23-27 May

The final week before the half term holidays and our Year 5 boys and girls have been enjoying themselves at our Outdoor Education Centre, Patterdale Hall, on the shore of Ullswater in the Lake District. Despite the mixed weather the pupils have been making the most of the activities on offer - from climbing to archery, kayaking and sailing.

Year 8 pupils at the Girls’ Division got to experience four countries in one day by taking part in a Languages day! From German cookery to Cuban Salsa the girls got to learn a bit about the culture of each country and get a flavour of the food, the language or the dance. In German cookery the girls made traditional German biscuits and waffles while in Italian and Russian they learned how to introduce themselves and how to say what they like and dislike. They also learned how to dance a traditional Cuban salsa, counting their steps in Spanish!

The winners of our Maths Challenge were rewarded this week as Miss Gorner, Primary Liaison Coordinator and Chemistry teacher in the Boys' Division, visited an assembly at Leigh Church of England Junior School to congratulate the girls and boys who won the challenge earlier in the year. The four pupils - James Partington, Courtney Berry, Jamie Barnes and Olivia Beaumont - overcame more than 20 other teams to win the overall prize. Each winner was given a W H Smith voucher worth £15 and the junior school won £100, which they said would be spent on maths equipment.

Money is still coming in from the Junior Boys’ Fun Run last week for the charities selected by the School Council, and we look forward to announcing the total raised in the near future. If you have any outstanding money, then please send it in to the office as soon as possible. And over in Hesketh House a fun afternoon was held aimed at Year 2 girls and their parents - from Bolton School's Infant Department (Beech House) and from other schools from across the region. The girls got to take part in activities including a treasure hunt and code cracking, while parents had the chance to meet the Head and teachers and see more of the new Junior School.

16-20 May 2011

Bolton School Junior Boys took to the field today dressed in an array of colourful fancy dress outfits in order to raise money for Derian House and for the British Red Cross Japan Tsunami Appeal, through their annual Fun Run! Pirates, cops and robbers, clowns and cowboys ran alongside characters from Star Wars, superheroes, a skeleton and Fred Flintstone! Joined by the Head of Junior Boys Mr Stephen Whittaker, the boys ran around the Senior School field for 40 minutes. The pupils ran in pairs, one would run whilst the other rested, and they were supported all the way by cheering parents.

Four Year 10 girls have also been raising money for charity by completing the Bupa Great Manchester Run. Mellissa Pye, Jessica Unsworth, Georgina Wallis and Abbie Palmer ran the 10 km and raised almost £3000 for Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research, a charity close to their hearts as their school friend Eleanor Harding is currently being treated for Leukaemia at the Royal Manchester Children's hospital. Family and friends supported the girls by giving generously, and their hard work in training and on the day was rewarded by the huge amount of money they raised.

The Bolton School Under 13 Rugby team showed they can adapt outstandingly to Rugby League when they attended a prestigious Independent Schools Rugby League competition at Ellesmere College. In the group stages Bolton played 4 games, winning 3 and drawing one. The final was played in front of all the competing teams and numerous officials from the host school and the administrators of The Rugby Football League. With the Bolton Boys taking the lead with a well earned try, opponents Glyncoed replied immediately and scored a winning try with 2 minutes remaining.

And our Year 5 girls got to spend a day in the life of a Tudor this week by taking part in a Hautbois Workshop. Hautbois are a lively and talented duo who use music as a vehicle for historical learning. The girls got to dress in full period costume, listen to the music, handle artefacts, and debate important issues of the time to enable a deeper understanding of the Tudor period. While Year 3 were also taken back in history to Roman times with a visit from a Roman Soldier! The girls got a taste of what it was really like to live in Britain over a thousand years ago through an interactive history presentation which gave them the chance to handle objects and artefacts from the period.

