Bolton School

Sunny skies greeted pupils this week as they returned for the start of a new school year this week!

Towards the end of last term, the Junior Boys held their annual Entrepreneur Week with the Year 6 boys competing to raise the most money for charity with stalls selling treats at lunchtime. The event also helps to introduce the children to valuable entrepreneurial skills. This year, the winning team with the most profit chose to donate all of the money raised to HExN's Nepal Earthquake Relief Fund.

Over the summer holidays, children at Kidzone - Bolton School's wraparound childcare - had lots of fun as part of the Holiday Club. The children played with the parachute and had fun on a bouncy castle.

Towards the end of August, Kidzone was visited by Chockle'Arty - specialists in chocolate workshops! The children were able to create their own customised Chocolate Pizza, using whatever sweet toppings they chose. The finished products both looked and tasted delicious.

One of the highlights of Kidzone's Summer Holiday Club was the trip to Knowsley Safari Park. The children loved seeing all of the exotic animals, were amazed by the tricks in the Sea Lion Show, and also enjoyed a fun-filled afternoon on the rides!

This week's addition to the Inspiring Minds roster looks back to the years 1917-1946 and reflects on the enormous contribution that Mrs Emma Saxelby made to the School. Both as a French teacher and eventually as the Head of Modern Languages in the Boys' Division, she is remembered for her passion for her subject and her personal interest in each individual who passed through her classroom or House. After her death in 1946, the memorial Saxelby Gate was erected in her honour. Mrs Sazelby's Inspiring Minds profile includes several moving tributes from those who knew her.

One of the highlights of the week was the Girls' Division Prizegiving Evening. This wonderful event was an opportunity to celebrate the girls' achievements. The guest speaker for the evening was TV's wildlife presented Michaela Strachan, who gave a fascinating and entertaining address about changing passions.

During the summer holidays, a group of twelve Year 10 girls travelled to Tanzania to help out at a school and two outreach centres run by the charity LivLife. This amazing adventure saw the girls teaching English and French to the children, painting murals, learning Swahili, and hiking 20 Km to reach Ikerim Outreach Centre. They also handed over the new laptop and PC projector to Natanywaki Lukumai, the Headteacher at the Meserani Education Centre, which the girls purchased following intensive fundraising last year.

The week began with the Year 12 pupils taking in the annual Volunteering Fair. More than ten external organisations filled the Arts Centre alongside representatives from the various volunteering opportunities in School to give pupils an idea of the variety of activities they can take part in. Pupils are encouraged to complete at least twenty hours of community service, though the vast majority do much more than this over the year, and the Fair gives them the chance to kick-start their volunteering journey.

Boys' Division pupils took part in their first SPACE Programme session of the year. SPACE sessions take place on one Monday afternoon every fortnight, and provide dedicated time for a wide variety of curriculum enrichment activities. The Year 7 boys learned more about the legacy of Lord Leverhulme and the history of the School, while Year 11 were given a talk on Men's Health by Old Boy Dr Alexander Brodie.

Meanwhile, the Year 9 boys met with representatives from the RNLI to hear more about their vital work saving lives at sea. They were able to see a D Class lifeboat and found out about a variety of dramatic rescues from video archive footage.

The Year 13 pupils were also able to talk to Old Boy Michael Yates via a live link with Hong Kong! Speaking directly from the other side of the world, he was able to talk to pupils about his career and his current position as Vice President: Market Strategy and Planning Greater China. Thanks to the live link, the boys were able to ask a number of questions.

Junior Girls' School pupils were also inspired by a visit from an Old Girl. Siân Pledger talked to the girls about making decisions in their morning assembly. She discussed the balance she has to strike between training as an athlete and her academic study, and the choices she has made in order to further both of her passions.

At the end of last week, the Year 12 girls enjoyed the Business Enterprise and Skills Training (BEST) Day. This was a wonderful experience for them to stretch their skills while completing a variety of tasks inspired by real business concepts. As well as picking up a lot of helpful hints and tips for the future, the girls had fun working together in teams to see who could come up with the most successful business propositions in the varied workshops.

Younger Girls' Division pupils took advantage of the Societies Fair during the first week of term to find out about the exciting array of lunchtime activities on offer. The School's clubs are a great opportunity for them to get involved and follow their passions.

A group Year 12 and Year 13 pupils interested in running the Girls' Division student newspaper 'The View' were inspired by a visit from local journalist Saiqa Chaudhari, the Education Correspondent at the Bolton News. She was able to give a great insight into the world of journalism, particularly focusing on various good ways to access this career. She also gave some great hints on how to ensure 'The View' succeeds this year.

Recent leaver Ben Welch successfully completed his climbing wall award training during the summer. He was then able to work at a local climbing club during the holidays before heading to university. He first took up climbing as part of the School's outdoor learning programme.

The School has launched an e-book to mark the 100th anniversary of the current Foundation and the 500th anniversary of the school. The Leverhulme Legacy at Bolton School was written by School archivist and Governor Eric Fairweather and traces the impact that three generations of the Leverhulme family have had on Bolton School. The launch date was chosen to coincide with Lord Leverhulme's birthday. The book is now available to purchase on Kindle through Amazon.

The Inspiring Mind for this week is Len Vickers, who attended the School under Headmaster F R Poskitt from 1953 to 1960. His fascinating interview gives a further insight into the life of the School at this time. Read more about the 100 Inspiring Minds project here on the 100/500 Celebration microsite.

The Junior Boys' School has received Confucius Classroom status. Every pupil from Year 3 to Year 6 was present for the spectacular Lion Dance which opened the official ceremony, and was followed by speeches, a musical performance, and the unveiling of the plaque. Bolton School is one of few primary schools in the North to achieve Confucius Classroom status, and this will allow the School to become a teaching hub for the community. Boys start learning about Chinese language and culture from Year 3 onwards.

There was excitement on Thursday as the Junior Girls were visited by local firefighters to learn more about safety during the autumn months through Operation Treacle. As well as learning about fire safety, with particular reference to fireworks and bonfires ahead of Guy Fawkes Night, and also staying safe on Halloween, some of the girls were able to climb aboard the fire engine itself!

Last weekend, the Girls' Division's Senior sportswomen travelled up to Edinburgh to play against local Scottish sides in both Netball and Lacrosse. The tour was a lot of fun for all of the girls, with challenging matches against St George’s School, Edinburgh Thistles Lacrosse Club and Fettes College.

Local accountants and business advisors, Cowgill Holloway, launched their 'Future Stars Programme' to an audience of Sixth Form students at Bolton School this week. This new venture is an opportunity for Year 12 pupils to gain an insight into the world of business and finance through a 3-4 week placement with the firm.

The Inspiring Mind for this week is Old Girl, former parent and former Governor Sheila Tonge, who shares her Bolton School memories - from school trips to life lessons to inspiring teachers and more - as part of the 100 Inspiring Minds project.

The School has said farewell to Alan Mitchell, long time Deputy Headmaster and Acting Headmaster (1982-3) of Bolton School Boys’ Division, who sadly died after becoming increasingly frail over recent months. He taught at the School for 35 years and many Old Boys have fond memories of him from their schooldays.

More than 1000 alumni from the Boys' and Girls' Divisions came together for a fantastic Grand Reunion last weekend. There were alumni in attendance from as far back as 1939, and there was wonderful atmosphere throughout. The day began with assemblies in the Great Hall, followed by lunch - including alumni favourite 'tarmac and fairy liquid' pudding! There was plenty of time for Old Girls and Old Boys to catch up over afternoon tea and cocktails later on, and the day ended with a spectacular fireworks display.

