Bolton School

Bolton School

Motto	Mutare Vel Timere Sperno (Latin: I scorn to change or to fear)
Established	ante 1516
Type	Independent school
Headmaster (Boys' Division)	Philip Britton MBE
Headmistress (Girls' Division)	Sue Hincks
Chair of Governors	Michael Griffiths
Founder	Viscount Leverhulme
Location	Chorley New Road Bolton BL1 4PA England
Students	2400 (approx.)
Gender	Boys and Girls Divisions
Ages	0–19
Website	www.boltonschool.org

Coordinates: 53°34′48″N 2°27′18″W / 53.579868°N 2.454865°W / 53.579868; -2.454865

Bolton School is an independent day school in Bolton, in the North-West of England. It comprises a co-educational Nursery and Infant School (Beech House) and single sex Junior (ages 7-11) and Senior Schools (with Sixth Forms). With almost 2,400 pupils it is one of the largest independent day schools in the country.^[1]

History

Bolton School main entrance

Bolton School is one of the oldest schools in Lancashire. Established as Bolton Grammar School, it is not known exactly when the Boys' School was founded, though it is recorded as being a going concern as early as 1516. In 1524 William Haigh of Wigan left land worth 33s 4d towards the maintenance of a schoolmaster to teach grammar in Bolton.^[2] In 1644 it was endowed by Robert Lever and so began a long and close relationship with the Lever name. In 1899, the school moved from its site next to the Parish Church in central Bolton to its current site on Chorley New Road.

The Bolton Girls' Day School was established in 1877 and was one of the earliest public day schools for girls in the country. It was quickly renamed to Bolton High School for Girls and moved to the Park Road site (where the current Junior Boys' School stands) in 1891, where it was opened by the suffragist Mrs Millicent Fawcett with 67 girls.

In 1913, Sir William Hesketh Lever, later the first Viscount Leverhulme, gave a generous joint endowment to the Bolton Grammar School and the Bolton High School for Girls on condition that the two should be equal partners known as Bolton School (Girls' and Boys' Divisions). On 1 April 1915, the Bolton School Foundation formally came into existence.

The current buildings were begun in the 1930s though they were not completed until the late 1960s. The motto of the school (used only by the Boys' Division) is Mutare Vel Timere Sperno, meaning "I scorn to change or to fear".^[3]

Academics

The School is consistently ranked amongst the best independent schools in the North of England.^[4]

In the government's new EBacc ranking of schools by 2010 GCSE results, the Girls' Division was placed 23rd in the country.^[5]

In the 2011 Daily Telegraph ranking of independent schools by GCSE results, the Girls' Division was 65th best in the country and the Boys' Division was 160th.

In the Daily Telegraph's 2011 A level results league table of independent schools, the Girls' Division was ranked 123rd (and 79th in 2010) and the Boys' Division was ranked 202nd (62nd in 2010) in the country.^[6]

Unusual offerings include Greek, Latin, Classics, Russian (Boys' Division only) and Spanish. Separate sciences are taught. Both divisions of the school are featured in the Good Schools Guide.^[7]

Administration

The Centre Quadrangle, Bolton School

From September 2008, the Headmaster of the Boys' Division has been Mr Philip Britton MBE (alumnus of St Hugh's College, Oxford). Miss Sue Hincks (MA Oxon, almuna of Magdalen College, Oxford) became Headmistress of the Girls' Division in September 2011. The Head of the Boys' Junior Division is Mr Stephen Whittaker and the Head of the Girls' Junior Division is Mrs Ruth Brierley. Mrs Deborah Northin is Head of the Infant School.^[8]

Bolton School has its own private coach company, BSS Coaches, and brings in over 900 pupils on 22 coach routes, spreading from Preston to Warrington to North Manchester to Wigan to Rochdale. A new coach route from Penwortham, Preston has been running since September 2008.^[9]

The school also hires out its buildings and services through BSSL Events and Lettings. The school is a very popular venue for weddings - in both the Arts Centre and the boys' Great Hall - and for conferences and exhibitions as well as a location for film shoots. The Mark of Cain (2007 film), a BAFTA Award winning television film, was filmed on the premises. The excellent sporting facilities are utilised by local clubs and both Bolton Wanderers FC and Bury FC have based their academies at the school in recent years.^[10]

The school also operates a pre- and post-school club for children, Kidzone, which offers childcare over the holiday periods for children from across Bolton.^[11]

