19 July 2019

Year 7 pupils enjoyed an inspiring afternoon with Britain's first astronaut Helen Sharman CMG OBE. Helen's talk about STEM subjects and her experiences travelling to and onboard the Mir Space Station in 1991 was preceded by a morning of exciting experiments and hands-on science with Dr Peter Hoare.

An exciting summer project is now underway at the School's Leverhulme Pavilion site on Chorley New Road! A new all-weather sports surface will be created during the School holidays to be ready for pupils upon their return and for community usage in September.

As the school year drew to a close, Girls' Division pupils in Year 10 enjoyed a session with Commando Joe's to work on their problem-solving, teamworking, leadership and communication skills. The military-style challenges helped them to build transferable skills.

Niall Gaffney, who undertook his teacher training at Bolton School under the School Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT) programme has won this year's Manchester Evening News Student Teacher of the Year Award. The School is delighted with his achievement.

The Junior Girls' Year 6 Production of 'Olivia' is now available to view in full on the School website here.

12 June 2019

The 'mane' event at the end of the school year for Junior Boys was the Year 6 production of Disney's The Lion King. The stunning costumes and pupils' brilliant performances made this a very special occasion to bring the boys' time at Park Road to a close.

The Junior Girls also arranged a production for Year 6 pupils, which year year was Olivia. This feel-good musical is loosely based on Oliver by Charles Dickens and features cameos from a host of famous figures, both historical and fictional. The girls put on a fantastic show in both performances.

The guest speaker at this year's Prizegiving was Mr Michael Griffiths, who will retire from his post as Bolton School's Chairman of Governors at the end of December. In his address, he recalled his schooldays as a pupil in the Boys' Division, spoke of his career and offered sage advice to current students. Headmaster Philip Britton gave the traditional review of the academic year, which can be viewed in two parts here: Part 1 and Part 2.

Prizegiving also included a number of musical performances, some of which are available to watch again via the following links:

• 'Ave Maris Stella' written by Senior Young Composer of the Year Adam Whitmore, Year 12
• Introduction from Stravinsky's Suite Italienne (Victor Chow, Year 13)
• Gavotta from Stravinsky's Suite Italienne (Victor Chow, Year 13)

Unfortunately poor weather meant that Sports Day at Beech House Infant School was cancelled. However, Year 1 and Year 2 still held their races during lessons and had fun taking part in this friendly competition.

Girls' Division pupils in Years 7 and 8 whisked their teachers and parents on a journey across African at their Celebration Evening at the end of the year. Musical performances were scattered throughout the evening and girls were presented with various prizes and awards.

A number of performances from the year 7 and 8 Celebration Evening are available to watch via the following links:

• 'When You Believe' (The Prince of Egypt)
• 'Any Dream Will Do' (Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat)
• 'Banaha' (Congolese traditional folk song)
• 'Jambo Bwana' (Kenyan traditional welcome song)
• The Lion King medley: 'Hakuna Matata', 'Can You Feel The Love Tonight', 'I Just Can't Wait To Be King, 'Circle of Life'

The Junior Girls ended the academic year with 'Tales of Hesketh House', a spectacular summer concert which focused on the variety and humour of school life. Combining songs, poetry recitals and snippets of narration about the history of education and life at Hesketh House, the performance remembered all members of the school community and celebrated the girls' potential.

Three Girls' Division pupils in Years 7 and 8 have been selected to join the U16 North West regional water polo academy! They will now play in a series of inter-regional matches.

Children in the Butterfly Room graduated from the Nursery ahead of going to 'big school' in September. A ceremony attended by parents and family members recapped an exciting year at the Nursery, followed by a balloon release which can be viewed here.

Like and follow the new Bolton School Nursery Facebook page to keep in touch with the Nursery through photos and news.

5 July 2019

Penny Joelson's novel 'I Have No Secrets' has now been announced as the Bolton Children's Fiction Award winner for 2019! The Award Ceremony was attended by hundreds of pupils representing 19 local schools, who also enjoyed sessions with five of the six shortlisted authors throughout the morning.

