The Cockerel - October 2023

The Cockerel BOLTON SCHOOL BOYS’ DIVISION NEWSLETTER ISSUE 42 - OCTOBER 2023

Chapter 1

Boys enjoy summer Hockey Tour in The Netherlands

Boys enjoy summer Hockey Tour in The Netherlands

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t 9 a.m. on a Sunday morning in August, 32 boys from Years 10-13 assembled on Chorley New Road, ready to depart on a 6-day trip to the Netherlands to not only play hockey, but to experience another country’s lifestyle, people and cities, and have a great time doing so.

After a relatively smooth day of travelling, with all but one lost bag, we arrived at Stayokay Hostel in Soest, Utrecht, where we would be staying for the next three days.

The following morning was a pro coaching session at Kampong HC, one of the best teams in the Netherlands, with a ridiculous 90 senior teams that play on an expansive 9 pitches, and we were lucky enough to enjoy a session that morning with three coaches from the club. It was an extremely useful session during which we used equipment and did drills we’d never seen before, but had a great time doing them. After lunch at Kampong, we went into Utrecht where we got some more fitness training by walking up the 465 steps of the Dom Toren. We then had burgers for tea and then made our way to Bison Bowling for a competitive end to the day.

The next morning, we were back at Kampong, this time for a training session led by our own coaches, which was equally as useful and enjoyable as the previous

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day’s. Up next was then a Cold War-themed escape room, which,

Next was a trip to Efteling, The Netherlands’ biggest theme park,

after you got over the stress of a nuclear threat, was really fun.

where some took full advantage of the fairly extreme rides on

Then came the first round of matches. The Under 16 team, made up of Year 10s and Year 11s went up against HC Houten, losing 3-0 in a great show of hockey. The Under 18s, made up of Year

offer, and some took it easy, sticking to the slower, more horizontal rides, not wanting their breakfast to make a reappearance.

12s and Year 13s were up against Top Division side SCHC

Straight from Efteling, both teams travelled to HC Schiedam for

Bilthoven and, after a spirited game, came out with a 12-0 loss –

their respective matches. This time, the Under 16s managed to

not reflective of their efforts against an extremely talented side.

come out on top, with a well-deserved 2-0 win. The Under 18s,

Both teams were also very well looked after, with some great

drawing the short straw, ended with an 8-0 loss, again, against

post-match hospitality.

very strong opposition. After the match, we departed to our second intriguingly designed hostel of the trip, in Rotterdam.

A tour at FC Feyenoord’s stadium in Rotterdam was the next morning’s activity: our favourite fact was that the first floodlit match at Feyenoord was against the one and only Bolton Wanderers, who amazingly won the match in 1957 3-0 – I know, I couldn’t believe it either! Lunch that day was in the form of a pancake cruise through Rotterdam, where there were unlimited Dutch pancakes with a ridiculous number of topping options available, which Patrick took full advantage of when making his almost criminally stacked up pancake.

The final matches of the trip took place that night too, both at Dordrechtse Mixed Hockey Club (DMHC). The Under 16s started off the night and, despite playing one of their best matches of hockey to date, they were beaten 5-0 by a pretty formidable team. While the Under 16s got changed and socialised with the 3

opposition over some well-deserved Domino’s pizza, the Under

later, we arrived back in Manchester on the Saturday morning:

18s started their match against an equally strong Dordrechtse

exhausted, but also extremely happy and grateful for a trip that

team, losing 7-0, despite the Under 16s’ excellent sideline

not only improved our hockey and made us closer as teammates,

encouragement. The night was a great finish to the competitive

but let us experience and enjoy a different country’s people and

side of the tour and really showed the spirit of the game.

culture. However, none of it would

For the final day of the

have

tour, we started off with

been

possible without

a fairly extreme High

the impressive

Ropes Course including

and dedicated

ziplines, climbing walls

organisational

and more, which was a

s k i l l s o f M r.

lot of fun. We then

Robson,

stayed firmly on the

alongside Mr.

fl o o r d u r i n g t h e afternoon’s visit to The Hague for our taste of the Dutch culture, visiting the Mauritshuis art g a l l e r y, t h e D u t c h parliament building, the Royal Palace and the Peace Palace. We then returned to the hostel, getting ourselves ready for the early start to travel back the next day.

Sutcliffe, Miss Petrie and Miss Archer. We all had a truly amazing time and I’m sure, given the chance, would do it all again.

A late transfer, long queue, quick sprint through Schiphol Airport and yet another missing bag 4

Chapter 2

Year 13 delights audience at Bolton Parish Church

Year 13 delights audience at Bolton Parish Church

O

ur Year 13 Music students got the opportunity to perform at Bolton Parish Church on the 17th October for one of their lunchtime concerts. Both boys p l a y e d f a n t a s t i c a l l y, enjoying the acoustics, the wonderful audience, and hearing fellow musicians from Canon Slade School. We are looking forward to taking more students to perform in future lunchtime concerts.

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Chapter 3

Over 10,400 hours of Volunteering celebrated

Over 10,400 hours of Volunteering celebrated Six students were then invited to share their wide-ranging

A

s the Summer Term drew to a close, Sixth Form students in the Boys’ and Girls’ Divisions gathered in the Arts Centre to celebrate their outstanding contribution to their local communities through volunteering and community action work.

Year 12 volunteered for 10,498 hours between September 2022 and June 2023 and over 80% volunteer at least twice a week.

