24 June 2016

Last weekend, hundreds of guests attended Patterdale Hall's Open Day. It was a great opportunity to see the results of the Phase I refurbishment and for parents to see or even try out some of the activities that pupils enjoy while on their visits. After the event, VIPs enjoyed a hog roast and a plaque was unveiled to commemorate the renovation work.

Staff from Beech House Infant School were also busy over the weekend, taking part in the Midnight Memories walk. Their efforts raised in the region of £1,400 for Bolton Hospice. To add your support, click here.

Two Year 7 pupils added their voices to the world premiere performance of 'A Brief History of Creation' by Jonathan Dove. This evolutionary oratorio, which was also recorded for CD, was commissioned for the Hallé Children's Choir and was conducted by Sir Mark Elder. James Hopkinson and Olivia Sample performed in the choir alongside the Hallé Orchestra at the Bridgewater Hall.

This week, Beech House held its annual Sports Days. With one event for Years 1 and 2 and another for the Reception classes, there was lots of sporting action to be seen on the field! The children really threw themselves into the activities with lots of enthusiasm and enjoyed the friendly competition against one another.

Year 4 pupils at Hesketh House, Bolton School's Junior Girls' School, put on a series of sketches based on Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' this week. The devised pieces, which were performed in assembly in front of parents and the rest of the Junior Girls' School, carried the audience through the whole of the play in mere minutes!

This week's Inspiring Mind is David Shaw, a member of Boys' Division staff who taught Physics from 1964 to 2002. His profile shares his memories of his time at Bolton School, including his experiences fell-walking and at Saundersfoot Camp with the boys, taking part in sport, and getting to know the pupils in each class.

17 June 2016

Congratulations to three Old Girls who have recently received honours. Janet Woods and Caroline Plumb were among those recognised in the Queen’s 90th Birthday Honours list, while Nicola Grinstead has been given the highest award in Girlguiding, the Silver Fish Award.

This week, Sixth Formers held their annual Community Action Celebration Evening. The Year 12 pupils across the Boys' and Girls' Division have this year given over 11,000 hours of their time to the local community to offer help on a wide range of projects and initiatives, and the evening celebrated their commitment. The pupils received gold, silver and bronze level awards for their dedicated voluntary work, and heard from guest speaker Fiona Gibson, the North-West's Ambassador for the Prince's Trust.

Children at Beech House, Bolton School's Infant School were transported back to an 1877 schoolroom with a History Alive workshop this week. They learned all about what life was like for school-age children in the Victorian period and how different it is to their experience of school today. This fascinating experience really allowed the children to feel immersed in the past.

At the end of the week, pupils at Beech House dressed up in costumes from every decade from the past 100 years to help to celebrate the School's centenary! The children enjoyed wearing Sixties Flower Power outfits, Glam Rock makeup, flapper dressed and gangster suits, and lots more creative clothes that helped to bring history to life once again.

Children in the Nursery Class for Three- and Four-Year-Olds got involved with the centenary celebrations too, learning all about the 1920s and dressing up in appropriate costume!

Girls in Year 12 took part in a Beyond Bolton School careers day to get them thinking about their future after A Levels. They heard from various university representatives and also from five alumni who gave talks about employment at 18, studying in the USA, volunteering, psychometric assessments and life as a medical student.

Beech House's annual Summer Ball, which was recently held at the Macron Stadium, was once again a huge success. The event raised £1,500 for the Phelan-McDermid Syndrome Foundation (PMSF) through raffles, auctions and donation boxes on the night.

Children from the Butterfly Room at Bolton School's Nursery will be leaving to start school in September, but not without a few special treats beforehand. The children went on a special trip to Knowsley Safari Park to see all of the different animals and were amazed by the sea lion show!

This weekend, on Sunday 19 June, Patterdale Hall is holding an Open Day from 10am to 3pm with lots of activities. Click the link to read more about the School's "80 acre classroom", and visit on Sunday to see it for yourself!