On Thursday, the Tillotson Lecture took place to open the Grand Reunion Weekend. This year's event gathered representatives from four key "Bolton institutions" for an interesting panel discussion of the town's past, present and future. The overriding message from the speakers was that Bolton must maximise the benefits offered by the devolution of powers to Greater Manchester. The Bishop of Bolton, the Mayor of Bolton, Karen Edwards OBE and Phil Gartside spoke on the panel, which was chaired by Headmaster Philip Britton.

At the end of last week, a group of elite young sportswomen from the Girls' Division attended the Girls Go Gold conference at Headington School, Oxford. This event, which Bolton School hosted last year, allowed the girls to meet other able and talented pupils from around the country, as well as gold medal winning international sportswomen over the course of the day.

On Friday, Girls' Division physics teacher Mrs Holt discovered that her textbook - 'Advanced Physics For You, 2nd edition' - will be used by Year 12 students in their studies! After the surprise reveal of the textbooks, she was delighted to sign the new textbooks for her pupils.

The Junior Girls' Parents' Association joined in with fundraising for Macmillan Cancer Support by taking part in the World's Biggest Coffee Morning! The event was held in the Junior Girls' Hall. Parents came along after dropping off their daughters, and enjoyed a hot drink and a piece of cake while also making a donation to the charity.

In October, the School will host the Careers and Higher Education Convention, which is one of the largest of its kind held in the North West. This event brings together representatives from Higher Education providers, apprenticeship providers and various careers and young people in Years 9 to 13 can come along to discover more about their options for the future.

Further information about the Convention can be found here.

Over the summer holidays, a number of pupils travelled to Peru and the Amazonian Rainforest as part of Operation Wallacea. Year 12 student Niall Woodward created a fascinating film documenting this once-in-a-lifetime experience, which can be viewed on the School website.

The Boys' Division has been celebrating its cultural diversity this week. He latest survey of pupils showed that 32 different languages are spoken by the cohort, with 35.91% of the student body stating that a language other than English is spoken at home. The lunchtime Culture Club meets once every fortnight to encourage pupils to learn more about different languages, cultures and places.

Keen golfer Ellie Broome has been named the Cumbria County Junior Captain! Last year, she became a member of the Cumbria Girls' Elite Golf team, and has also performed as the Junior Captain at her local club in Kirby Lonsdale.

Old Boy Sir Harry Kroto's thirty-years-old prediction has now been proved right by his friend John Maier and a team of scientists at the University of Basel! He theorised that 'buckyballs' - the C60 molecule he discovered in 1985 - are found in interstellar space and are responsible for 'diffuse interstellar bands' absorbing certain frequencies of light from distant stars.

This week's Inspiring Mind is Arthur Wyatt, who attended the School in the 1940s and sadly died earlier this year. An Old Boy with a long and illustrious career in the Diplomatic service, this reflection on his time at School and his interesting career was written by his daughter.

The activities for Kidzone's October Half Term Holiday Activity Programme have now been announced - click the link for full details!

It has been a busy couple of weeks at Bolton School as the half-term draws to a close. Today, pupils welcomed Old Boy Sir Ian McKellen back into School for a special talk about Stonewall and the importance of equality. He also talked to a Sixth Form group and the School Council.

Last Wednesday, the School hosted the launch of the Bolton Children's Fiction Award 2016. Author, illustrator and animator Curtis Jobling announced this year's shortlist to an excited audience of pupils from several local schools in the Boys' Division Great Hall. He also gave Boys' and Girls' Division pupils a talk about his work in animation and particularly his writing career.

Also on Wednesday, boys and girls in Years 8 and 9 took part in a Motorsport Engineering STEM Day. This inspirational day saw pupils working in mixed teams to put together and race their own miniature electric cars. Thanks to the University of Bolton, they had the opportunity not only to see real Ginetta race cars, but also to climb in, start them up and rev the engines!

The School has also recently been celebrating Harvest. The Senior Girls this year donated 29 large boxes of food to Urban Outreach as part of their Harvest campaign.

Meanwhile, the Junior Boys held a Harvest Assembly with Reverend Roger Petch. The boys were also able to make a generous donation of food to Urban Outreach's Winter Watch campaign.

Earlier in the term, boys in Year 7 enjoyed excellent workshops with the Octagon Theatre, beginning their work on nonsense language in preparation for their Arts Awards. The boys enjoyed making up their own words and later in the session created tongue-twisters with gestures to match each nonsense phrase.

Bolton School girls Anna and Amelia have been chosen to join the Lancashire U13 cricket team. This is a really exciting opportunity for both girls. It is a particularly notable achievement for Anna, who only started playing the sport a year ago.

Two Bolton School girls have also been selected to play netball at county and regional level. Cate Lord will join a Regional Academy, while Georgina Owen will join the Cheshire County Netball team.

Over the summer holidays, two Sixth Form pupils were able to join KPMG's offices in Manchester for a summer internship. The girls recently reflected on their experience during assembly, and spoke to younger pupils about what it was like working in the world of business and finance for a month.

Old Girl Yusra Razzaq returned to School to speak to current pupils last week about how her Design and Technology studies at School helped her on her way to a career in Dentistry. This inspiring talk gave a really interesting insight into the ways unconventional subjects can be helpful in many different, possibly unlikely, areas.

We learned recently that Sir Harry Kroto, one of Sir Ian McKellen's contemporaries in the Boys' Division, has had one of his theories proved right almost thirty years after he made the prediction! He predicted that the 'buckyballs' he and his team discovered were responsible for diffuse interstellar bands, and a team of scientists at the University of Basel in Switzerland have now proved this to be the case.

In recent weeks, Bolton School has hosted part of the Bolton Primary Schools' Cross Country competition, and in spite of wet conditions, pupils' enthusiasm was not dampened.

The 2015-16 A Level PE group is the largest cohort to date since the subject was introduced several years ago.

The latest edition of student magazine The Bolt is now available online. Click here to view the magazine.

Last week, the Inspiring Mind was Michael Berry, who attended the School until 1954, when his family emigrated to Canada. A former Canadian diplomat, he is proud of his Lancashire roots and of his connection with Bolton School. In this fascinating interview, he discusses his career and his time at School.

This week's Inspiring Mind is Dr Joyce Tyldesley, Egyptologist and lecturer at Manchester University. She discusses her family connection to Bolton School and her experience of the Girls' Division, as well as offering advice to today's pupils.

Almost 1,000 students from Bolton and the surrounding region benefitted from the recent Careers and Higher Education Convention held at Bolton School. This event, which takes place every two years, is one of the largest of its kind in the North-West. Pupils in Years 9 to 13 were able to meet representatives from 60 organisations and 30 HE institutions, enjoy seminars related to a variety of career paths, and learn more about the options available for their future.

Students at Bolton School recently explored the language of William Shakespeare with Professor David Crystal. This interesting evening lecture traced some of the misconceptions about Shakespeare and the language he used in his plays, as well as commenting on the creation of new language. Professor Crystal is a renowned academic and author who has published around 100 books over the course of his career.

The Year 6 girls were treated to a special visit towards the end of term from RAF veteran Mr George Drinkwater, who came into School to talk to pupils about the Second World War. Despite being 92 years old, George was really enthusiastic to share his first-hand memories with the girls. They were fascinated to hear about his time in the RAF, and listened attentively throughout.

Also in the Junior Girls' School, the Year 3s this week enjoyed The H Factor - an afternoon of activities designed to encourage healthy eating. With help from the catering staff, the girls were able to try out new fruits and vegetables, learn more about healthy eating, and even make their own smoothies using pedal power!

As the half-term grew to a close, the Junior Girls were taken on a musical tour of British history by Travelling By Tuba, a musical duo specialising in wind and brass instruments! They showed the girls a wide variety of musical instruments from the past, many of which are no longer in use today, and even let them have a go at making some sounds themselves! The girl really enjoyed the music and humour of Travelling By Tuba, and learned a lot about social and musical history as well as having a great time.