Old Boy Andrew Jowett OBE (Class of 1980), the Chief Executive at Build It International, joined proud parents, staff and students for this special occasion.

volunteering experiences. Marcus Fung spoke about working in a Barnados charity shop and about tutoring younger chess players and arbiting competitions. Kashaf Ashraf talked about her volunteering at Bolton Hospice. Kevin Longthorne described working at a Covid vaccine centre and at a nursery, as well as refereeing youth rugby matches. Elliott Rigby spoke about

In her welcome, Mrs. Entwistle reminded everyone of Bolton School’s ethos of giving back and making a difference for good, and noted that volunteering offers students the opportunity to gain a broader understanding of the challenges and issues that others face, in addition to building important life skills and developing confidence. 184 Year 12 students this year received certificates, with 57 of those being Gold Awards for over 100 hours of voluntary work. The hours this year amount to a recordbreaking value of £50,000.

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voluntary work in School supporting drama productions and the

Andrew Jowett then gave the evening’s keynote address. He

fireworks evening, as well as being a Dance Assistant. Jayden

began by looking back on his ‘wonderful’ time at Bolton School,

Luhar talked about coaching hockey, doing paired reading and

recalling the sports and outdoor pursuits, in particular the trek

his work with youth group Creatives Now. Maryam Ali described

camps, and the opportunities he had to lead younger boys in

being a youth leader at Beavers, helping to organise Tea at the

these activities. Through taking part, he developed

Riley and working with Homeless Aid’s Street Kitchen. They all

inquisitiveness, confidence and leadership skills while also

mentioned the many skills they had developed and the huge

learning both to take responsibility and take risks. After leaving

amount of benefit they had gained from volunteering, while

Bolton School, he went on to study Geography at Oxford

simultaneously helping others.

University, where he became involved with a literacy programme

These speeches were followed by the presentation of certificates to the exceptional students who gave their time this academic

for migrants.

Offering his first piece of advice for the evening, he encouraged students to follow his example as, despite pressure to get on the career ladder after university, he took his time to explore different things to find out what was the right fit. This led him, at 28, to a career in Central America, building water systems and schools with Save the Children. He then worked in East Africa for a time, before eventually founding Build It International in 2007.

Build It International is a charity, which provides construction education to young people in Zambia and supports the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. 200 to 250 young men and women are enrolled in each practical six-month course, and the charity also works with employers to offer students and graduates work placements and job opportunities, supporting the trainees into work.

year.

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Andrew also explained how Build It International’s trainees help to

they lead. He also recommended being genuinely interested in

solve problems, for example the charity works with Zambia’s

other people, and to see the bigger picture to recognise the

Ministry of Education to build schools in communities where an

importance and impact of what you are doing. He added that it is

upgrade is needed, providing facilities so that the government

a privilege to volunteer, as ‘the pleasure is in the giver, not the

can then send trained teachers to the new school buildings. He

receiver’: volunteering offers a huge amount back. As well as

said that in many cases, the siblings of the builders go on to

making an enormous difference to others, it develops confidence

attend these schools. He also shared impact studies that showed

and gives opportunities to meet and make connections between

how, after each year, levels of poverty are reduced for Build It

a wide variety of people.

International trainees, showing the real difference that these practical courses are making in young people’s lives. Later in his talk, he shared the ‘1 Million Hands Up’ campaign that Build It International is currently running on social media.

Finally, Andrew’s call to action was for the Sixth Formers to continue supporting their local community, wherever they end up, and to consider a career in the voluntary sector, as charities need talented people just as much as business and government. He congratulated the School, staff and especially the students on their achievements: ‘I’m really, really blown away, I’m so impressed.’

To bring the evening to a close, Mr. Britton thanked Andrew for his affirming address. He too offered his thanks and congratulations to the gathered students, and their parents for their support, acknowledging that the small amount of ‘compulsory volunteering’ at Bolton School is a necessary push that allows so many students to go above and beyond when they find something they are good at and enjoy doing. He said that this evening was an opportunity to be ‘terrifically proud’ and that he is ‘enormously optimistic that students will leave prepared to make

Moving on to some reflections, Andrew reminded everyone that

a difference for good’

it’s okay to take time, find skills and interests and follow where 10

Chapter 4

Students celebrate excellent A Level results

Students celebrate excellent A Level results graded at A*-C and the overall pass rate was at 99.4%.

T

he Class of 2023 at Bolton School celebrated an excellent set of A Level results in August. In the morning, Year 13 girls and boys, along with parents, gathered in their respective Great Halls to collect their results. This was the year group where, nationally, the results were set to fall back into line with pre-Covid exam results.

The Boys’ Division results were very much in line with 2019 and in many subject areas were better. The A*-A pass rate was at 48.6% and A*-B pass rate was at 74.7%, very similar to the previous year; the percentage of A* grades (15.7%) and those achieving

Girls’ Division students recorded a similar set of results to the boys. The percentage pass at A*-A was 41.9% and the pass rate at A*-B was at 70.3% with the overall pass rate being the same as the Boys’ Division at 99.4%. 86.1% of grades were at A*-C. Philip Britton, Head of Bolton School Foundation, said: ‘Across the campus, both Divisions have performed well and, as ever, there are some outstanding individual and collective results.

Students have much to celebrate, as do their teachers, who have supported them both academically and pastorally. The results should be celebrated all the more when one remembers that these students were in Year 10 when the pandemic hit and their GCSEs were cancelled, and this is the first time they have sat formal exams.’