This week's Inspiring Mind is Dr Margaret Spurr, Headmistress of the Girls' Division from 1979 to 1994. Her time as Headmistress saw several ambitious building projects completed, including the conversion of the former swimming pool into the Arts Centre and its opening by the Princess of Wales in 1993. Her profile remembers her time at School fondly and shares some of her personal highlights.

10 June 2016

Bolton School teams have now won in all three age groups at the ESSA National Water Polo Finals - for the second year running! The U13 Team was the last to play, following the U15s' and U18s' success at Bolton One in March, and dominated the national stage of the competition to emerge victorious. The current crop of players have now matched a record held by Bolton School alumni who went on to play at the Olympic and Commonwealth Games.

Pupils and staff were delighted to welcome cricket's greatest all-rounder Sir Garfield Sobers to School this week. He had lunch with the captains of the School's cricket teams and gave an address about the sport to an enthralled audience. He came to Bolton School to thank the senior cricket team, which will take part in the Sir Garfield Sobers Cricket Tournament as part of its tour of Barbados in July 2017.

Today, pupils at the Junior Girls' School celebrated the Queen's 90th Birthday with a special picnic lunch which they enjoyed in the playground! They also dressed in the colours of the British flag to honour the occasion.

Year 5 pupils from eleven local primary schools pitted their wits against one another to see who would be crowned "Brain of Bolton" at Bolton School's Big Quiz! The ten challenging rounds covered a range of subjects and topics and really put the teams' knowledge to the test.

Thirteen members of staff at Beech House, Bolton School's Infant School, will be taking part in the Midnight Memories Walk in aid of Bolton Hospice. Click here to support them on JustGiving!

As the half term drew to a close, boys in Year 9 had a second opportunity to see the U20s Rugby World Cup in School while also learning more about the history of the game. They watched a touring production of Hands Up for Jonny Wilkinson's Right Boot, which visited School as part of a three-week theatre tour supported by the RFU. It tells the story of Frederick Stanley Jackson, a Cornish tin miner who was called to play for England in the first ever British Lions tour of New Zealand in 1908 and also sheds light on other key historical moments.

The Senior Boys' Music Department at Bolton School has been commended by the Incorporated Society of Musicians (ISM). The School has been awarded a Silver Certificate in Music following excellent GCSE results last summer. The Music Department is delighted to have been recognised in this way.

Year 7 sailor Harvey Leigh was recently selected for the 2016 Great Britain U16 International Optimist Team competing at Braassemermeer in the Netherlands. He was one of 215 sailors in the competition and did extremely well.

Old Girl Natasha Lomas recently achieved a distinction in her LTCT diploma in saxophone performance - a particularly impressive feat, since only 25% pass and the saxophone is actually her second instrument!

This week's Inspiring Mind is Mervyn Brooker, who was Boys' Division Headmaster from 2000 to 2008. In his profile he talks about his personal history as well as his cherished memories of leading the School, including the launch of the Millennium Ketch and Winning the National Independent Schools' Cup at football. He also reflects on the community feel at the School and gives great advice to current pupils.

20 May 2016

The School bid farewell to Year 13 this week as they finished for Study Leave before their A Level exams.  The Sixth Form girls held their annual Leavers' Day celebrations with a theme of Childhood Memories, coming into School in fancy dress and enjoying games and a special lunch before departing for Study Leave.

The Sixth Form girls also brought in donations of toys as part of the Leavers' Day celebrations, following the tradition of making a charitable donation on the final day of school. These were given to Bolton Toy Library.

The Junior Boys were also seen in fancy dress for their annual Charity Fun Run, which this year supported the Motor Neurone Disease Association. Mad scientists, Star Wars characters, superheroes, sports stars and many more colourful costumes were seen on the Senior Boys' athletics track for the occasion. The boys ran laps in relay pairs and had lots of fun raising money for this very worthy cause.

