The Boltonian 2022

Boltonian 2022

THE

Editorial Staff

Editor: Miss K.S. Wrathmell

Cover: Sam Peat Photography

Photography: Old Boltonian Mark Power at www.karlkramer.co.uk, the School Marketing Department & Dr. D. Rogers

School Notes

Review of the Year 2021-22

Last September, Mr. Britton wrote about the sheer determination, hard work and adaptability that had seen the School continue to thrive during another challenging year for education. He wrote of his hopes for a more ‘normal’ year following two years of homeschooling, selfisolation, masks and bubbles –and September did indeed begin in this fashion. We welcomed the school back into the Great Hall for the first whole school assemblies since March 2020, the corridors were full once again at lesson changeover and teachers and students were able to see each other without masks, in some cases for the very first time. However, by mid-September, increases in Covid cases saw large scale gatherings end, the return of masks in school and ‘hybrid’ teaching, where self-isolating boys were joining live lessons from home. As always, we adapted to these challenges, demonstrating the resilience and determination that have been so evident in our school community throughout the pandemic.

powerful adaptation of one of my favourite novels. The staging was excellent and the expert directing and acting produced a show worthy of any professional theatre.

Of course, September also saw the most significant changes to the School since the creation of the Foundation itself in 1915, with Mr. Britton moving from being the Headmaster of the Boys’ Division to the newly created role as Head of Foundation. I was delighted to be appointed as the first Head of Boys’ Division within this new structure and to lead the school’s return back into more familiar routines.

Firstly, although we had to be mindful of audience size and masks, we were able to once again begin live shows and concerts in the Autumn Term. Hearing the Great Hall filled with music reminded us just how important live music is in the life of the school and how much we missed this during that period when it was simply not allowed. The Christmas show, ‘Clockwork’, was an incredibly

The Christmas Festival, once again complete with a full orchestra and choir, was a wonderful occasion and the Reverend Dave Brae’s message of ‘rebellious hope’ perfectly encapsulated the ‘never give up’ attitude of our school community in recent years.

Later in the year, we enjoyed another excellent piece of theatre, with the Lower School production of ‘Brainstorm’, a play partly written by the cast themselves. It served as an excellent insight into the lives of teenagers and bought us into their worlds… in my case a little too closely, as I managed to get a shirt thrown into my face – a great moment of live theatre that would not have happened on Zoom!

Following a year of no fixtures, it was great to have the boys back competing in the full range of sports once again. In Water polo, our Under 18s were once again crowned national champions, beating Trinity on penalties in the Final.

Summer Term also saw much of our usual activity return, with visits to the zoo, Duke of Edinburgh expeditions, and the annual camp at Saundersfoot all resuming. The extensive programme of extra-curricular activity, which last year was delivered in classroom ‘bubbles’, was also able to fully resume. These programmes of extra-curricular activity alongside the Patterdale curriculum are vital components of our ‘Character’ education and it is these strands of school life that help the boys find their passions, learn how to apply effort through the building of resilience and make lifelong friends along the way.

The Under 15s also enjoyed a good run, reaching the finals, but finishing runners up. Our footballers have also enjoyed a successful season overall. The First XI reached the Semi-final of the Greater Manchester Cup before sadly losing on penalties to MGS. Our Under 12s and 13s managed to go a step further and reached their respective finals of the Town Cup. Neither team managed the win, but the Under 13s played in an absolute classic against Canon Slade, drawing 4 all before losing on penalties. Rugby also resumed after two years of restrictions, and our Under 18s reached the Semi-finals of both the Lancashire Plate and the Stonyhurst 7s tournament. The Under 15s and Under 14s also reached the Semi-finals of the Lancashire Cup and the Under 13s were the winners of Stonyhurst’s 7-a-side Bowl competition. We have also celebrated success in a variety of other sports, including our first ever win for School rowing with two boys winning the open double category at Trafford Head. Similarly, our climbing team secured the overall win in the Greater Manchester climbing competition earlier this year –again, a first win for this growing sport.

The theme of the year really was the return to ‘normal’, but for the first term and a half we were still experiencing some disruption due to Covid-19. Assemblies were not allowed for this period as we had to limit large gatherings, meaning all my first assemblies as Head of Boys’ Division were delivered to an empty hall with boys connecting via Zoom in their classrooms. Being able to gather together in the Spring and Summer Terms for whole school assemblies reminded us how important collective celebration and reflection is for school life. With the return to activity, we had much to celebrate this year across the full range of academic, sporting and cultural aspects of school life and the half-termly celebration assemblies grew in size, with a wide range of individual and team successes. We were finally able to welcome Iain Ross to deliver the speech and award prizes for Prizegiving, following two failed attempts to get him to Bolton. One of the lasting benefits of our pandemic experience is the ability to record and livestream events, and this has continued to broaden our audience for key events such as Prizegiving and the Christmas Festival.

Although the complex and changing rules on international visits meant that the majority of our exchanges and cultural visits abroad couldn’t go ahead, it has been great to once again be able to engage in more learning outside of the classroom. The full programme of visits to Patterdale, starting with the Amatt Challenge for Year 12 in September, was able to resume for every year group. The

Of course, alongside all this activity we were all busy in classrooms. The exclusion zones, screens and tape all disappeared, but masks and hybrid teaching continued, especially in the first half of the year. Following two years of cancelled examinations, this year saw the return of GCSE and A Levels with the Year 13s taking external exams for the first time since some, but not all, would have taken SATs examinations in Year 6. Throughout the year, colleagues once again demonstrated their adaptability and the boys worked tirelessly and with a real sense of purpose. The outstanding results achieved by boys in their summer examinations were a testament to this collective endeavour.

So as we look forward to another year, I am confident that the character traits that have been so evident in recent years – resilience, drive, adaptability and creativity – will ensure that the School continues to thrive, no matter what may happen in the wider world.

Mr. N.L. Ford Head of Boys’ Division

Foundation Review of the Year

At the start of October 2021, I took my leave of Boys’ Division after 13 years as Headmaster alone in the Great Hall giving my farewell assembly online.

At the end, I stopped ‘Zooming’, left the stage, finished packing in the study and walked to my new study just inside the Girls’ Division. Later in the day, I went back and met Nic Ford in what was now his study to discuss how he wished to shape the Boys’ Division over the coming months. As I said that day in the assembly, it is the role of the Headmaster to enable the school to be itself; to absorb the ethos and sense of purpose, encourage colleagues to think about how that might work in the present times and to be a constant encouragement to everyone, boys and colleagues alike. The School existed before us and will afterwards and, as we say every prizegiving, we simply hope to make things just a little better than we found them. It is difficult to select highlights since there are so many: sporting triumphs, music, drama. Politicians worry about legacy – I may be ‘the iPad Headmaster’ by that reckoning, but, of course, all that is not really the point. The School is the people, colleagues and boys during those 13 years, for whom we have made a difference for good.

You can watch the assembly by scanning this QR code:

As I write, our ‘new’ Foundation arrangements are now a year old and I am pleased to report that all we hoped would be achieved has been so far: a sense of collective and purposeful endeavour, whilst celebrating the distinctive identity of our various schools each with their long-standing and important traditions. It has been a pleasure for me to be part of the round of events within Girls’ Division, whilst I have also been able to enjoy familiar Boys’ Division events and begin to define the Primary Division, which will doubtless have its own traditions, as well as retaining those unique to Beech House, Hesketh House and Park Road. Finding synergies, sharing the best ideas for all and identifying unnecessary complication and difference, and celebrating the necessary differences between the schools have all been a great pleasure and I look forward to all that future years will bring.

Mr. P.J. Britton Head of Foundation

Valete – Mr. Caspar Joseph

Caspar Joseph joined the History Department at Bolton School in September 1986. Alan Wright, the Headmaster at the time, wrote in a reference that Caspar was “an inspirational teacher, a man of great energy, thoughtful, relevant and always interesting in conversation”. Historians are ever mindful of the classic dichotomy of ‘change and continuity’ and whilst it is fair to say that teaching has gone through many changes in the 32 years that he has been at Bolton School, Caspar has remained very much the same man that Alan Wright described.

Caspar has played such a full role in the life of the School that it is very difficult to do justice to his legacy in this format. He has performed a number of significant roles during his time here. From 1997, he was Director of General Studies. From 1990, he managed the Sixth Form Common Room, before becoming a Year Head of the Lower Sixth, and then Head of Sixth Form until 2017, after which he took on the role of Director of Partnerships.

School Notes

Throughout his time at Bolton, Caspar has been heavily involved in School Rugby. This unprecedented commitment of over 30 years from an academic member of school staff is a feat that is unlikely to be repeated. Caspar ran the First XV with style. The side experienced many highs throughout his tenure, including exciting runs in the National School and Lancashire Cups and Plate competitions and great days out at the end of season 7s competitions. However, perhaps the highlight of his rugby career was his involvement in the tours to destinations such as South Africa (twice), Portugal, Italy and Ireland. These trips are recalled with great regularity whenever Old Boltonians and staff gather at any venue. Furthermore, at Caspar’s final end of season rugby presentation, no fewer than fourteen former First XV captains attended at short notice, with many more sending their messages of appreciation.

Suffice to say that Caspar makes an immediate and lasting impression. One of the most frequently asked questions in the History Department at Open Day each year, from certain fathers (and now grandfathers) of prospective new Year 7s, is “Does Caspar still work here?” This is testament not only to his longevity, but also to the impact that he has had on those who have been taught by him, and their affection for him.

He has always said that his job ‘beats work’. With rising demands, it has sometimes been hard to agree, but what he means is that teaching History is – at the end of the day – great fun, and something Caspar has clearly always enjoyed. It’s always possible to tell who’s been taught by Caspar lower down the school when you encounter boys who freely use words such as “Machiavellian”, “psephology” and “Zeitgeist” in casual conversation.

His encyclopaedic knowledge of the History curriculum will be very hard to replace; his anecdotal repertoire – particularly concerning British political history of the 19th and 20th Centuries – is formidable. His welcome interruptions of his colleagues’ lessons to filibuster about something historical have always delighted the boys, amongst whom his soundbites have become legendary; to wit, “Thomas Becket and Henry II loved to chase trees and climb girls”, or “The Industrial Revolution transformed Britain from a work-life based around sun and season to clock and machine”. Speaking of which, as befits any History teacher worth their salt, he has not always been immediately convinced by technological innovation. By no means an out-and-out Luddite, he has certainly put up some resistance to the tide of spreadsheets and screens, data and digitisation. Caspar prefers books and paper, and has promoted a love of the same amongst his charges, generously lending books and articles to eager students. His personal archives are vast: a former colleague, Kevin Knibbs, who shared both the History Office and Head of Year Offices with Caspar, remembers his uncanny ability to lay his hands on the relevant document among towering piles of books and paperwork, but also recalls the occasional ominous slithering sound as several years’ worth of essays and worksheets slid to the floor.

However, although he might pretend to be a bluff old traditionalist, Caspar has always been a bit of a dark horse, with a furtively cuttingedge approach to his teaching. His celebrated Medieval Fayre was at the very forefront of the craze for historical re-enactment. He was already filming his classes’ presentations long before we had iPads and iMovie and was having the footage “burned onto laser disks” whilst the rest of us were still using video cassettes. In election years, he has masterminded the school General Election with absolute impartiality, although anyone who has ever met Caspar will probably divine his political colours in a matter of minutes.

Caspar, like all of us who are faced with the sheer vastness of our subject, has developed very particular obsessions. For example, David Lloyd George was the best Prime Minister ever – I am surprised Caspar is old enough to remember him, but I hope he enjoys the generous pensions scheme that Lloyd George helped introduce. Caspar loves a castle, and the grassy moat at Brougham will long bear the scars of his enthusiastic rompings. His fondness for the Field of the Cloth of Gold and Anne of a Thousand Days on the Year 8 curriculum is well known. But it is ‘Chartism’ – a working class movement for political reform in the mid-19th Century – which is his most celebrated fetish. If you wish to find out more about William Lovett and The People’s Charter of 1838, he will be happy to give you a full explanation!

Caspar is an absolute one-off, and it has been a great privilege to work with him for the 25 years that our time at Bolton has overlapped. It’s a common trope – which has particular resonance if you are a History teacher – to consider which of the people that you know you would want to have in the trenches with you. I think of all the people I have known, Caspar would be at the top of the list. In a crisis – and there have been some over the years – he is stalwart, wise and compassionate; and in the boring bits between the battles where you need someone who can spin a yarn or come up with an amusing game, that’s Caspar. The History Department and the School will not be same without him, and we will all miss him.

Miss S.V. Burgess

Valete – Mr. Karsten Hiepko

Karsten Hiepko was born in Wilhelmshaven in Germany. After attending schools both there and in Bonn, he studied at The University of Bonn and The University of Sussex. In 1987, he worked as a language assistant in three schools in Warrington. In 1988, he completed teacher training at the Didsbury School

School Notes

of Education in Manchester. He joined Bolton School in September 1989 to teach German. In 1991, he began duties as an Oral Examiner for AEB/AQA and became Team Leader in 1999. Karsten has also held various positions of responsibility in his time at Bolton School, including Head of Middle School and was latterly Assistant Head.

Karsten always said he saw himself first and foremost as a classroom teacher of German, and despite the pull of sizeable responsibilities elsewhere in school, he was true to his word, right up to his retirement. The energy with which he made his lessons come alive was endless. It was evident that he loved his subject, particularly in Sixth Form teaching, where his History degree came to good use, and his effervescent approach was genuinely infectious. On the Rheinland Trip, he gave brilliant lectures to the lads on German history and politics, and set the pace with his keen appetite for coffee and cake at any opportunity. He always showed a calm and caring approach with colleagues and pupils alike, and in the department, he would get stuck in at every opportunity. He had a ‘can do’ attitude, always seeing in advance what needed doing and, without being asked, just got on and did what was required, producing and sharing huge volumes of worksheets and teaching resources of exceptional quality. I was once asked – “How do you teach German at Bolton School?” Karsten had this sewn up… language worksheets aplenty, consisting of tasks such as ‘finish the sentences’, ‘blobbies’ (text bubbles with short phrases to be translated into German), and ‘true or false’ tasks – all these became the default teaching tools of the department, pioneered and driven by Karsten. He has inspired so many students of German over the years, was the lynchpin behind many very successful German-speaking weekends at Patterdale Hall and, without his generous input, the German Exchanges at Easter would never have blossomed in the way they did.

And when he wasn’t teaching German, he was administering the complex logistics of the Boys’ Division. I cannot remember one single mistake with a cover list, calendar entry, exam timetable or duty rota, and, if he was short of available colleagues, he would often simply do a duty himself. This selfless approach to leadership is what I admire most in Karsten. An utterly reliable and decent chap. The boys called him a ‘legend’ – an accolade of the highest order.

We miss him and wish him all the best in his retirement.

Mr. R.A. Catterall

Valete – Mr. Richard Catterall

Richard joined the Boys’ Division in 1997 as a teacher of German and French direct from an MA (Hons) at Edinburgh University. Richard cites the hugely positive and impactful influences that were Dick Freem, Karsten Hiepko and Kevin Brace within the German department that set him on his way to becoming a well-respected, dynamic and innovative teacher of languages. It did not take long for Richard to involve himself in the wider life of the School, through the Charities Committee, the Duke of Edinburgh programme, singing groups, and through leadership of Chorley House. Having cut his teeth in these varied areas of school life, Richard became Director of Extra-Curricular Activities before taking on the role of Head of Careers, an area of school life which developed strongly through the then Head of Boys’ Division, Mervyn Brooker, and under Richard’s leadership.

Following several successful years leading our Careers offer, working closely with Christine Sutcliffe and Karen Knowles, Richard made the move towards academic leadership following the retirement of Dick Freem. He led many residential trips to Rheinland and exchanges with German schools, sharing his passion for German language and culture with innumerable boys over the years. Not one for shying away from a residential trip, Richard also went on many Year 7 French trips to Paris and also displayed his prowess on the slopes by supporting countless school skiing trips.

In most recent times, Richard coupled his role as Head of German with that of Deputy Head of Sixth Form, leading and taking a keen interest in the Amatt Challenge and offering compassionate pastoral care to our senior students. His calm and measured approach was appreciated by students and colleagues alike.

After twenty-five years of significant service to the boys and the School, Richard is pursuing his career at Rossall School, continuing to teach German and by also taking on the role of Head of Upper School.

Richard will be missed by many of us in school for his camaraderie, warmth and breadth of experience and expertise in so many areas of school life. His kindness and compassion are but two of the many qualities that the students and staff at Rossall will no doubt benefit from enormously. We will miss his bonhomie, companionship and cheerfulness, but wish him well as he pursues his career in pastures new.

Mr. M.H.J. Prentki

James joined the Geography Department in 2004 when Andrew Compton was Head of Department. He had a successful career teaching in the North West and was Head of Geography at Blackburn College prior to his arrival at Bolton School. His vast wealth of experience and great love of both geography and geology became the foundation of his successful career at the School.

James has become a ‘legend’ amongst the boys, who adore his meticulous attention to detail in lesson planning and his vast array of resources to increase the boys’ interest in the subject. James was a first-class teacher at the School, who had an impeccable record of exam results, driven by his hard work and determination to get the best out of his pupils. His quick wit and lighthearted humour were appreciated both by the boys and all of the Geography Department. He was perhaps at his happiest when out in the field, bringing the physical landscape to life through his knowledge and teaching. It is rare to find a teacher who can grab the attention of the class so closely and fuel their interest as a result. Undoubtedly, many of the pupils who have gone on to study Geography at university have done so as a direct result of James’ inspiration.