Expansion and Renovation

Bolton School campus, August 2010

The 32-acre (130,000 m²) campus is set 1-mile (1.6 km) to the west of Bolton town centre and a £12 million building project has just been completed. On 1 June 2009, infants (boys and girls aged 4–7) moved into their brand new school, Beech House, built alongside the School's Nursery.^[12]

The Junior Boys' School on Park Road has also been extended and renovated and an official "opening" ceremony took place on 2 December 2009.^[13] The Park Road community is now making full use of their permanent extension to the main school, comprising two Year 6 classrooms, a new library, changing rooms and showers, storage facilities, staff/visitor toilets, staff accommodation and a kitchen and dining hall.^[14]

A new state-of-the-art Junior Girls' School (adjacent to the Girls' Senior School), Hesketh House, opened to children on 9 September 2010. The purpose built school comprises eight classrooms, its own large computer suite, a science room, a well-resourced library, an art/design and technology room and a main hall.^[15]

Work is set to begin in the summer of 2012 on a new stunning £7m Sixth Form Centre which will sit in the heart of the campus. It is due to open in September 2013.^[16]

Population

Children aged 4-7 moved into their new Infants' School, Beech House, on 1 June 2009

The school comprises:

• A nursery on Dobson Road (ages 0–4)
• A co-educational infant school, called Beech House (ages 4–7)
• A junior independent girls' school (ages 7–11, known as Hesketh House
• A junior independent boys' school (ages 7–11), known as Park Road
• Two separate secondary divisions, both with Sixth Form provision - Bolton School Girls' Division and Bolton School Boys' Division (ages 11–18).

The Girls' Division and Boys' Division Senior Schools (11-18 year olds) have approximately 850 students each. Across both divisions, over 300 pupils receive fee assistance through bursaries, many pupils enjoying full fee bursaries. The Junior Girls' and Junior Boys' schools (ages 7–11) have about 200 pupils each. The co-educational Infant School also has over 200 pupils. The Nursery has about 90 places available and there is a waiting list.^[17]

Extra-curricular activities

Patterdale Hall in the Lake District is visited regularly by all pupils

The School takes its extra-curricular provision seriously with multiple activities taking place in the extended lunch break, after school, at weekends and during holiday periods. Pupils are very much expected to involve themselves in the school's varied range of clubs and societies.

The Girls’ Division offers an extensive extra-curricular portfolio with over 90 activities to choose from in any week. There are many subject-based clubs as well as a Literary and Debating Society and more eclectic offerings such as a Philosophical Film Society. Many girls undertake the Duke of Edinburgh Award and there is much involvement in charitable work. Across the Senior and Junior School over 1300 girls take part in activities.

Sport is strong with much interest in athletics, lacrosse, netball, badminton and swimming. There is ongoing success in netball, swimming and lacrosse and girls regularly win town and county championships, with many pupil representing Lancashire. The U14 netball team was crowned National Champions in 2003-04 and the U17 team reached the national finals in 2007; the U15 lacrosse team was Northern Schools’ Champions in 2010 (in 2009 the U15 team were one of the best eight teams in the country) and in 2008 the U12 and U13s were Northern Schools’ Champions. The Junior School Swim Team was runners-up in the national championship in 2007. The Girls’ Division tennis team won the Aegon Schools’ Regional tennis competition in 2011.

Girls have recently represented Great Britain in the World Athletic Championships, water polo and swimming. In 2010, a current Sixth Form student, Emma Saunders, was nominated for the BBC Young Sports’ Personality of the Year award after winning silver and bronze medals with the GB Swim Team in the Commonwealth Games in Delhi.

Girls have also enjoyed recent success in sports outside school, including one pupil who is currently the U17 national fencing champion, another pupil who is a triple gold medal winner at ju-jitsu (in the United Nations Games) and a pupil who, in 2008, was the U12 national chess champion. The girls’ squash team has also enjoyed regional success in recent years. In 2008, Rachel Flanders became the youngest person to ever row across the Atlantic Ocean. In 2011, Hannah Pike captained the England U16 hockey team.

