28 November 2014

Excellent news from the Junior Boys' School this week: the Year 6 football team have won the town championships for the second year in a row! After making it through the final group stage, they did a brilliant job in the semi-final and went on to the final: a re-creation of last year's thrilling match, once again played against Eagley Juniors. The Bolton School team will now go on to represent Bolton Wanderers in the Football League Trust Kids' Cup - and may even follow in the footsteps of last year's team and make it all the way to Wembley!

We caught up with the Sixth Form girls who travelled out to India over the October half term. They shared their memories of visiting SKCV in Vijayawada, where they met former street children at the charity's two villages and were able to treat them to individual presents and a special trip to the cinema thanks to the £3,400 of funds raised by the school before the trip! This once in a lifetime experience was obviously one that will remain with the girls forever.

Girls studying Food Technology received a visit of their own on Monday: Debbie Halls-Evans, winner of Channel 4's The Taste, came into school to give a lesson on infusions. She talked to the girls about how to create their own sugar, salt and oil infusions, as well as demonstrating a basil syrup for them to try. With salted caramel macaroons and Chantilly cream made with vanilla sugar to try as well, this was a huge hit with the girls, and gave GCSE and A-Level students a lot of inspiration for their project work!

We found out this week what new starters at the Junior Girls' School really think about Hesketh House! Click here to watch the video and find out ...

The Young Shakespeare Company took over Hesketh House's hall for a performance of the Scottish Play. Year 5 and 6 girls were delighted by the thrilling and innovative production of Shakespeare's Macbeth. The girls were involved at every stage through audience participation, from a Storyteller asking questions to some girls even taking on roles within the play itself.

In the Boys' Division, Year 13 pupil Peter Mackin revealed that he has been presented with a Royal Yachting Association Youth Award. He received the award from Princess Anne at an awards ceremony in London.

With the Christmas season fast approaching, Girls' Division pupils were keen to spread some festive cheer - even in fictional locations, such as Coronation Street! The Year 7 girls and members of the Middle School Choir and Senior School Choir were invited to do some carolling at the old Granada Studios set on Quay Street as part of the Coronation Street Tour's 'Christmas on the Cobbles' event. They added an extra seasonal sparkle to the day for visitors to the attraction, and were even able to take a tour of the set themselves!

The Junior Girls have also been out singing carols and other seasonal hits, including highlights from their upcoming Christmas show 'Following The Star', at Bolton's Market Place. Shoppers were delighted with the girls' singing, which gave a lovely atmosphere throughout the evening.

Further getting into the Christmas spirit, they and their families have also donated almost 130 shoeboxes filled with presents to Operation Christmas Child! These thoughtfully selected and beautifully wrapped gifts will be delivered world-wide to children who might otherwise not receive a Christmas gift.

On Friday, three Year 7 girls were invited to Key 103 to talk about some of their recent charity work. The whole of Year 7 took part in a sponsored silence, raising £2,000 in total! This money will go to buy toys for Key 103's 'Mission Christmas' appeal, supporting the charity Cash for Kids. The girls did an excellent job chatting to Adam Catterall about their fundraising.

Not to be outdone, Boys' Division teachers have been taking part in Movember to raise money and awareness for Prostate Cancer UK! Four teachers locked away their razors for the whole of November, and between them have raised several hundred pounds - and their altered appearance has done plenty to raise awareness!

21 November 2014

There have recently been plenty of musical events both in School and off campus! On Sunday, the Jazz Band travelled to Altrincham Grammar School for Boys for the annual NCBF North Regional Festival. They played four pieces which were highly praised by the adjudicator, and their hard work in rehearsal was rewarded with a Platinum Award! They have now been invited to participate at the two-day Thirtieth Anniversary National Concert Band Festival in April next year.

To listen to the Jazz Band's Platinum Award winning performance at the NCBF North Regional Festival on the School's Soundcloud page, click here.