We shall all miss his enthusiasm and caring side that he had in the staff room – he always had time for anyone he met. His company and knowledge on field trips has proved time and time again to be invaluable. I am personally very grateful for all the support he has given me and the department over the years and we all wish him the very best during his retirement.

and Design. This can be seen not only through her career, but also personal time – her urban sketchbook group, social visits to galleries, her creative style of clothes and shoes, her love of classic motor cars, her handcrafted Christmas cards and her adoration of Gaudí’s architecture.

I know that Laura meant so much to all of us here at Bolton School, but to me, Laura was really special. When I started the school back in 2013, she was so kind and welcoming, and had a great sense of humour. She ended up being a mixture of friend and mum all rolled into one. She has been there for me through thick and thin – a truly supportive colleague and dear friend.

She started here in 2006, but by no means was she ‘old school’. She was always up for a challenge and embraced digital technology in her classroom through digital editing and photography. She was a great all-rounder in painting, sculpting, print and drawing and also the person to speak to if you’re visiting Majorca – she knows everything about the island!

Laura, you will be missed, not only in our department, but in Music, form time and not forgetting your crossword club in the Common Room too. I hope that you will stick to your promise of coming back to visit us often, through trips, visits and cover.

Laura, ‘The Art Teacher’, you will be dearly missed.

Mrs. J.L. Brewer

Valete – Mrs. Jen Brewer

Laura Turner, will be deeply missed at Bolton School. Her teaching career has spanned over 47 years and during that time she has worked in various Art departments across Bolton, Wigan and Wales, as a Head of Year, and she also taught French here at Bolton School; however, her passion always lay in Art

Jen Brewer joined Bolton School in 2013 as a teacher of Art and Design having previously taught locally at ESSA Academy, where she was an early pioneer in the use of personal technology for teaching Art. She featured in the Apple case study for digital skills, and her teaching was showcased at Apple’s European Headquarters for many years. These skills were fully deployed as Bolton School became a 1:1 iPad school and Jen helped train and develop other teachers in the use of iPads in the classroom. A true creative, her biggest contribution to the boys has been the development of various innovative approaches to the teaching of Art, Design and Graphics and her passion for developing creativity in all boys. Jen has therefore made significant contributions to all aspects of the creative life of the School, through extra-curricular activities such as the Young Artists’ Collective and helping lead aspects of the Junior Bronze Arts Award; these contributions were significant in the School being awarded the

Valete – Mr. James Rutter

Mr. P.J. Newbold

Valete – Mrs. Laura Turner

Platinum Artsmark.

In 2015, she became the Co-ordinator of GCSE Art and then in 2021, she became the overall Head of Art. In all of these roles, she bought a genuine passion for Art, changing the curriculum to maximise opportunities for all boys to find their creative potential. She also enabled the department to become outward facing, seeking opportunities to collaborate with the Design Engineering and English departments, as well as connecting with local history through projects involving local mills. Jen has undoubtedly inspired countless boys to pursue Art and Design subjects beyond Bolton School through her passionate approach to teaching creativity alongside her endless patience and desire for all boys to succeed. Central to all her work was a strong pastoral instinct that also enabled her to excel in her role as a form tutor. She has thrown herself wholeheartedly into every area of school life, giving her time and numerous skills generously to support the boys.

Jen moves on to Exeter Grammar School, where she will be Head of Art and she will be much missed by all her colleagues and the boys.

Mr. N.L. Ford

Helen Thomson came to Bolton School as Head of English in September 2017. She was eminently qualified for that onerous task. A graduate of St. Chad’s College, Durham University, she had proceeded to postgraduate work at Bristol University, specializing in the study of the Romantic period, in particular the work of Sir Walter Scott. She taught English at Trinity College, Gawler in South Australia, Ampleforth College in Yorkshire and the Bristol Cathedral School. I first met her on the school coach bringing back a party of boys from Patterdale Hall. I recognized at once that she was bringing to Bolton School many great qualities that would benefit the boys. At an early meeting of the department, she set out her vision for the way the teaching of English should develop in order to clarify the structure of the course, to set in place the ways teaching the language would complement the teaching of literature (and vice versa). Her enthusiasm and energy were boundless. Throughout her time at the School her enthusiasm never waned.

Unswervingly insistent on academic rigour, she cared deeply and passionately not only for the study of English and the kindred arts, but for the boys themselves, their intellectual and personal formation.

She was concerned when able boys who were being drawn to the study of mathematics and science were missing opportunities to read widely. She valued greatly the established texts of the canon, but also the ideas of emergent writers, especially those who would challenge political assumptions which she thought ill-considered or unfair: she was committed to instilling in students a healthy respect for accuracy and truth. Confident in her own views, she was a strong member of the Common Room, who greatly enjoyed the companionship of colleagues from other departments, greatly enjoying the kind of collegiality that she had come to value when she had been an undergraduate and a teacher in a boarding school. In the English department, she enjoyed giving a lead, but she drew her greatest pleasure from interacting with her colleagues, always ready to discuss ideas, to encourage and support. She invested a great deal of her own emotional energy in her work, taking enormous delight in the boys’ success. On occasion, she could find it disappointing when the seed of enthusiasm did not germinate immediately as she always sought. Overseeing the task of leading the department through the Covid-19 Lockdown was a considerable achievement, not least in the way she devoted much time and care to the exacting responsibility of ensuring that internally assessed grades would be fit for purpose.

Helen leaves us to develop her interest in education, embarking on further postgraduate work at York University. She will greatly enjoy returning to an academic community which is fully sympathetic to all that she values. We wish her well, cherish memories of lively conversation and much laughter, and, above all, thank her for all that she brought to Bolton School.

Dr. S.W. Holland

Valete – Miss Chloé Buttigieg

Chloé joined the Classics department at Bolton School in September 2018. After starting her teaching career in Sheffield, she made the sensible decision to move to the correct side of the Pennines. In the four years she worked at Bolton School, she developed her experience, skills and knowledge significantly. She was always willing to develop and share resources, to teach any of the three Classical subjects at any level (she taught beginners’ Latin at Park Road up to A Level in Boys’ Division) and to give offers of support to colleagues; she was a finely reflective practitioner.

Being able also to teach French, Spanish and English, and with a

Valete – Ms. Helen Thomson

School Notes

passionate interest in current affairs and global politics, makes her a real asset to any staffroom. Indeed, this interest in politics saw her eagerly supporting the Model United Nations group, where she gave up weekends willingly to support the lads in their development.

Arriving early to the Classics office every day would give her a chance to prepare for the day ahead, but also to chat with colleagues about music, food and literature. Hiding behind a shy exterior is a skilled, kind, compassionate person who loves to explore other cultures; indeed, it is this curiosity which sees her taking a break from teaching to travel around the world.

The Classics Department wishes her well on this adventure.

Mr. D.V.B. Lamb

Valete – Mr. Sam Hicks

Sam Hicks joined Bolton School for a one-year maternity cover in September 2021. He taught all the age ranges from Year 7 to Year 12 and it was clear from the outset that Sam was a hardworking, organised and efficient teacher. He was well respected by the pupils and was always willing to help a pupil during his free periods and lunchtimes.

Aside from his involvement in the department, Sam also contributed to wider school life through his involvement with Rugby. We wish Sam the very best with his new appointment in China.

Mr. D.N. Palmer

New Appointments to the Staff

In addition to the significant staffing changes that came into effect in October 2021, in which Mr. P.J. Britton was appointed as Head of Foundation and Mr. N.L. Ford was appointed as Headmaster of Boys’ Division, September 2022 saw a number of changes to the Staff Common Room. Mrs. C.L. Waller has been appointed as Assistant Head (Assessment and Achievement) and Mr. P.G. Davidson has been appointed as Assistant Head (Student Wellbeing and Behaviour). Mr. J.D. Williams has become Foundation Head of Compliance and Ms. N.R. Lord has become Foundation Director of Creative Learning and Partnerships.

Mr. M.H.J. Prentki has been appointed as Head of Sixth Form, and Mr. D.V.B. Lamb and Mr. T. Benbow have taken on the roles of Year 13 and Year 12 Tutor respectively. Mr. G. Bradley has become Head of Year 10 and Miss C.E. Dean has become Head of Year 8 and also oversees the Duke of Edinburgh Silver Award. Mrs. M.A. Ryder has become Head of Art. Ms. J.Z. Sigrist has been appointed as Head of English and Miss K.J. Roddy has been appointed as Head of German. Mr. N.R.W. Wyatt has assumed the role of Head of Russian as well as Head of Wigan House. Miss L. Gillibrand has become Head of Blackburn House and Head of Racquet Sports. Mr. M.G. Chilton has become Head of Football. Mrs. M.A. Lapinskas has become Professional Mentor for ITT. Mrs. C. Talbot has been appointed as Teacher of English.

There are also several new appointments to the School:

From September 2021, Miss K.M. Seedat has been appointed as Teacher of Art and Mr. M. Boyd as Teacher of German. Miss A. Anwar has been appointed as Teacher of English and Mr. C. James as Teacher of Design & Technology. Mr. D.W.J. Aspinall returns to Bolton School as a Graduate Sports Assistant. Mr. I. Luis Gonzalez has been appointed as a Spanish Assistant and Miss C. Cropper has been appointed as an Art Technician. Mrs. A. Hasija has been appointed as Deputy Proctor.

A Tribute to Cameron

It is with immense sadness that we announced the death of Cameron Milton, a Year 13 pupil in the Boys’ Division of Bolton School. Cameron passed away in March in his sleep. Everyone in school had his friends and family in their thoughts at this difficult time. Head of Boys’ Division, Mr. Ford, said: ‘The whole of the Bolton School community is shocked and saddened by the news of Cameron’s death. Cameron was a popular young man who fully participated in all areas of school life. He was a keen sportsman with a special love of rugby, in which he represented the School and Bolton Rugby Club where he was known for his speed and power, earning the nickname of the “Exocet”. Cameron will be deeply missed.’

Photo credit: Bolton Rugby Club

Mr. Hunt, Cameron’s Form Teacher said: ‘Cameron was a well-liked member of his form group and his loss is felt by all of the boys in his form. He was always polite, trustworthy and faced the many demands of school life with a minimum of fuss. It was a privilege to assist him with his university application, where he wished to pursue a degree course reflecting his love of sport.’

First XV Rugby coach, Mr. Joseph commented: ‘Cameron was an energetic, talented and committed rugby player, who exhibited all the qualities of a 1st XV player and deservedly was awarded colours for his contribution to School Rugby over seven years.’

Cameron was a popular student and, after his A Levels, was planning on studying Sports Management or Sports Coaching.

Flags were flying at half-mast in school, his Sixth Form peers were supported and there was a poignant pre-match minute’s silence during the subsequent 1st XV’s rugby match.

in fact, standing together, aware that all the people in the world were facing a foe which could be as deadly as any weapon used in war. Today, we are all still dealing with that situation, and two year groups of boys do not know what it is to share in the experience of standing with their seniors in this remarkable hall, the impressive gift of the first Viscount Leverhulme and the work of his young Manchester architect Charles Adshead; but, we enjoy again the opportunity that technology provides to welcome the fellowship and participation of former, greatly valued, members of the School. As last year, I can state that our Act of Remembrance reminds us of the ways in which the difficulties and dangers of crisis strike hard, especially the aged and the vulnerable, and that even as those whom we commemorate fought together against a common enemy to win a lasting peace, we too continue to depend on one another to keep each other safe from sickness. Two World Wars exposed our forebears to upheaval, destruction and tragedy. Long blessed by peace, this current generation deals now with the threat of a deadly coronavirus, witnesses now the impact of continuing strife and conflict in other parts of the world, and watches closely now the best endeavours of world leaders to deal with the enormous challenge that nature itself poses in response to the way we have used its resources. At such a time, we may draw strength from the courage and resolve of those in the past, who gave so much to build a better world.

No present members of the school can claim that this Commemoration is the act of personal remembrance made by those who first stood around the Cenotaph in Whitehall after the First World War. Not long ago, this had led some to call into question the annual national keeping of silence to mark the signing of the Armistice at Compiègne, which brought to an end in 1918 the hostilities on the Western Front; however, it remains a most solemn occasion in the life of the country and the Commonwealth, and it still draws people in their thousands to the Cenotaph and the many memorials around the world. In fact, in recent years, there has been renewed interest and support, with fresh initiatives made. Last week, on November 1st, Brian Wood MC, former Colour Sergeant, Princess of Wales’ Royal Regiment, embarked on a 635 mile marathon challenge in a personal tribute to the 635 British Armed Forces personnel, who lost their lives during the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. Running to raise money to support Walking With The Wounded, Brian Wood’s intention has been to run a marathon each day, starting at a different military barracks. Do, please, spare a little of your time to look at his website.

Last year was the first in which circumstances prevented us from standing together in the Great Hall to commemorate former members of this school who lost their lives in two World Wars and other conflicts. I noted then that we were,

In 2019, the focus of our commemoration was the Battle of the River Plate, which brought to an end the grave threat posed to the British interest in December 1939 by the German heavy cruiser Admiral Graf Spee which, formidable in her strength, had sunk numerous merchant ships in the Indian Ocean and South Atlantic. In May 1941, a similar threat was posed by the German Battleship Bismarck and the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen, both of which were seeking to destroy Allied Merchant shipping in the North Atlantic. The Home Fleet’s first engagement with this new threat had been disastrous. A shell from Bismarck struck HMS

Remembrance Day Assembly

School Notes

Hood near her aft ammunition magazines, and, soon afterwards, Hood exploded and sank within three minutes; all but three of her crew perished. This galvanized the British into the most determined engagement, and the scene was set for the last battle Bismarck would fight, some 300 nautical miles west of the French coast on 26th-27th May. Bismarck’s captain, Ernst Lindemann, and his Admiral, Günther Lütjens, were trying to reach the port of Brest to carry out urgent repairs, and when Lütjens broke radio silence to send a coded message to Germany, the British were able to locate her. Reconnaissance planes, known as Swordfish, were sent out. (Initally, they mistook HMS Sheffield for the German battleship and it was a miracle that the British vessel avoided the torpedoes which they had dropped.) At 7 o’clock in the evening, the three squadrons of Swordfish successfully identified Bismarck, but the weather was atrocious and the crew all knew the odds were stacked against their surviving any engagement with the formidable battleship. One of the observers has recalled seeing her as a “fire-spitting monster”; however, one plane managed to despatch a torpedo that damaged her rudder, and although the crew worked frantically to attempt repairs, the ship’s fate was sealed. Even so, Lütjens was determined to keep his promise to Hitler that he would “fight to the last shell” and when the Home Fleet, comprising HMS King George V, HMS Norfolk, HMS Rodney and, later, HMS Dorsetshire, closed in for the kill, they knew the German ship was still a force to be reckoned with, as were the German U-boats that had been despatched to protect her. On May 27th, Bismarck sighted HMS Rodney, which was armed with 16 inch shells. Again and again, she fired to destroy her, but Rodney’s captain, Dalrymple-Hamilton, skilfully steered his ship and astutely planned his tactics to avert her destruction.

Just after 9 a.m., salvos from Rodney struck the Bismarck’s forward main battery turrets, the bridge, killing the senior officers, and the aft fire control station. Bismarck’s shooting became increasingly erratic: Norfolk and Dorsetshire closed in. Home Fleet all engaged, pounding Bismark relentlessly with armour-piercing shells, her casing was shredded. The entire ship aflame from stem to stern, she was an horrific sight, and many of the British observing were sickened by the sight of hundreds of Bismarck’s crew jumping into the ice-cold Atlantic to save themselves. 111 survivors were rescued, but more than two thousand perished, the British ships ordered to retire immediately to escape the approaching U-boats. While Dorsetshire was attempting to rescue survivors, midshipman Joe Brooks jumped over the side to help wounded men scramble up. One German sailor had lost both arms and was hanging onto a rope with his teeth; in vain, Brooks had struggled to save him. When a U-boat was spotted, Brooks was still in the water, but just in time was pulled aboard by shipmates, who had thrown him a rope. Few who had been involved could have been untouched by what they had seen. However, the action put a stop to the raids against the British merchant fleet, and it encouraged President Roosevelt to pledge unfailing support for Great Britain’s vital supplies. (The full detail of this remarkable battle can be found in Bismarck: 24 Hours to Doom by Iain Ballantyne.)

Last year, it was our duty and care to commemorate the anniversary of the three former members of this school, who lost their lives either in battle or tragic accident in 1940. Drawing again on the detail presented to us by Dr. Eric McPherson in his book Remembered with Honour: the Old Boys and Staff of Bolton School who died in two World Wars, we now honour seven of this school’s young men who were killed in 1941.