A*-A grades

Besides achieving outstanding exam results, many students

were significantly

have also been involved in a wide range of extra-curricular

higher than

activities. Zane Nirodi, who achieved A*AAB, is one of seven

2019. 90.3% of

young men off to Medical School and is also a cricketer with

papers were

aspirations of playing professionally. Jamie Death, who achieved

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BCC, is the GB number one in his weight category at judo and is

plan for a long time and ‘lots of hard work’ has gone into

in the England Under 21 squad. Aran Pomian, a Gold DofE

preparing for the extra interviews and qualifications required.

recipient achieved A*AA grades. Four students were set to enrol

Kelly Chae, who completed her Gold DofE, achieved three A*s

on degree apprenticeships, one of which was Seb Thompson,

and an A. Frankie Williams-Denton also completed her Gold DofE

who achieved three Bs; he will join Jaguar Land Rover at their

and is a member of the England Lacrosse squad: she achieved

Gaydon site and will study Electrical Engineering at Warwick

two As and a B. Martha Halford with BBC grades similarly

University. Seven Boys’ Division students got 3 A*s or more.

completed her Gold DofE and is a member of the England Lacrosse squad. Shriya Pindoria achieved ABB whilst being a member of the Lancashire Women's Under 18s’ Cricket squad and playing for Ramsbottom Under 18s and Seniors. Six Girls’ Division students got 3 A*s or more.

In the Girls’ Division, Safia Adia with four A*s was very excited to be going to the University of Newcastle to study Dentistry and Amaani Adam, also with four A*s and off to study Dentistry at Manchester, said that she ‘can’t wait’ to start, as it’s been the 13

Chapter 5

GCSE Celebrations for Year 11

GCSE Celebrations for Year 11 Head of Foundation Philip Britton said: ‘It is always an enjoyable

B

oth Great Halls at Bolton School were filled with excited chatter as Year 11 returned with their parents and family members to collect their GCSE results in August.

morning sharing success and celebrating with pupils who have realised their potential in academic studies as well as developing into well rounded people, who have enjoyed hobbies and interests, sporting excellence, creative talents and challenge in the outdoors.

‘It is also good to see nationally the grade 9, introduced to be a sign of real excellence, has become rarer again and that in that context so many of our pupils have achieved that distinction.

A l s o nationally,

The morning was another opportunity to celebrate with a year

the north

group that was significantly impacted in their formative Senior

has not

School years by the pandemic: they spent the latter half of Year 8

performed

learning remotely, Year 9 in bubbles and Year 10 in masks.

as well as

However, this set of results saw a return to pre-Covid levels, as

the south,

with A Level results the previous week. Across the whole of

so it is

Bolton School (Boys’ and Girls’ Divisions), a third of grades

great to

(33.7%) were 9s and 8s and more than half the grades received

think we

(54.8%) were graded 9 to 7.

can be a

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leading light in the north to show that academic achievement is

Keen Water polo player Rob Bentham achieved grades of 7, two

here as well.’

6s, four 5s and a 4 while also training and competing at an

There was a huge amount of personal and individual success

international level with the English Schools Team.

across the whole year group. A large number of students

Elite athlete Zach Baumann was pleased with his GCSE results,

achieved the grades they needed alongside impressive extra-

which allow him to head off to Manchester United’s football

curricular endeavours, from Silver Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards to

school.

elite level sport to involvement in music, drama, community action and much more.

Emilia Nuttall, who is in her second year of playing at the Blackburn Rovers Football Academy, received

Organ Scholar William Martin achieved six 9s, four 8s, an A and a 7 and plans to stay on at Bolton School to study Russian, History, Maths and French next year.

Molly Grimshaw achieved eight grade 9s and two grade 8s in her GCSE while also training at the Under 20 England Lacrosse

fiv e g r a d e 9 s , two grade 8s and two grade 7s. She has been playing football since she was six years old and has plans to continue: after A Levels in Biology, Chemistry and Physical Education at Bolton School’s Sixth Form, she hopes to achieve a football scholarship to study in America. She said that she is keeping her options open with her studies, but potentially hopes to one day play professionally.

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National Academy. She juggled her mocks with training residentials, and had to keep up her fitness levels throughout the examination period, as the weekend after her GCSEs ended she was training at the National Academy! She also plays netball for the School and helped the Under 16 team to win the Town Championships. Next year, she will study History, Geography, Classical Civilisation and Drama in the Sixth Form, with future plans of attending a London university for a degree in History before a Law conversion course. Her sporting aspirations are to make it into the National Lacrosse squad and eventually play at international tournaments.

William Malley and Charlotte Harris are among the students who completed their Silver Duke of Edinburgh Awards alongside their studies: both took part in kayaking expeditions. William has aspirations of going into Law like his grandfather and achieved grades of 9, five 8s and four 7s. Charlotte achieved three 8s, three 6s and three 5s and is considering a career in Psychology.

In the Girls’ Division, nine girls achieved ten or more grades 8 or 9 and a further nine students received nine or more grades 8 or 9.

In the Boys’ Division, ten boys received ten or more grades 8 or 9 and eight more boys achieved nine or more grades 8 or 9.

Aspiring medic Rhea Sudhakar achieved ten grade 9s and one grade 8, and Ethan Wong achieved an amazing clean sweep of twelve grade 9s!

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Chapter 6

Lord Lieutenant and High Sheriff of Cumbria’s Patterdale Hall visit

Lord Lieutenant and High Sheriff of Cumbria’s Patterdale Hall visit targets youth disadvantage in Cumbria and North Lancashire.