A group of Year 6 pupils from the Junior Girls' School have had their work published in the English Speaking Board's international journal, Speaking English. The poems were based on the girls' experiences of Aira Force in the Lake District, and formed part of their work towards the John Muir Award. Girls who took part in ESB Examinations last year also had their reflections included in the journal.

The Year 8 girls enjoyed a week off their normal timetable this half-term. They experienced an exciting array of extra-curricular activities, including a visit to Jodrell Bank, Music and ICT workshops, and a stay at Patterdale Hall!

Girls in Year 12 hosted the first of this year's Tea at the Riley, a monthly tea party for older people in the local area. Following huge success last year, the event has been continued for a second year. For future tea party dates and how to reserve a free place, click here.

Former Bolton School nurse, Shirley Parkinson, was delighted to return to the School to enjoy the first of this year's Tea at the Riley sessions. Upon her retirement 27 years ago, she was gifted a beautiful watercolour painting of the old Beech House, which Shirley has now decided to donate back to the School. The Sixth Form girls were delighted to accept on behalf of the School.

In sporting news, the U16 netball team has won the Bolton Schools' Netball Competition! They played very strongly throughout the preliminary matches and earned a worthy first place.

This week's Inspiring Mind is Sir Alan Cockshaw, Chairman of the Bolton School Governing Body 1997-2007. As well as including an interesting career biography, Sir Alan's interview discusses his decision to become a member of the Governing Body and then later its Chairman, the challenges the School has faced during his time as Chairman and some of the highlights. He also emphasises the importance of maintaining a socially diverse mix of pupils and a balanced pupil community.

Two Bolton School pupils have spent part of their half term holiday in Lithuania playing water polo with the England U17 Team! Ben Ray captained the England side, while Bill Moores appeared in goal as the team competed for the Baltic Amadeus Trophy. Both acquitted themselves well in some fiercely fought matches, and helped the team to achieve fourth place.

As part of the Rugby World Cup celebrations, a group of Year 9 boys performed a Haka in front of their year group as part of a Rugby-themed assembly. The boys also enjoyed a visit from Old Boy Andy Hughes and Tim Jeffers, who both play professionally for Sale Sharks. They answered a number of questions from the boys about the game, professional sport, and the World Cup.

To watch the Haka, click here or press the play button below:

This half term, Girls' Division pupils have been enjoying a third series of cross-curricular seminars. This year's theme is politics, with talks from the History, Art and Classics departments showing links while also broadening the girls' interest and knowledge in the subject. In previous years, these seminars have run on the themes of war and classical influence on art and literature.

Over the summer, recent leaver Haseeb Hameed made a strong entry to first class cricket, enjoying his debut with the Lancashire First team. As the season drew to a close, representatives of Bolton School were able to watch from the Kukri Box at the Emirates Old Trafford ground as he took part in an all-important face-off against Surrey. They were joined by twin Old Boys Callum and Matthew Parkinson, who studied for their GCSEs in the Boys' Division and have also gone on to sign professional contracts with Derbyshire and Lancashire.

This week's Inspiring Mind is Pam Johnson, lacrosse legend and Girls' Division teacher from 1963 to 1998, whose influence continues to this day. Following her death in 2013, a service celebrating her life was held in School and a written tribute was paid in the Old Girls' Newsletter, which has been shared as part of the 100 Inspiring Minds Project.

Girls' Division teachers Mr Heppleston and Mr Hitchin recently set up Well-Good, a website which allows pupils to raise money for water charities by practicing their maths! Thanks to sponsorship from the Girls' Division Parents' Association and several companies, with every correct answer to a maths question, Well-Good is able to provide donations to charities that provide safe, clean water and hygiene to developing countries.

To get involved with Well-Good, visit the website or contact info@well-good.org.

Sixth Form pupil Oliver Fielding has been named the Bolton News's Secondary School Pupil of the Year! The winner of the Secondary School Teacher of the Year, Mrs Julia Head, retired from teaching at Bolton School at the start of the summer holidays.

Ten Bolton School girls have been selected this year for the Lancashire U18 Lacrosse A and B Squads. The girls have been training hard in recent weeks, and are now looking forward to the Northern Counties Tournament.

Old Boy and entrepreneur Rob Dobson recently returned to the Boys' Division to talk to current pupils about their technology projects. As someone who has set up his own award-winning company and is now involved with a number of technology companies, he was a great inspiration to the boys. Rob was also able to give careers advice as well as taking a genuine interest in the pupils' inventions.

Year 10 pupils in the Girls' Division have taken part in a One Day Film School as part of their curriculum enrichment. As well as having a lot of fun going through the process of producing their own films, the girls also learned about the history of film and were able to develop their teamwork skills and self-confidence.

This week's Inspiring Mind is Sir Malcolm Williamson. After leaving Bolton School in 1957, he worked at Barclays for a time before joining the RAF for his national service. After leaving the RAF, he re-joined the world of banking, where he was involved with setting up the first computerised banking system in London and became the bank's youngest assistant manager. In 2007, Sir Malcolm was knighted for services to the Financial Industry. His fascinating biography and interview gives an insight into his long career as well as some of his memories of School.

Over the recent half term holiday, two Sixth Form students joined local accountants and business advisors Cowgill Holloway as part of the Future Stars Programme. This was the first week of a four-week placement with the company, which spans the whole academic year and will allow them to experience many difference aspects of the business.

Children at Beech House Infant School last week had lots of fun on Bonfire Night. The Reception children held their own firework display and bonfire, and tucked into toasted marshmallows. This followed their visit to a local fire station to learn more about fire safety.

Meanwhile, in the Year 2 classrooms, children were busy creating fantastic artwork themed around Bonfire Night. Some children created chalk drawings of fireworks exploding, while others combined natural materials and craft materials in a collage to reflect the bonfire celebrations.

Last weekend, over 100 Year 11 pupils from the local area enjoyed an inspiring Modern Languages Day at Bolton School. In addition to an interesting keynote speech about the importance of learning foreign languages, they enjoyed workshops in a variety of languages, including French, German, Russian, Spanish, Italian, Mandarin and Arabic.

On Sunday evening, pupils and parents congregated on the netball courts in spite of the rain to enjoy the annual Girls' Division Parents' Association Firework Display. Many of the stalls were relocated to the refurbished Dining Hall, and guests could enjoy games or sweet treats before and after the display. The School's young musicians also braved the weather to provide entertainment in the run up to the fabulous display and as guests dispersed afterwards.

On Wednesday, the School held a number of Services of Remembrance for Armistice Day.

In the Boys' Division, the commemoration was led by Dr Holland, who asked pupils to think about what peace means to them. At the end of the service, three Year 13 boys laid wreaths in front of the Memorial Staircase.

The Girls' Division service was attended by Old Girls in addition to current pupils. Pupils shared poems on the theme of remembrance, and Miss Hincks spoke about why the poppy is worn on this occasion.

The Junior Girls' School followed a similar theme with the girls learning more about why the poppy is worn as an act of remembrance. It was concluded by a moving song 'Remember', which reminded the girls of the importance of the day.

To watch a video of the Junior Girls singing 'Remember' on the School's YouTube channel, click here.

There is also a video of recent leaver Natalie Henderson reading her poem 'Legend of Mons', which won the poetry competition last year and was based on the war poems of the First World War. This piece was inluded in last year's Remembrance Service, which commemorated the centenary of the start of the First World War.

November's Tea at the Riley also had a Remembrance theme as it was held on Armistice Day. This monthly tea party, which is hosted by Sixth Form girls for elderly people in the local area, provided a delicious spread of sandwiches and sweet treats. Mrs Hone gave a very interesting and moving talk about four young men who lost their lives in the First World War as the entertainment for the afternoon.