Gunner Raymond Preston Archer, 1st Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery, killed in action, 19th April 1941, aged 24

Fireman Edwin Aspinall Hitchon, killed on duty in Liverpool, 8th May 1941, aged 33

Warrant Officer Class II (CSM) Geoffrey Sydney Haughton, Intelligence Corps, died in London, 21st June 1941, aged 28

Sergeant (Pilot) James Bruckshaw, 102 Squadron Royal Air Force, killed in action 1st July 1941, aged 20

Sergeant (Wireless Operator and Air Gunner) Robert Lea Warburton, 75 Squadron Royal Air Force, killed in action, 11th October 1941, aged 21

Sergeant (Pilot) Frank Armitage, 10 Squadron Royal Air Force, killed 23rd November 1941, aged 21

Second Lieutenant Alan Greenhalgh, King’s Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster), died of wounds, 30th November 1941, aged 27

Gunner Raymond Archer attended Bolton School from 1928-1933. He took part in the Western Desert campaign fought in Libya and Egypt between June 1940 and January 1943. In April 1941, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel made the capture of Tobruk, the only deep water port in Eastern Libya, the main objective of his first offensive in North Africa. The capture of Tobruk was the essential prerequisite for an advance on Alexandria. Gunner Archer was killed during the fierce fighting in one of the many actions undertaken at that time whilst the British sought to recapture Cyrenaica. He is buried in the Tobruk War Cemetery.

Edwin Hitchon had been a member of the Bolton School auxiliary fire service. On 8th May, hearing of the heavy German bombardment of the city of Liverpool, he asked to be allowed to join the group directed there to deal with the fires. He rescued fellow firemen and civilians from the wreckage of a surface shelter and was himself injured by an incendiary bomb; but the area in which they worked was subsequently hit by a high explosion bomb which killed many. Hitchon was commended for his bravery and devotion to duty. He is buried in the Liverpool County Borough Cemetery. (It is worth noting for a younger generation that the debt we owe the Fire Service is incalculable. One recalls the story of the fire volunteers who ran along the parapets of Canterbury Cathedral, casting from the rooftop the incendiary bombs as they fell. Residents recall to this day that

the air had been so hot due to the intensity of the fires that one could hardly breathe.)

Geoffrey Haughton was Captain of Chorley House; he played football and was a member of the First XI Cricket team. He volunteered for military service in October 1939; his excellent linguistic ability led to him being placed in the Field Security Wing of the Intelligence Corps. He was tragically killed in a road traffic accident whilst travelling to a colleague’s wedding.

James Bruckshaw, Robert Warburton and Frank Armitage had all been members of the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve before hostilities began. James played football and cricket for the School; he was a patrol leader in the Scout Troop. He joined the Royal Air Force at his earliest opportunity. On the night of 30th June, shortly after completing a period of leave, he served in an operation to bomb German industrial targets in the Ruhr valley. His airplane, a Whitley V bomber, was shot down by a German fighter and crashed about twelve metres from Roermond in The Netherlands. All five of the crew were killed. They are buried together in the Jonkerbos War Cemetery.

Robert Warburton had been a talented flautist in the School Orchestra. He joined the Royal Air Force in February, 1940, and had completed eleven sorties over Germany and Italy, but on 10th October 1941, his Wellington IC bomber crashed near the target area of Cologne killing all five crew members. They were originally buried together in a nearby First World War cemetery, but were later interred in the Rheinberg War Cemetery.

Frank Armitage was a keen sportsman, who belonged to Wigan House. He too joined the Royal Air Force as soon as he could; he obtained his ‘wings’ after just five months. He made six operational flights over Germany whilst based in Leeming in Yorkshire. He too was killed in a road accident whilst driving on the Great North Road (A1) just north of Healam Bridge in Yorkshire.

Alan Greenhalgh was a member of the School Cricket team. Soon after war was declared, he joined the Royal Army Service Corps and was posted to the Middle East, where he obtained a commission. Whilst on active service, he died of his wounds and was buried in the Alexandria War Memorial Cemetery.

O valiant hearts who to your glory came Through dust of conflict and through battle flame; All you had hoped for, all you had, you gave, To save mankind — yourselves you scorned to save.

Of the many thousands of young men who have walked from the gates of this school to live their lives, the names of those whose lives were cut short in time of war live on amongst us. Some were caught up in events that seem all the more tragic because we cannot readily discern the tactical significance of the military action in which they lost their lives. Some events are examples of situations

that were painful and stark, but in some detail uncomplicated: for example, the grave threat to the survival of the British people and the peoples of the Commonwealth when the merchant fleet was threatened by the Admiral Graf Spee in the Indian Ocean and the South Atlantic, and by the Bismarck and Prinz Eugen in the North Atlantic. This year provides a further anniversary, which usefully speaks of the threat to the survival of one of this country’s wartime allies. Two years into the Second World War, the Soviet Union was under enormous pressure and in need of supplies. When Germany invaded on 22nd June 1941, the Soviet leader, Joseph Stalin, asked for help from Britain and her allies. Providing that help was one of the greatest challenges (and finest achievements) of the Royal Navy and the Merchant Fleet beginning with the first Arctic Convoy that sailed from Liverpool on 12th August 1941. Code named ‘Operation Dervish’, this was the first of a number of such operations which delivered more than four million tons of supplies to the Russians between 1941 and 1945, providing too an expression of good faith that was politically advantageous.

Throughout the war, seventy-eight convoys made the journey to the USSR. They had to face conditions that were among the worst faced by any Allied sailors. As well as the threat of the German Navy, they had to contend with extreme temperatures, gales and pack ice. Eighty-five merchant vessels and sixteen Royal Navy warships were lost.

Initially, whilst the Germans had been distracted by making their approach to Moscow, all had gone well. Accordingly, by the end of 1941, a third of a million tons of supplies had been delivered to Archangel and Murmansk – for the loss of just one of the 57 eastbound merchant ships and one escorting destroyer, both sunk in chance encounters with U-boats; however, in the following year, with German attention focused clearly on the convoys, the losses increased, until in July 1942, they suffered a week of heavy attacks and most grievous losses. Convoy PQ 17 was almost completely destroyed: twenty-four of the thirty-five merchant vessels sunk with the loss of 153 mariners. Their task had been to transport 297 aircraft, 594 tanks, 4246 vehicles and gun carriers, and more than 156,000 tons of additional cargo, enough to equip five Soviet divisions. Churchill later wrote that it had been “one of the most melancholy naval episodes in the whole of the war”.

In August, eighty years to the day when the first Convoy set sail, a service of Commemoration took place in the Parish Church of Our Lady and St. Nicholas, Liverpool, attended by representatives of the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada and Russia, to honour some three thousand sailors who lost their lives between 1941 and 1945.

On this day, one usually sees from this platform the most dignified ranks of Bolton School pupils in their rightful places, a sea of crimson poppies provided each year by the Royal British Legion. This year is the Royal British Legion’s centenary, Her Majesty The Queen and Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal marking the occasion when

they attended a Service of Thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey on Tuesday 12th October.

Founded on 15th May 1921 by representatives of the national organizations of ex-servicemen, the Royal British Legion provides enormous support for the whole Armed Forces community, with a huge range of projects in place. Viewing the website today would be time well spent, learning more.

We place three Royal British Legion wreaths before the Memorial Window to commemorate all those from this school who lost their lives in action in the two world wars or through tragedy. The sacrifice, courage and determination of those before us, who have triumphed in adversity, are an inspiration to us all.

The generation that first read these lines was indeed called upon to “take up the quarrel with the foe”, a quarrel which, in some respects, was the inevitable consequence of the severe, even crippling, terms of Compiègne and Versailles. The ferocity of that quarrel, which was World War Two, is well illustrated in the story of the battleship Bismarck: for the German people, the symbol of national pride and a response to the humiliation of surrendering almost the whole of their fleet in 1918. For the British, the battleship simply posed a threat –to the merchant fleet and therefore to the very survival of Britain. But what of the torch? What duty could we find in the charge “Be yours to hold it high”? Perhaps three of the words with which we conclude this assembly provide the answer.

In November 1921, a century ago, the first Poppy Appeal was born, raising £106,000, nearly £30 million in today’s terms. The simple gesture of wearing the paper poppy gives fresh life to powerful symbolism. That symbolism was memorably expressed during the First World War in the verses of John McCrae, who was struck by the spectacle of these tiny, blood red flowers springing up in a cemetery a few hundred yards north of Ypres.

In Flanders fields, the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved, and were loved, and now we lie In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe. To you from falling hands, we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields.

Will you please stand.

Before keeping silence and then inviting the School Captain and Vice-Captains to lay the wreaths, we close with the words inscribed upon the War Memorial of Bolton

Tell ye your children, Our brothers died to win a better World. Our part must be to strive for truth, goodwill and peace that their sacrifice be not in vain. Lest we forget.

Dr. S.W. Holland

Apple Distinguished School Status

Bursary boost despite COVID-19 Pandemic

Bolton School raised over £1m towards bursaries and hardship funding during the last academic year.

A delighted and proud Head of Foundation, Philip Britton, said: ‘It is an outstanding total in any year, but particularly so given the challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic has presented. The support from our donors has made a real difference, allowing us to continue to expand access to the School. Last summer, 49 pupils from the Class of 2021 left having received bursarial assistance for their education. Fifty-three per cent of them achieved A*-A grades. Thirty-seven went on to university, 25 of whom secured places on courses at prestigious Russell Group institutions.

Bolton School is pleased to announce that the Foundation has been recognised as an Apple Distinguished School for 2021-2024 for its application of Apple technology in developing children’s learning. Across the Junior and Senior Schools, the 1:1 iPad programme gives pupils universal access to this technology, preparing them for an increasingly online and technology-focused world, and the iPad is used to deliver a broad and balanced curriculum. Junior School pupils learn to code using Sphero and Swift playgrounds and continue that learning in the Senior School with the Everyone Can Code resources and design engineering projects. Younger children in the Foundation are also getting involved: the Junior Schools will next work to strengthen links with the Infants to facilitate a smooth transition to the 1:1 iPad setting.

Lisa Whittaker, Bolton School’s Co-ordinator of Apple Distinguished School Status, said: ‘We will continue to develop our use of technology, across the Foundation, as a tool to fuel creativity, personalise learning and deepen collaboration, ensuring all students benefit from Reception to Sixth Form.’

In the Senior Schools, pupils express themselves creatively across multiple subjects, and technology is used to blend digital and traditional methods. Going forward, the School will look at how technology builds connections between different subjects and fosters entrepreneurial opportunities. Bolton School will continue to share good practice with other schools and provide opportunities for children from a variety of backgrounds.

Head of Foundation Philip Britton said: ‘The selection of the Bolton School Foundation highlights our success in creating an innovative and compelling learning environment that engages students and provides tangible evidence of academic achievement.’

Apple Distinguished Schools are centres of innovation, leadership and educational excellence. They use Apple technology to connect students to the world, fuel creativity, deepen collaboration and make learning personal.

‘We are determined to be as inclusive as possible at Bolton School. That starts with a strong focus on ensuring that the fee rises are as low as possible. Since 2016, the fee rise has been 2% per year, which is lower than the average cost of living over that time.

‘Our desire to drive social mobility has been fundamental to our ethos since our re-foundation in 1915 by Lord Leverhulme. We know that, for many of our donors, their support for the Bursary Fund is a recognition of the foundation the School provided for their success in later life. Through their generosity, they enable us to ensure that the ladder of social mobility remains in good repair for the next generation of Boltonians, expanding their ambitions in the same way that a Direct Grant or Assisted Place did for those who went before them.

‘This academic year, we have spent £3.06m on means-tested bursary assistance and hardship grants, supporting 346 – one in five – pupils across our two Senior Schools. Twenty per cent of those received full fee remission, equating to 4% of all Senior School pupils.

‘That we have continued to thrive throughout the pandemic is credit to the strength and commitment of our community and we are grateful to all those who have so generously volunteered to give their time, insights and energies to support the Foundation and its pupils during the past academic year.’

Last year, Bolton School was a finalist in the Social Mobility Awards. Its governors have a long-standing ambition that the Bursary Fund will be in a position to provide financial support for one in three pupils in the Boys’ and Girls’ Divisions by 2030, replicating the provision enjoyed at the peak of the Direct Grant scheme.

LGBTQ+ Month

During the month of February, Bolton School Boys’ Division celebrated LGBTQ+ History Month. Pupils learned specifically about what it means to be an ally to others, via assemblies and the pastoral period, and the importance of creating an accepting and supportive school community where all pupils feel embraced and able to be themselves.

Whilst Lower School pupils explored useful terminologies, the Middle School learnt about the history of LGBTQ+ rights in the UK. This was also adapted into a display outside the Proctors’ Office.

School Notes

In a whole school assembly in March, Headmaster Mr. Ford lauded Andy Murray for his calling out of sexism in sport before Miss Roddy delivered a powerful reflection on how we can create a better society through striving for gender equality. She told how, in order to make meaningful progress, men and boys must be positively engaged in the debate. This, in turn, she said, will help further the equality agenda for women and girls. Miss Roddy told her audience that as bright, educated young people who will one day grow up to lead companies, teams, schools, their teachers want to help them to recognise the importance of gender equality, and to feel empowered to help further it.

Miss Roddy introduced the word ‘feminism’ and spoke about what it meant to her and other teaching colleagues. For her, it was about progressing women’s rights and improving matters for the next generation. She explained that for Mr. Ford it was about actively promoting equality because he does not want to live in an unjust world. She referenced how he had recently been approached by a national newspaper and a national conference to talk on topics that he felt there were women much better qualified to speak about. Instead of taking the money, he encouraged the organisers to approach the people best qualified for the job.

One of the ways pupils showed that they were an ally to the LGBTQ+ community was by purchasing rainbow ribbons to wear on their blazer as a symbol of diversity and fellowship. The money raised from the sale of these ribbons was donated to The Proud Trust, an LGBTQ+ organisation that supports LGBTQ+ young people through youth groups, peer support, mentoring programs and the Proud Connections chat service.

International Women’s Day

Whilst International Women’s Day has been celebrated in the Girls’ Division of Bolton School for some time, this was the first year that Boys’ Division pupils celebrated the cause.

Miss Roddy told how, for another colleague, Mrs. Ryder, the key word was ‘equality’ as she considered the question as to why should being born a woman or a man make a difference? If we consider it at a most basic of levels, she said, it should be about wanting the very best people in roles, regardless of sex. She also spoke about another teacher, Mr. O’Toole, who defined himself as a feminist. He thought the biggest misconception among boys – and that he was probably guilty of this as a teenager – is thinking that feminism is an attack on men and masculinity. But, he said, he had come to realise that the idea that women’s rights are gained at the expense of men’s is actually the opposite of the truth. In his view, men benefit greatly from gender equality and, because of that, it is their job to help to dismantle that privilege and to ensure the improvement of the position and status of women in society.

Miss Roddy went on to talk about feminism within school, saying that: ‘For us as a community, it means hope. It means that we can deliver the same messages in the Girls’ and Boys’ Divisions: both girls

School Notes

and boys can aspire to become doctors, nurses, lawyers, teachers, scientists. Both girls and boys can show emotional vulnerability and see this as a sign of strength.’ She said that ‘achieving gender equality is not a zero-sum game: women gaining more rights, freedoms and leadership positions is not about taking those away from men. It is about redressing the balance. Women make up half the world’s population. It stands to reason that they should also make up 50% of CEOs, board members, headteachers and world leaders.’

She also reminded the boys that: ‘In the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests, we learnt that it was not enough to be non-racist, we need to be actively anti-racist. In a similar way, it is not enough to be non-sexist, we have to be actively anti-sexist. We must all call out sexism and inequality when we see it. Question the status quo. Be an ally in whichever way we can.’

During the course of the week, boys also celebrated women in their year group assemblies, as well as through subsequent pastoral lessons.

Year 7 boys drew inspiration from the @OnThisDayShe project as they considered the exclusion of women from recorded history. Pupils in Years 8 to 13 considered the achievements of women in sport, including the progress made and barriers that they still face. They also took part in discussions around the negative impact of gender stereotyping on men’s mental health.

In the same week, Music Teacher Miss Sherry delivered an assembly to Year 8 boys telling them about the slow progression, beginning in 1913, of allowing women to play in orchestras and how, even to this day, it is very rare for them to make up 50% of the ensemble. A recent study, she told boys, found that 98% of the music performed by major orchestras was written by male composers and that 85% of conductors are men. She related an interesting development by some European and American orchestras that had started undertaking blind auditions, whereby performers played behind a screen. Researchers determined that this made it 50% more likely that a woman would advance to the final stages of selection. She also said that within music, there is often stereotyping around who plays what instrument – with men more likely to play brass instruments and women more likely to play flute and harp. Reinforcing the message of the week that gender bias helps no-one, she opined that it is important that we change things so that people can play whichever instrument they prefer the sound of!

Senior School boys also watched a video recorded by former pupil Hannah Sutcliffe (Class of 2011), who is founder of MOONHUB, a VR training company, in which she answered questions they had sent in about her career as a woman in the tech industry.

You can watch the assembly in full by scanning this QR code:

Tillotson Lecture

Bolton School Boys’ Division’s prestigious Tillotson Lecture, now in its forty-ninth year, saw two former pupils return in March to talk to the theme of ‘To Live is to Serve: Making a Difference for Good in the Modern World’.

Head of Foundation, Philip Britton, was delighted to welcome back a large gathering to the Great Hall before, and in line with tradition, School Captain, Ali Ahmed, introduced the two speakers: Max Hopkinson (Class of 2002), Chief Instructor and Co-Founder of marketing agency Bind, and Philip Worthington (Class of 2003), Managing Director and founder of European Lawyers in Lesvos.