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Alexander’s great-grandfather, Sir James Scott, who founded The lexander Scott, King Charles

Provincial Insurance Company, lived at Beech House in Bolton,

III’s Lord Lieutenant of Cumbria, has

which became the Infant School of Bolton School before it was

visited Bolton School’s Patterdale

knocked down and a Junior Girls’ School, Hesketh House, erected

Hall on the shores of Lake Ullswater,

on the site. Francis Scott, Alexander's grandfather, went on to buy

along with his wife Samantha Scott,

Patterdale Hall in 1934, before donating large areas of land to the

who is the High Sheriff of Cumbria.

National Trust and selling it in the 1960s – his motivation being to

Somewhat unusually, both took up

protect the landscape from large scale development.

their positions earlier in the year, meaning that the couple

Timothy Taylor, Patterdale Hall’s Manager, commented: ‘It was a pleasure to welcome guests with so many connections to Bolton

simultaneously hold two of the most

School to Patterdale. We had a lovely afternoon tea, reminiscing on

important positions representing the

the close links between the Scott family and Bolton School and

Crown in Cumbria. The pair visited

discussing the work of the Rose Castle Foundation and the

Patterdale Hall to meet with current

experience of the current residential party at Patterdale Hall.

attendee Hannah Larn of the Rose Castle Foundation, Hall manager

Members of their group had travelled from New York, Birmingham,

Timothy Taylor and Bolton School governor Tim Taylor, who is also

Leicester and Cumbria to interact in a multi-faith environment. The

Chair of the Scott Bolton Trust Management Committee.

Rose Castle Foundation works with emerging leaders, who are

Alexander is a trustee of the Scott Bolton Trust, which each year offers travel grants to Bolton School students and alumni aged 16-22 years. He is also a trustee of a grant-giving body established by his

motivated by their faith and who are moving into positions of influence across societal divides. Their Emerging Peacemakers Programme has been running at Patterdale Hall for two years.

father Peter Scott, the Francis C. Scott Charitable Trust, which 19

Chapter 7

Challenge Cup visits School

Challenge Cup visits School

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t the end of September, pupils at Bolton School had the opportunity to see the Rugby League Challenge Cup in person, when it was loaned to the School for a day!

The Cup, one of the oldest and most recognisable trophies in the world, went on display in the Riley Centre’s Leverhulme Suite over lunchtime. Pupils from the Senior and Junior Schools and interested members of staff were able to not only see this iconic Cup up close, but even pick it up for photos.

Leigh Leopards, who won the trophy over the summer, kindly allowed the Cup to be borrowed thanks to the good relationship the Club has with Bolton School.

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Chapter 8

Speedcuber beats his own National Record

Speedcuber beats his own National Record

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ear 11 pupil Luke Burns has beaten the national record for 2x2 speedcubing – a record which he previously set.

Luke held the national record with an average for five solves of a 2x2 cube in 1.32 seconds. However, at the Wakefield Autumn 2023 in early October, he set a new record time of just 1.27 seconds!

Speedcubing involves trying to solve Rubik’s Cubes and similar cube puzzles as fast as possible. Luke first tried to get serious with the sport during the pandemic as a way to keep his mind stimulated. He said: ‘There are certain methods to solving the cubes, sequences of moves you can learn to solve it faster. The more of them you learn, the fewer turns needed to solve the cube and that translates to faster times.’

Luke is confident that with further training, he could get even faster at solving the 2x2 cube.

Later in October, Luke will compete in the National Championships in Coventry, where he hopes to win the 2x2 event.

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Chapter 9

Kesh’s Century in England Cricket Debut

Kesh’s Century in England Cricket Debut tearing his meniscus while on 20, an injury which ultimately

K

eshana Fonseka, a Ye a r 1 3 s t u d e n t a t Bolton School Boys’ Division, made his debut with the England Under 19 cricket team last month. Kesh, taking part in a 50 over, one day game against Ireland, scored an amazing 121 runs – almost half of the team’s overall score of 261. Watch him reach his century here. You can catch some of Kesh’s best shots and see the full scorecard here.

caught up with him when he was run out. He was still England’s top scorer on the day and helped his team secure a victory by 209 runs. Again, you can watch the highlights and view the scorecard here.

The injury meant Kesh missed the following matches against Australia. He now has his sights fixed on the Under 19s’ World Cup in Sri Lanka in January, by which time he hopes to be fit again.

Mr. Mark Chilton, Director of Sport in the Boys’ Division, said: ‘It’s been a great season for Kesh, who had a few notable knocks for School in the 1st Xl as well. I’m sure he will be working hard over the winter now, alongside his studies, including A Level PE. Hopefully, he can follow in the footsteps of the Parkinson twins and Haseeb Hameed in earning a professional contract.’

Kesh is an opening batter and off-break bowler, who plays his

Following on from this,

club cricket at Hyde Cricket Club. When he joined Lancashire’s

Kesh’s second game was also against Ireland and again, batting

Academy at just 15 years old, he was the youngest entrant ever

at number three, he scored highly, making 76 runs despite

to the Lancashire Academy.

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Chapter 10

Parents’ Associations providing those little extras

Parents’ Associations providing those little extras ‘Across the quad, in our Girls’ Division, funds have been used to

A

s Bolton School gears up for a new academic year, Head of Foundation Philip Britton offered his thanks to the Foundation’s Parents’ Associations. ‘Once again, I am looking forward to engaging with our proactive and generous PAs, who provide so many extras – in terms of resources and their time – that benefit our pupils.