Towards the end of the week, Girls' Division pupils sent 200 shoeboxes to Operation Christmas Child. Girls in all year groups had put together a box full of small gifts for children in age brackets between 2 and 14. Their haul was supplemented by a large number of shoeboxes from the Junior Girls' School.

Bolton School once again sponsored the Young Business of the Year category at the Manchester Evening News (MEN) Business Awards. At a glitzy event at the Midland Hotel on Thursday evening, the winner was announced: ZEAL Creative. A delighted Robert White, Planning Director and an Old Boy of the School, received the award on behalf of the company. Guests also enjoyed insight from keynote speaker Nick Hewer of The Apprentice and Countdown. The event was hosted by news reader Nicholas Owen, who celebrated the city's business community throughout the evening.

Friday was Children in Need day, with lots of activities taking place acros the Bolton School campus!

For the whole of the week, the Year 9 girls were hard at work putting on cake sales every lunchtime and during most breaks. The delicious treats that each form had on offer made sure that pupils and staff kept coming back for more every day of the week, and many of the stalls sold out!

In the Junior Boys' School on Friday boys came into School wearing their best superhero cape in honour of the day! The majority of these were hand-made by the boys themselves, and reflected their owners' individual characteristics. The boys brougth in a £2 donation to take part, and their entries were judged by members of staff on a variety of criteria.

Children at the Nursery got in on the action as well, dressing up as superheroes for the day! They also enjoyed a range of Pudsey-themed activities, such as making and decorating Children in Need cakes or biscuits, collaging a picture of Pudsey bear, creating banana milkshakes, and much more. The Nursery also held a silent auction for a beautiful Children in Need cake and a raffle for a hamper of goodies.

This week's Inspiring Mind is Old Girl Angela Williams CMG, who was the first female Director at UNRWA. In her fascinating interview, she recollects her time at Bolton School and the impact it had on her later career and life. She also talks about some of the projects she has worked on in her career and the international changes she had helped to make as Director of UNRWA.

This week, Bolton School welcomed HRH Prince Edward, The Earl of Wessex. Children from all areas of the School congregated to greet him with waves and Union Jack flags upon arrival. He then went into the Arts Centre to meet pupils participating in the Duke of Edinburgh Awards scheme and young volunteers.

To watch a video of clips from his visit, click here.

Last week, children across the Bolton School Foundation took part in various activities to raise money for Children in Need. From cake sales to decorated capes to funky socks to dressing up as superheroes, everyone was invited to join in, and as a result Bolton School as a whole raised over £2700 for charity!

Girls in Year 7 spent last Friday in silence in order to raise money for KEY103's Cash for Kids appeal. The girls have been supporting this appeal for several years now, and the sponsored silence is the first step in the process. Despite the difficulties, the girls did really well to stay quiet for the whole of the day.

The Boys' Division Autumn Concert last week was a musical showcase of the School's talent. The different musical groups performed to a high standard and were very entertaining. The Year 8 boys gave a spectacular finale, which definitely lived up to the Bridgewater Hall performance last year.

To watch a selection of performances from the Autumn Concert, click here.

Year 13 student Laura Hainey has had a piece of artwork shortlisted for the Specialist Crafts Catalogue Cover Competition. She won a voucher for being shortlisted, and will find out if she has won the competition overall in December.

The Bolton School bees have been hard at work all summer, and now Beekeeping Club members are extracting, sieving and jarring the honey ready to be put on sale. The jars are £6 for a 227g jar, and all the details on how to purchase Bolton School Honey are available by clicking the link.

Sixth Form students recently took part in the first round of the Business Challenge. They spent the day in mixed teams, working together to create a fantastic new business plan, which they then had to present in front of a panel of judges to ask for investment. All of the students worked really hard to come up with the best ideas possible and to back up their incredible ideas with all the right facts and figures. The six successful teams will go forward to the final for the KPMG Trophy in December.

The Junior Girls really enjoyed watching the Young Shakespeare Company act out an interactive version of Romeo and Juliet last week. This exciting, funny, and ultimately moving version of the tragic love story allowed the girls to take part in the action and also asked them to answer questions to clarify the plot and language throughout. As well as being entertaining, this experience has also helped to get the girls thinking about Shakespeare as thy will go on to study his work.

Kidzone has now announced the Christmas programme for this year, and an exciting range of activities are on the calendar!

This week, the 100 Inspiring Minds project interviews entrepreneur Rob Dobson, who talks about his inspirations, his time at School, and his advice for current pupils.

Former history teacher Mrs Head, who retired from the Girls' Division last summer after 27 years, has won the inaugural Bolton News Secondary School Teacher of the Year Award. An Old Girl of the School, Mrs Head was also the Head of Middle School before her retirement. She was delighted to receive the award.

A visit from author Tanya Landman, whose novel Buffalo Soldier won the Carnegie Medal, provided a fascinating opportunity for girls to learn more about the process of writing and how Tanya uses historical events to inform and inspire her writing. A seminar with Sixth Form students also allowed the writer to warm the girls not to accept the romanticised version of American history that is often depicted in films, television and literature.

The Junior Boys were delighted to welcome children's author and entertainer Lucia Davies into School last week so that they could join the Pod Trail. This initiative is based on Lucia's book Pod, which aims to raise awareness of bullying. The book engages children with the idea of bullying and helps them to think and talk about this important issue. The Pod Trail formed part of the boys' experience of Anti-Bullying Week 2015.

Last Friday, students from Bolton School Girls’ and Boys’ Divisions, Bolton Music Service and Salford Music and Performing Arts Service took part in a fantastic music workshop that was based around Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. The following informal performance showcased the pupils' talents and was a fantastic experience for children and parents alike.

Year 7 pupils James Hopkinson and Olivia Sample recently performed at the SHINE Benefit Dinner in London as part of the Halle Children's Choir. The event took place in the grand surroundings of the Natural History Museum, and both pupils really enjoyed this unique experience.

The Jazz Band last weekend took part in the National Concert Band Festival (NCBF). They performed four pieces in total, with several pupils taking centre stage for solos, and were eventually awarded a Gold Award!

Last week, four Year 7 pupils were interviewed on local radio station Key103 about their Sponsored Silence to support Cash for Kids. The girls have raised £2000 with their efforts! To listen to their interview, click here or press the play button below:

Year 9 pupil Sharon Daniel recently received her ESB Ambassador Award at a Celebration Evening held in Bristol. The Young Speaker of the Year event was held to honour eight young people from across the UK, and awards were presented by Mr Burton, one of the stars of Channel 4’s Educating Yorkshire.

The Year 8 water polo team last weekend brought home the President's Trophy. As a result, seven members of the team and three other Bolton School boys were selected for the North-West A and B Teams for the upcoming ASA Inter-Regional Tournament. This is a fantastic achievement for the School's young water polo players.

Year 7 pupil Elizabeth Harkness has been selected for the Lancashire U13 Development Squad. This is a fantastic achievement, since she is still in the U12 age category. She also plays for grassroots team Preston North End.

Year 12 student Arron Davies competed in the European Water Skiing Championships over the summer holidays. He also did extremely well in the 2015 national competition, coming in third place, and is now looking forward to competing in the World Championships 2016.

The Junior Girls and Junior Boys recently faced off in the annual AJIS Chess Tournament, which was held at the Junior Boys' School. The Junior Girls were awarded third place overall, with some girls also achieving individual medals. However, on this occasion the Junior Boys were victorious, taking first place and some individual medals.

Girls in Year 10 and above were able to enjoy a fascinating linguistics talk from Dr Alex Baratta, a lecturer at the University of Manchester. He talked about how language use and accents can inform and influence a person's identity. This was particularly helpful for A Level English Language students, who made the most of the opportunity to hear from Dr Baratta.