First to the lectern was Max, who had entitled his speech: ‘Hoppy’s Four Principles to Philanthropy’. Hoppy was his father, Nick Hopkinson, Max explained and went on to tell how he was a prolific fundraiser, who had died prematurely aged 61, just over six months previously. Max explained how it had come as a great shock as Hoppy was still very fit, having climbed Kilimanjaro ten times in the last decade. Max described him as being very happy and as still having ‘top impact’ as a fundraiser. His lecture, he said, would focus on getting into his father’s philanthropy, in particular four facets of it: the importance of mindset and thinking big; deeply connecting with the work that your charity is doing; leveraging charity to help your own business; and combining what you love doing whilst helping others at the same time.

Concentrating on the first of the four values, Max said his father believed we need to think ten times bigger than where our comfort level is. Hoppy started working with Bolton Lads and Girls’ Club in the early 1990s and he loved the club and its work. His vision, Max explained, was to expand it and to imbue it with a leisure club better than David Lloyd gyms. At that time, it was spending about

£200,000 per annum, but Max’s father’s plan cost £5m. Hoppy catalysed £1m of fundraising and the Club convinced the National Lottery to give a £4m grant. The money helped build the club that we know today on Spa Road and, subsequently, thousands more children benefitted. Max said that Hoppy showed people that they do not need to be defined by their fear.

Illustrating the point about connecting with your charity, Max spoke about how boxing proved a ‘Trojan Horse’ to get young people into the Club, from which instructors could then develop characteristics in the boys and girls such as discipline, structure, perseverance and purpose. Hoppy saw that the boxing programme was a big success and instigated a black tie event at which the Club’s boxers fought against the Army’s boxing club. The event proved a big success and encouraged people to donate more money and time to the Club. Hoppy had a knack, said Max, of making his stories highly personal, emotional and believable, and he always tried to leverage the connection he had with his cause within his fundraising stories. Max then discussed how his father was opportunistic. He said he probably asked himself these questions before embarking on a project: Is it legal? Would his mum think it was okay? Was there a net positive gain for the children? He recalled how Hoppy took the Wickes leadership team exploring in Ecuador and how they climbed its highest peak; the relationship that ensued helped him further down the line when Wickes was considering dropping his company. Hoppy knew that great relationships are developed when you fundraise together.

Hoppy’s charity scanner was always on, Max informed the audience, and he loved to combine his passions with helping others. One of these was art, and Max described how his father befriended artist Harland Miller and suggested to him that they could raise money by selling his prints online. Within half an hour of doing this, they raised £2m for the NHS. The first of the prints they sold was entitled ‘Who Cares Wins’, a copy of which adorned the Great Hall’s stage. Hoppy’s own love of art was further enhanced by realising he could leverage it to do good work.

After the death of his father, Max and his brother Oliver decided to run 100km together and call it the Hoppy 100. They had family and friends join them on the ultra-marathon and money was raised for charity. Max explained how he is proud that his business has given more to charity than it has paid out to shareholders. He then left the audience with two takeaways or asks: to think a bit more ambitiously about fundraising and to realise that this requires us to work on battling the fear that stops us from doing things; and to consider whether we can ‘take charity out of the box’ in order to always be aware of possible opportunities to raise money and to do good.

Philip Worthington opened his address by saying that it was 18 years since he had left school, but that the Great Hall was still as big and intimidating as ever! Philip told how he studied History at York, then at Cambridge. After four years of ‘studying lots of dead

people’, he realised he wanted to help those in the living world. He became a lawyer in a commercial firm, but when he saw the so-called ‘refugee crisis’ unfolding in Greece at the end of 2015, he knew he had to help. He quit his job and took the four hour flight to Lesvos. Having witnessed firsthand many of the one million refugees arriving from Turkey, having fled primarily from Syria, he came to believe that everyone should be able to live in safety, free from the threat of war or persecution.

Philip told how, upon arrival in Greece, he found thousands of volunteers helping the tens of thousands of refugees transiting through the islands. Many would spend just 24 hours there and then would move onward to the mainland. The audience learnt how, in March 2016, the EU paid Turkey 3 billion Euros to stop the influx, which meant lots of volunteers went home. This turned matters into a legal crisis as people now had to claim asylum in Greece. Philip explained how asylum is a legal process, which includes an interview to see if the applicant meets the criteria set out in the Geneva Convention. At this point, there were only two private lawyers on Lesvos for 10,000 refugees and Philip came up with the idea of bringing asylum lawyers from across Europe to Lesvos to volunteer for 3 or 4 weeks at a time; from this, the charity European Lawyers in Lesvos was created.

Philip explained that his work is all about preparing people for their asylum interview, his belief being that everyone should be entitled to access free, high quality advice from an independent, expert lawyer. He told how he found it ironic that the state provides lawyers for all kinds of matters, but not for refugees, even though the outcome of their interview could literally be a matter of life or death. Philip originally planned on being on Lesvos for just a year, but this turned out to be a naïve assumption as tens of thousands more people came over from nearby Turkey, predominantly from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq. Philip told how his NGO now has 20 permanent staff on Lesvos, Samos and the mainland, including 9 Greek asylum lawyers and how they have welcomed over 300 volunteer lawyers from 18 European countries. They have assisted more than 13,000 people, 69% of whom have been granted some kind of asylum. Philip also warned how, lately, the rule of law has been sacrificed in the name of speed and it has become much easier to deport someone.

The refugee crisis, Philip said, is a European issue and needs a European solution. People will continue to come because they are fleeing for their lives. Last year, more than 1,600 people died crossing the Mediterranean and since 2014, 23,000 have died. He argued that a fair and proportionate distribution of refugees across Europe would have a barely noticeable impact. Considering what he has learnt over the past six years, Philip said that people are

School Notes

the same the world over and that we would all act in a similar manner in the same situation, something which is exemplified by the Ukraine situation at present. He also emphasised that empathy is vitally important and that we must ask ourselves: what would we want to happen if we were in their position? People, he said, just want a chance to rebuild their lives in safety. Philip said he found the latest response to the war in Ukraine both inspiring and troubling – it did show, he said, how, when we want to, we can show empathy and act quickly, but asked why was this not the same for refugees arriving in Greece? Put simply, he suggested it was a policy decision to treat these two groups differently.

Finishing by reflecting on his fourteen years at Bolton School, Philip told how the School instilled in him the values of fairness, equality and justice, along with the traits of thinking about others and challenging assumptions. He said he was pleased to see that the School does even more than in his day in terms of volunteering. He told the audience to be a positive change in whatever way you can and to follow your passion, it is the most powerful tool that you have. Anything, he said, can be changed if we put our minds to it; it all starts with us.

There then followed a Question and Answer session, in which the topics of career changes, the character building aspects of school and the importance of taking risks to follow your passions were all discussed, along with why there were such differences to how Europe responded to the treatment of Syrian refugees and Ukrainian refugees.

Finley Littlefair, Vice-captain of the School, concluded the evening with a Vote of Thanks.

Use a QR Code Scanner to listen to the Tillotson Lecture in full

Founders and Benefactors Assembly

The Girls’ Division for the first time joined the Boys’ Division in holding a Founders and Benefactors Assembly to honour the many figures in Bolton School’s history who have helped to create and shape the School into the Foundation that exists today. The Boys’ Division has been holding this celebration annually since the School’s 100 and 500 anniversary celebrations in 2016.

Head of Foundation Mr. Philip Britton led the Founders and Benefactors Assemblies in both Boys’ and Girls’ Divisions.

Mr. Britton began by explaining that this assembly happens on or

close to 7 May to commemorate the date of the death of one of Bolton School’s foremost benefactors: Lord Leverhulme. The flag was also flown in his honour during the week of the Founders and Benefactors Assemblies.

Mr. Britton went on to note the long and distinguished history of the Foundation, which stretches back to the founding of a school for boys in Bolton in 1516. Since then, the schools that became the Boys’ and Girls’ Divisions have been refounded on a number of occasions. This year, the Boys’ Division assembly focused on 1644, during the first Civil War, when Robert Lever re-endowed the School with a gift in his will.

Mary Haslam, whose husband was a governor of the Boys’ school and who was also involved in the Women’s Suffrage movement, was one of the key figures involved in the founding of Bolton Girls’ Day School in 1877. Initially located at the Mechanics Institute and employing just one schoolmistress, it was notably open to all girls, regardless of their class. Bolton Girls’ Day School quickly became Bolton High School for Girls and in 1891 moved to a site on Park Road, where the Junior Boys’ School stands today. This school would go on to join with Bolton Grammar School for Boys in 1915 to become the Girls’ and Boys’ Divisions of Bolton School.

Looking back, Mr. Britton drew out a few important themes, the first of which was the disgrace that a girls’ school was established so recently in our history, some 361 years after a school for boys. He also reiterated the importance of Mary Haslam, who decided to do something about the inequality she saw around her in Victorian England. With a group of friends, both men and women, she created a school for girls at this pivotal moment of change in the country’s history.

In both assemblies, the audience was invited to join in with singing Jerusalem and the School Song: in the Boys’ Division Forty Years

Mr. Ford, the Head of Boys’ Division, offered up a few words celebrating the enormous contribution that teachers at Bolton School have made to the school’s pupils.

The Boys’ Division Captain Ali Ahmed spoke at the Boys’ assembly,

giving thanks on behalf of the pupils for those who have contributed to the School: John Barton, the Benefactor who first founded the school for boys in Bolton; Robert Lever, whose benefaction led to the Civil War refoundation of the Boys’ school in 1644; William Hesketh Lever, Lord Leverhulme, who is largely responsible for the current 1915 Foundation and buildings of the school; and many others through the years.

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by encouraging a wider range of applications to the School’s Bursary scheme. At the heart of its success is the high quality, dedicated work by OnSide’s youth workers.

Through the Flourish programme, Year 6 members of Youth Zones in Blackburn, Chorley and Wigan took part in activities including science experiments, performing arts workshops and graphic design sessions at Bolton School and received academic support ahead of taking the entrance exam. This led to 8 young people taking the entrance exam in January 2022. Three pupils were successful, with two bursaries being provided by John and Sally and one provided by Bolton School. The Flourish programme will expand to Bolton Lads and Girls Club and Warrington Youth Zones this year, and work with Year 5 pupils throughout the Summer Term and then during the Autumn Term of their Year 6 studies, to support them to undertake the School’s entrance examination in January 2023.

Mr. Britton closed the assembly by bidding Year 13 a fond farewell and wishing them luck in their forthcoming A Level examinations.

Record Bursary Donation initiates ‘Flourish’ Outreach Programme

Bolton School celebrates a record donation from John and Sally Roberts that will help level up talent and opportunity through new means-tested bursaries. Old Boltonian, AO Founder and CEO, John Roberts, and his wife Sally, will support 14 pupils through their full senior school experience. It is the largest one- off donation received by Bolton School to its bursary fund. The donation has facilitated a new outreach partnership between Bolton School and youth charity OnSide to support applications.

Through a new partnership between Bolton School and the youth charity OnSide, John and Sally Roberts will support 14 pupils with means-tested bursaries, funding two Year 7 pupils a year for seven years through to completion of their A Level studies. This builds on their previous support for bursaries at the school over the past six years. The first two pupils, both members of the OnSide Network of Youth Zones, joined Year 7 in September 2022.

The donation is part of John and Sally’s ongoing commitment to support more young people achieve their full potential. The bursaries are available for young people that are members of OnSide Youth Zones to support their education and cover additional expenses to ensure they benefit from all the opportunities the School has to offer.

As a result of the gift, Bolton School and OnSide have established a new outreach scheme called ‘Flourish’ to promote social mobility

Philip Britton, Head of Foundation at Bolton School said: “We are exceptionally grateful that John and Sally have chosen to make such a transformational gift to our Bursary Fund. John and Sally’s generosity has enabled us to develop an innovative outreach partnership with OnSide, as a means of reaching potential Bursary candidates who might otherwise never even have heard of Bolton School, nor understood that they might thrive here. The Flourish outreach programme will ensure we can find Bursary candidates with real potential, and support them to apply to the School, safe in the knowledge that there need be no barriers – financial or otherwise – to their future success. Our Bursary pupils take the opportunities

School Notes

their education here provides and then go out into the world to make a difference for good. We are delighted that John wishes to pass on the gift of a Bolton School education to the next generation of Bolton School pupils, and honoured by his and Sally’s practical, wholehearted commitment to delivering social mobility through the School’s Bursary programme and our partnership with OnSide.”

Bolton-born entrepreneur and Founder of AO John Roberts said: “Sally and I know that talent is evenly distributed, but opportunity is not. Bursaries are a brilliant way to level this up. Bolton School is an amazing place and we want young people from OnSide to have the same fantastic experience there as I did. It’s been brilliant seeing the two charities work together to make this happen – it’s definitely a model that could work in other parts of the country. The youth workers at OnSide are phenomenal at getting the best out of young people and bursaries like this are a direct way to support talent, wherever it’s found. We’re extremely proud of the new pupils and look forward to following their progress.”

OnSide is a national charity that funds, builds, launches and supports a network of state-of-the-art, multimillion-pound Youth Zones in the UK’s most disadvantaged areas. Helen Taylor, Director of Policy, Partnerships and Impact at OnSide, added “Giving young people access to opportunities to fulfil their potential is at the heart of what OnSide Youth Zones are all about. We are incredibly grateful to John and Sally Roberts for their generous support, which has enabled this partnership to make a real difference to these young people’s lives.”

John and Sally are long-time supporters of OnSide Youth Zones. John has been a trustee since 2015 and also served as Chair of the Executive Board.

Teachers win National Awards

Two teachers from Bolton School Senior Boys’ have won prestigious awards in this year’s Pearson’s National Teaching Awards, which were announced on National Thank a Teacher Day.

Miss Naomi Lord, a former pupil who now works as Director of Creative Learning and Partnerships across the Bolton School campus, was Highly Commended in the Teacher of the Year in a Secondary School category. Miss Lord was the driver behind the Boys’ Division recently being re-accredited as an Artsmark Platinum school. The award – first afforded to the

school in 2018 – signals that its arts and cultural provision remains at the highest possible standard.

Considering what made her choose a career in teaching, Miss Lord said: ‘I have always been excited about the world and everything in it and compelled to share that wonder and intellectual curiosity with others. My career in education began in special educational needs mentorship; that is where I learned what a huge difference I could make to individual lives by lending my focus and support. It matters to be truly interested in people. Teaching came next and it was the making of me. I quickly worked out that the young people I worked with needed to know that what I was teaching mattered to me and why it should matter to them.

‘I have the great fortune now to work in school partnerships and community arts – I enjoy a close relationship with my school and the opportunity to work out how we can enable all young people in our local area to access quality cultural experience and careers opportunities. I often pinch myself when I find myself directing large-scale productions, running festivals, asking businesses and local authorities to give up their time and resources to support youth projects. At heart, I’m a shy person that fends off being overwhelmed by the world to try to make change for good. I often use the phrase “shoulder partners” to relate working together – to me, being a teacher is walking in empathy with children to get them to all of the glorious places they can imagine.’

Ms. Jessica Sigrist, an English Teacher in the Boys’ Division of Bolton School, won a Certificate of Excellence in the Teacher of the Year Digital Innovator category.

At the end of the previous academic year, Head of Literacy in the Boys’ Division, Ms. Sigrist, offered all incoming Year 7s the opportunity to consolidate their foundations in reading skills and technical accuracy by offering access to the Century Tech platform. Reflecting, Ms. Sigrist said: ‘Century has had a huge impact on the reach and support we have been able to offer students almost instantaneously. As a result of its introduction, we currently have smaller gaps in terms of spelling, punctuation and grammar and reading ages than in other year groups.

‘After thirteen years of teaching in both state and the independent sector, the effect of technology is evidently increasingly impactful. We are now looking at using further digital technologies, including Lexonik Vocabulary as well as signing up for a trial in a new programme called Vocabulous which engages students in the etymology of Greek and Roman words in a fun manner, which should also support both reading and vocabulary understanding.’

Senior Prizegiving

The annual Boys’ Division Prizegiving was a wonderful way to bring the school year to a close by looking back and acknowledging the many achievements of boys individually and of the school as a whole.

Mr. Nic Ford welcomed a large audience of boys, staff, parents and family members to the Great Hall for the occasion. He noted that in his first year as Head of Boys’ Division, he has much in common with a previous headmaster, Mr. Lipscomb, who also saw much change in his time: the beginning of the Bolton School Foundation, a war in Europe and a pandemic. However, Mr. Ford went on to say that the School continued and thrived amidst these circumstances, and the same is true today. He also mentioned his predecessor Mr. Britton’s legacy, which included the reintroduction of the School Song, which was sung to open Prizegiving.

Mr. Britton himself then took the podium as Head of Foundation to give his address. It has been fourteen years since he joined Bolton School, and he reflected on his previous role as Boys’ Division Headmaster as well as his new position. He said that the ‘trick’ of being a leader is not to conserve the past, nor to try and make your mark out of a sense of ego, but rather to ‘make a difference for the school and those in it’ and ‘craft what it looks like in the modern age’. He spoke about an ‘interesting year’, in which there has been a focus on identifying, celebrating and promoting the differences between the Divisions. Looking to the future, he said that the School will look thoughtfully at which differences are important, and which are artefacts of history that can be changed to create a new and better version of the school we know.