On Saturday, the Chamber Choir took part in a concert held in the Boys' Division Great Hall to raise funds for the Muscular Dystrophy charity. Several hundred pounds were raised at this annual event thanks to all of the musicians who took part.

There was rich musical variety on offer at the Joint Autumn Concert last Wednesday. Both Boys' and Girls' Division pupils from Years 7 to 13 were involved in making this a spectacular evening, full of thoroughly enjoyable music. From Classical to pop music, and movie soundtracks to traditional pieces, there really was something for everyone.

The Saxophone Ensemble were busy on Saturday: they travelled to the Trafford Centre to jazz up the launch of the John Lewis Christmas Range! Providing a selection of festive tunes, they delighted shoppers and helped set the right mood, and each saxophonist received a small gift from the store as a token of thanks.

To listen to the Saxophone Ensemble's rendition of 'I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everday' (Wizzard) on the School's Soundcloud page, click here.

Also last week, Sixth Form pupils enjoyed an afternoon lecture from Simon Dixon, the Sir Bernard Pares Professor of Russian History at University College London. Professor Dixon gave a fascinating talk on the rulers of Russia from 1855 to 1964, and also investigated the Theory of Modernisation with pupils.

In sporting news, Ellie Broome in Year 11 has recently been crowned Junior Champion at her local golf club! This follows her recent invitation to join the Cumbria Girls' Elite Golf squad.

The Boys' Division U13 Water Polo team have also enjoyed success this week: they have won the coveted President's Trophy! The boys played against three rival teams in a round-robin tournament, hosted by Bolton School. The team worked very hard to secure comfortable wins in all of their matches throughout the day.

14 November 2014

On the 11th of November, each part of the School performed its own version of the Armistice Day Service of Remembrance.

The Boys' Division held a moving tribute to former pupils who lost their lives in the First and Second World Wars. Dr Holland and six pupils provided brief vignettes on six Old Boys who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Pupils in the Girls' Division were joined by currently serving members of the Armed Forced and by a group of Old Girls for their Service of Remembrance. A selection of poetry readings and hymns made for a moving and poignant ceremony.

The Junior Girls also remembered the local heroes of the two World Wars. In a special assembly with Mrs Hone, Head of Classics in the Senior Girls' School, they learned more about four Old Boys in particular who gave their lives. There was also a reading of 'In Flanders Fields' before the two minutes of silence . The Year 6 girls were also given the opportunity to meet four currently serving members of the army later in the morning.

After the Service of Remembrance, the Old Girls attended a lunch in the Arts Centre, where they were entertained by the Year 7 girls. The girls performed a medley of pieces from Frozen, and the Old Girls were then invited to join in with the School Song.

Last weekend, the School hosted a Modern Foreign Languages Day for Year 11 pupils. Attendees took part in a variety of workshops and talks, all aimed at encouraging pupils to consider studying languages beyond GCSE. This was also a fantastic opportunity to learn more about languages in the world of work, and to try out something new with taster sessions.

There has been some excellent sporting news in the Girls' Division this week. A grand total of thirteen girls from Year 10 to Year 13 have been selected for the Lancashire U18 Lacrosse Squad! The girls have joined the A and B squads: a fantastic achievement for all of the players.

The U15 swimming team have also enjoyed success recently. The four girls and their coach, Mrs Hall, were thrilled with a double victory at the recent John Parry Relays competition.

In the Boys' Division, the Senior Water Polo team dominated the first round of the ESSA U18 Championships. They won all three of their matches, putting them in a very comfortable first place and pushing them on to the next round, where they will continue to defend their title!

Four boys on the Senior Water Polo Team have also been selected for national sporting development programmes! They have been identified as elite players and will be supported in their future sporting endeavours by the programmes.

All of the pupils who applied for Arkwright Scholarship this year were successful in their applications, and over the half term break they attended the awards ceremony. Boys' Division pupils Chris Battarbee, Alex Seed and Niall Woodward and Girls' Division pupil Bethany O'Donnell travelled to London to receive their certificates and meet with representatives from the organisations which will be sponsoring them throughout their Scholarships.