9 - 13 May 2011

Rob Moss, who left Bolton School in 2001, returned to the Sixth Form Common Room this week to revisit his past, whilst raising funds for Bolton Lads' and Girls' Club. Rob, who has twice been England Table Soccer Champion, took on pairs of Sixth Form students in the Common Room, where he first developed his skills. Each student pairing paid £2 each to play the current England Coach and if any pairing beat him, and one couple did (Elliot Lloyd and Chris Sumner), he paid them £20. Rob lost just the one match in an hour's worth of playing.

Chloe Wynne, a Year 11 pupil in the Girls' Division, has won the Be Creative: Be a Screen Champion national competition run by Film Education and The Industry Trust. Her prize is an iPad and the School has received four iMacs, a digital stills camera and a digital video camera. The competition involved students researching, designing and creating an original campaign to promote legitimate film and TV content - both at home and in the cinema - and discourage illegal downloads.

Sport wise, Sixth Form student James Roberts once again represented England as part of the Cerebral Palsy Development Football Squad, this time in the 7-a-side Development Tournament held in Denmark. James was part of the England squad who took on The Netherlands, Scotland and Denmark in matches played over three days in Vejen. Competition was tough but the team came away with the bronze of the tournament after beating Scotland 2-1 in the third place play off, and James even captained the squad in the game against Holland. Year 10 pupil Patrick Whelan has won the national U15s' basketball championship with his team Manchester Magic. The final was held at Stoke Mandeville Stadium and in an exciting game, Manchester Magic ran out winners at 83-73 points against Newham All Stars Sports Academy from London. Patrick has been playing basketball since he was six years old and he currently trains three times a week and plays at least 2 matches per week. His mother played for the Cameroon international team and inspired him to take up the sport. Patrick very much has his sights sets on playing for the U16s' England team. And our U13 boys are County Cricket Indoor Champions, having made their way through the qualifying rounds to the finals at Old Trafford where they beat Audenshaw in the final match to take the title.

And last weekend Bolton School pupils, teachers, parents and friends took over the Arts Centre and danced the night away in their very own version of the BBC's popular television show 'Strictly Come Dancing'. With the School's Swing Band and Guitar Group providing the musical entertainment, a series of dances were performed by members of the School's cross-divisional lunchtime Dance Club, before guests were invited to partake of a group dance and a Barn Dance. However the highlight of the sell-out event was the eagerly-awaited teachers' contest which pitted three pairs of the Boys' Division teaching staff against one another in a dance-off! The event proved to be a splendid evening of fun for all who attended and plans are already afoot for next year's 'Strictly Bolton School' evening.

2-6 May 2011

This week the School co-hosted a football festival with Bolton Wanderers, which offered an afternoon of fun and coaching sessions for Year 3 and Year 4 pupils from seven local primary schools. The after school sessions were the first part in the School's Football Festival for primary schools which is stretching over two evenings this year. Coaches from Bolton Wanderers and from the School, including two Sixth Form boys who have just completed their coaching badges with the Independent Schools' Football Association, taught the youngsters learnt about passing, shooting and dribbling and how to incorporate these into a game. Wanderers gave 100 tickets to the primary schools for children and their parents to attend the home game against Sunderland on Saturday. The second part of the festival will see over 260 Year 5 and Year 6 girls and boys taking part in a 5-a-side knockout tournament.

Also this week the Girls' Division Great Hall was filled with a magical showcase of music in their annual May Serenade. The very best of Bolton School's musical talent was on show for the concert, which involved the Senior Concert Band, Intermediate Concert Band, Joint Orchestra, String Ensemble, Percussion Ensemble, Middle School Choir, Senior Flute Choir, Junior Chamber Choir, Chamber Choir, Senior Choir and the Jazz Band. A collection at the end of the evening raised money for SKCV (Street Kids' Community Villages) in India.

The U15 Cricket team returned from their three day tour to Worcester with two out of three wins! First off the boys beat Wolverhampton Grammar, followed by a victory over Hereford Cathedral School. The final match of the tour was against Old Elizabethans and however this time the boys lost out by 3 wickets.