The Boys' Division was invited to Buckingham Palace for a Garden Party to celebrate 150 years of the Barnardo's Charity. Mr Joseph, the Boys' Division Head of Sixth Form, represented the School at the celebration, which was hosted by the Duchess of Cornwall. The Boys' Division has been supporting Banardo's for over 25 years, raising tens of thousands of pounds for the charity.

The Senior Girls this term have raised over £700 for St Anne's Hospice. The impressive amount was raised though a non-uniform day.

Children in Reception were inspired by reading the 'Percy the Park Keeper' books to help to tidy up their local park. The children created posted to encourage people to use the bins and also collected litter that had been dropped. They really enjoyed helping their local community.

The Jazz Band impressed the audience at this year's Horwich Music Festival. The band played a number of varied tunes, including some well-known hits such as Moondance and Born to the Wild, and the pupils did very well with their performance, particularly the improvised solos.

A group of five Senior School guitarists rounded off the Junior Boys' Lunchtime Concerts series in style this week. Four boys were former pupils at Park Road themselves, and it was great to be invited back to perform at their old school for the current Junior Boys.

Twenty-three Boys' Division pupils also showed their musical talents at a concert held in the Arts Centre. These musical evenings are held twice a year in School and allow pupils the opportunity to perform in public.

Six Bolton School alumni returned to school to talk to current Year 6 pupils in as part of the annual Careers Carousel. With the opportunity to speak to a Deputy Chief Constable in the police force, a fashion designer, a TV producer, an architect, an entrepreneur, and members of a video production company, there was certainly something for all interests! The children found it fascinating to hear about the many different careers that alumni go on to pursue.

Boys in Year 13 were given a great deal of good careers advice from three alumni currently working in London. Old Boys Matthew Entwistle, Tim Lightfoot and Jon Marsden connected with the Sixth Formers via Skype to talk about their experiences of entering the world of business and their varied career paths since then.

Past and present Bolton School pupils helped the City of Manchester Water Polo team to victory in the Men's British Championship in Gloucester. Five Old Boys and a current pupils were present on the thirteen-man squad who played in this national competition, and went on to beat the reigning champions and British League champions in the final.

This week's Inspiring Mind is Jane Panton, who was Headmistress of the Girls' Division from 1994 to 2005. In her profile, she shares her favourite memories from her time at Bolton School, from the Girls' Division's 125th birthday celebrations to leading morning assembly.

13 May 2016

The Boys' Division held a special Anniversary Assembly to commemorate the School's 500th anniversary, looking at three key periods in the history of the School. This event coincided with the unveiling of a new 'Roll of Headmasters' board, listing all known Heads from the 16th Century to the present. The Assembly therefore contained personal recollections of four former Headmasters: Mr Brooker, Mr Wright, Mr Baggley and Mr Poskitt.

Click here to watch the Anniversary Assembly in full.

Children at the Nursery made a special card for the Queen to celebrate her 90th Birthday and posted it to Buckingham Palace. They were delighted this week to receive a Royal letter back in the post! The Queen's Lady-in-Waiting sent them a thank you card from the Queen and a personal letter, which they opened and looked at together.

The School announced a new level of fee assistance for the families of pupils applying for entry into Year 7 in Autumn 2017. This is aimed at benefitting middle income families. The new sliding bursary scales mean that more families may be eligible for some level of assistance. Full fee remission for families that need it will still remain. For more information, click the link and visit the School website.

Bolton School's Nursery has been nominated for the national 'Apprenticeship Employer of the Year Award' in the National Apprenticeships Awards 2016! They were put forward by Bolton College after showing exceptional levels of commitment to the apprentices who work at the Nursery. It is a great achievement to have been nominated for this prestigious award.

This week, the Girls' Division held the final of the Bolton School Bake Off: twenty-two contestants were whittled down over five weeks to the last three pupils, who went head-to-head to create 'Showstopper' bakes to impress the judges. All three girls excelled with their creations and showed huge amounts of skill and creativity.

Children in Year 2 enjoyed a day of adventure at the Anderton Centre! They learned about Bushcraft and tried their hand at Archery and Canoeing. The pupils had lots of fun challenging themselves with these new activities.