The School's Digital Archive has now been expanded! The existing catalogue of School Magazines has now been joined by editions of alumni magazines and annual School Newsletters from both Divisions.

Year 11 pupil Johanna Mercer has published her second novel on the Amazon Kindle Store. Death by Your Beloved: Be Afraid of the Dark continues the story from her first book, Demon Rose, and promises to be another gripping read.

Finally, pupils in the Junior Schools and at Beech House Infants' School have been raising money for Children in Need today!

The pupils at Beech House took part in a 'Mad Hair Day' for the charity event, with each child coming into school with his or her hair in a funky style or hidden beneath a wig or lots of decorations!

Finally, the Junior Girls joined the 'Be A Hero' campaign and dressed up as superheroes both real and fictional - with some even coming to school as their teachers!

7 November 2014

The week began with a bang on Sunday with the annual Family Fireworks Display, organised by the Parents' Association. There were lots of stalls, plenty of sweet treats, and great music from the Joint Jazz Band prior to the main event, and the firework display itself was spectacular!

Eminent historian Professor Lord Peter Hennessy, who is one of the most acclaimed academics and journalists of our time, visited Bolton School on Tuesday to address the Bolton branch of the Historical Association. He gave an insightful and interesting talk on 'Cold War Whitehall: Writing About The Secret State' which was very well attended.

During their SPACE session, the Year 8 boys were took a trip back in time at Bolton Steam Museum, where the hard-working volunteers had all of the machinery running on full steam. They were able to look at a wide variety of steam-powered machines, and learned about how they work and about the Industrial Revolution in the process.

On Wednesday, a group of Sixth Form girls welcomed Bolton's older generation to the School for Tea at the Riley: the first in a series of tea parties for the 'young at heart'! The girls and their guests all had a lovely afternoon chatting, enjoying live musical performance, and eating the delicious hand-made cakes and scones.

Meanwhile in the Boys' Division, the school's elite cricketers received a masterclass from professional coach Ottis Gibson! He gave the boys lots of tips, finding the time to work one-on-one with some of the boys, and even showed them his prized World Cup winning ring from 2012. This was a fantastic experience for the boys.

The Boys' Division also had the pleasure of welcoming five other schools to the Great Hall for the regional English Chess Federation Team Chess Challenge tournament. The Boys' Division A and B teams played very well, coming in second and third place overall.

Bolton School was delighted to sponsor the Young Business of the Year category at this year’s Manchester Evening News Business Awards. There were over one hundred entries to this category, and Headmaster Mr Philip Britton was delighted to announce the overall winner - Prymo Surface Solutions - at the awards ceremony.

We also caught up on some final pieces of news from before Half Term this week:

The Junior Boys' School took part in the first set of Bolton Primary Schools' Chess League matches last month. They did extremely well in all of their matches, and emerged the winners of the competition after conceding just half a point!

The Junior Girls' School also played in the Bolton Primary Schools' Chess League tournament. All of the girls did well in their matches, securing at least one victory each. One of the girls received a medal for winning both of her games.

Primary school pupils tacked the Bolton School Big Quiz just before the holidays. Twelve local schools put forward six pupils to take part, and they were tested on a wide variety of subjects to determine who would win the prize at the end of the evening.

Earlier in October, Sixth Form pupil Lydia Hounat performed at the Manchester Literature Festival! She read out two poems alongside fellow performance poets from her Writing Squad, from literature organisation Bad Language, and professional novellist Matt Haig!

The Year 10 netball team were victorious in the Bolton Schools Tournament! After playing well in the first round and the semi-final, they found themselves taking on Rivington and Blackrod High School for the second time. Determined not to draw, they dominated the match and came away with the trophy.

Two Old Boys - Sir Philip Craven and Dr Steve Town - met up at the 50th Anniversary European air Play Movement Congress in Latvia last month! Both presented to the congress and were very well received.