The Nursery has held a drop-in session for parents, allowing them to come in and talk to practitioners about Communication and Language Skills. There were lots of fun activities for the children and also plenty of tips and pieces of advice for parents. This made for an interesting and interactive morning for the children, which was also really beneficial to parents.

Old Girl Gill Pearl has been awarded the Robin Tavistock Award 2015 alongside the charity Speakeasy Bury. The award is given to an organisation or individual who has made an exceptional contribution to the field of aphasia.

This week, Bolton School launched its centenary book, The Best of Both Worlds: A Portrait of Bolton School. The book looks at the School’s past, particularly focusing on the last 100 years but with reference to the earlier history. It is full of archive and contemporary photos, pupil and teacher memories, and historical facts which have surprised and fascinated even those who thought they knew a lot about the School. Alumni, staff, governors and guests gathered for the launch event, which celebrated the many different people who have contributed to putting the finished product together.

Copies of the book are now available to purchase from the School's online merchandise shop.

Beech House this week made their annual donation of toys to Bolton Lions, supporting the club's Caring Christmas Appeal. This initiative provides Christmas presents to families who might otherwise not be able to buy gifts for their children. The families at Beech House provided a fantastic 'toy mountain' to the appeal, which is aiming to reach 2,000 children this year.

Over the course of November, teachers in the Boys' Division took part in the Movember campaign, growing moustaches during the month to raise money and awareness about men's health issues.

Nine-year-old Toby Yates recently won Bolton Golf Club's U14 Trophy! This was one of the highlights in a great golfing year for Toby, who has also won the U10s Regional trophy at the European Junior Golf Tour in Cheshire and several mini junior competitions at Bolton Golf Club.

Year 11 pupil Paul Foster has been selected for the national ISFA U16s football team. He was chosen following his performance as captain of the ISFA North team in a number of matches. He will now go on to a training camp and play a number of matches with the ISFA national team.

The Boys' Division's U13 footballers have made it through to the quarter-finals of the ISFA Cup! They overcame The Grange, Moorgate School and Priory School in the preliminary rounds to make it this far, and are now looking forward to their next match against local rivals Bury Grammar.

The Royal Society of Chemistry once again held its annual Christmas Lecture, The Flash Bang Show, at Bolton School. The Boys' Division Great Hall was filled with pupils from 18 schools across the North-West, who were captivated by the spectacular show.

Georgina Owen and Khadijah Ismail both received Arkwright Scholarships this year. This prestigious award is given to sixth form students who show the potential to be leaders in engineering in the future. Both girls recently attended an awards ceremony in London to be presented with their awards by their industry sponsors.

Last week's Inspiring Mind was Edith Falla, a member of the Girls' Division staff from 1945 to 1980. The fascinating summary of her life, originally published in the Girls’ Division Magazine in 2005 after her death, paints a wonderful picture of the huge difference she made in the lives of her students.

This week's Inspiring Mind is Old Boy and England Water Polo Captain Ed Scott. Ed is a medical student who has also played water polo for the UK at the 2012 Olympics and for England at the Commonwealth Games. His interview discusses how School helped him to discover his passion for the sport and how it has impacted on his life so far.

That's Manchester TV reported on Prince Edward's visit in November. The footage is now available to view here, or by clicking the play button below:

The festive season is now well under way at Bolton School. On Friday of last week, the Junior Boys spent the morning making hand-made decorations and putting them up all around their school. They also wore their Christmas Jumpers for the occasion. As well as being a lot of fun, the morning left Park Road looking really ready for Christmas!

Last weekend, the Junior Boys' Choir put on a performance at Bolton Parish Church. They sang alongside the Blackburn and Darwen Band and made the evening of carols a really special occasion.

Children at the Nursery also got into the spirit of the season with their Christmas Party, which was held in the Arts Centre. The children and their families enjoyed entertainment, dancing, and even a special visit from Santa Claus!

This week, the Junior Girls held their annual Christmas Celebration. The title this year was 'Witnesses' and focused on the various characters who were present at the first Nativity. The girls gave a really beautiful and moving performance, which included a special song for Headmistress Mrs Brierley, who is retiring at the end of term.

To watch a selection of videos from 'Witnesses', click here.

The Junior Boys also held their Christmas Concert, which was filled with spectacular choral performances. The school's young musicians also played a number of pieces in the course of the evening, interspersed with readings. The boys put on a fantastic evening of entertainment for their parents to enjoy.

Children at Beech House have been putting on their Nativity performances throughout the week, to the delight of their parents and the staff. The children did a wonderful job of telling the Christmas story through narration, singing and dancing.

On Friday, the Girls' Division was full of festive cheer as the Year 10 girls put on their annual Christmas Post assembly! The Great Hall was filled with laughter at the start of the day as the girls acted out their sketches to the great amusement of their fellow pupils. This year, the Christmas Post will raise money for the Willink Biochemical Genetics Unit in Manchester.

Also on Friday, girls dressed in their best Christmas Jumpers to raise money for Save the Children. The festive jumpers, Santa hats and tinsel crowns really added to the Christmas atmosphere throughout the School.

GCSE and A Level students in both Divisions enjoyed a thought-provoking 'God and the Big Bang' conference this week. This event, which was held at School, showed how science and religion do not need to be in opposition and can in fact reaffirm each other. Guest speakers - all of them scientists of faith - helped pupils to understand more about the relationship between science and faith and encouraged them to ask questions throughout the day.

The Junior Boys hosted a special Cub Assembly this week to celebrate the successes of the 19th Bolton (Bolton School) Scout Troop. The achievement of Harry Mathieson, one of the Cubs, was particularly applauded as he received his 40th and 41st activity badges - meaning he has collected all of the 36 activity badges plus a few that he achieved before the new selection of 36 was introduced!

Bolton School Junior Boys welcomed a delegation of visitors from China this week, who had travelled to Bolton to celebrate the winners of a UK-China stamp design competition. Mayor Cllr Swarbrick presented the stamp awards to four pupils from Bolton School and four from Kearsley Academy who won the competition. The event was attended by all boys in Year 3 to Year 7.

Last week, Boys' Division Headmaster Philip Britton wrote a blog for the Sunday Times in which he looks at the Prevent strategy. He wrote about the importance of healthy discussion in schools and how schools can help young people of faith to find their place within society.

Students in the Sixth Form were able to show their entrepreneurial spirit at the final of the KPMG Enterprise Trophy. The finalists presented their business plans before the Dragon's Den style judging panel as if they were seeking genuine funding for the project. After some difficult deliberation, the judges announced that this year's winners were Pinpoint.

Pupils in Year 1 met local artist David Shuttleworth, who helped them to make some fantastic sculptures using nothing more than rubbish that would otherwise be thrown away! This was a really creative exercise that allowed the children to use their imaginations to turn junk into robots.

Beech House's Children in Need activities were lots of fun and really helped to raise money for charity. The children took part in an Enterprise Week which asked them to create Valentine's Day cards, and they also ran a sale! Overall they raised over £850.

Recently the Infants have been learning more about the dark through different activities, including creating their own versions of Van Gogh's 'Starry Night' painting. They have also enjoyed an exciting Tennis coaching session with an expert from Bolton Arena.

In February 2015, Bolton School will host an English Speaking Board teacher training event for Speaking and Listening. For more information about the event, click here. To book a place, please email events@esbuk.org.

This week's Inspiring Mind is Sylvia Walker, who taught Mathematics in the Girls' Division from 1972 to 1993. This wonderful reflection on her life and the difference she made in the lives of others paints a wonderful picture of a teacher who made a lasting impact on the School.

The end of term at Bolton School was packed with festive activities.

The week began with the Girls' Division Ceremony of Carols on Monday, which was as always a lovely occasion with beautiful performances from the Chamber, Senior and Middle School Choirs. This year there was a multicultural theme and ten languages were spoken and sung over the course of the service. The audience were delighted to be able to join in with a number of favourite carols, including a rendition of 'Adeste Fideles' to end the evening.