There are lunchtime clubs across all areas of activity. Drama productions take place in the School’s Arts centre and in the girls’ own theatre. There are spectacular annual productions with the Boys’ Division, recent productions include Aristophanes’ The Frogs, Les Miserables, Little Shop of Horrors and Hamlet. Some girls become members of the National Youth Theatre. Music is flourishing with many girls learning instruments in school – well over 300 instrument lessons are given each week - and beginners to grade 8+ students are catered for. There are five permanent music teachers and 21 instrumental and vocal specialists. More merits and distinctions are recorded than straight passes in Associated Board exams.^[18]

Art is also a very popular extra-curricular pastime and the school’s impressive studios are open during lunchtime and both before and after the school day. There are many activities and competitions. GSCE students can take part in weekend and holiday art workshops at an artist’s studio and theirs and A level students’ work are exhibited at the University of Bolton’s Best of Bolton display.

Girls travel the world on school trips and there have been recent ski trips to France, Italy and Switzerland. Netball and lacrosse teams have toured Canada, America, Malta, Australia and Barbados. Choirs and orchestras have performed in Florence, Paris, Bruges, Barcelona and Prague.^[19] In the summer of 2011, a group of Year 10 students visited the Maasai in Tanzania, having forged links with them via a Skype link-up and the internet. The visit is part of an ongoing project with the Maasai, which has seen girls help them with their English studies. The project is part of a larger concept, the Bolton School Global Village, which sees pupils making international link-ups with schools, students and organisations.

In the Boys’ Senior School, pupils in Years 7-9 are expected to attend at least three societies each week; Year 10 and 11 pupils are expected to involve themselves in at least one weekly activity. As well as the societies catering for sixth form students, there are many opportunities for members of Year 12 and Year 13 to become involved in the leadership of the activities. Aside from developing vital leadership qualities, elder students who assist members of staff in the organisation of societies are rewarded with a 'Leadership Certificate' at the end of each academic year.

Depending upon the term, there are up to 90 weekly or fortnightly clubs, societies and practices available to the boys (this number excludes the many music practices on offer). These range from subject-based clubs, such as Art Club, Science Club, Computer Club, Biology Club and The History Society to more wide-ranging societies such as Film Society, Warhammer Club, Creative Writing Club and Gameshow Club. There is also both a Junior Literary and Debating Forum and a Senior Literary and Debating Society, in which pupils of all ages can sharpen their oratorical skills.

Boys with musical and acting talents are also well-catered for. Music ensembles and drama rehearsals all take place in the lunch break and there are numerous concerts and productions every year. Over 450 boys have an individual music lesson. Many ensembles operate jointly with the Girls' Division. The School performed a joint concert at the Bridgewater Hall, Manchester in 2009, which involved over 650 pupils from Year 4 upwards. The Joint Chamber Choir has performed live on BBC Radio 4. The Senior Guitar Group has also won the Kirklees National Youth Guitar Orchestra Competition in recent years.

Sport plays a central role in the activities programme, it also takes up 10% of the timetable: soccer, rugby and hockey in winter, cricket in summer. There have been national victories in the Independent Schools’ FA competition in 2003 at U18 level and in 2010 at U13 level. The school boasts a number of alumni who play professional football. Current pupil James Roberts plays for the England Cerebral Palsy Development team. The School is an ISFA focus school, one of only nine in the country.

In 2011 the Year 8 rugby team won the North West Emerging Schools’ Cup Final and in 2006 the school was awarded Lancashire’s Rugby School of the Year. Both the rugby and cricket teams enjoy much regional success. Alex Davidson, who completed his A levels in 2011, plays professional rugby league for Salford Reds. Recent Old Boy Jack Forster is currently with Sale Sharks. Boys regularly represent the national independent schools’ Barbarians team. There is also regular representation for Lancashire Country Cricket Club. The U14 team were the Lancashire County Cricket winners in 2010.

A twenty five metre pool means the School is strong in water polo and swimming. There are two sports halls, one with a climbing wall, a multigym and quality games pitches on the 32-acre (130,000 m2) campus. The boys have recently won national titles in water polo, football and chess.^[20] Several Old Boys play in the British water polo team and Daniel Sliwinski is a 2012 Olympic hopeful in swimming. Pupils also represent the county, region and country at pentathlon, golf, tennis, skiing, sailing and kayaking. Andrew Keat has been the British Biathlon Champion in his age group for the past five years.