‘Over the last decade or so, our Senior School PAs alone have raised well over £100,000 through a wide range of events

help convert an area in school into a pupils’ wellbeing and pastoral care area, called The Hive. Other recent purchases have included outdoor and indoor table tennis tables; games for a Year 11 common room, which they also had transformed from an ICT room; a photo booth for Year 13 girls and boys to celebrate the end of their school journey; Year 11 prom decorations; a new sailing boat as well as providing a contribution towards the refurbishment of the climbing wall.

including the likes of Balls, Burns Nights and bonfire and firework

‘We are also hugely indebted to so many parents who give up

evenings, as well as through plant and Christmas pudding sales

their time to advise and mentor pupils – the girls’ PA organise a

and by providing refreshments at events.

Future Entrepreneurs event – and to those who offer work

‘The allocation of monies raised by the PAs is through a teachers’ wish-list. In the Boys’ Division. Funding has been provided for an air filtration system in the Art classrooms, cricket

placements and help with interview skills training. There’s also a very informative and popular series of presentations, organised by the Boys’ PA, for all parents called ‘The Teenage Journey’.

bowling machines, a golf rangefinder, a green screen, a vintage

‘Parents also offer pre-loved uniform sales and staff the lost

display case, kayaks, sailing boats, video cameras and for a

property service and outgrown clothing shop, with some of the

variety of musical instruments.

proceeds assisting those parents suffering with financial hardship and covering the costs of extra-curricular trips and activities.’

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Chapter 11

Pupils enjoy enriching activities during Culture Festival

Pupils enjoy enriching activities during Culture Festival creative health and wellbeing within the school and local community,

T

he inaugural Bolton School Culture Festival ran for two weeks from 9th to 20th October. It was designed to celebrate the rich tapestry of cultures within the Boys’ and Girls’ Divisions and provided a platform for cultural exploration and expression.

GCSE Art masterclasses with artist Joel Penkman, film screenings with director question and answer sessions, digital futures workshops and issue-based comedy workshops.

The festival also saw the launch of the Year 7 ‘One Square Mile’

The festival, overseen by Miss Naomi Lord, Foundation Director of

Creative Thinking project. Blending together multiple subjects and

Creative Learning and Partnerships, aimed to promote respect and

activities across the school year, this project will develop pupils’

cultural curiosity and to instil in students the value of embracing and

character education and creative thinking skills though an

learning from diverse cultures. A variety of bespoke arts and culture

exploration of ‘the extraordinary within the ordinary’.

experiences opened doors to new perspectives and creative expression, enriching students’ cultural capital and promoting community cohesion. The event sought to develop a collective understanding of the school community's cultural identity and

In addition, both the Boys' and Girls' Divisions hosted musical evenings and, at the weekends, offered community theatre enrichment and community arts collective studio sessions.

heritage, and by celebrating differences, strengthened the sense of

During the Culture Festival, students engaged in discussions to

unity within the school.

gather their input on further arts, culture, and creative health

The festival also sought to enhance both personal and collective

activities. Their voices will help shape future programmes.

wellbeing through active participation in arts and culture.

Professor Bill Lucas, Director of the Centre for Real-World Learning

Engagement in such creative activities can boost morale, reduce

and Professor of Learning at the University of Winchester, also

stress, and foster a sense of belonging.

visited during the festival. Professor Lucas's model of creativity has

Throughout the fortnight, students had the opportunity to participate in a wide range of activities during curriculum time. The full programme included sculpture workshops, design projects for

been adopted by the School as a means of developing and assessing students’ creative thinking.

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Chapter 12

Pupils donate to Malawi charity

Pupils donate to Malawi charity very same country! Indeed, Mrs. Marsden had already raised

D

uring a week in October, Senior Boys and Girls at Bolton School ran a footwear charity collection for a Malawi fundraising campaign. Pupils in Years 7-13 brought in pairs of shoes, trainers and flip-flops for the charity Great Minds, Bright Futures, which helps orphans in Malawi, one of the poorest countries in the world. The Boys’ and Girls’ Divisions signed up to this cause, along with other settings within the Bolton School Foundation, after hearing an assembly presentation by Dave Armstrong and Catherine Foxon earlier this term.

Mr. Armstrong, a Bolton School parent, combined his campaign to build Chunzu Primary School in Malawi with Julia Marsden, a Bolton School Junior Girls’ School teacher, after a chance meeting in which she revealed she was also raising money to

over £10,000 towards the £40,000 she was aiming for when she and Mr. Armstrong decided to join forces. Her charity venture was inspired by two trips to Malawi to work with street children in 2017 and 2018. You can watch a film that Mrs. Marsden made about her visit to Malawi along with information about the Great Minds, Bright Future charity here.