Boys' Division staff and pupils faced off in an entertaining dodgeball match, all in the name of charity. The “all-star” staff team had to compete against champion teams from across the year groups, watched by an audience of boys and teachers alike and with an excellent commentary provided by Dr Reeson.

The Year 7 girls took part in their very own Francovision Song Contest. This twist on the Eurovision was part of the pupils' French studies and had the girls creating and singing in a music video entirely in French. Their performances were then played in assembly, and the whole school voted for which they thought was the best.

All of the girls' Francovision entries are available to view on the School's website. Click the song titles to watch the music videos: Viens Tenter Ta Chance by 7B; Laisse-Moi L'Amour Aussi by 7C; Ma Vie C'est La Musique by 7D; Dis Oui, Dis Oui, Dis Oui by 7G; Qui Je Suis, Qui Somme Nous by 7S.

The whole of the Infant School got involved for an exciting Circusology workshop. There were lots of activities to try out, from spinning plates and juggling scarves to devil stick twirling and poi swinging. Pupils had lots of fun encouraging one another, finding out what they were good at, and seeing their own abilities improve over the course of the session.

The Inspiring Mind this week is former Headmaster Alan Wright, who took the post in 1983 and retired in 2008, making this the third longest headmastership in the School's history. In his profile, he reflects on his time at Bolton School, including some of the highlights: building the sports hall and swimming pool and the opening of the new Arts Centre by Princess Diana, including the abseil down the clock tower to present her with a box of Milk Tray! He also talks about the varied changes that took place during his almost twenty years at Bolton School, the many memories he made and the atmosphere he encouraged.

A fitting Inspiring Mind for the week in which the 'Roll of Headmasters' Board was unveiled.

6 May 2016

The Senior Girls' annual May Serenade was once again a moving occasion. The diverse and masterful renditions of a variety of pieces showed the range of musical talent across the Girls' Division. From solos to duets and quartets to full orchestral pieces, and musical styles ranging from the classical to modern chart hits, this was a really enjoyable evening.

A number of pieces from the May Serenade are now available to watch again. Click on the title to view: Für Elise (Senior Clarinet Choir), All Creatures Great and Small (Senior Flute Quartet), Fields of Gold (Senior Choir), Move (Joint Chamber Choir).

Year 5 pupil Janani Velayutham has been celebrating this week after winning the regional chess 'Megafinal' of the Delancey UK Schools' Chess Challenge! This means that she will go on to compete in the national semi-final round, called the Gigafinal.

Marcus Williams in Year 6 has been selected to fight for Great Britain in the Thai Kick Boxing Championships later on this year. Despite his young age, he has already claimed three title belts.

The Year 5 and Year 6 swimmers at the Junior Girls' School recently qualified for the ESSA National Finals following their excellent performance at the North West Division Championships! The five girls competed in two team relay events and took podium positions in each, earning them the right to swim in the national competition in June.

On Friday, the Boys' Division hosted Dutch U17 team Koudekerk for a match. The Dutch side regularly host the Bolton School team when the School visits Holland on tour, and it was the perfect opportunity to return the favour.

The School wished three Old Boys good luck at the end of the week as they headed to Turkey with the Great Britain Under 19 Men's water polo squad for the European Qualifying Tournament. Aaron Winstanley captains the squad, continuing a strong family tradition of playing water polo for Great Britain: his older brother Drew also played for the U19s in his time, while younger brother Jos was recently selected for the U16s.

The School recently hosted a Graduation Dinner for all of the gifted and talented Year 5 pupils who completed the SHINE: Serious Fun on Saturday Mornings programme. Fifty children from thirteen local primary schools took part in the cross-curricular sessions over eleven weeks, and enjoyed traditional lessons and unusual subjects alike. At the Graduation Dinner their achievements were celebrated.

Old Girl Nikki Reid has been commissioned an an officer in the British Army following a year of training at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. She took part in the Sovereign's Parade, which marks the passing out of Officer Cadets.