Two of our Sixth Form boys have been representing the nation abroad in their respective sports - Sam Higgins was "Back of the Tournament" on the successful Easter tour to Zimbabwe with the Combined English and Scottish Independent Schools' Barbarians (ISB). The standout game of the four match tour was against the national Zimbabwe U19s team at St John's in Harare, which the Barbarians won 21-14. It was the first British rugby tour of Zimbabwe for over 10 years and the boys were warmly received. They also found some time to help out in the local community and provided a coaching session at the Mbare Academy for 5-12 year olds. While James Roberts has once again been selected to represent England as part of the Cerebral Palsy Development Football Squad, this time in the 7-a-side Development Tournament held in Denmark. James will be playing for England against The Netherlands, Scotland and Denmark in matches played over three days in Vejen. He made his debut for England last July with a winning performance at the Home Nations Tournament in Dublin. We wish him and the England squad the best of luck this weekend.

And this evening will see the School play host to a Strictly Social evening where pupils from the joint Year 11-13 Strictly Dance club will be trying out their new skills in front of parents, staff and friends. Since November, pupils from both divisions have been learning ballroom and latin dance. The night will allow them to show off what they have learned.

9 - 28 April 2011

Beech House children sent their best wishes to Prince William and Kate Middleton for tomorrow's Royal Wedding.

The 4-7 year old girls and boys were enjoying an alfresco Royal Wedding Celebration Lunch after two days of cross-curricular work on royalty and tradition.

It was double success for Bolton School Year 10 pupil Natasha Lomas who won both the Tyldesley Winter Tennis League with mixed doubles partner Chris Blackshaw and the LTA Winter County Leaderboard competition in Lancashire for the U16s girls' singles age group.

Sixth Form girls have been busy demonstrating their business acumen as they aim to become Young Consumers of the Year. The team of four won the regional round of the Trading Standards' Institute's Young Consumer of the Year competition, overcoming seven other schools from the Greater Manchester region in a knockout quiz. They won £200 for the School and follow in the footsteps of a Bolton School team who won the same competition in 2004.

Old Boy Jack Forster returned to the school with his Sale Sharks team-mates and coaches to provide a rugby camp for clubs from around the country. They were also joined by rugby legend, Jack Leonard, an England World Cup winner and one of the world's most capped internationals, who trained a group of lucky children chosen by Aviva. The camp ran prior to Sale's Aviva Premiership rugby match against London Irish at the Reebok Stadium, home of Bolton Wanderers.

4 - 8 April 2011

Wanderers’ Steinsson Spreads Anti-Racism Message Year 7 boys were delighted to meet up with Wanderers' right back Gretar Steinsson during the final session of the SCARF project at Bolton School. For the past nine weeks nineteen boys, along with pupils from Sharples High School, have been enjoying practical and theory sessions run by Bolton Wanderers' Community Trust on the thorny issue of racism. The project, Schools, Communities and Anti-Racism in Football (SCARF), aims to promote community cohesion and reduce racism by removing barriers and encouraging positive interaction between groups and individuals of all ages. The whole of Year 7 has also enjoyed some professional training from four of BWFC's top coaches. After helping out in the session about racism, the Premiership star was grilled by the pupils on a whole range of topics - from racism to what goes on behind the scenes at Bolton Wanderers. Sticking with football, the Boys' Division U12s football team have won the Town Cup after beating Turton High School 4-3 in a thrilling final. The School also played host to the other Town Cup age group finals in an afternoon of wonderful football. Congratulations to all the boys involved!

Also this week, over two hundred and forty participants from across the Bolton School family demonstrated their musical prowess with a stunning performance of Josef Haydn's 'The Creation'. The School's Joint Orchestra, along with members of staff provided Haydn's colourful and imaginative instrumental accompaniment. The Girls' Division Senior Choir, Boys' Division Senior Choir, Bolton School Chamber Choir combined with the Parents' Choir, comprising parents, staff, governors, former pupils and friends of the School, to offer a magnificent choral ensemble for the challenging and exacting choruses. Junior Boys have also been showing off their musical talent with a host of seasonal music and song in the annual Spring Concert. The Boys' Division Great Hall was packed with family and friends who enjoyed performances from the schools' bands and ensembles and both the Lower and Upper School Choirs, along with solo performances from the boys on a number of different musical instruments including drums, guitar, piano, cornet, cello, and saxophone.