Mrs. Marsden has now raised over £20,000 and is travelling to Malawi during the half term break with Mr. Chadwick to negotiate for land with village chiefs and to work with his orphan feeding programmes. She is currently fundraising via this crowd funding link to help with her travel costs.

build a primary and secondary school for street children in the 31

Chapter 13

Life Lessons from Lord Leverhulme

Life Lessons from Lord Leverhulme Head told how Leverhulme bought them as a retirement project

B

olton School’s Head of Foundation Philip Britton addressed both Senior Schools ahead of Lord Leverhulme’s date of birth, 19th September. Lord Leverhulme, who was born in 1851 in Bolton, gave a generous endowment to Bolton’s High School for Girls and Grammar School for Boys, enabling them to become Bolton School (Boys’ Division and Girls’ Division) in 1915. Each year, the Foundation Head reflects upon a period of Leverhulme’s life and considers how his life lessons can inform our own.

with the ambition of improving the lives of crofters and other locals. However, during the 1920s, the islands suffered from a number of issues, not least the dearth of young men after the

Mr. Britton told how, in 1911, Mr. William Hesketh Lever became Sir William and chose to link his baronetcy to Port Sunlight. In 1917, he was made a Baron and he associated that with Bolton. In 1922, he became a Viscount and went on to link that with the Western Isles in Scotland. Mr. Britton focused his talk on Leverhulme’s exploits in the Isles of Lewis and Harris and told how they could be regarded as one of Leverhulme’s failures. The 33

First World War – over 1,000 had perished and then in the early

a flagpole was erected at the School when George V came to the

hours of New Year’s Day 1919, two hundred returning men

throne and that for Elizabeth II, School has the coronation

tragically lost their lives as the naval yacht HMY lolaire foundered

lanterns. For Charles III, he announced, the School will link a

in rough seas, near Stornoway. The lack of men contributed to

newly installed flagpole at the outdoor adventure learning centre

young people emigrating, one such example being the mother of

Patterdale Hall with the Coronation and also, in keeping with

Donald Trump!

Charles’ general wishes, will plant trees in a sustained and

Mr. Britton expounded on how Leverhulme liked to vertically integrate industries and spoke of how he saw a big potential in harvesting a new type of seaweed; something which did not come to fruition. The ambitions in Leverhulme’s head, Mr. Britton explained, did not always tally with those of the local community.

systematic manner. There will, he explained, be two principal projects: one to replace the Patterdale larch plantation with a planting of indigenous species and another to increase the use of the Tudor Avenue woodlands on the School campus, including some further planting there.

In Lewis and Harris, most locals did not take kindly to his interference and were happy to continue with their herring fishing.

While he was effectively driven out of the islands, the Head told how there are still reminders of him today – through the naming of schools, roads and places. To this day, pupils at Bolton School Junior Boys’ Schools remain pen pals with their Western Isles counterparts at Leverhulme Memorial Primary School.

Considering Leverhulme’s experience in the Western Isles, the Head concluded that you cannot do good to people, you must do it with them. He linked it to today’s delivery of international aid and stressed how the need to respect people is very important.

Reflecting on his assembly last year, shortly after the death of Queen Elizabeth II, Mr. Britton told how we had since witnessed King Charles’ coronation. He reminded the audience that in 1911, 34

Chapter 14

A splendid evening of Musical entertainment

A splendid evening of Musical entertainment piano, Nishan Sharma (Year 10) - xylophone, William Earnshaw

O

n Monday 9th October, 19 Senior boys provided a wonderful evening of musical entertainment in the Great Hall.

(Year 11) - tenor horn, Oliver Heath (Year 11) - vocal/electric guitar, Thomas Humphreys (Year 11) - piano, Zak McAlister (Year 11) - vocal, Alex Pearce (Year 11) - piano, Daniel Simmons (Year 11) - bass guitar, and Tom Williamson (Year 12) - piano.

The piano accompanists were Ms. Lien and

Mrs.

Whitmore. Mr.

A very wide range

Lovatt ensured

of musical styles including classical, jazz, pop and heavy metal

that all items

were presented to an enthusiastic audience made up of family,

were balanced

friends and staff.

from the sound

Excellent solo and duet items were given by Jake Dance (Year 7)

desk.

- vocal, Taran Guduru (Year 7) - piano, Oliver Hill (Year 7) -

At

electric guitar, Jamie Ho (Year 7) - piano, Rohan O’Riordan (Year

conclusion of the concert, Head of Boys’ Division, Mr. Ford,

7) - piano, Ike Edwards (Year 8) - bass guitar, Marcus Lam (Year

thanked all of the performers for sharing their talents in such an

8) - clarinet, Tejas Neelam (Year 8) - flute, Jamie Chen (Year 9) -

impressive way, and also thanked parents for supporting their

guitar, Thomas Sibley (Year 9) - vocal, Kingsley Sou (Year 9) -

children on their musical journeys.

the

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Chapter 15

Organists impress guests at School Reunion

Organists impress guests at School Reunion

O

n Saturday 30th September, both the Boys’ Division and Girls’ Division Great Halls resounded with uplifting performances given by three of our organ scholars, namely William Martin, Bing Yu Wang and Lucas Ng. Their performances were part of the activities organised for the ‘3’ Years Class Reunion event.

Several former pupils visited the Great Halls and commented on how impressive the musical renditions were, with organ sounds bringing back many happy memories of their time at our school.

As a Royal College of Organists’ Accredited School, we are always happy to showcase our organists! They are taught by Foundation Organist, Mr. Marc Murray.

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Chapter 16

Year 8 works with Artist on Collaborative Sculpture

Year 8 works with Artist on Collaborative Sculpture

B

oys in Year 8 created a sculpture titled ‘I am because we are’ in a

collaborative project with Faith Bebbington as part of the School’s wider Culture Week. Working in mixed media, pupils worked together to create this large-scale piece of sculpture inspired by Ubuntu, a Nguni Bantu term meaning ‘humanity’.

Ubuntu It is sometimes translated as ‘I am because we are’ (also ‘I am because you are’) or ‘humanity towards others’ (Zulu umuntu ngumumtu ngabantu). In Xhosa, the latter term is used, but is often meant in a more philosophical sense to mean the belief in a universal bond of sharing that connects all humanity.