The Bolton School Paper is a quarterly-released newspaper, founded in 2002 and printed on tabloid newsprint. As of 2009, its circulation was 500. It is distributed free of charge to Bolton School students, staff, visitors and alumni. It is written solely by the students of the school - with students from Year 7 through to Year 9 taking a role in production, whether writing content, editing it or finalising the data. The newspaper also takes part in the TES Newsday competition annually. In 2007 it was awarded a Distinction.

There are also many Newsletters regarding the school libraries which the boys may write book reviews for, such as LSL Bulletin. The School also has a new BBC News School Report Programme for the Lower School. There is a web design and journalistic side to this new project.

Outdoor Pursuits

Tenacity of Bolton provides sailing lessons and team-building skills for pupils. It is also available for commercial hire.

Bolton School maintains a large, full-time outdoor pursuits department, called Bolton School Outdoor Pursuits (BSOP). The school operates Patterdale Hall, a large residential outdoor pursuits centre on the shores of Lake Ullswater in the Lake District.

As well as being a key part of the main curriculum, Outdoor Pursuits plays a central role in the extra curricular programme. Many pupils are introduced to a particular discipline via the Outdoor Education Programme and then go on to further their interest via the extra curricular programme. Pupils gain valuable experience of the world of business and commerce through the 'Business Awareness' course held each year at Patterdale Hall. The Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme is also pursued successfully by students, several having achieved the Gold Award whilst still at school.

For eight years (1999–2007), the School undertook the construction of a concrete yacht as a millennium project ("The Third Millennium Ketch"). The boat was constructed in a temporary boat shed attached to the school. It was launched in May 2007, and is owned by the School and is for use in outdoor pursuits. The boat, christened "Tenacity of Bolton", allows all Year 8 pupils (girls and boys) the chance for sailing lessons in the Irish Sea as part of the curriculum. Sixth Formers have also used the boat as part of their Duke of Edinburgh training. It is also available for commercial hire.

Notable Old Boltonians

The Old Girls' Association and Old Boltonians' Association are very active with over 9,000 members. Regular reunions are held throughout the year in Bolton, Manchester, Leeds, Oxford, Cambridge, Durham, Edinburgh, London, Bristol, Birmingham and Cumbria. Notable alumni include^[21]:

• Sir Arthur Rostron (1869–1940), Captain of the RMS Carpathia, first ship to aid the RMS Titanic^[22]
• Wing Commander John Scott-Taggart (1897–1979) radio and radar pioneer, author.
• Edmund Clifton Stoner )1899–1968), theoretical physicist.
• Sir Geoffrey Jackson (1915–1987), British Ambassador to Uruguay, kidnapped by Tupamaros guerrillas and held prisoner for 8 months
• Leslie Halliwell (1929–1989), film writer and historian
• Sir Harry Kroto (born 1939), Nobel Prizewinner in Chemistry
• Sir Ian McKellen (born 1939), actor
• Dame Janet Smith (born 1940), judge^[23]
• Ann Taylor, Baroness Taylor of Bolton (born 1947), politician
• Clive Crook (born 1953) Journalist for the Financial Times
• Patricia Morris, Baroness Morris of Bolton (born 1953), politician
• Mark Radcliffe (born 1958), radio broadcaster
• David Ruffley (born 1962), politician
• Nigel Short (born 1965), chess player
• Monica Ali (born 1967), author
• Angela Williams, Director UNRWA Affairs (Syrian Arab Republic)
• Harriet Steele, MP
• Anthony Lilley, OBE, Digital Media Producer and BAFTA Winner
• Julian Darby (born 1967) ex premiership footballer
• Roger Draper (born 1970), Chief Executive of the Lawn Tennis Association and formerly Chief Executive of Sport England
• Archis Tiku (born 1977), bassist with the band Maxïmo Park
• Ralf Little (born 1980), actor
• Alex Wotherspoon (born 1982), Candidate on the 2008 series of The Apprentice.
• Joyce Tyldesley (born 1960), Egyptologist
• Gordon Clough (1934–1996), Broadcaster
• Chris Goudge, Olympic hurdler, 1960
• Jack Bond (born 1932), Cricketer
• Robert Haslam, Lord Haslam, Former Chair of British Steel and the Coal Board
• Sir Philip Craven MBE, Chair of the British Paralympic Association
• Andy Paterson, Oscar-winning film producer
• John Markland CBE, Chair of Scottish National Heritage
• Carol Klein (born 1945), Gardening expert, TV presenter and newspaper columnist
• Caroline Plumb, Management Today cited her as being in the top 35 women under 35 years of age, co-founder of Fresh Minds
• Daniel Sliwinski, Swimmer, Junior UK Breast Stroke record holder, 2012 Olympic hopeful
• Andrew "Chubby" Chandler, MD, International Sports Management Ltd (clients include Andrew Flintoff, Darren Clarke etc.)
• Chris Eatough, World Champion Mountain Biker
• Max George, Singer in the boy band The Wanted.
• Alex Davidson (rugby league) Salford City Reds Rugby League player
• Andrew Kirkham (Pokemon TCG) World Champion