When Old Boy Sir Ian McKellen celebrated his 80th birthday at Bolton School, it turned out to be an unforgettable night for Bolton School pupils past and present who were delighted to perform as part of the evening's entertainment. A small group of pupils and recent leavers joined Old Boy Ralf Little to reprise some of Sir Ian's schoolboy roles as part of a once-in-a-lifetime performance in front of the UK's acting elite.

The School acknowledged the 10,637 hours of voluntary work completed by Year 12 students from both Divisions at a Celebration Evening held in the penultimate week of term. The whole year group received certificates for their efforts and a group of students shared their experiences as part of the ceremony.

Congratulations to the Girls' Division Athletics Teams in Years 7 to 9, who have won the Bolton Town Athletics Championships in all three age groups!

Well done also to the team of Year 6 Junior Girls who have been named Netball Champions following their win at the Greater Manchester School Games!

Year 7 pupils in the Boys' Division celebrated the completion of their Bronze Arts Awards with an  exhibition and peer review session in the Arts Centre. A busy morning of viewing and commenting on each other's work was concluded with readings of creative writing from Year 8 and discovering more about Year 12 student Will Hardy's rotoscope film project.

Recent leavers from both Divisions returned to Bolton School to offer their valuable advice to the current Year 12 cohort. The main focus was on the shift from school to university, but there were also alumni present who could discuss gap year, apprenticeship and employment as options after A Level.

Entrepreneur and Old Boy Rob Dobson also returned as the end of term approached to join the Boys' Division Electronics Club for an afternoon spent helping them on their projects using the equipment he had donated.

A Café Scientifique talk about careers in engineering brought this year's series of lunchtime enrichment sessions to a close. Eddie Walker, a mechanical engineer with over 30 years of experience in fire safety, spoke to Girls' Division pupils about the wealth of options available to them in the world of engineering.

The last week of term saw Boys' Division students put on 'Wastelands', a production created as the culmination of a year-long collaboration with the school's Theatre Company in Residence, RoughHouse Theatre. The piece drew inspiration from T S Eliot's poem 'The Waste Land' and explores the politics of conflict with a particular focus on the First and Second World Wars.

Pupils from both Divisions benefitted from book club sessions focusing on diversity which were run by Chloe from MMU. Pupils in Year 10 had the opportunity to discuss 'The Curious Tale of the Lady Caraboo' by Catherine Johnson and were joined by younger girls and boys to examine 'Liccle Bit' by Alex Wheatle.

Members of the Boys' Division Brass Group visited Brownlow Fold Primary School to share their music with the younger pupils.

In the penultimate week of term, the Boys' Division Prizegiving was held and Mr Britton's review of the academic year is now available to re-watch via the following links: Part 1 and Part 2.

28 June 2019

Congratulations to Year 13 student Viola, whose 15-hour A Level final examination piece has been awarded a prize at the Best of Bolton Schools' Art and Design Exhibition. Boys' and Girls' Division students in Years 10 to 13 also contributed to the exhibition.

Well done also to girls studying biology at A Level and GCSE. The Sixth Form achieved the Girls' Division's best ever results in the Biology Olympiad, while Year 10 pupils received a clutch of certificates in the Biology Challenge.

The Young Artists' Collective in the Boys' Division were asked by Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) to create artwork to be displayed at Horwich Parkway train station. The boys, who are in Years 7 to 10, produced nine pieces reflecting the themes of sport, industry, transport and the environment which have now been unveiled on the platform.

The Parents' Association Future Entrepreneurs (PAFE) competition challenged Girls' Division pupils in Year 9 to come up with healthy snacks and then create business plans based on their ideas. The four best concepts went forward to an exciting final judged by an external panel. Congratulations to this year's winning team, DOC Industries.

Boys' Division students in Year 12 recently took part in BEST: Business Enterprise and Skills Training. This annual event aims to develop their skills and abilities ready for the workplace and involved a series of workshops, talks and sessions across two days.

Trainee teacher Niall Gaffney, who undertook his SCITT (School-Centred Initial Teacher Training) at Bolton School, has been shortlisted for the Manchester Evening News Student Teacher of the Year Award. The winner will be announced at the MEN's School Awards next Friday.

21 June 2019

The Girls' Division Middle School Production this year was 'Grease'. Pupils in Years 7 to 9 put on a brilliant show with their version of this famous musical, with amazing performances from the principal cast and some amazing dancing from the ensemble.