The boys thoroughly enjoyed creating their sculpture together and also developed important collaborative skills through the process.

Faith Bebbington studied sculpture at Winchester College of Arts and set up her Liverpool studio in 1993. She now has a national portfolio of public artworks, exhibits in major art galleries and museums and devises themed and issue-based art projects in partnership with local schools, communities and cultural organisations such as Culture Liverpool and Dadafest. Her artistic practice initially stemmed from having cerebral palsy, which made her curious about how people and animals move. She explores this through figurative sculptures playing with balance, the process of falling, and capturing sequences of movement.

40

Chapter 17

A snapshot of extra-curricular school life

A snapshot of extra-curricular school life

C

ongratulation to Jake Mayor and Alfred Norse who have recently been offered Arkwright Engineering Scholarships and will now embark on ambassadorial roles in Engineering. The sponsor of both boys is the Royal Air Force. The Arkwright Engineering Scholarship provides 16-year old students in the UK with a two-year fully sponsored programme of hands-on experience, professional mentorship and careers guidance across a range of specialisms, from aerospace to automotive engineering.

‘C3L6’ is a challenging Chemistry examination which was held in June and aimed at Year 12. This competition aims to stretch and challenge students interested in chemistry, and provides an excellent experience for anyone considering taking their studies further. Congratulations to the following boys who took part: Veer Patel Gold Sam Paton Gold James Bland Silver Kiran Adiyodi Silver Muhammad-Mustafa Patel Silver

Harry Adams Zayan Azad Daniel Elding-Parry

Copper Copper Copper

Congratulations to Zain Ahsan Ali, Billy Minshull, Tony Mottram and James Wilson in Year 11 on their success in achieving their Intermediate Certificate in Classical Greek. This is a national qualification which was offered for the first time this year to those pupils studying for their GCSE in Ancient Greek. Particular congratulations go to Zain who secured a distinction in this exam.

At the end of the Summer Term, the Classics Department held a competition for Years 7-9, inviting them to get creative with an aspect of the ancient world. There were many fantastic entries in a variety of media, from iMovies and scale models to poetry and works of art. The Classics Department have had an enjoyable time sifting through the entries and noting the level of creative skills on display.

42

Year 7 students were asked to explore the destruction and

Orchestra and Wigan Youth Jazz Orchestra and received standing

excavation of Pompeii. Highly Commended are Tejas Neelam for

ovations at every venue.

his poem on the eruption and Will Cutler for his mosaic. The joint winners are: Ayron Dhokia, George Pickett and Muhammad Uzair Pandor for their mosaics and model of the amphitheatre.

Year 8 students were asked to explore the story of the Trojan War. Highly Commended is Bryn Edwards for his reinterpretation of the fall of Troy with a Trojan Duck. The winner is Jack Rothwell for his

Year 9 boys performed in Trinity College London Acting examinations this September and received excellent results: Louis Ferguson: Grade 2 Acting with Distinction Jacob Little: Acting, Grade 5 with Distinction

model Trojan horse.

Theo Michaelas: Acting, Grade 5 with Distinction Year 9 students were asked to explore the myth of Hercules.

Highly Commended is Zayd Adam for his line drawing of a heroic profile. The winners are: Umayr Islam and Joe Baxter for their recreation of a Greek vase.

Thomas Sibley: Acting, Grade 6 with Merit School actors have recently performed alongside Rose Bruford drama school actors in our Shakespeare and pupils in Years 8-13 are currently rehearsing for our December show, ‘Around the

Congratulations to these musicians on their achievements in their instrumental music exams: Marcus Law Year 11 Harry Farrington Year 8 Oliver Zhu Year 7

World in 80 Days’.

Ali Asghar, Hassan Chaudry,

Trinity Grade 5 Piano Trinity Grade 4 Piano Trinity Grade 1 Piano

Distinction Merit Distinction

R o m a n D o h e r t y, C a m e ro n Kerfoot and Tanmay Gokul presented short films at Bolton Film Festival this October after

Congratulations to James Bland (13c), who has been awarded a

participating in Summer Term

place as oboist in the Halle Youth Orchestra.

workshops with Spanish

Very well done to Harry Adams and Freddie Audley who toured Northern Spain over the summer as part of the Wigan Youth

filmmaker and VFX specialist Javier de Prado.

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selected paddle sports for their sport lessons have completed The annual Photography Competition ran throughout September

their British Canoeing Discover award. The Discover Award allows

to demonstrate our creative ideas and superb skills. Our visitors

you to develop your decision making and practical skills for a fun

on Open day then had the final vote and congratulations go to:

and safe time on the water, as you become a more skilled and

William Martin Thomas Morrison Zayd Adam

Year 13 Year 10 Year 10

independent paddler. Through this award, you will learn how to

1st place 2nd place 3rd place

choose and effectively use equipment, whilst developing an understanding of the factors which affect your paddling.

Congratulations to Ben Sheard, Ibraheem Sowunmi, Seth Thompson and Ambrose Zheng.

Top Commendatons: Year 7 Year 8 Year 9 Year 10 Year 11 Year 12 Year 13

Dawar Hassan 7b Hussain Al Hakim 8a Marton Lange 9f Ryan Faridfar 10a Saood Ahmed 11c William Martin 12f Ben Rimmer 13a

Congratulations to Freddie Bovill, Joseph Williams, Warren 42 46 42 26 26 14 18

Parody, Tristan Hughes and Andy Shen in completing the British Canoeing Paddle sport safety and rescue course.