External links

• Bolton School home page
• Girls' Division home page
• Girls' Division Junior School home page
• Boys' Division home page
• Boys' Division Junior School home page
• Bolton School Infants' School - Beech House
• Bolton School Nursery
• The Millennium Ketch Project

References

1. ^ "Bolton School - Independent School for Bolton, Lancashire, Manchester". http://www.boltonschool.org. Retrieved January 10, 2010. 
2. ^ "Records of early English Drama - Lancashire". http://www.reed.utoronto.ca/lancsadd.pdf. Retrieved 17 October 2010. 
3. ^ The History of Bolton School W E Brown MA, Bolton School 1976, ISBN 0-9504947-0-4 with an extended essay by F R Poskitt, CBE MA
4. ^ "Top School in the North in New GCSE Rankings". http://www.boltonschool.org/senior-girls/news/girls-division-top-school-in-the-north-in-new-gcse-rankings/. Retrieved September 2, 2011. 
5. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-12168236
6. ^ www.telegraph.co.uk
7. ^ "The Good Schools Guide". http://www.goodschoolsguide.co.uk/allschools/index.php. Retrieved January 10, 2010. 
8. ^ "Bolton School - Independent School for Bolton, Lancashire, Manchester". http://www.boltonschool.org. Retrieved January 10, 2010. 
9. ^ "BSS Coaches". http://www.bsscoaches.com. Retrieved January 10, 2010. 
10. ^ "BSS Events & Lettings". http://www.bssevents.com. Retrieved January 10, 2010. 
11. ^ "BSS Kidzone". http://www.bsskidzone.com. Retrieved January 10, 2010. 
12. ^ "New School Offers Best of Both Worlds". http://www.boltonschool.org/infants/news/new-school-offers-best-of-both-worlds. Retrieved January 10, 2010. 
13. ^ "£1.5m Refurbishment for Junior School". http://www.boltonschool.org/junior-boys/noticeboard/%C2%A315m-refurbishment-to-junior-school. Retrieved January 10, 2010. 
14. ^ "£1.5m Refurbishment for Junior School". http://www.boltonschool.org/junior-boys/noticeboard/£15m-refurbishment-to-junior-school. Retrieved January 10, 2010. 
15. ^ "£5m Junior Girls School Opens". http://www.boltonschool.org/junior-girls/news/£5m-junior-girls-school-opens. Retrieved September 9, 2010. 
16. ^ "Stunning new Sixth Form Centre to provide Best of Both Worlds". http://www.boltonschool.org/sixth-form-boys/noticeboard/stunning-new-sixth-form-centre-to-provide-best-of-both-worlds/. Retrieved September 2, 2011. 
17. ^ "Bolton School Nursery". http://www.boltonschool.org/nursery/. Retrieved September 2, 2011. 
18. ^ Good Schools' Guide 2008-09
19. ^ "Bolton School Senior Girls - Independent School, Manchester". http://www.boltonschool.org/seniorgirls/. Retrieved January 10, 2010. 
20. ^ "Bolton School Senior Boys - Independent Education, Lancashire". http://www.boltonschool.org/seniorboys/. Retrieved January 10, 2010. 
21. ^ "Old Boltonians and Old Girls' Association - Alumni and Former Pupils". http://www.boltonschool.org/about-us/old-girls-and-old-boys/welcome/. Retrieved September 2, 2011. 
22. ^ "Famous Old Boltonians - Old Boys". http://www.boltonschool.org/about-us/old-girls-and-old-boys/old-boys'-association/distinguished-old-boys/. Retrieved September 2, 2011. 
23. ^ "Distinguished Old Girls". http://www.boltonschool.org/about-us/old-girls-and-old-boys/old-girls'-association/distinguished-old-girls/. Retrieved September 2, 2011.