To watch a selection of videos from the Ceremony of Carols, click here.

The annual Boys' Division Christmas Festival was as rousing as ever, with the boys and the audience filling the Great Hall with music and song over the course of the evening. Rousing performances from the Junior, Senior and Chamber Choirs and the massed voices of Year 7, accompanied by the orchestra, made for a spectacular evening.

To watch some of the highlights from the Christmas Festival, click here.

Children at Bolton School's Nursery were put in the spotlight at their Nativity on Wednesday. The children from the Butterfly room were the stars of the show this year, and did a wonderful job of telling the story of Christmas. The boys and girls did well to remember all the words to several Christmas songs, both during the performance and at the end.

Reception children felt like they had been transported to Lapland when they got the chance to meet Santa's reindeer at Cheshire Reindeer Lodge! The boys and girls were able to feed the reindeer and learn more about them, and also met Father Christmas himself!

Father Christmas also made a special trip to see all of the Infants at Beech House on the last day of term. However, he had swapped his usual sleigh for a fantastic vintage bus! The children climbed aboard to have a chat with Father Christmas about their wish-lists, and each received a special early present. This was certainly one of the highlights of the end of term.

The Junior Girls' Christmas Celebration was held last week, with the girls performing the nativity play 'Witnesses'. Some videos of their performance are now available here.

The Girls' Division Theatre was filled with laughter for this year's Prefects' Panto. Always one of the highlights of the festive calendar, this year's performance was no disappointment and offered up a great parody of School life, including caricatures of many members of staff.

The Boys' Division brass band took their instruments down to Beech House to entertain the Infants' School with some Christmas favourites, combining old songs with new in their set. The boys and girls were mesmerised by the performance.

Year 2 pupils travelled to Christ Church in Heaton to show their Nativity to guests at the church's Luncheon Club last week. They delighted their audience with the after-lunch show.

The Library has also been getting into the spirit of the season, posting an Advent Calendar of book recommendations in both Senior Schools. Library staff also came up with a 'Borrow a Book for Christmas' campaign: pupils in Years 10-13 and members of staff could ask Santa's Library Elves to give them a wrapped up book from the shelves to take home and read over the holidays!

The Junior Girls' School Headmistress, Mrs Ruth Brierley, bid pupils and staff farewell at the end of term as she enters retirement. On her last day, the girls performed a wonderful 'Festive Flashmob Farewell' dance as a tribute. A video of the spectacle is now available to view here.

In just three weeks, pupils at Bolton School have worked incredibly hard to collect 9600 items for Urban Outreach's Christmas Hampers - and were successful in their endeavour! The Boys' and Girls' Division Senior Schools raised money and took donations of cans of pop and bags of crisps, while the Junior Girls collected bags of gold chocolate coins. All of the pupils did an amazing job to achieve the goal set by Urban Outreach this year.

Sixth Formers in the Boys' Division held a Christmas Jumper Day to raise money for the Salvation Army. They made a donation to come to School sporting their best festive knitwear and raised £300!

Monday lunchtime saw eleven Year 7 pupils, four Sixth Formers and members of staff at Toys R Us in Bolton, spending the money that Year 7s raised earlier in the term with a sponsored silence. The 'trolley dash' around the store allowed the girls to pick up a variety of toys for boys and girls, which they then donated to Key 103's Mission Christmas appeal for Cash for Kids!

Two Year 7 pupils also travelled to the Key 103 warehouse on Thursday to drop off the last of the donations: DVDs and Boots gift sets bought for older children. They also handed over a cash donation to help Cash for Kids to buy large items such as bikes. The girls were interviewed live on the radio by Alex James!

The Boys' Division this week added four new leaves to Bolton Hospice's Tree of Life, one for each of the Houses. The money to fund the leaves was raised through a non-uniform day, and will go towards helping the hospice to provide care to those with life limiting illnesses.

Fourteen Bolton School girls have this year been selected for Lancashire's U15 Lacrosse squad! The pupils, who are in Years 8 to 10, will go on to compete in the Northern Counties Tournament.

The Year 7 boys showed grace under pressure this week as they took part in their Gymnastics Final. The result of weeks of hard work, the final was a great spectacle and showed off the boys' skills. At the end of the competition, Tyler Bailey won the Gymnastics Cup, which is over 100 years old.

Girls' Division pupil Emily Manock in Year 10 has won a silver medal at the National Para-Swimming Championships 2015! She achieved national qualifying times in 100m breaststroke, 100m backstroke, 100m freestyle and 50m freestyle to compete at this event.

Year 12 student Beth Hodkinson has won bronze at the Junior AETF Taekwon-do European Championships! This is a fantastic achievement for her.

The three Dr Edith Forsyth Scholars have now completed their first term studying Medicine at university. The girls will each receive a total of £15,000 during the five years of their medical studies as part of an award initiated by an Old Boy in memory of his late wife. The three girls reflect on their first term at university and the difference the award has made to them so far.

This week's Inspiring Mind is Philip William Bryce Lever, the 3rd Viscount Leverhulme. Following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, he was extensively involved with School life and was Chairman of Governors for 40 years. The tribute to him was written by Eric Fairweather, School Archivist, and also appears in the ebook 'The Leverhulme Legacy'.

At the end of last term, the Junior Girls' Headmistress Mrs Ruth Brierley retired from her post. On the last day before the Christmas holidays, the girls performed a surprise Festive Farewell Flashmob in the playground:

In addition to the dance, Mrs Brierley received a Cockapoo puppy - named Hesketh - and a multitude of dog-related gifts from the Parents' Association, staff and pupils. Mrs Brierley retires after twenty-five years in teaching and more than six years at the helm of Hesketh House Junior Girls' School.

Year 11 pupils in the local area are invited to a free Gifted and Talented Mathematics event taking place at Bolton School on 30 January 2016 (9.15am-1.00pm). The event will feature Dr Colin Wright, speaking about the mathematics of juggling, and "The Rock Doctor" Dr Mark Lewney on the Mathematics of the rock guitar!

Sixth Form pupil Chris Battarbee has been awarded a prestigious President's Undergraduate Scholarship from Imperial College London. These are awarded to just 112 applicants and are designed to reward students who show the highest academic excellence and potential. If he takes up the offer, he will study Computer Science at Imperial.

The Bolton School Joint Middle School Production of Alice is coming soon to the Girls' Division Theatre! The show will run from Thursday 21 to Saturday 23 January 2016, with a 7pm start each night. Tickets are now available at £5 each - for more details and where to buy, click the link above.

Finally, looking back at the Christmas period, a selection of videos from the Boys' Division Christmas Festival are now available. To enjoy the performances once again, click here.

Year 13 pupils Nuala Fowler has won the 2016 Specialist Crafts Cover Competition, and her painting has been featured on the cover of the 2016 catalogue! Pieces by of six other Girls' Division artists have also been featured in the catalogue itself. Specialist Crafts were very impressed with all of the work submitted by Bolton School pupils.

The Junior Boys took a trip through music history with Travelling by Tuba. The duo of musicians entertained the boys with a special performance in the hall, showing pupils a variety of musical instruments from the past and allowing them to hear a range of music from different historical periods. There were also lots of opportunities for the boys to join in!

Shreya Kamath in Year 8 recently took part in a STEMettes hackathon: a free workshop designed to encourage more girls to go into IT. During the hackathon, Shreya learned a new programming language and created her own snowman racing game. The game was so popular with the other attendees that it won the People's Choice Award!

On Friday, Bolton School hosted a 'Women in STEM' careers day for pupils in Year 8 to Year 11. Girls from Bolton School, ESSA Academy and St Catherine's Academy attended the event, where they were able to informally chat to STEM Ambassadors about their jobs or their chosen study, and talk about what it's like to work in fields relating to science, technology, engineering and maths.