We’ve made a great start to the season in Rugby. 190 lads have represented School in 35 fixtures across all year groups

We have received excellent feedback from the Tall Ships Youth Trust – the following boys have clearly represented school well over the summer and got stuck in to life on board. Very well done: Ben Quilliam, Charles Kaboutian, Jacob Little, Rory Freestone, Ambrose Zheng, Oliver Hickey, Paddy Connelly and Nathan Lim.

with a 65% win rate. The cup competitions are still in the early stages, but all teams are still involved. The Year 7 boys' Rugby team have started the season undefeated, with four wins out of four.

After completing the Paddle Start award in Year 7, boys who

Several players across the age 44

groups have been involved in representative trials with sections

consisted of Adam Bhuta, Jasper Chen, Musa Haq, Alex Hilton-

yet to be announced. A particular well done to Dev Hasija and Fin

Jones, Muhammad Kassim, Maxim McKay, Neeraj Patel, Jacob

Sutton who have been selected for Sale Sharks' Under 16 squad.

Prill, William Roberts, Alex Roberts, Daniel Watts and Dylan Yates.

Well done to William Simpkins and Cooper Atherton, who play for

Also, congratulations to the Under 14 Cricket Team, who again

St Pat’s Rugby League team Under 16s, and who took part in the

reached the final of the Lancashire Schools Cup. They

North West Youth Cup Final recently.

unfortunately lost their final match against Manchester Grammar School, but it was a fantastic achievement nonetheless.

Congratulations to Keshana Fonseka who has been selected for the England Under 19 Cricket Squad to play against Ireland and Australia. A fantastic achievement and we wish him all the best .

Well done to Noah Adams who was awarded Astley & Tyldesley's Under 11’s Player of the Year Award recently. Noah was the top run scorer and wicket keeper and played brilliantly throughout the season.

Despite the disappointment of not being able to play the final match, the Under 13 Cricket team should still feel extremely proud for making it all the way to the Final and sharing the Lancashire Schools Cup. Battling through earlier rounds to reach the finals is an impressive accomplishment on its own and while the weather did not cooperate to allow for a winner to be determined on the pitch, sharing the trophy with a strong team like Manchester Grammar is still a remarkable achievement. The team has much to be proud of and can now look ahead to next

Well done to Oscar Hatton who represented ISFA football Under 14s in the Oakham Tournament over the summer. Kieron Holt and Joe Nicholson have all been called up to ISFA National Squads.

season even more motivated to go all the way. The team 45

Well done to our Year 7 and Year 8 teams who have won games

buoyed by the excellent pre- season tour to the Netherlands the

in the Town Cup and progressed to the next rounds. The Year 8

week before the start of term.

play again in the Town Cup as do Year 11.

The golf team has made a most encouraging start to the season.

In the first round of the ISGA Matchplay, we drew Sedbergh School and played the fixture at Bolton Golf Club. The three players, Joe Emery, Toby Yates and Elliot Davies all managed

The Under 14 boys’ Water polo team beat Radcliffe last weekend 20 – 8. Well done to them.

In total, this half term we will have had 56 sports fixtures across 14 teams!

resounding victories over their individual opponents. In the

The year has started very positively for our four Houses, with

second round, we play either Birkenhead or Ashville School.

each of Blackburn, Chorley, Wigan and Manchester beginning the

Congratulations to the team.

process of electing year group Captains, discussing potential

The 1st XI hockey team have had three challenging games vs.

Sandbach, St. Anselm's College and King's Chester so far this term, but have competed well. The 2nd XI had a good win over St. Bede's, Manchester last week. The Under 15s have had very competitive games vs. St. Anselm's, Birkenhead School and a good win against The Grange School. The Under 14s have competed well against MGS, St. Anselm's and Birkenhead. We are delighted that Mr. Foy is coaching one of the hockey teams this year and he admits that the team and the opposition are of a

charities to support as well as options for fundraising activities. Of course, House Day was a great pleasure and a welcome change of routine, with each House enjoying success across the range of events. Manchester gained the most points on the day and, despite trailing Blackburn in terms of commendations, currently lead the race for the Lyde Cup. Full scores are found on the House noticeboard opposite B22. It is very much early days, and all pupils are encouraged to strive for those commendations and give their best in House events.

much higher standard than he was expecting. The Under 13s

Boys’ Division raised the fantastic amount of £1,291 on our first

have played AKS and The Grange School in very entertaining

House Day of the year last week, which will be distributed to the

games.

Malawi Fund.

Attendance at after school training has been excellent at all age groups, and this is pivotal in the progress we can make.Interest in school hockey remains high. The enthusiasm is evident to see 46

Credits

Credits Editor: Miss K.S. Wrathmell Contributors: Mr. J. Newbould, Miss A. Bradshaw, Mr. M. Power, Mr. A.C. Robson, Nathan Watts 11f, Miss I.J. Archer, Mr. P.J. Britton, Mr. T. Taylor, Ms. N.R. Lord, Mr. I.K. Forgrieve, Mr. M.G. Chilton, Mr. L. Watkinson, Dr. R.L. Kell, Mrs. C.A. Brace, Mr. D.V.B.Lamb, Mrs. M.A. Ryder, Mr. S.J. Bradley, Mr. T. Benbow, Mr. C. Coffey, Mr. N.R.W. Wyatt

47