Prizes were presented by Mr. Iain Ross (Class of 1972), an Old Boy who is chair of several biotech companies in

School Notes

the UK, US and Australia, including Silence Therapeutics PLC. He has over 40 years’ experience in the international life sciences and technology sectors, and has advised banks and private equity groups on numerous company turnarounds.

However, he began by calling himself a ‘bad example of success’. He was involved in many different activities in his time at Bolton School, such as camps, sports and stage management of theatre productions, but did not get the grades he needed to study medicine as planned. The Headmaster, Mr. Baggley, turned down his bid to resit his A Levels, and he therefore had to take a different route. Iain went to study Zoology in London, as that was the only course with places remaining, though he eventually transferred to Chemistry and then Biochemistry. He called this a rather ‘inauspicious start’ to his post-school career!

Moving on, he told the boys that he had done some market research into what his friends and family remembered from their Prizegiving ceremonies (which on the most part was unfortunately nothing!) and what others had said in their speeches. He shared some of the highlights, including ‘the only scientific thing’ he found: ‘wear sunscreen!’

Looking back on the things he has learned, he said that ‘timing is everything, and sometimes it’s the wrong time’. He said that there is ‘no such thing as entitlement’ and that failing to plan is planning to fail. However, he went on to say that ‘you are always allowed a second chance, but you must recognise it’.

He shared a story from his own career: for nine years he had watched the fortunes of a company he had merged with an American company, who had then fired him immediately after the deal was complete, and eventually ended up chatting with its biggest shareholder. The shareholder claimed the company had ‘gone down the pan’, and Iain told him he could turn things around. He ended up getting his old job back, and said it was all because he wasn’t afraid of ‘sticking his neck out and saying he could sort it’.

Iain also shared his ‘best interview ever’ which was with another Old Boy, Malcolm Stevens. Malcolm had developed a brain cancer product that only worked in a third of patients, and wanted to do more but lacked funding. Iain said he could raise the money and got the job! He said, ‘You can take the boy out of Bolton School, but you can’t take Bolton School out of the boy!’

He advised the boys to get to the answer quickly and not waste time

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or money, learn from mistakes, and learn to love whatever they do, as having the right attitude is important. He also said that, when investing for a company, he always uses the ‘red face test’: if he can look in a mirror and ask if it’s the right thing to do, he’ll know. He said to ‘treat it as if it’s your own money’ and ‘don’t fool yourself’.

Finally, he told the boys to ‘make the impossible possible’! He explained that he had been allowed to watch a heart transplant simply because he had asked whether he could. In another example, he spoke about successfully getting both Republican and Democrat representatives to ‘open’ a factory in the US for him, separately, to avoid political bias, again, because he asked them. Therefore, his final piece of advice was the old adage: ‘if you don’t ask, you don’t get’.

Rishi Narla, the Captain of the School, gave a vote of thanks to Iain for sharing his advice in an entertaining and memorable Prizegiving address.

Mr. Ford then gave his review of the year, looking back on the past months of sporting triumphs, theatre productions and more. He bid farewell to colleagues who were retiring or moving on from the school. During Prizegiving, he also highlighted the work of the Governing Body. This year, the school has welcomed seven new Governors, who, along with their colleagues, are great examples of the importance of service and giving back. The Governors this year created the post of Head of Foundation, helping to take Bolton School to the next level while also maintaining the continuing ethos of the school.

the piano. The audience was invited to sing the school song Forty Years On which opened proceedings and Jerusalem, which brought the evening to a close. Organ music as guests arrived and departed was provided by Organ Scholar Xuan Wang.

The evening also included musical performances. Billy Burrows sang Maybe This Time from the musical ‘Cabaret’, accompanied by Mrs. Whitmore, and Freddie Audley played All of Me by John Schmidt on

After Prizegiving, everyone was invited to congregate in the Riley Centre’s Leverhulme Suite for refreshments.

You can watch the full Prizegiving ceremony by scanning this QR code:

Senior Prizewinners

EMMA SAXELBY (French): Anuj Mishra 13i

METCALFE (Modern Languages): Benjamin Hunt 13b

MAYNARD ANDREWS (German): Max Rimmer 13e

CLIVE WILLIS (Spanish): Dominic Flood 13d

WATERHOUSE (Russian): Benjamin Hunt 13b

GEOFFREY ROSSETTI (English): Anuj Mishra 13i

LIPSCOMB (Speech & Drama) Senior: Finley Littlefair 13d

LIPSCOMB (Speech & Drama) Middle: Billy Burrows 11f

THE RALPH LITTLE PRIZE: Jayden Luhar 11d

BARONESS MORRIS: Jack Swires 13c

THE MIDDLE SCHOOL RESEARCH PRIZE: Levi Higham 11b

Veer Patel 11d

LEVERHULME SALVER William Miles 13f

ROBERT AINSWORTH (Classics): Matthew Mair 13a

Max Rimmer 13e

H.T. LANE (Biology): Vijay Duddu 13d

VICTOR LAMBERT (Medical Studies): Arsh Patankar 13h

KIRKMAN (Biology): Morgan Camm 13h

SCIENCE INVESTIGATION: Owais Khalid 13g

WARBURTON (Geography): Veer Patel 11d

LEIGH-BRAMWELL GEOGRAPHY PROJECT: Thomas Yates 13i

JUNIOR GEOGRAPHY: Ethan Herring 9d

BRAMALL (Economics): Moinuddin Master 13a

WILLIAM BROWN (History): Maani Parsai 13i

BOOTH (Economics & Social History) Matthew Settle 13f

PENSTON MEMORIAL (History)

PENSTON MEMORIAL (History)

1st Harrison Prill 9c

2nd Nathan Watts 9b

ETHEL WIGGLESWORTH (Organ): Xuan Wang 12g

BRIERLEY (Violin): Mark Liu 12i

METCALFE (Music): James Hopkinson 13d

EASTHAM CHORAL: Max Turner 13b

PARENTS’ ASSOCIATION (Chemistry): Shady Morgan 13g

MELMOTH 1803 (Chemistry): Thomas Newton 10e

Ahmad Aleid 10f

Thomas Atkinson 10e

Amu Vijaya Kumar 10e

MICHAEL DILLON PRIZE FOR CHEMSITRY: Ethan Herring 9d

Joseph Williams 9b

PHYSICS: William Miles 13f

STONER (Physics): Thomas Newton 10e

Dimitris Demertzis 10e

Amu Vijaya Kumar 10e

RELIGIOUS STUDIES: Ahmed Akram 11d

HIGGINSON (Art): Henry Nuttall 12a

TILLOTSON (Typography): Billy Burrows 11f

JARY (Art): Harry Adams 11c

BRABBIN (Art & Tech): Harvey Leigh 13a

DEREK DeMAINE PRIZE FOR ART HISTORY: Omer Ibrahim 13b

MELLOWDEW (Design & Tech): Tom Fox 13e

DOBSON PRIZE (Engineering) Isaac Simmonite 13f

BAGGLEY (ICT): Freddie Higham 13i

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AINSWORTH (Mathematics): Moinuddin Master 13a

TOM WATSON (Statistics): Isaac Simmonite 13f

JOHN BLAKEY: Ketan Dhokia 11d

GARDNER-TAYLOR: Isaac Simmonite 13f

ALDERMAN STEELE: Thomas Martin 13h

STEELE: Ian So 7h

RYLEY (Community Service) Owais Khalid 13g

FRANK BROWN (13) Ben Price 13h

FRANK BROWN (12) Max Carter 12a

FRANK BROWN (11) Alex McKie 11a

FRANK BROWN (10) Adam Faulkner 10a

FRANK BROWN (9) Ayaan Akiff 9a

FRANK BROWN (8) Kenzie Naylor 8e

FRANK BROWN (7) Stephen Nagai 7a

BERNARD CROSSLEY AWARD: James Roberts 13d

SPECIAL ENDEAVOUR AWARD: Isaac Simmonite 13f

GRANT KINNIE AWARD: Ben Hunt 13b

RON BOOTH: Ben Price 13h

NORMAN DAVIES (All Rounder): Daniel Morris 13i

DONNY DAVIES OLD INTERNATIONAL: Jacob Stevenson 13b

SIMMONDS: Harry Bentham 13f

WAINWRIGHT (Blackburn) Owais Khalid 13g

(Chorley) Daniel Morris 13i

(Manchester) Christian Stapleton 13h

(Wigan) Thomas Hothersall 13c

RILEY PRIZE: Max Turner 13b

FRANK GREENE: Matthew Mair 13a

FRANK GREENE: Finley Littlefair 13d

BOLTON GRAMMAR OLD BOYS: Ali Ahmed 13g

BROOKER PRIZE Thomas Martin 13h

James Hopkinson 13d

Jack Swires 13c

Amin Patel 13b

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Lower School Prizewinners

You can watch the full Prizegiving ceremony by scanning this QR code:

HOUSEMASTER’S AWARD

BLACKBURN FOR PARTICIPATION

Alex Preston (7d)

Matthew Yeung (8e)

Matthew Wright (9f)

CHORLEY

Joseph Griffiths (7d)

James Beirne (8a)

Edward Goodfellow (9e)

FORM TUTOR’S AWARD

Stephen Nagai (7a) FOR ACHIEVEMENT

Ian So (7b)

Harley Fairclough (7c))

Akshay Kallat (7d)

Neeraj Patel (7e)

Yusuf Salih (7f)

Theo Michaelas (7g)

Eesa Kolia (7h)

Dhilan Jacobs (8a)

Venkishen Duddukuri (8b)

Daniel Keene (8c)

Ziming Ma (8d)

Matthew Yeung (8e)

Lohith Ramesh (8f)

Ayaan Akiff (9a)

Kyran Chitre (9b)

Zak McAlister (9c)

William Simpkins (9d)

Billy Minshull (9e)

Oliver Hatton (9f)

MANCHESTER

William Richardson (7d)

Charlie Feng (7d)

Zain Patel (8b)

Alan Al-Talibani (9c)

WIGAN

Remi Molajo (7d)

Jack Singh (8c)

Isa Youssouf (9d)

AWARD FOR CONTRIBUTION TO Jacob Jones (7d)

THE LOWER SCHOOL COUNCIL

Abdullah Zaeem (8d)

Nathaniel Waghorn (9c)

LOWER SCHOOL COUNCIL CHAIR Saood Ahmed (9f)

LOWER SCHOOL COUNCIL Ayaan Akiff (9a) VICE-CHAIR

PARTICIPATION AND ACHIEVEMENT

George Burrows (7a) AT PATTERDALE HALL

Fin Wyatt (8e)

FORM TUTOR’S AWARD FOR

Paddy Connelly (7a) DEVELOPMENT AND IMPROVEMENT

Oliver Hickey (7b)

Ibrahim Gul (7c)

Daniel Croston (7d)

Muhammad Kassim (7e)

Charlie Butler (7f)

Preet Howard (7g)

Vince Parkinson (7h)

Zak Khan (8a)

Sulaiman Seedat (8b)

Amaan Davda (8c)

Antoine Jodeau (8d)

Kyri Stivaros (8e)

Xavier Jones (8f)

Marcus Law (9a)

Rohit Bhikha (9b)

Hamzah Qamruddin (9c)

Cory Husbands (9d)

Daniel Simmons (9e)

Arthur Snape (9f)

Ibrahim Patel (9c)

COMMENDATIONS

Year 7

Year 8

Year 9

Yusuf Salih (7f)

Ahmed Tahir (8c)

Nathan Watts (9b)

PARTICIPATION AND ACHIEVEMENT

Antoine Jodeau (8d)

Charlie Simpson (7d) IN MUSIC

James Wilson (9d)

Thomas Sibley (7h) IN CREATIVE ARTS

PARTICIPATION AND ACHIEVEMENT

Zayd Adam (8f)

Advaith Govindu (8f)

Zak McAlister (9c)

PARTICIPATION AND ACHIEVEMENT

Kieran Holt (8a)

Will Roberts (7c) IN SPORT

Joe Nicholson (9f)

Charlie Feng (7d) ELOQUENCE

LOWER SCHOOL AWARD:

Bomi Shodipo (8e)

Nathan Watts (9b)

Charlie Feng (7d) COMMITMENT

EXTRA-CURRICULAR

William Richardson (7d)

Leo Simpson (8f)

Joseph Williams (9b)

School Notes

Class of 2022

Photo copyright – Tempest Photography

School Notes

Monitors

School Captain: Ali Ahmed

Vice-captains: Finley Littlefair & Matthew Mair

Monitors: Thomas Barrett, Scott Bowden, Nicholas Brooks, Ben Bruton, Hamaad Choudry, Thomas Fox, Nathanael Gatenby, Harvey Goodwin, Alastair Harris, Frederic Higham, James Hopkinson, Thomas Hothersall, Daniel Houghton, Jack Huang, Benjamin Hunt Omer Ibrahim, Andrew Jacob, Owais Khalid, Thomas Martin, William Miles, Anuj Mishra, Shady Morgan, Daniel Morris, Dawood Nalla, Alexander Nielsen, Maani Parsai, Arsh Patankar, Amin Patel, Rikin Patel, Jack Phillips, Benjamin Price, Rishen Raja, Max Rimmer, James Roberts, Matthew Settle, Isaac Simmonite, Christian Stapleton, Jack Swires, Max Turner, Alexander Utley, Amay Wahie, Samuel Whitaker, Benjamin Whittle, Daniel Williamson, Callum Wong, Thomas Yates, Muneeb Yousaf

A Level and GCSE Results Days

Sixth Form students in the Boys’ Division celebrated an outstanding set of A Level results in August. The Year 13 pupils were part of the first cohort to sit public exams in the past three years, having suffered two and a half years of disruption to their studies.

Head of Foundation Philip Britton said: ‘Today is all about celebrating individual achievements by students whose education has seen the most disruption of any year group since World War Two. Their achievements should be celebrated all the more when we take into consideration that we are still in a pandemic recovery period. I am delighted for both the girls and boys and their teachers who have supported and guided them through some difficult times. It has been a long journey, with the process that brought us to this point beginning over two years ago with the teaching of pre-A Levels. The students’ outstanding achievement is down to hard work and perseverance.’

Results day saw much joyous celebration across the campus – this is a year group which has achieved highly and which, despite the odds, has engaged with a wide range of extra-curricular activities.

Jack Swires, who performed highly in public speaking and Model United Nations events during his time at school, achieved four A*s and an A and was heading off to Imperial College to study Physics. Max Turner, who joined England Under 18s for hockey trials, was heading off to Reading to read Real Estate and to continue with his sporting passion. James Hopkinson, a successful singer who was a member of the Hallé Children’s Choir when they recorded ‘A Brief History of Creation’, was heading off to Oxford to study Material Science. Sam Olawumi, who captained the national ISFA Under 18s and was a member of the Bolton Wanderers FC reserves, was taking a year out to see if he could succeed professionally. If his search does not prove fruitful, he was considering applying for a sport scholarship in an American university. Finley Littlefair, who has been a cast member in several of the School’s drama productions, is going on to UCL to study Comparative Literature. He said that this degree course is a chance to study English Literature and also learn a language,

in his case, Russian. He also said that, particularly now, it feels ‘very important’ to learn Russian, particularly since he would like to move into journalism in the future. He also hopes to get involved with drama at UCL, and perhaps even perform in a Greek play as part of the university’s Classical Society.

Summing up the day, Mr. Britton said: ‘Today has been all about celebrating individual achievements, which are a real testament to the work and commitment of both students and teachers. Across the Divisions, it has been wonderful to see all students passing, approximately a quarter of grades coming in at A* and well over half at A.’

GCSE pupils from the Boys’ Division of Bolton School also celebrated an excellent set of exam results in August after studying through what have been some unprecedented times. Across the country, it is the first year group to have sat GCSE exams since 2019, after two years of disruption due to Covid.

Head of Foundation at Bolton School, Philip Britton, said: ‘Today is a day to celebrate endeavour, tenacity and success during the Covid years. Pupils began their GCSEs as their Year 9 studies ran into lockdown and they have stuck with it through absences from school during further lockdowns and with periods of individual selfisolation. Having kept their focus, they have been celebrating some excellent results today with one another and their teachers – and they have given themselves a great stepping stone to the next stage of their education; for the vast majority, that will be at Bolton School, as our next generation of Sixth Form role models and leaders.’

Across both Divisions, twothirds of papers were graded in the 9-7 range and almost a quarter were at the top mark of 9. Within the excellent set of results there were, as ever, lots of interesting individual success stories, where pupils combined other activities alongside their studies. Joe Carolan, who plays Water polo for England Under 17s, achieved grades of one 8, two 7s and seven 6s. Lancashire cricketer Keshana Fonseka came away with seven 8s, one 7 and two 6 grades and Levi Higham, who plays saxophone, also performed with distinction, achieving four 9s, five 8s, one 7 and one A* (HPQ). Ben Rimmer’s results were also incredibly impressive: he collected eleven 9s, one 8 and an A* (HPQ).

Academic Enrichment & Community Projects

SPACE is the curriculum enrichment programme for all students in the school, designed to expand the boys’ development in the following areas:

S Social, Spiritual

P Physical, Personal, Practical

A Active, Aesthetic

C Community, Cultural

E Enterprise, Entrepreneurship

Taking part in activities in these areas is an important part of boys’ character development and helps to prepare them to succeed in all aspects of their lives. In this way, SPACE contributes to the School’s aim of helping to shape students into confident young men with the skills and attributes required to lead happy and fulfilled lives.

