxford.

Finally, Matthew Boyers recently earned a place on the Lancashire U18 rugby squad! He is also attending a training academy with Warrington Wolves.

13 June 2014

Various Boys' Division musicians travelled to Brownlow Fold this week to give two concerts to the primary pupils. The Intermediate Guitar Group, Classical Guitar Quartet and Parallel Oreos performed alongside soloists Jake Rajbhandari and Arran Ireland.

Forty Year 4 pupils from ten local primary schools were invited to the Girls' Division on Thursday for a Technology Day based around a Carnival theme! They had a fantastic time trying out three technology subjects: Food Technology, Resistant Materials, and Textiles. At the end of the day, they had colourful masks, fancy headdresses and hand-made pizzas to take home.

Year 2 pupils from six primary schools in the area were also invited to the Leverhulme Pavilion to develop their ball skills. There were several competitive challenges, each one focusing on a different sport, all of which were designed to increase the children's ball skills.

Thursday evening saw the Treasures of Bolton School revealed in an evening focusing on Lord Leverhulme. Historical artefacts, including the School Chest, Headmaster's Chair and Chained Library, were explored, whetting everyone's appetite for the 100/500 Celebrations which will start in 2015.

On Friday, four Boys' Division cricket teams doffed their academic caps after a week of school exams and headed out onto the pitch for a series of matches. Although the U13 team were unsuccessful this year, the U12, U14 and U15 teams played admirably and are now at the quarter final stage in the LSCA County competitions!

In the Junior Boys' School, the football team who played their way to Wembley - and won - are still buzzing from the experience! The boys are enjoying celebrity status even three weeks later. The stories from the day are sure to be remembered for years to come.

There was also some good news from one of the school's Old Boys this week. Clarinetist Arun Ghosh was recently awarded Instrumentalist of the Year at the Parliamentary Jazz Awards!

Finally, thanks to a report commissioned by the ISC, it came to light this week that Bolton School contributes £17m to the local economy! This is in addition to the school's input through charitable and volunteer work and the various programmes of events that the school organises for the wider community, including the Primary Liaison Programme, music concerts and recitals, and physics events in liaison with the school's Ogden Teaching Fellow.

6 June 2014

There were a couple of history trips before the half term break. The Year 8 girls visited Squire William and Mistress Mary at Turton Tower for a day of history. Their ‘Tudor-era’ hosts were really welcoming, and talked to the girls about the house and what life would have been like back then.

 Meanwhile the Year 3 Junior Girls travelled to Chester to enjoy the Dewa Roman Experience! They had a great time learning the ‘tortoise’ battle formation from a Roman soldier and trying on Roman-style armour and clothing for themselves.

Over the half-term holiday, Alumni who left school in the 1940s and 1950s returned to school for their reunion. There were 140 Old Boys and Old Girls present, and everyone had a great time reminiscing with their friends!

Last weekend, Old Boy Matthew Lamprey scored his first try for his county in the Beaumont Cup Final. His efforts helped Lancashire beat Cornwall to win the trophy.

We also learned this week that school Governor Charles Cowling completed the Brathay Trust 10in10 Challenge by running ten marathons in ten consecutive days! This amazing achievement raised money for the Brathay Trust and the Company of Actuaries Charitable Trust Fund.

When pupils returned to school, some pupils had a few additional treats in store. The Year 4 girls’ classroom was invaded on Monday by a friendly Viking, who came to tell the girls about the Vikings’ lives and that the ‘bully-boy’ stereotype is not entirely accurate.

The pupils at Beech House Infants School were visited on Tuesday by two first nation Canadians, who came in to speak to them about the American West. They wore traditional costume and brought with them a number of artefacts, including some which were over a century old. One of the children even got to wear a 185-year-old wolf headdress!

On Thursday, the Year 3 girls were off timetable for the first ever Outdoor Learning Activity Day. With archery, orienteering, bush craft and team building activities on offer, the girls were really excited to take part and the day certainly did not disappoint.

This week, the final launch preparations got underway for the Bolton School In Space Project! The capsule has been painted, and the boys and teachers involved are now watching the weather in the hopes of launching their high-altitude balloon next week! The launch document with full details will be posted on habhub.org and ukhas.org.uk, and the balloon can be tracked on 434.650MHz RTTY 50 baud. You can also follow @BoltonSchTech on Twitter for updates.

23 May 2014

On Wednesday, the Year 8 girls were given a spectacular Career Day which hopefully expanded their horizons and showed them how varied their future options can be. There was an acting masterclass for the whole year group, followed by talks on Civil Engineering, Fashion and Design, Entrepreneurship, Microbiology.

We also found out that two Year 10 boys were given the amazing opportunity to commentate at the ASA National Youth Water Polo Championships! They both really enjoyed the experience, and it was a huge privilege to be able to learn from the professionals.

The Year 8 girls rounded off the half term with a brilliant French language performance titled ‘Mon pére ne me conprend pas’- a play with a hint of magic about a girl who doesn't get along with her father. The girls found no difficulty in understanding the language and enjoying the play to its fullest!

The Senior Boys School cricketers had cause for celebration on Friday: their victory over Sedbergh School saw Bolton School become the North-West T20 Cricket Champions and Fred Kenyon Cup Winners!