Last week's Inspiring Mind was music broadcaster Mark Radcliffe, who attended the Boys' Division from 1966 to 1976. This great interview talks about some of the highlights of his time at Bolton School as well as his inspirations.

The Inspiring Mind for this week is medical geneticist Professor Jill Clayton-Smith. She reflects on her time at Bolton School in the 1970s and how attending the Girls' Division greatly influenced her aspirations and career path. She also offers some excellent advice to current pupils.

The Department for Education's latest League Tables rankings were published this week, and the Girls' Division has been ranked as the best independent school in the country and the 25th best school in the country by GCSE results! The School was also ranked top in the Borough, which was reported in The Bolton News.

Year 12 Computing pupils Eleanor, Evangeline and Jessie have made it to the final of National Rail's "Could IT Be You?" Competition! They have been selected as some of the top 75 entrants in the country who have been invited to the Finalists' Day: a wonderful achievement.

Boys and girls from the Junior Schools were delighted to learn more about music with The Pop Project! The 'Understanding Music' Show gave the pupils an insight into a wide variety of musical vocabulary using popular music from the past. There was plenty of opportunities for the children to join with with singing, dancing, clapping and even performing, and they loved listening to the excellent music made by The Pop Project themselves.

On Monday, pupils from the Boys' Division had the opportunity to meet the Mayor of Bolton herself as well as the Council's Elections Manager for an informative talk on local politics. This was an opportunity for those who might be considering a political career of their own to gain a greater insight, but was also really interesting for everyone.

Beech House's School Council also met the Mayor of Bolton this week when they travelled into the town centre to visit the Mayor's Parlour. There they met the Mayor and found out more about her role and democracy in action. The boys and girls were even able to use a real ballot box to cast their own votes to see how the system works.

In the Girls' Division, Year 8 pupils got an idea of what it would be like to be blind or visually impaired. While wearing glasses to simulate different visual impairments or even blindfolds, they were challenged with completing a number of everyday tasks. Although this was a lot of fun, it also drew their attention to the real issues that people with visual impairments face on a daily basis.

Children in Reception and Year 1 were really excited to visit Blackpool Zoo this week. As well as seeing lots of exotic animals - from lions and tigers to penguins and sea lions - they also got up close to a live snake and met some friendly stick insects, which they were even able to hold for themselves. The children had a great time and returned to School bursting with new animal facts!

This week's Inspiring Mind is Professor Roy Jackson, FRS. He went on from Bolton School to study physics at Cambridge University, which was followed by several years in industry. He then too up a position at the University of Edinburgh, and his academic career has since included positions at Rice University in Houston, Texas, the University of Houston, and Princeton University, as well as sabbaticals leaves during which he was the 'Sherman Fairchild Distinguished Scholar' at Caltech and 'Visiting Fellow Commoner' at Trinity College Cambridge. In this interesting interview he talks about the incredible teachers he knew and even befriended during his time at School and the incredible different a Bolton School education made to his life.

Eight Bolton School pupils have been celebrating after receiving Oxbridge offers! The four Boys' Division and four Girls' Division applicants were successful following the rigorous application process, and were delighted to be offered places at two of the top Universities in the country.

Last week, pupils in Year 8 and 9 transported audiences to Wonderland with the Joint Middle School Production of Alice. The script re-imagined Lewis Caroll's classic tale with a few unexpected twists, and pupils did a great job of bringing the story to life on stage. They impressed packed audiences on all three nights of the run. Pupils also raised money for LivLife with interval refreshments and a retiring collection, and PMSF UK with a pre-show Mad Hatter's Tea Party.

Bolton School boys were undaunted this week by the weather and went out kayaking on the River Wharfe at Conistone Falls. Click here to watch a short video clip of their experience!

Year 3 pupil Dinburgh Ai travelled to Greece to take part in an international gymnastics competition this month, where she took fourth place! She also competed in a North-West competition last week, where she came second.

Pupils in the Girls' Division enjoyed poetry workshops with award-winning poet Mandy Coe. This was a fantastic chance for the girls to explore voice and character in new and interesting ways that they perhaps hadn't thought about before. Mandy encouraged them to be brave and to express sharp truths in their poems.

On Holocaust Memorial Day, several pupils from both Divisions took part in the town's memorial service to remember the victims of the holocaust. Matthew Kay and Riya Kalhan both sang as pert of the service, and Ella Kaut-Howson read a captivating extract from the war diary of her great-grandmother, a Polish Jew who escaped the Nazis. Sixteen Bolton School pupils had also produced artwork to raise awareness and understanding of the Holocaust, which was on display at the event.

Next week, tickets go on sale for the 2016 Senior Joint Production, Doctor Faustus. This play tells the story of Faustus, a brilliant but embittered academic who summons the demon Mephistopheles in order to strike a deal with Lucifer himself: twenty-four years of absolute knowledge and power in exchange for his soul ...

This week's Inspiring Mind is Katie Clinton, an Old Girl who is now a Partner in KPMG LLP. In her interview, she talks about her fondest memories from her time as a pupil as well as her continued relationship with Bolton School, from returning to the Ceremony of Carols to leading KPMG’s flagship work placement and sponsorship programme with school.

The date for this year's Infant and Junior Schools' Open Afternoon has now been announced! It will take place on Thursday 21 April 2016 from 4.30pm to 6.30pm. The afternoon provides an opportunity for pupils and parents to enjoy guided tours around the Infant (co-educational, 4 to 7 year olds), Junior Girls’ (7 to 11 year olds) and Junior Boys’ (7 to 11 year olds) schools and to meet Bolton School's teaching staff and pupils.

Sisters Zoe and Isabella Grainger are both reaching new heights at an indoor Winter Bouldering League competition held at The Hangar. Year 9 pupil Zoe is in pole position in the U16 competition, while Year 6 pupil Isabella sits just outside the top three - an amazing achievement given her young age! There are just two rounds now remaining in the competition.

On Saturday, gifted and talented Year 11 pupils from the local area came to Bolton School for an Application of Mathematics Event with the Juggling and Rock Doctors, otherwise known as Dr Colin Wright and Dr Mark Lewney. Dr Wright described his juggling performance in terms of mathematical patterns, while Dr Lewney used his electric guitar and audience participation to present complex ideas in a fun and accessible way.

On Monday, Councillor Linda Thomas visited the Boys' Division to talk to pupils about her work in politics. She gave a thought-provoking talk about her job and some of the projects she has been involved with, and was also able to address the boys' interested and wide-ranging questions at the end of the session. Her visit gave the boys a valuable insight into the world of local politics.

Girls' Division pupils in Year 8 were pleased to be able to meet Toni and her guide dog Quilla this week. Toni gave a really interesting talk that gave the girls a greater insight into life as a blind person, and also gave them more information about the training of guide dogs and the difference these working animals make to the people they assist every day.

The Year 8 boys experienced a directing workshops with the Octagon Theatre's Creative Learning Director, Christina Lydon, as part of their Arts Award work. They worked with Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice, looking specifically at the character of Shylock: how they might want the audience to react to him, and how they could influence that by getting the actors to move or speak in a certain way. This was a really valuable session for the boys to feed into their work on the Award.

There has been lots of sporting news from the Girls' Division this week. Three pupils in the Sixth Form have received call-ups from the North of England Lacrosse Squad. Louisa Brophy, Molly Dick and Georgina Owen, who are all in Year 12, will join the North of England Squad for training before competing in a tournament in March.

Pupils in Year 8 have had reason to celebrate as well, with a group of four girls joining the Lancashire Lacrosse U13 Squad. Arabella Barker-Smith, Ellie Bridge, Abigail Duckworth and Mia Monsen all attended two trial days before finding out that they had been selected. They will now have the opportunity to compete in the upcoming Northern Counties tournament this weekend.