SPACE takes place every fortnight on a Monday afternoon for boys in Years 7-9 and 12-13. Students in Years 10 and 11 have ‘SPACE Days’, days off timetable throughout the year to participate in enrichment activities.

Here are some of the highlights of this year’s programme:

Outdoor Activities

It was fantastic that, following the relaxation of COVID restrictions, Years 7-9 were all able to participate in a programme of outdoor activities at the Anderton Centre. Years 7 and 9 enjoyed three such sessions and Year 8 had one trip up to the Centre. Some of the activities in the programme included mountain biking, sailing, canoeing, paddleboarding, rock climbing and kayaking.

Cookery

One of the most popular activities in the SPACE programme is cookery. These sessions were hosted in the Girls’ Division Food Technology rooms and supervised by Food Technology teachers Mrs. James and Mrs. Teasdale. Boys in Year 8 learned how to make egg fried rice, students in Year 12 made pizzas whilst Year 13 students had two sessions, one cooking stir-fry and the other making a curry. For Year 13 students, these are two recipes which many plan to cook again next year as they embark on the challenge of living away from home for the first time. Thanks to Mrs. James, Mrs. Teasdale and all the other supervising staff, who enabled the boys to learn important food preparation skills.

Shahzeb and Zaid of 12f cooking a delicious and healthy Stir-fry

Sport

Representing both the P (physical) and A (active) letters of SPACE, sport is an important part of the enrichment programme. Most year groups enjoyed some inter-form football competitions. It’s always a pleasure to watch these competitions and to see all boys in a form group working together in what are always highly competitive events. Thanks to the Sports department for their efforts organising these tournaments.

Outdoor activities at the Anderton Centre for Years 7, 8 & 9

Academic Enrichment & Community Projects

Pastoral Curriculum

SPACE continues to be a key vehicle to deliver elements of the pastoral curriculum, including character education, PSHE (Personal, Social, Health and Economic), SMSC (Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural) RSE (Relationships and Sex Education) and Universal Values, led by the Deputy Head, Mrs. Brandon. Topics are addressed in a safe environment through a combination of lectures and workshops, using appropriately qualified and experienced external speakers alongside expertise found within the school. Some of the most memorable sessions this year included a moving talk about mental health by former England Rugby International Danny Sculthorpe, a session to Year 10 about active consent and a talk to Year 8 about the importance of healthy relationships.

Like in previous years, a carousel of activities aimed to help equip Sixth Formers with some of the practical competencies they will need for life beyond Bolton School has been delivered to Year 13. Sessions included finance, study skills and work-life balance. Year 12 had a carousel of activities with a similar purpose, which included sessions on car ownership, cookery, and finance.

Creative Arts

This area of school life continues to flourish under the guidance of Director of Creative Learning, Miss Lord, who has increased the opportunities for boys to engage in the Creative Arts and cultural activities during SPACE. The Arts Award, completed by Year 7 and co-ordinated by Miss Lord and Miss Sherry, has been extremely successful; staging post sessions for this qualification have taken place during SPACE. Year 8 engaged with some of the 2021 Bolton Film Festival’s selections, learning about shot composition, and writing some short reviews. Year 9 enjoyed a SPACE afternoon at Bolton Museum, where they explored the local history of work, leisure, and culture.

The ‘school car’ remains in full working order thanks to careful maintenance from Year 12.

My thanks go to all the staff who contributed sessions to the SPACE programme – it wouldn’t be possible without their dedication. The planning for next year’s programme is already well underway – we are aiming to make it the best yet!

D.F. Teasdale

Charities Committee

Senior boys play an important role in school life; they lead each House by helping organise House and Sports Days, provide their wisdom during House Assemblies and, perhaps most importantly, sit on the Charities Committee, making important decisions as to which charities deserve our help. This year has seen this committee go from strength to strength, with House Captains, together with Owais Khalid (Head of the Charities Committee), meeting regularly to discuss new ideas for both raising money and helping worthy causes.

These boys sold poppies in the run up to Remembrance Day and

Mr.

Year 7 Inter-form football competition champions!

Miss Sherry launching The Arts Award

Year 9 exploring local history in Bolton Museum

Academic Enrichment & Community Projects

£737.45 was donated to the Poppy Appeal. They also ran the Christmas food collection and this year, Boys’ Division collected 250 Christmas puddings for Urban Outreach. In addition, the Charities Committee assisted with the annual Christmas Card Competition, but a new entrepreneurial initiative was introduced this year. The boys were asked to make their own Christmas cards using lino templates produced by the Art Department. This will be rolled out next year as a competition as to who can raise the most money from production and sale. There was also a Christmas Toy Collection, in which a large amount of children’s toys were collected for Bolton Lions.

the skills and aspects of their personality that will have positively influenced their success. The chosen ‘heroes’ ranged from Pep Guardiola, Spiderman and David Attenborough, demonstrating the vast array of skills the boys felt were important. As they progress through school, boys become more familiar with using our Careers Platform – Unifrog. An important aspect of using Unifrog is to keep an ongoing record of their skills and achievements.

In the Middle and Senior School, the boys in Years 10-13 have joined ‘World of Work’ sessions during the pastoral period. The ‘World of Work’ talks aim to introduce our students to a variety of career opportunities available to them, and to listen to a range of inspiring talks from our Alumni. Topics have ranged from Engineering and Law through to Mental Health Nursing. Each speaker gives an overview of their current role, their experience and their journey from School to present day. Boys then have the opportunity to ask questions in order to develop their understanding of that work environment and the skills required to succeed.

The Committee also assists with the School’s Non-Uniform days, which always raise a significant amount for local charities such as Urban Outreach and Bolton Lads & Girls Club.

Each House Captain has also played a significant role in assisting Housemasters in raising monies and community-led projects within each house. You can read about these initiatives in the Houses section of the magazine.

Careers

Following the move to a wholly virtual careers programme due to the Covid pandemic, the Careers Team recognised the benefit and wide reach that online events could bring and therefore during the 2021-22 academic year, they delivered a hybrid programme of events. The amalgamation of platforms has meant that the boys have had the opportunity to meet face-to-face with speakers, but also hear from those across the globe; all our volunteers have given truly inspirational and invaluable advice to our students to help them navigate their career decisions. We are extremely grateful for their valuable contribution.

In the Lower School, much of the focus of the careers’ education took place within the SPACE programme, where boys attended a number of sessions focusing on their skills and personality type in order to develop ideas for a career area they may be interested in. As an example, Year 9 pupils wrote about their ‘heroes’ and identified

As an expansion of the Middle and Upper School offering, September saw the introduction of the joint ‘A to Z of Careers’ lunchtime talks. These commenced with an extremely interesting talk given by the Army in September, which showcased the many different career paths which the Army offers. The A-Z Series will work through the alphabet over the coming months exploring a variety of career options. The talks not only encourage Sixth Formers to explore higher education opportunities and seek advice, but inspire Year 11 attendees who have recently completed their Morrisby Careers (psychometric) Profiling at the end of Year 10.

Richard Houghton (Class of 2014), an electrical engineer, addressed Years 10-13

Academic Enrichment & Community Projects

Year 12 participated in a SKILT day (skills and training) during the Summer Term, which included sessions on CV writing and interview preparation. The highlight of the day was a Dragons’ Den-style challenge to design a new chocolate bar that would have enough originality to break into the market. After developing their business acumen during the day, in the evening, each boy took part in a bespoke mock interview. Interviewers from a wide variety of professions who have experience of interviewing and selection processes in their organisation kindly gave their time to help us with this event. Wherever possible, students were matched with an interviewer whose professional specialism was relevant to the student’s intended future career path or area of study. This was an invaluable experience in helping them prepare for future selection procedures as well as gaining advice and feedback on their CV.

During the year, the School also participated in specialist career events. In March, pupils in the Middle School took part in an ITN news event, which focused on Journalism and included talks by many current employees of ITN with a range of responsibilities. The main focus of the session was to design a way to present a fictional news story based on a helicopter crash in a major city. Pupils had to discuss and draw plans on who they would interview and how they would prioritise the various tasks. Students found the event both interesting and informative. It also gave them an opportunity to explore the various pathways into media and journalism.

In March 2022, the Careers Fair returned after a three year absence. As in previous years, it was a huge success, drawing in large crowds from the School and local community, with stalls featuring over 75 exhibitors from Higher Education Institutions, universities, local, regional and national businesses as well as the Armed Forces, Police and NHS. Career-focused seminars and presentations also ran throughout the evening, aimed at helping students with their higher education applications and consider their future options. This was an excellent event for young students across Bolton to have the opportunity to talk to employers and university representatives, gaining inspiration and information on the next steps of their career journey.

Duke of Edinburgh Award Bronze Award

It was our turn: D of E. After years of tales from older siblings and cousins about ordering Domino’s and getting lost, it was finally our time. We’d finished our Volunteering, Skills, Physical and now it was time for the toughest challenge yet: the Expedition.

The weekend before was spent packing our bags, making sure there was enough food to carry us through, and waking up on Monday morning felt surreal. Nerves and excitement filled our minds as we set off for school with our bags on our backs and walking boots on our feet. We got to school, registered, and were soon on the bus to The Anderton Centre, where we would begin our journey. We were equipped with lighters, food, some pots and pans, bits of tents, and we began to plan our route.

Once our route was finalised, we were swiftly out and beginning our walk. We knew there were around five hours of walking ahead of us, but this didn’t dampen our mood and we set out with our spirits high. After an hour or two of walking under a gloomy sky, the sun emerged and the energy was at an all time high as we were walking down the canal – I even remember putting sun cream on. We sat down under the sun and had our lunch, then we began walking again with the incentive of being over half way. Not long after, we were on the home stretch and when we reached camp and took our bags off, a wave of relief flowed through us.

Mr. P.J. Newbold

Academic Enrichment & Community Projects

However, we couldn’t rest yet. We worked together and set the tent up and finally we could relax. Around two hours later, it was dinner time. We all gathered round our cooking contraptions and made ourselves some much-needed food. Not long after, we were all ready to sleep and headed back to our tents for the night. Half an hour of talking later, we were sleeping and recharging for our walk back to the Anderton Centre the following day.

We woke up around seven o’clock, packed our tent up, and were walking again as soon as possible. For the first three hours, we walked without much talking, trying to push through the fatigue from the previous day’s walk. After what seemed like years of walking, we were in the final hour and a spring entered our step. By the time we turned into the road leading to the Centre, we were sprinting, the excitement of finishing on our minds. We had earned our Bronze D of E – a year of experiences later, we had done it!

George Sherratt 10f Silver Award

Taking part in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award has enabled me to apply new skills and to develop others. For my Skills section, I continued to work towards my Grade 6 in piano. I particularly enjoyed volunteering at a youth group in Sale as I enjoyed the responsibility of leading activities and games, and I developed my leadership skills in the process. For my Physical section, I took part in the Rock Over inter-school climbing competition in Manchester and enjoyed the challenge of a V5 climb.

On a really hot day, our merry band of five set off on our expedition in the Lake District. We wanted to survey the red squirrel population in the area and succeeded to some extent, as one of my group spotted this rare animal among the trees. I loved the camping experience as

Gold Award

we pitched our tent in an idyllic setting within the vicinity of a tarn. We used trangia stoves to cook some delicious food pouches after which morale was very high. It was a great three day experience and I am looking forward to starting the Gold Award next year.

For me, D of E was an amazing experience. I got to enjoy the beauty of the Lake District with my friends and had fun along the way. The expedition relies on what you make of it. I had a mixed team of established friends as well as people I didn’t really talk to; it meant that there was always somebody to talk to during the long journey. While walking, we saw many different animals and travelled through different terrains. At one point, because of a wrong turn, we had to vertically scale a hill. While this doesn’t sound appealing to the average person, it was more fun than you’d imagine.

For my Skill, I learned clay pigeon shooting, which was the first time I had done it – I enjoyed it, but I’m not sure I’d do it again as it was difficult and retrieving the discs was tiresome.

For the Physical section, I did Hockey with school and with Golborne Hockey Club. I play centre midfield and had games every Saturday with training every Tuesday.

For the Volunteering section, I helped with a local Cubs unit. I learned how to be a young leader and how to support and manage activities. I particularly enjoyed leading games and other indoor and outdoor activities.

Tom Brennan 12i

David Chow 11c

Academic Enrichment & Community Projects

Duke of Edinburgh’s Award

The following boys were awarded during the academic year 2021-22:

Bronze

Sam Abram 12a

Harry Adams 11c

Ali Adnan 11a

Haseeb Ahsan 11c

Subhaan Akbar 11d

Muhammed Akhtar 12d

Ahmed Akram 11d

Farhan Akram 12d

Omar Al-Falahi 11c

Leo Allen 11d

Mahmoud Alzubaidi 11b

Mahad Anwaar 12g

Sahil Arjan 12i

Charlie Ashton 12d

Zack Atcha 11d

Freddie Audley 11d

Jacob Audley 11f

Fezaan Aziz 11a

Ahmet Balanyan 11b

Sam Banton 11f

Vernon Baxter 11f

James Bland 11b

James Bowie 11e

Jonathon Brennan 11a

Thomas Brennan 12i

Tom Brocklehurst (2021 Leaver)

Billy Burrows 11f

JJ Campbell 12a

Joe Carolan 11a

Callum Cavanaugh 12b

Matthew Chae 11f

Muhammad Choudhary 12e

David Chow 11c

Lucas Collings 11b

Daniel Connelly 11e

Harry Connor 11e

Matthew Cooney 11a

Daniel Corr 12c

Sam Couriel 12d

Evan Dare 11b

Elliot Davies 11e

Ewan Davies 11c

Rhys Davies 12e

Tom Debreczeni 11a

Harvey Dhokia 11a

Ketan Dhokia 11d

Joshua Dickens 11b

Jake Dickinson 11f

William Duffy 12e

Nathan Elcock 11b

Daniel Elding-Parry 11e

Joe Emery 11e

Benji Evans 11f

Neo Fitzgerald 11b

James Fitzsimmons 11a

Finn Flanagan 11c

Jack Fletcher 12e

Keshana Fonseka 11b

Marcus Fung 11a

Oliver Garland 11e

William Garlick 12f

Cameron Geskell 11d

George Gkikas 11a

Max Goodwin 11a

Tom Griffiths 11c

Haseeb Hajee 12b

Olly Hextall 11c

Levi Higham 11b

Oliver Hodge 11f

Matthew Hope 12h

George Houghton 11c

Jake Hudson 12i

Jacob Hughes 12e

Thomas Hunt 11e

Harvey Husbands 11e

Jamaal Hussain 11b

Ahmad Imran 11c

Haashir Imran 11c

Lucas Ingham 11b

Mohammed Faheem Jiva 11c

Sahir Jiva 11c

Luke Johnson 11f

Sam Johnson 12c

Jacob Jones (2020 Leaver)

Akshat Kamath 11d

Kaushik Kathiriya 12i

Fenn Kay 11d

Ted Kay 11b

Aarij Khan (2021 Leaver)

Daud Khan 11a

Salmaan Khan 12f

Harry Laithwaite 11b

Khalid Lakhi 11a

Jamie Latchford 11e

Tom Leach 11f

Dylan Lincoln 11b

William Littlefair 11d

Darragh Livesey 11e

Kevin Longthorne 11d

Oliver Longworth 12a

Mark Liu 12i

Jayden Luhar 11d

Billy Maher 11f

Benjamin Male 12g

Ollie McCann 11f

Ben McCarthy 12c

Kian McDonald 11e

Alexander McKie 11a

Luis McPherson 11f

Zain Mehraj 11b

Fletcher Mellor-Brook 11a

Anand Mistry 11e

Wesley Mok 11b

Oliver Morrow 11f

Mohammed Hussain Natha 11e

Noah Nethercott 11d

Marcus Ng 12a

Zane Nirodi 12e

Tanatswa Nyahwo 11d

Aum Odedra (2021 Leaver)

Yash Panasa 11d

Nabil Pariejwala 11c

Jake Partington 11a

Aamir Patel 11d

Ismaaéel Patel 11c

Muhammad-Mustafa Patel 11d

Raees Patel 11c

Veer Patel 11d

Sam Paton 11f

William Pearce 11e

Lewis Pierson 11f

Rory Pixton 12b

William Price 11d

Danyal Quereshi 11b

Adi Ranganath 11d

Hamza Razzaq 11e

Ben Rimmer 11b

Harry Roebuck 11e

Patrice Rostami 11d

Bilal Sardar 11a

Kiran Sastry 11f

Raoul Saxena 11a

Charlie Silvester 11b

Jacob Simmonite 11a

Reuben Simpson 12g

Jack Stevens 11f

Archie Stocks 11e

Shahzeb Syed 12f

Harry Taylor 11b

Ben Turner 11c

Cameron Weatherley 11c

Evan Weston 11c

Noah Whitman 11e

Simon Whitmore 12h

Harry Whittles 12a

Jack Whyte (2021 Leaver)

Toby Yates 11f

Silver

Sahil Arjan 12i

Charlie Ashton 12d

Thomas Brennan 12i

Max Carter 12a

Callum Cavanaugh 12b

Ibrahim Cheema 12i

Muhammad Choudhary 12e

Daniel Corr 12c

Sam Couriel 12d

Bill Danson 12d

Jamie Death 12i

Saul Farrell 12g

Jack Fletcher 12e

Will Fothergill 12h

William Garlick 12f

Thomas Ghee 12i

Haseeb Hajee 12b

Ali Hanif 13c

Awal Hassan (2021 Leaver)