This week's Inspiring Mind is Rita Garthwaite, an Old Girl who attended the School from 1957 to 1964 and former member of Girls’ Division Staff fro 1976 to 2006. In her profile, she shares memories of French lessons with Barbara Morley and walking up Winter Hill with Miss Higginson, as well as memories of exchanges and Princess Diana's visit to open the Arts Centre in 1993.

29 April 2016

Over the weekend, three members of the 19th Bolton (Bolton School) Scout Troop were presented as Queen's Scouts in a Royal Parade at Windsor Castle! Current pupil Nicholas Thompson and recent leavers Paul Greenhalgh and Thomas Chia have all achieved the Queen's Scout Award, the highest award in Scouting, and were presented with their awards during the first Scout meeting of the summer term.

Teams from 37 local primary schools filled 16 pitches at Bolton School for the annual Football Festival for Years 3 and 4. There was a great atmosphere as parents and family lined the pitches to watch the children play friendly matches against other schools. The children really enjoyed taking part in this fun-filled afternoon.

The fourth annual Girls' Football Festival also took place this week, with four schools from across the North of England taking part. The non-elimination tournament filled the afternoon with lots of enjoyable games and all of the girls played with great enthusiasm throughout. The eventual winners were Royal Grammar School Newcastle's A Team.

The Year 5 Spelling Bee saw sixteen pupils from eight local primary schools amaze the audience with their ability to spell increasingly complex words while remaining calm under pressure. The overall winner was Caroline Whitehead.

Year 6 pupil Hashir Sapra has been selected to join the England U11 Chess Squad. Although he has only been playing chess for a couple of years, Hashir really enjoyed competing and was delighted to have won himself a spot on the team after performing well at trials.

The Battle of the Bands was as ever a tough competition and all of the acts performed to a very high standard. The judge this year was Old Boy Tom Besford, who judged the four acts on their musicianship and the quality of their original song. The overall winners for 2016 were acoustic duo Matthew Kay and Jay Harland.

Matthew and Jay's performance of  'Talk' is now available to view, and their cover of Tom Petty's 'Free Fallin'' can be heard via the School's Soundcloud.

The Junior Boys' Spring Concert saw no less than ten ensembles, group and choirs perform over the course of the evening! There was also a fine solo performance from the Music Festival winner, and the wonderful Disney Medley finale sung by the Massed Voices of the Junior Boys' School. The whole evening was a musical delight, greatly enjoyed by everyone who attended.

The two pieces sung by the Lower School Choir at the Spring Concert are available on the School's Soundcloud: 'I Am a Small Part of the World' and 'Creatures of the Night'.

The Boys' Division celebrated the inspiring sporting performances of 2015-16 with the awarding of Sports Colours and Half Colours. Boys' achievements were recognised in an array of sports, from rugby, hockey and football to water polo, chess and even water skiing.

The first cricket report of the season is now available to view on our Cricket Scoreboard. Keep up to date with all of the news from Bolton School's cricketers with regular reports on this page.

The Sixth Form boys raised a total of £750 through completing a fancy dress Fun Run. They were supporting two charities: the Cleft Lip and Palate Association and Bolton Children’s Opportunity Group. The boys ran around the Levels in a variety of hilarious costumes and made for a very colourful spectacle.

Old Boy Aaron Winstanley is lined up to captain the England U19 Water Polo team as they enter the European Championships in Turkey next month, and looks ahead to the competition. He will play alongside fellow Bolton School alumni Chris Ray and Ben Riding, who have also made the team.

This week's Inspiring Mind is Alan Mitchell, a former member of Boys' Division staff (1950-1985) who was Deputy Headmaster from 1969 and took on the role of Acting Headmaster for a year in 1982-1983. Alan passed away in the summer of 2015, weeks before the Grand Reunion which he had planned to attend. His obituary, republished as his Inspiring Mind profile, captures a hugely respected character who is still fondly remembered by many alumni today.