The Year 7 and 8 Swimming Team recently won the Bolton Town Swimming Championships! Competing against eight local schools, the girls worked hard in both the individual races and relays and managed to win the trophy.

Elly Fraser in Year 7 has won the Salford 100s Lifesaving Competition. She competed alongside the other Year 7 girls in this competition, which also involved pupils from other schools. Her speedy swimming and knowledge of lifesaving techniques helped her to come in first place overall: a wonderful achievement.

A number of Boys' Division musicians from Years 9 and 10 performed at Bolton’s St Andrew and St George United Reformed Church’s lunchtime concert series this week. The repertoire was varied, with boys playing piano, violin, trumpet, saxophone, flute and guitar, and one boy singing. They also performed many different styles of music, ensuring that there was something for everyone to enjoy.

Girls' Division pupils in Year 10 learned more about the Great War from 'Private Tommy Atkins', a one-man play about the First World War which is based on real events and anecdotes from soldiers who lived through the conflict. Peter Gill's solo performance captivated the girls and also gave them lots to think about as they continue their History studies.

Old Boy Roger Dobson returned to School on Wednesday to talk to pupils in the Sixth Form about the Clifford H Ingham Bursary Fund. This fund was set up in memory of a Boys' Division Latin teacher who died in the 1980s, and who used to take boys on 'Trek Camps' in the UK and Europe. The fund is now open to applications from Boys' and Girls' Division students, and offers financial assistance to those who wish to take part in an outdoors experience of some kind.

This week, boys in Year 11 found out more about NCS or National Citizen Service at Bolton Lads and Girls Club (BLGC). This national scheme was set up to help young people to develop themselves and their citizenship skills during the school holidays, and the trip to BLGC was designed to get the boys enthused about the idea of joining in and getting involved. The NCS experience involves working with a diverse range of people and includes a trip to an outdoor pursuits centre and two weeks planning and delivering a community project.

Children at Beech House this week enjoyed a visit from the Happy Puzzle Company! All of the children from Reception to Year 2 enjoyed taking part in the challenges they were set, and while they got a great sense of achievement from completing the puzzles, the day was also very focused on teamwork and perseverance.

This week, Bolton School hosted an English Speaking Board (ESB) Teacher Training Event. The event was a great success, and a good opportunity for local teachers to share best practices and receive resources and more information.

Girls' Division Young Enterprise team 'Oh Crumbs' has won the Greater Manchester Dragon's Den competition! The team of ten girls presented their 'cake in a jar' business to three 'dragons' as part of the competition and were named the winners! The girls are now looking forward to the Young Enterprise finals in March, when they will have to set up a trade stall and once again present their business to a panel of judges.

Bolton School Boys' Division has been awarded the Sainsbury’s School Games Gold Mark Award for the academic year 2014/2015. This national scheme rewards schools for their commitment to the development of competition across their school and into the community. The Schools Games Team were really impressed with the wealth of sporting opportunities available at Bolton School.

The Year 7 boys this week joined the Sale Sharks' Number Cruncherz programme and had a touch rugby training session with none other than former England rugby player Hendre Fourie! The boys were put through their paces by Hendre and two Sale Sharks Community Trust coaches before playing a number of touch rugby matches. They picked up some great hints and tips that they will be able to take forward into their future rugby matches, and now look forward to attending further Number Cruncherz sessions at the AJ Bell Stadium.

The Junior Girls recorded great success at the recent AJIS Biathlon running and swimming event at Rossall School. The Year 4 and Year 6 teams finished first overall, and the Year 5 team took second place: a wonderful achievement for all of the girls. There were also some excellent and impressive individual results on the day, which helped the teams to win these coveted podium positions.

The Year 8 boys have also shown their athleticism and nerve this week in the vaulting gymnastics final. The boys were whittled down to the final six, who then vaulted in front of the whole year group and their form teachers during morning assembly. The vaults increased in complexity as the competition went on, with some performing somersaults on through vaults, and the P.E. department had to consider carefully before announcing the overall winner.

The Junior Girls' Chess Teams have done well at the recent English Primary Schools' Chess Association (EPSCA) Tournament held at Park Road, the Junior Boys' School. The Under 9 team gained enough points to see them through to the Northern Finals, which will be held at Prestatyn in June - a fantastic achievement.

Sixth Form pupil Daniel Anderson won second place at the regional heat of ARTiculation 2016. He addressed a panel of judges on the Boundary Street social housing scheme in London as part of this national public speaking competition and was praised for his clear delivery and ability to answer challenging questions.

The Junior Girls' annual Modern Foreign Languages Day took place this week and this year had a French theme. Pupils celebrated Mardi Gras and La Chandeleur - the French equivalent of Pancake Day - and took part in a wide range of activities based on France and the French language. With artwork, crafts, pancake races, storytelling in French, and even a French-style lunch provided by the catering department, this was a fantastic way to get the girls inspired about language learning.

The Sixth Form French conference was once again a huge success, with boys and girls in Years 12 and 12 enjoying an immersive experience with native speaker Richard Peltier. They discussed a variety of topics relating to the A Level and were able to improve their vocabulary and understanding as well as their confidence.

Girls in Year 11 studying Spanish enjoyed a visit to HOME, a centre for contemporary international film, art and theatre in Manchester, to watch Gente de Bien. This award-winning Columbian film by director Franco Lolli focused on issues such as family, friendship and abandonment.

Six Girls' Division pupils ran for the Bolton Town team at the Greater Manchester Cross Country Championships last weekend. They were nominated to run by the School and took part despite difficult conditions on the day.

This year's Junior Girls' Music Festival saw more than 100 pupils perform as individuals and as part of ensembles! The invigilators were very impressed with the high standard of performance across the board, from Year 3 to Year 6. The girls really enjoyed performing and watching the Music Festival unfold, and it was a great opportunity for the girls to showcase their musical talents.

The Senior Girls' Music Festival also took place this week, culminating in the Celebration Concert for the winners on Wednesday evening. This concert showcased the best musicians from Year 7 to the Sixth Form and was a wonderful evening of music-making.

It's been a busy week at Beech House. The children thoroughly enjoyed Pancake Day on Tuesday and even had a go at flipping their own pancakes!

Children in Year 2 have been reading 'The Man on the Moon' and other stories by Simon Bartram. As part of their work on the book, the children designed their own 'moon buggies' that Bob, the man on the moon, might use to get around.

Following Reception and Year 1's visit to Blackpool Zoo, the children have been finding out more about their favourite animals that they saw on the trip. They have also combined their learning about cold and hot habitats with science work on freezing and melting! The trip to the zoo has inspired lots more learning back in the classroom and has really helped the children to engage with lots more topics.

Last week's Inspiring Mind was John Blakey, a member of the Boys' Division mathematics department from 1944 to 1976. He is remembered fondly to this day by Old Boys. The pair of tributes that form the Inspiring Minds piece were both written by Jim Dawson for The Boltonian, one on the occasion of his retirement and the second as his obituary in 1981.

This week the Inspiring Mind is Old Girl Judith Knott (née Kenyon). After leaving Bolton School, she went on to study at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, and completed a PhD in Historical Linguistics at SOAS, University of London. After five years as a research assistant, she joined the civil service. Reflecting on her career and time at School, she gives an interesting insight into her memories and how School has in some ways influenced her choices in life.

11 September 2015

18 September 2015

25 September 2015

2 October 2015

16 October 2015

23 October 2015

30 October 2015

06 November 2015

13 November 2015

20 November 2015

27 November 2015

4 December 2015

11 December 2015

18 December 2015

08 January 2016

15 January 2016

22 January 2016

29 January 2016

5 February 2016

12 February 2016