Daniel Heather 12e

Matthew Hope 12h

Barnaby Horridge 13g

Jake Hudson 12i

Jacob Hughes 12e

Myles Johnson (2021 Leaver)

Kaushik Kathiriya 12i

Owais Khalid 13g

Salmaan Khan 12f

Mark Liu 12i

Azhar Makkan (2021 Leaver)

Benjamin Male 12g

Ellis Matthews 12b

Ben McCarthy 12c

James Morgan (2021 Leaver)

Robert Murray 12b

Rishi Narla 12i

Zane Nirodi 12e

Aum Odedra (2021 Leaver)

John Oxley-Harrison 12a

Academic Enrichment & Community Projects

Aadam Patel 12h

Amaan Patel 12b

Cian Patel 12c

Neerav Patel 12i

Rayyan Patel 12g

Siddhant Patel 12c

Jack Phillips 13d

Rory Pixton 12b

Aran Pomian 12g

Oliver Pope (2021 Leaver)

Joseph Prudham 12i

Rishen Raja 13b

Hashir Sapra 12d

George Seddon 12h

Reuben Simpson 12g

Neeraj Singh 12g

Archie Swan (2021 Leaver)

Amay Wahie 13f

Xuan Wang 12g

Alastair Watts (2020 Leaver)

Simon Whitmore 12h

Harry Whittles 12b

Ryan Williams 12f

George Worth 12c

Brandon Yuen 12h

Gold

Sebastian Bamford (2021 Leaver)

Emmett Brennan-Calland (2021 Leaver)

Thomas Britton (2021 Leaver)

Nathan Burudi (2021 Leaver)

Morgan Camm 13h

Joe Dykins (2018 Leaver)

Jack Fisher (2021 Leaver)

Alex Fitzpatrick 13h

Ben Flood (2021 Leaver)

James Hopkinson 13d

Matthew Mair 13a

Thomas Mair (2018 Leaver)

Joel Male 13g

Connah Mansfield (2021 Leaver)

Thomas Martin 13h

Thomas McGivern (2019 Leaver)

Tom Nally 13f

Mohammed Patel (2021 Leaver)

Ben Price 13h

Khaleel Raja (2021 Leaver)

Samuel Schofield 13f

Charles Shaw (2018 Leaver)

Piers Skeels-Caldwell (2021 Leaver)

Amin Ughradar (2021 Leaver)

Rupert Varley (2019 Leaver)

Joseph Walker (2021 Leaver)

Tom Yates 13i

Bolton Children’s Fiction Award

The winner of the Bolton Children’s Fiction Award (BCFA) 2022 was announced to a hall filled with excited pupils just before the summer holidays. Boys and girls from across Bolton visited Bolton School to take part in the Award Ceremony after casting their votes for the winning book.

Authors and books shortlisted for 2022 were: Stewart Foster (The Perfect Parent Project), Ele Fountain (Lost), Elle McNicoll (A Kind of Spark), Lesley Parr (The Valley of Lost Secrets), Helen Rutter (The Boy Who Made Everyone Laugh) and Joe Wilson (The Island That Didn’t Exist)

This year, BCFA was partially virtual: Bolton School’s Librarians, who organise the Awards, arranged a series of Zoom talks with the six shortlisted authors. Bolton School Book Club members attended live from the Library and the recordings were shared with everyone involved in BCFA 2022. This followed on from the success of using technology to connect authors and readers during the pandemic, when in-person visits were not possible, and allowed every single person involved in the Awards to hear from all six authors about their books.

On the day of the Award Ceremony, there was a buzzing atmosphere in the Great Hall at Bolton School as pupils congregated to hear the announcement of the winner: Helen Rutter with her book The Boy Who Made Everyone Laugh

Helen was delighted to accept the Bolton Children’s Fiction Award for 2022 in person. She addressed the audience, thanking them for their votes and talking more about her journey to becoming an author and how the story of Billy Plimpton, The Boy Who Made Everyone Laugh, came about. She also got the audience involved in collectively creating an outline for their very own story during the event! This memorable and fun activity encouraged everyone to get involved and start thinking creatively.

Earlier in the day, Helen spent an enjoyable morning with members

Academic Enrichment & Community Projects

of the Boys’ and Girls’ Division Book Clubs talking about her writing and books more generally.

The English Department also organised activities including a World Book Day assembly, quiz and scavenger hunt around the Boys’ Division. The School’s online community was also encouraged to join in and share their current reads using the hashtag #CommunityOfReaders.

World Book Day

The Senior School Library at Bolton School put on a whole host of activities for Boys’ and Girls’ Division students to enjoy for World Book Day.

Pupils in both Divisions were invited to put a ‘Book in a Jar’. This competition challenged everyone to illustrate a favourite story inside a jam jar, with some very inventive and interesting results! A host of jars were handed in and went on display in the Library for everyone to explore, and maybe even discover a new read. Pupils received World Book Day tokens and could use these to buy copies of the £1 books from the Library on the day. The weekly book clubs also held World Book Day themed sessions during the week to celebrate.

In the Boys’ Division, over 170 pupils signed up to receive a World Book Day goodie bag, filled with exciting literary treats, including books and extracts. The Library was dedicated to quiet reading throughout lunchtime to give boys ample opportunity to enjoy the books of their choice. ‘Found Not Lost’ books have become a popular Boys’ Division World Book Day tradition in recent years: the Librarians hid a selection of books around the school, in unusual places around the corridors, and the lucky boys who discovered hidden books got to keep and read or pass on their finds.

Football Festival

Bolton School’s Football Festival for local primary schools returned this year for the first time since 2019 and it proved to be as popular as ever. Girls and boys from well over one hundred teams took part in the event which ran over two days; a drills and fun day for Year 3 and Year 4 children with some small-sided games and a competitive knockout tournament day for Year 5 and Year 6 players.

The event was run by and at Bolton School with help from Year 7 and Year 8 pupils and Sixth Form students, some of which were collecting volunteering hours for their Duke of Edinburgh Awards. Keith Branagan,

Academic Enrichment & Community Projects

the renowned former Bolton Wanderers’ goalkeeper and Director of Football Coaching at the School, organised the Festival and, besides the Bolton School pupils, brought in a pool of senior referees.

In several closely fought games over the match day two action, Eagley Juniors ran out winners of the ‘A’ competition, beating Sacred Heart 3-2 on penalties after a 0-0 draw. The ‘B’ competition was won by Sacred Heart, who overcame St. Brendan’s 1-0 and in the Girls’ Final, Egerton beat Cherry Tree by two goals to one.

ideas as well as their entrepreneurial and business acumen. The Entrepreneurship Scheme drew to a close with five groups pitching their business plans in a Dragons’ Den-type forum. The mentors, some in person in the Arts Centre and others attending virtually, offered feedback on the presentations.

Alumni Mentoring Scheme

Several Year 13 students from across both Divisions of Bolton School have spent an instructive year under the mentorship of five high-achieving alumni. The Sixth Formers enjoyed virtual group sessions with all of the former pupils and were paired up with one each as their individual mentor. The one-to-one programme facilitated exploration of each individual’s area of interest, helping the students to develop their

All the Sixth Form students spoke positively about the scheme and professed to having learned lots during the process and to developing their entrepreneurial capabilities. They now felt more attuned to the challenges faced by start-up businesses and talked about improving their skills in ideation, research, product development, networking, strategic thinking and communication.

After a catch-up lunch, Umar Awais and Matthew Syers were the first to present and talked about launching their fruit flavoured chocolate product. Sofia Carrera-Knowles told how her objective had been to create a product to help the blind or visually impaired. Summer Kay explained her loneliness-fighting project which had involved matching up students with alumni and she talked about the trials and tribulations involved with this! Aimen Iqbal talked about setting up her own law firm and Fabeha Shafaat, building on her prior experience from Young Enterprise and being a Youth MP, spoke about launching an NGO offering free education to disadvantaged children in the developing world. After the pitch, each student received a £100 participation award.

The five alumni mentors who gave their time to encourage the students were: Juhi Gore (Class of 1993) who currently works with early-stage impact-focused businesses, social enterprises and the ecosystems helping them to succeed; John Craven (Class of 1982)

Academic Enrichment & Community Projects

who, after a long career working mostly for large investment banks, along with a close friend launched Smith Square Partners; Rob Dobson (Class of 1982) who founded Actix, a tech business focused on algorithmic optimisation for mobile phone networks and is now one of the most active independent angel investors in Scotland; Elizabeth Newton née Whyatt (Class of 1979) who is Head of Professional Development at London Business School, having worked in talent management and development in both corporate environments and through her own consultancy; and Tony Wadsworth, CBE (Class of 1974) who had spent over 40 years in the music industry, including 26 years at EMI, where he was Chairman and CEO of EMI Music UK & Ireland as well as being Chairman of both the BPI and BRIT Awards Ltd. and who continues to Chair the BRIT Trust and the global charity, Julie’s Bicycle.

The Anthea Bell Prize for Young Translators

Our linguists entered The Anthea Bell Prize for Young Translators, run by The Queen’s College, Oxford. The competition is inspired by the work of the translator Anthea Bell OBE (1936–2018), one of the finest and most influential literary translators of the 20th and 21st centuries. You may well have one of her wonderful Astérix translations on the bookshelf at home. The boys had to translate an extract from a foreign language into English, learning about new authors along the way. Find here their efforts, alongside the original extracts.

Presenter: Cancel the normal program, I have to inform you of an important event: for several days they come to observe all the strange word disappearances in the neighbourhood. This incident is characterised by certain symptoms: people are speaking normally and suddenly they lose their memories. This has been the case with Mrs. Gordillo in the market, when her turn came in the line at the fruit and veg shop to pay with Paco.

– Hello Paco!

– Good morning! What would you like?

– Give me one kilogram…

– One kilogram of what?

– This round…? How do you say…?

– This round…? Apple?

– No this is used in salads…

– Lettuce?

– No, friend, no. This is red…

– Ooh I know! You want a kilogram of beetroot.

– No, no, no!

This second passage is from an article about the French street artist Invader, known for his mosaics of the aliens from the arcade game Space Invaders which he has mounted on walls in 80 cities around the world (including London, Manchester, Newcastle in the UK).

This first extract is from a children’s play by Antonio de la Fuente Arjona titled, El ladrón de palabras (The Word Thief). It begins with a television presenter making an important announcement...

PRESENTADORA: Suspendemos la programación habitual para informarles de un importante suceso: desde hace varios días se viene observando en todo el barrio extrañas desapariciones de palabras. Este hecho se caracteriza por ciertos síntomas: las personas están hablando normalmente y de pronto pierden la memoria. Este ha sido el caso de la Señora de Gordillo en el mercado, cuando le tocó su turno en la cola de la verdulería de Don Paco...

– ¡Hola Paco!

– Buenos días, ¿qué desea?

– Ponme un kilo de...

– ¿Un kilo de qué?

– De... de esto redondo... ¿Cómo se dice...?

– ¿De esto redondo...? ¿Manzanas?

– No, esto que se usa para las ensaladas...

– ¿Lechuga?

– No hombre, no. Esto rojo que...

– ¡Ah ya sé! Usted quiere un kilo de remolachas.

– ¡No, no, no...!

Ce petit avatar vient d’un jeu japonais du même nom. Créé en 1978, il a rendu fou les “geeks” du pays. Derrière cet avatar, l’idée d’Invader est de créer une passerelle entre art, quotidien et numérique à la manière d’un hacker de l’espace public. Ses personnages sont comme des virus, des envahisseurs, un moyen d’ancrer le numérique dans la réalité. Le tout chargé

Rith Narla 8e (Commended entry, North West)

Ms. O.M. Sullivan

Academic Enrichment & Community Projects

de sacs remplis de kilos de tesselles de céramique, une vraie performance.

Toujours masqué, Invader pose son art en toute illégalité et doit ruser à chacune de ses interventions. Tous ses motifs sont préparés à l’avance et la pose se fait souvent la nuit dans des endroits difficiles d’accès, souvent haut perchés.

Si Paris protège l’art de rue et poursuit les auteurs de pillages ou de dégradations, d’autres villes au contraire voient les œuvres d’Invader comme une atteinte à l’espace urbain et décident de retirer ses œuvres. Un crève-cœur pour l’artiste qui, après 20 ans de métier, continue de préférer la rue aux musées.

This little avatar comes from a Japanese game of the same name. Created in 1978, it made the country’s “geeks” crazy. Behind this avatar, Invader’s idea is to create a link between art, everyday life, and digital technology, in the style of a hacker of the public space. His characters are like viruses, invaders, a means of fixing digital technology into reality. It is all laden with bags filled with kilos of ceramics, which is a genuine achievement.

Always masked, Invader puts up his art in total illegality and has to use cunning for each of his actions. All of his motifs are prepared in advance and the installation often happens at night in difficult places to access, often very high up.

Even if Paris protects street art and pursues those responsible for pillaging and damage, other cities, on the contrary, see Invader’s works as an infringement on the urban space and decide to remove his works. It’s a heartbreaking situation for the artist who, after 20 years of work, continues to prefer the street to museums.

Ben Rimmer 11e

This third extract is from a novel by Espido Freire titled, El chico de la flecha (The boy with the arrow). The book is set in Roman Hispania in the first century. Marco is the protagonist and Aselo is his slave, and friend.

Marco se inclinó hasta donde le era posible y colocó la flecha en el arco: respiró hondo y esperó. Entrecerró los ojos y avanzó por la rama del árbol un pie más, hasta el límite de lo sensato: más allá la rama se

estrechaba y estaba cubierta de hojitas tiernas, y no soportaría su peso, y si se rompía, caería encima de Aselo, que se encontraba agazapado entre los arbustos, tan oculto que Marco apenas distinguía la túnica parda con la que se vestía.

Se concentró de nuevo en la presa: en el claro, en su campo de tiro, un jabalí hozaba entre las raíces. [...] Era un ejemplar adulto, grande, con unos colmillos que le hicieron sentirse agradecido por encontrarse a considerable distancia sobre el suelo, y no en él, protegido apenas por unas ramas, como su esclavo.

La idea había sido de Aselo. [...] Después del largo y duro invierno de la Lusitania, los dos jovencitos estaban impacientes por aprovechar el campo, el sol y el buen tiempo.

Marco leaned down as far as he could and placed the arrow on his bow: he took a deep breath and waited. He squinted his eyes and advanced one more step up the tree branch, up to a sensible distance: further along, the branch narrowed and was covered in delicate little leaves, and would not support his weight, and if it broke, it would fall on top of Aselo, who was crouched in the bushes, so hidden that Marcus could barely make out the brown tunic he was wearing.

He focused on the prey again: in the clearing, in his shooting range, a wild boar was burrowing through the roots. […] It was a large adult one, with tusks that made him feel grateful that he was a considerable distance above the ground, and not on it, barely protected by branches, like his slave.

It had been Aselo’s idea. […] After the long and harsh winter on the Lusitania, the two youngsters were impatient to take advantage of the countryside, the sun and the good weather.

Fletcher Mellor-Brook 11a

This final passage is taken from the novel L’Art de perdre by Alice Zeniter. The novel tells the story of a family who moved to France following the Algerian War of Independence. In this extract, the family are moving from temporary accommodation in rural southern France (the Logis d’Anne) to a permanent home.

Lorsque le car dépose les quelques familles du Logis d’Anne dans leur nouveau quartier, il pleut. Le sol est encore boueux des travaux. C’est triste à mourir. Le problème de ce ciel nuageux, comme Hamid va le réaliser très vite, c’est qu’il permet de tout voir. Les yeux ne plissent jamais devant une brillance excessive, il n’y a pas de flots de lumière suffisamment puissants pour rendre flous les détails environnants. La Kabylie et la Provence étaient une succession de silhouettes d’arbres, de crêtes et de maisons à moitié mangées de lumière. Elles étaient faites de taches de couleur qui dansaient entre les paupières difficilement tenues entrouvertes. Et l’Oued qui descendait la montagne depuis le village jusqu’à Palestro s’allumait

Academic Enrichment & Community Projects

par intermittence de reflets aveuglants comme si tout au long de la pente des contrebandiers avaient utilisé des morceaux de miroir pour s’envoyer des signaux. On croit que la lumière permet de montrer, d’exposer crûment chaque détail. En réalité, à pleine puissance, elle cache aussi bien que l’ombre, sinon mieux. Mais le ciel gris de Normandie ne cache rien. Il est neutre. Il laisse exister chaque bâtiment, chaque trottoir, chaque homme qui marche de l’autocar jusqu’à son futur appartement, chaque trace de boue qui macule déjà les marches de l’escalier et l’intérieur des logements car il n’y a paillasson nulle part. Le ciel est bas pourtant, il est distant. Il ne se mêle pas au paysage. Il se contente d’être là, à l’arrière-plan, à la manière des toiles abstraites devant lesquelles on place les enfants le jour de la photographie à l’école. C’est comme si le ciel regardait ailleurs.