31 October 2014

Children at Bolton School Nursery have been wishing one another 'Happy Halloween' today! Dressing up in their favourite costumes, they enjoyed a fantastically spooky day.

Over half term, a group of girls and teachers travelled out to India to visit the charity SKCV Children's Trust. As well as helping out with the everyday activities of the charity and getting to know the former street kids who are now being looked after by SKCV, they also made front-page news in the local paper!

On World Food Day in October, representatives of Unilever Food Solutions visited Bolton School to talk to the Senior Boys and Senior Girls in their morning assemblies. They talked about the fantastic work the World Food Programme does to end hunger, and commended the School for the work already done to help! The representatives met with School staff after the assemblies to discuss what more can be done in future.

Finally, the Friends of Bolton School Choir will be launching next week! Come along on Wednesday if you are interested in joining or supporting this latest musical venture.

24 October 2014

At the end of last week, pupils from Years 10 to 13 took part in an inspirational Engineering Careers Day. The day's keynote speaker was engineer and TV personality Kate Bellingham, who reassured her audience that there was no need to "fit a box" to be an engineer - a theme repeated by several of the speakers throughout the day! This was a great opportunity for those interested in a career in engineering to learn more about the wide variety of options available from industry professionals and higher education providers, including four Bolton School alumni.

Thursday of last week was busy across the Foundation. All of the pupils from Hesketh House Junior Girls' School, enjoyed a day off their normal timetable to take a trip to Port Sunlight! There they learned more about Edwardian and Victorian life, as well as finding out about the village's founder, none other than Bolton School's benefactor William Hesketh Lever.

On Thursday evening, the Junior Girls' Chess Team took part in their first matches of this year's Bolton Primary Schools' Chess League. The girls did well, each winning at least one game each!

Pupils and parents from the Boys' Division were delighted to attend a talk on twenty-first century dinosaur hunting from palaeobiologist Professor Phil Manning on Thursday evening. Professor Manning spoke about his work at the University of Manchester as well as regaling the audience with tales of digging up fossils in America.

In the Girls' Division, the Under 16s Netball team were recently successful in the Bolton Town Championships. They played to an extremely high standard and came away from the final victorious!

Year 13 pupil Haseeb Hameed has also had some sporting success in recent weeks: following a season of spectacular scores, he has signed a deal with Lancashire County Cricket Club! He will join the professionals next season, after taking part in the England Development Programme this winter.

On Friday evening, guests flocked to the Arts Centre for a Cooking Masterclass arranged by the Old Girls' Association. Local chef Mike Harrison demonstrated three delicious courses; and with wine provided by T. Wright Wines and a chocolate tasting session courtesy of Choc Amor, a wonderful time was had by all who attended. The evening was organised in support of the UK branch of the Phelan-McDermid Syndrome Foundation, and by the end of the evening a spectacular total of £1772.00 had been raised for the charity!

17 October 2014

After a hugely successful Open Morning last Saturday, the last week before the half term break began with a primary liaison event for Year 2 pupils from the local area. Gifted and talented Year 2 boys and girls were invited to Hesketh House Junior Girls' School to take part in Puzzle Challenges which stretched their abilities while the children also had lots of fun!

Over the summer holidays, three Sixth Form boys were selected as UCLan Young Researchers. The boys worked alongside the university staff to further three very different research projects, which were matched to their personal interests and aspirations.

At the end of September, the Boys' Division Golf Team took part in the XL Club Schools' Golf Day, and emerged victorious! They brought home the trophy, and team member Nathan Clark also won an individual prize.

Finally, to round off the week, the School hosted an Engineering Careers Day on Friday. This was a great opportunity for pupils in Years 10 to 13 to hear from industry professionals about the wide variety within the field of engineering, and what to do if they decide to follow a path into this interesting, creative and innovative career. The day was opened by keynote speaker Kate Bellingham.