A group of musicians from the Boys' Division formed part of an orchestra delivering the Royal Northern College of Music's (RNCM) Wind, Brass and Percussion Festival, 'Soundscapes of Heaven and Earth'.

Old Girl Lisa Jacobs (nee Griffiths) returned to Bolton School this week to offer her career advice to the next generation of young businesswomen. She recapped her own impressive career and gave Girls' Division students four key pieces of advice for their future.

Pupils in Year 6 at the Junior Boys' School learned cycling proficiency as part of a Bikeability course. The scheme, which is run by Bolton Council, aims to ensure life-long skills of safe cycling are ingrained from a young age and to encourage a healthy lifestyle.

Boys' Division parents are warmly invited to enjoy a new piece of theatre on Tuesday 2 July. Wastelands has been devised by the School's Theatre Company in Residence, RoughHouse Theatre, and boys from Year 10–12. For tickets, contact Miss Lord via email (nrl@boltonschool.org).

14 June 2019

Bolton School was delighted to win the IDPE Fundraising Campaign of the Year award for the 100 Campaign for Bursaries, which successfully raised £5 million for the School's Bursary Fund between 2014 and 2018. The Award was decided based on voting from other IDPE member schools.

A team of four pupils took part in the Salters Festival of Chemistry at Manchester University. The girls competed in two challenges across the course of the day, and their near-perfect rainbow made from liquids of different densities won them first prize in the University Challenge!

Children in Year 2 used their imagination to enjoy a Victorian day at the seaside this week. They learned about holidays in the past as part of the workshop and were able to watch a funny Punch and Judy show.

Talented Boys' Division artists in Years 8 and 9 joined Caroline Slifkin to consider the horror of genocide and create mixed media responses. The workshop considered in depth the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda and the Bosnian genocide.

Finally, the Boys' Division Sport Department has once again achieved the School Games Gold Award.

7 June 2019

Bolton School was delighted to welcome Old Boy Sir Ian McKellen back to School before half term! He and around 30 of his peers enjoyed an 80th birthday lunch before he took to the stage, treating the whole School to a truncated performance of his national touring show. In the evening, he was whisked back to the Arts Centre for a surprise party with famous actors, writers, pop stars and friends.

The annual Junior Boys' Fun Run once again filled the Senior School sports field with colour as boys dressed up in costume to raise money for charity. This year, pupils supported Macmillan Cancer Support, Make a Wish UK and the RSPCA and expect to raise thousands.

Another fundraising venture recently presented the money raised to a deserving charity. Battle of the Bands this year supported Daytrippers Bolton and raised over £1,400.

Medical Mavericks posed the questions 'Where can I work in the awesome NHS?' to Year 8 girls when they visited to reveal the more than 350 varied roles available. The presentation involved 'The Human Guinea Pigs Show' and helped pupils to explore how bodies work while also discovering different careers open to them in the health service.

Old Girl Christine Morrison returned to Bolton School to speak to Year 10 girls about personal safety. She now runs CMA Training, a personal safety and crime prevention consultancy, and was able to offer great life advice about a range of safety issues, places where they may be vulnerable and how to reduce risk.

Child Safety Week at Bolton School Nursery helped children in the Caterpillars and Butterflies rooms to learn more about the emergency services and people who help others. Visitors included a PCSO, a dentist, a paramedic, the Fire Service and a lollipop lady.

The School's collection of inspirational sporting memorabilia was augmented by a donation from
Gus Pinker, multiple Olympic and Commonwealth Official and FINA Technical Water Polo Committee Member. A group of alumni who are now senior international water polo players gratefully received his Beijing Olympics Officials Blazer on behalf of the School.

Children at Bolton School Nursery celebrated Eid with a special tea party.

Pupils in Year 2 at Beech House Infant School recently enjoyed a trip to the Anderton Centre for a day of outdoor adventures!

Some new galleries are now available on the School website, capturing a flavour of the fun pupils have at Patterdale Hall! Click here to see our Year 6 Junior Boys enjoying a gorge walk and here to see our Year 5 Junior Girls spending time on Lake Ullswater and in the grounds.