Year 7 boys have won the Greater Manchester Indoor Athletics Championships, overcoming nine other schools from across Greater Manchester as they took part in a range of track and field events. Craig Borrows took a gold medal in the long jump with an outstanding 4.51m effort and Andrew Lee and James Kay picked up silver medals in the 800m and 400m respectively. Niall Hesson gained a credible fourth place in the shot putt. And Bolton School staff took part in a teacher tag rugby league session at Smithills School to help promote rugby league in the Bolton area. The event was organised by Leigh Centurions player and Bolton community rugby league officer, John Duffy, who has been coaching at several schools in the borough including Bolton school. The first game against Rivington and Blackrod ended an honourable draw and in the second game our staff just lost out to Westhoughton. The night was a huge success and the teams will be meeting again as the official curtain raiser before the Leigh Centurions v Batley game on Sunday 1st May.

Senior Girls certainly seized the opportunity when they stumbled across a world record-breaking knitting effort taking place in Coventry Cathedral. The girls were there as part of their Stratford trip and ended up throwing themselves into the venture and helping raise thousands for Comic Relief. The story is here.

28 March -1 April 2011

A sporting week for Bolton School as over 100 primary school children from Bolton and Greater Manchester enjoyed Sales Sharks' Tag Rugby Festival which was held at the School. The event was the finale of several weeks of tag rugby coaching in 17 primary schools from across the borough and the Year 5 and Year 6 boys and girls had a wonderful afternoon at what was a hotly contested tournament. The overall winners were St James CE Primary School Daisy Hill, who overcame Bolton School in a tight final by 4 tries to 3. Coaching tips and prizes were handed out on the day by Sale Sharks players Will Cliff and Fijian international Wame Lewaravu. The Girls' Division Senior Lacrosse and Netball teams are getting set for a tour to Canada and America! The teams will travel to Vancouver, Vancouver Island and Seattle during the two week trip in July, playing matches against different schools and clubs along the way, as well as fitting in some sightseeing! Over the last 12 months, the girls have been involved in a number of fundraising events including two fashion shows and bag packing at Tesco to fund the trip. And more sport news as Year 10 pupil Andrew Keat is the English Schools' Biathlon Champion in his age group after an outstanding performance at the final of the competition. Year 11 pupil Oliver Walker also gave an impressive performance, finishing third in his age group, and thanks to their successes at the competition, Andrew and Oliver have qualified automatically for the British Biathlon Championships to be held in Birmingham in May. It seems that talent runs in the family as Oliver's sister Lydia in Year 10 of the Girls' Division came 7th in her age group and also in the Girls' Division, Aimee Smith finished 9th in the Year 9 age group. The Junior Boys' team also did well in the competition to take second overall in their age group. Year 10 pupils from Bolton School were joined by students from St Joseph’s, Derby High and St Mary’s Wigan on Thursday for the ‘Ever Wondered Why’ Roadshow. Teacher David Richardson from Clifton College in Bristol delivered the show, designed to enthuse students about physics and the world around them, to the audience of around 300 pupils. He covered a range of topics, from the size of the universe to optical illusions, and low-temperature physics to the world’s largest physics experiment - the LHC (Large Hadron Collider) built by the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), all with the aim of persuading pupils that physics is an important and valuable part of what they study at school and beyond. David carried out several experiments on stage to demonstrate the theories – including a controlled explosion of a balloon containing hydrogen gas! Over at the Nursery, pupils aged 3-5 took part in a charity walk to raise money for MedEquip4Kids. Children from the Caterpillars and Butterflies walked around the nursery outdoor area completing 5 laps in total, and their efforts raised over £200 for the charity.