On Friday, despite inclement weather, the Junior Boys donned fancy dress and headed for the Levels for their annual Fun Run! As the afternoon wore on, the sun began to shine and the boys really started to enjoy themselves. There was a really wide variety of creative costumes on show, and there was fun to be had even for the spectators as they spotted their own children and the characters represented by others. This year's chosen charity is Bolton Hospice.

The Junior Boys' Football Team headed down to Wembley on Friday to represent Bolton Wanderers in Saturday's Kids' Cup Final - and won! The boys had a fantastic time, and playing football at this iconic venue is a memory that will last a lifetime.

16 May 2014

Four Year 11 boys have been given second place in the Oxford Network German Olympiad! Chris Boulos, Giri Nandakumar, Jordan Reed and Anchit Chandran entered the group section, and did very well to impress the judges with their work.

There has been plenty of action for Bolton School's cricketers recently!

England U17 cricketer Haseeb Hameed led the Bolton School team to triumph in the first round of the HMC T20 Competition last week. Haseeb scored a century in both of the games played - a fantastic achievement!

The U13 cricketers have also been out and about recently. This week, we received a report of their Worcester tour and news of their more recent successes!

The staff have also been out on the cricket pitch! After a five year absence, the staff team went up against Duke of Darwen's XI and emerged victorious.

However, the big story this week is that today was the Year 13 pupils' last day in school before Study Leave. The Girls' Division celebrated in grand style, with the girls in fancy dress and a Leavers' Lunch in the Arts Centre. It was a fantastic send-off for the girls, who are now launching into final preparations for their A-Level exams.

9 May 2014

Over the Easter holidays, Year 12 pupil Haseeb Hameed was appointed Captain of the England U17 Cricket team just days before they travelled out to tour Sri Lanka! Haseeb enjoyed his time in Sri Lanka and is now looking forward to the start of the English cricket season.

This week saw the conclusion of the Bolton School Bake Off! After eight rounds, just three contestants were left to compete in the final during Wednesday lunchtime. The girls all baked delicious dishes for the judges, Miss Hincks and Miss Wadey, and worked right down to the last minute to ensure everything was perfect! However, there could only be one winner: Anna Hill, with her twist on the classic vanilla slice.

On Wednesday evening, Girls' Division pupils gathered together for the May Serenade. As the final musical event before the exam period, this was a moving occasion for the Year 13 pupils involved, as it will be the last time they perform as members of Bolton School. It was an evening of beautiful music, and certainly a fitting send-off for the Sixth Formers. A video of the Middle School Choir performing 'Catch a Falling Star' is available here.

You can also listen to the whole May Serenade concert on Bolton School's Soundcloud.

Old Girl Shakti Patel has been awarded an Engineering Leadership Advanced Award from the Royal Academy of Engineering. This is an amazing achievement, and will give her the support she needs to become a leader in her field.

Finally, the Girls' Division Environmental Club and History Club joined together on Thursday to plant poppy seeds in memory of those soldiers who lost their lives during the First World War. They sprinkled poppy seeds along the side of the netball courts, and expect to see the flowers bloom in July.

2 May 2014

A number of students were involved in school trips to Europe over the Easter break.

The Junior Boys thoroughly enjoyed their Ski Trip to Alpe d'Huez in the French Alps. There were ten first-time skiers on the trip as well as some more experienced boys, all of whom improved considerably over the course of the week. Their adventures were keenly followed by parents on the daily blog.

Meanwhile, the Senior Rugby Team toured Portugal. The trip was a resounding success: the 1st XV team won the U19 Plate Final against Agronomia, while the 2nd XV team combined with Myerscough College to form a Mid-Lancashire XV and win third place in the U17 competition at the International Rugby Youth Festival!

On the first day back after the holidays, the fun wasn't quite over for the Sixth Form boys: on Monday afternoon, they completed a charity fun run in fancy dress! The boys were rewarded with 'giant' games and ice-creams at the end of their four laps. The money raised will be donated to Guide Dogs UK.

Tuesday saw Bolton School welcome 20,000 new inhabitants in the form of the school's first ever honeybee colony! This is the culmination of a project which has been years in the making, but members of the Boys' Division Beekeeping Club finally have a hive of their own.

We heard from Old Girl Vanessa Barber this week. She has recently launched her own business, Beautiful Ink, designing wedding stationery. With her totally unique and quirky designs, it is no surprise that she has enjoyed amazing success in the year and a half that she has been operating.

It has been an excellent week for football in school. On Monday, Girls' Division pupils in Years 7 and 8 took part in the second annual Girls' Football Festival. This event was arranged by Bolton School in association with the Independent Schools Football Association, and saw eight teams of girls compete for the trophy.

This week, the school also hosted this year's Football Festival for Primary Schools. Tuesday saw forty teams taking part in the friendly event for Year 3 and 4 pupils. The Year 5 and 6 competition kicked off on Thursday evening, with over eighty teams taking part! The two-day event was a huge success, with boys and girls thoroughly enjoying the experience.

Finally, the week ended on a high with Battle of the Bands 2014. Professional musician Aziz Ibrahim acted as judge, and ultimately selected Year 9 band Parallel Oreos as the winners! Students from the Girls' and Boys' Divisions had a great time listening to all five finalists in the Arts Centre.