When the bus drops off the few families from the Logis d’Anne in their new neighbourhood, it is raining. The ground is still muddy from the construction work. It is saturated with sorrow. The problem with this cloudy sky, as Hamid will come to realise very quickly, is that it allows you to see everything. The eyes need not squint in the face of excessive brightness, for there are no streams of light powerful enough to obscure the surrounding details. Kabylia and Provence were a string of silhouettes composed of trees, ridges, and houses half-bleached by daylight. They were fashioned of specks of colour that danced between eyelids struggling to remain open. And the river which flowed down the mountain from the village to Palestro sparkled with dazzling glints, as if all along the sloped banks, smugglers had used shards of mirrors to send signals. Some believe that light brings revelation in its raw exposition of every detail. In truth, at its most radiant, it masks as masterfully as shadow, if not better. Yet the grey sky of Normandy hides nothing. It is neutral. It allows every building to exist, every pavement, every person who walks from the bus to their future apartment, each sliver of mud that already soils the stairway steps and the inside of the dwellings because there are no doormats anywhere. The sky is low but nonetheless distant. It does not blend into the landscape. It is just there, in the background, just like the abstract canvases in front of which children are positioned on the day of the school photograph. It is as if the sky were looking elsewhere.

Barnaby Keogh 12i

German ‘Email Austausch’ and film screenings

This year, Year 10 students studying GCSE German have embraced the exciting opportunity to take part in an ‘email exchange’ with students from the Andreas Gymnasium in Berlin.

Burgeoning friendships have been struck up between many Bolton School students and their partners, and it has been a pleasure to hear their excitement when receiving replies. Students have already learnt

lots of new vocabulary and practised their writing and speaking skills when shooting introductory videos. A number of Zoom meetings were organised across the year, and it has been a pleasure to watch the students’ fantastic efforts to speak in German.

This has been a wonderful opportunity for students to further their progression in the subject, practise their language skills, and learn about what life is like for young people in Germany. We look forward to continuing with the exchange next year. It has certainly created a buzz in the MFL classrooms!

A little closer to home, this year, the German Department introduced a series of twilight film screenings for students in Years 9 and 10. From Turkish ‘Gastarbeiter’ to climbers attempting the North Face of the Eiger, students have been introduced to many amazing aspects of German history and culture. The traditional German snacks provided have been enjoyed by teachers and students alike, and we are looking forward to continuing with these events next year.

Miss K.J. Roddy

Russian Translation Competition

Our entries into the Sheffield University Russian Translation Competition this year met with great success. Two of our Sixth Form Russianists – Ben Hunt and Barnaby Keogh – both produced superb translations and finished in the top ten in this national competition, underlining both the pedigree of the boys and the department’s status as one of the leading Russian departments in the country. Many congratulations to them and to all who participated in what was a demanding contest.

Mr. P.G. Davidson

Academic Enrichment & Community Projects

Modern Languages Debating Competition

Three teams of Bolton School Boys took part in the North Schools’ Modern Languages Debating Competition held at Cheadle Hulme School on Thursday 18th November. A Level students represented the various teams.

The three teams competed vigorously in a series of rounds against other schools, debating difficult topics such as, ‘Parents should not have more than two children’, ‘Tourism benefits the world’ and ‘Young people should be allowed to vote at 16’. A number of strong points for and against the motions were presented by all the teams, winning some of the debates, but, unfortunately, they were not successful overall in progressing to the final round.

Nevertheless, the boys and girls involved in the competition thoroughly enjoyed the experience and made their language teachers very proud.

Mrs. M. Lapinskas

French Spelling Bee National Final

The Regional Finals of the Routes into Languages French Spelling Bee were held online this year, due to the effects of the pandemic. We recorded our 60 second French spelling heats in A1, sent them in to the Spelling Bee Headquarters and, after an incredibly long wait, we finally jumped for joy. It was the moment we had been waiting for: ‘Neeraj Patel: Bolton School Boys’ Division’ appeared on the live results screen in front of us. He did it! The National Finals beckoned. A quick picture from our teacher Ms. Sullivan and we were off to tell our friends.

Fast forward a month and we were ready. When I finally saw Neeraj Patel, Marton Lange and Sebastian Hergart walk to where I was sat at Manchester Piccadilly, I felt the nerves leave me. We travelled From Manchester to Doncaster, Doncaster to Peterborough, then caught a coach, and finally a taxi to finish the long, eventful Sunday journey. When we arrived at the hotel, Neeraj and I sprinted to our rooms.

The next day, we practised the 300 words and headed off. We then got a tour of St. Catharine’s College in Cambridge, where Alex Gao, a previous competitor who came second, is a current undergraduate student of Engineering.

Spanish team – Dominic Flood, JJ Campbell & Alex Utley

French team – Freddie Higham, Millie Ashton & Thomas Martin

German team – Angela Okeke, Alastair Harris & Max Rimmer

Academic Enrichment & Community Projects

We finally headed into the venue and started the competition. It was all very close, but Neeraj, controversially, headed into a tiebreak to get into the top four. The tension was certainly there and when Neeraj’s name wasn’t called, he held his head in his hands and couldn’t watch. We had thought he had got into the top four for sure, but Neeraj just missed out. Everyone knew he had done immensely well and was incredibly proud of him. We tallied up 21 correctly spelled words in one minute – the audience was blown over! I feel very privileged to be his friend and he came fifth in the country!

Oracy

Bolton School Boys’ and Girls’ Divisions are now ESU Oracy Affiliate Schools thanks to their involvement in various activities organised by the English-Speaking Union (ESU). There is a growing culture of oracy in the School, where pupils are encouraged to participate in a wide range of extra-curricular activities and enrichment opportunities designed to enhance a wealth of skills.

George Stoddart 7e

Linguistics Olympiad

Agroup of keen and talented Year 12 linguists were able to spend an afternoon investigating a range of new and unfamiliar languages by taking part in the UK Linguistics Olympiad. Laurence Britton, Muhammad Choudhary, Harrison Gee, James Logan, Reuben Simpson and Xuan Wang enjoyed exploring the creole language of Bislama, Zuna of New Mexico, the Mayan language of Tseltal and the tonal language of Mazateco, whose people communicate through a series of whistles, to deconstruct the structures and features of these new languages. In putting into practice a range of skills honed from their study of mathematics and modern and classical languages, the boys were able to solve a range of pictorial and orthographic translations and identify the morphology of these specific dialects. Particular congratulations are due to James and Reuben, who secured Bronze Awards for their efforts in what is a very challenging and demanding field of study. The boys are all to be commended for their commitment to extending their academic interest beyond their Sixth Form curriculum.

Through their involvement, students develop communication skills, improve critical thinking and learn how to build effective arguments. Pupils are encouraged to present ideas and engage in friendly debate with peers, which also enhances their public speaking, listening and response skills. These activities also foster an interest in and passion for current affairs.

This academic year, pupils from both Divisions will enter all three of the ESU’s competitions: the Schools’ Mace debate, the Churchill Public Speaking Competition and the Performing Shakespeare Competition.

In Years 8 and 9, pupils are invited to put themselves forward for the Churchill Public Speaking Competition. This is the largest such contest in England and Wales, with around 400 teams taking part nationally. The three roles on the team are speaker, questioner and chairperson: these allow students to practise and excel in different

Mrs. C.A. Brace

Academic Enrichment & Community Projects

skill sets. The competition pairs the speaker from one school with the chair and questioner of another, and encourages quick thinking and relationship building.

Pupils in both Divisions take part in the ESU’s Performing Shakespeare competition, which involves in-school heats and the opportunity to progress to regional finals and a grand final in Stratford-Upon-Avon. To recognise boys’ and girls’ participation in this competition, Miss Talbot and Miss Lord (Foundation Director of Creative Learning and Partnerships) will host an inaugural Speech, Drama and New Writing Festival in 2022.

Older students in Years 10 to 13 may be selected to compete in the Schools’ Mace. The oldest and largest debating competition for schools in England, the Mace challenges students to hone their debating skills in a fun and competitive environment. Working in teams, students develop their approaches to speech writing, public speaking and critical thinking: all useful skills both in school and beyond.

The Boys’ Division is soon to add an optional range of Drama and Speech assessments to its offer. Pupils will have the opportunity to flex their English abilities and showcase their creativity through a variety of performing arts assessments: acting, musical theatre and communication skills. The assessment framework will provide pupils with an opportunity to measure their progress against an internationally applied standard. In addition to individual Speech and Drama exams, the school will pilot a partnership scheme with the Octagon Theatre – a weekend Young Company – offering group exams and diplomas to pupils who successfully audition to join. As pupils progress through levels, they build self-confidence and selfesteem as well as amassing new skills.

Classics Competitions

Students have been getting creative in Classics. At the end of the Summer Term, students in Years 7 to 9 were tasked with submitting entries for a competition focusing on key events or myths in the ancient world. Their Classics teachers very much enjoyed reviewing the entries across a variety of media, which ranged from iMovies and digital sketches to short stories and 3D models. We were pleased to announce those who were Highly Commended and the Winners of each category. Well done to all the students who entered for setting such a high benchmark for future years!

Winners of each category are:

Year 7 (Pompeii)

Highly Commended: Ian So

Winners: Ambrose Zheng and Gabe Payne

Year 8 (Trojan War)

Highly Commended: Nishan Sharma & Umayr Islam

Winner: Zayd Adam

Year 9 (Hercules)

Highly Commended: Mason Burke

Winner: Jacob Keld

The CICERO competition is an international Latin translation contest designed to test the most able linguists across the world. Two of our Year 12 Latinists competed against other students from countries where Latin is taught, such as Italy, France, Spain and Australia. Traditionally, a student from Italy is declared the overall winner with recognition being given to a few students in other countries.

Certificates of Commendation were awarded to Reuben Simpson (12g) for his very good translation of the passage, and to Laurence Britton (12f) for an outstanding translation, which scored the highest mark of all UK entries.

UKMT Mathematics Challenge

The UK Mathematics Trust was founded in 1996 with the aim to advance the education of young people in Mathematics.

The biggest competitions are the Junior, Intermediate and Senior Mathematical Challenges, which have over 700,000 entries each year. The highest-scoring students are invited to take part in followon rounds such as the Junior, Grey, Pink and Senior Kangaroos and the Junior, Cayley, Hamilton and Maclaurin Olympiads.

Mr. D.V.B. Lamb

Mrs. C.A. Brace

Academic Enrichment & Community Projects

The high scorers in the Senior Mathematical Challenge are invited to sit the British Mathematical Olympiad Round 1, which feeds in to the training of the team to represent the UK at the prestigious International Mathematical Olympiad, the Olympic games of Mathematics, and other international competitions.

This year, we had a number of boys who reached the followon rounds and two boys who went on to take part in the Junior Olympiad.

“It was quite nerve-racking, but fun trying to solve the many different questions and puzzles which were presented to me on the day. I look forward to continuing next year and to hopefully be part of the Olympiad once again.”

Other

It was a great pleasure to have been part of the process to train and aid the boys and to watch the enjoyment and enrichment they gain from being part of such a prestigious competition.

Biology Competitions

Each year, the Royal Society of Biology organises Olympiadstyle competitions for different age groups. These are prestigious events that challenge the best biologists from across the country. To win a medal of any colour is a great achievement and this year, in the three events we entered, we collected 37 medals including 6 gold medals. If that had been an actual Olympics that would have put the School just behind Italy in the medals table!

Junior Olympiad Qualifiers: Ziming Ma (8d) and Charlie Feng (7d)

participants included: Oscar McVerry (7d), Stephen Nagai (7a), Shay Patel (7b), Matthew Yeung (8e), Benjamin Hunt (13b) and Isaac Simmonite (13f).

Mr. N.C. Holmes

Dr. N. Morgan

Junior Kangaroo Qualifiers: Temka Khadkhuu, Zain Burrill and Kenzie Naylor (all 8e)

Andrew Jobbings Senior Kangaroo Qualifiers: Neerav Patel (12i), Aran Pomian (12g), Daniel Corr (12c) & Mihir Patel (12h)

Charlie Feng 7d

Academic Enrichment & Community Projects

Senior Physics Challenge

The Senior Physics Challenge (SPC) is an annual competition run by Isaac Physics, where Year 12 students from around the UK solve advanced maths and physics problems throughout the year.

Participants must answer the most challenging questions available, combining skills from their A Level courses and beyond. Thousands of students compete, and the top 50 physicists are invited to a residential summer school held at the University of Cambridge.

George Seddon participated in this year’s event and solved 450 questions in total, including 65/68 of the hardest difficulty (C3) questions and 134 university level questions. This was enough to place him on the course.

Year 12

The Physics Olympiad Competition is a National Competition for AS Level Physics students. The questions are very challenging and are designed go beyond the scope of AS Level and test the most able students. Congratulations to the following boys:

Siddhant Patel 12c Silver

Frankie Chen 12b Bronze I

Neerav Patel 12i Bronze I

Fadi Khaled Baiza 12a Bronze II

Muhammed Akhtar 12d Bronze II

George Seddon 12h Bronze II

Daniel Corr 12c Bronze II

Alistair Reed, Paul Bigger, Tom Boardman, Shuaihan Feng, Kaushik Kathiriya, Sunyul Koo, Dan Jarvis, Jack Fletcher and Rishi Narla all achieved a Commendation.

Mr M. Ormerod

In July, I arrived at Churchill College for the SPC course. On the first day, I got to know the other students as we worked through Fermi estimation problems together. Estimating things such as the sun’s lifespan if it were powered by petrol or the period of rotation of a nitrogen molecule were definitely challenging. However, we managed to get close, by breaking the problems down into smaller parts.

George Seddon 12h

British Physics Olympiad Year 13

In November, eight Year 13 students entered Round 1 of the British Physics Olympiad Competition. This is an extremely hard physics paper designed to challenge the most able students in the country. This year, there were also many entries from China. Well done to the following boys who all achieved medals:

Ben Hunt 13b Gold

Moinuddin Master 13a Silver

William Miles 13f Silver

Andrew Jacob 13b Bronze II

Ben Whittle 13h Bronze II

Jack Swires 13c Bronze II

James Hopkinson 13d Bronze II

Alex Utley 13c Bronze II

Chemistry Olympiad

Designed to challenge and inspire, the UK Chemistry Olympiad is a unique opportunity for students to push themselves further and excel in the chemistry field. Budding chemists develop critical problem-solving skills, learn to think more creatively and get a chance to test their knowledge in new, real-world situations. Congratulations to the following boys:

Arsh Patankar 13h Gold

William Miles 13f Gold

Siddhant Patel 12c Gold

Alex Utley 13c Silver

Frankie Chen 12b Silver

Laurence Britton 12f Silver

Mark Liu 12i Bronze

Neeraj Singh 12g Bronze

Tom Boardman 12f Bronze

Alistair Reed, Harrison Gee, Ibrahim Cheema and Shuaihan Feng received a certificate of participation.

Dr. M. Yates

Mr. M. Ormerod

Academic Enrichment & Community Projects

C3L6 Cambridge Chemistry Challenge

This competition aims to stretch and challenge students interested in Chemistry, and will provide an excellent experience for anyone considering taking their studies further. Set by an experienced team of teachers and university chemists, it is designed to be accessible to Year 12 students, but takes them significantly beyond the syllabus and encourages them to think about science in the way they would at university.

The following results have been achieved by the students:

Fadi Khaled Baiza 12a Silver

Frankie Chen 12b Silver

Siddhant Patel 12c Silver

Tom Boardman 12f Copper

Mark Liu 12i Copper

Neeraj Singh 12g Copper

Sharuli Hossain 12d Copper

Mohammedzayd Patel 12f Copper

Hashir Sapra, George Worth and Hamza Mehraj received a certificate of participation.

Year 13 Fun Run

Year 13 students enjoyed a celebratory send-off during their last week in school. For the first time, both Divisions came together for a fancy dress Fun

Run in aid of charity: a tradition that has been running in the Boys’ Division for some years. This time, boys and girls took to the Levels

in costume to run or walk laps and raise money for a good cause. The charity this year was the Ukraine appeal, which was chosen by the family of Cameron Milton, a Year 13 student who sadly died in March. The total raised was £140. After the Fun Run, everyone was treated to ice creams to cool down before the end of the day.

On Wednesday, the cohort’s last full day in school together, the Boys’ and Girls’ Divisions enjoyed separate year group celebrations before coming together for a special lunch in the Boys’ Division Dining Hall.

Head of Foundation

Mr. Philip Britton gave a brief address before the food was served. He called them a ‘pioneering year group’, who were the first to experience joint

lunches in the Arts Centre, as well as handling the pandemic. He also reassured the students about their exams to come. Finally, he added that it was great to be able to enjoy one another’s company together and in person, particularly since their Sixth Form years have been dogged by Covid.

Mrs. Kyle, the Head of Girls’ Division, and Mr. Ford, the Head of Boys’ Division, also said a few words and wished all of the students well.

After their celebratory lunch, students departed for Study Leave ahead of their A Level exams.

Dr. M. Yates

Clubs & Societies

Senior Literary and Debating Society

Senior Literary and Debating Society has continued to run a prosperous society, both within School as well as through participation in external competitions, which continue to be hosted via Zoom. Our society has participated in the annual Mace event, which focuses on the British Parliamentary style of debating. Jack Swires, Ewan Davies and Frederic Higham represented the School fantastically against what was a very strong field of teams from across Greater Manchester. The first heat saw Bolton School progress to the regional heats after proposing and winning the motion ‘artists have a moral duty to be political in their work’. Although we did not make it through the following regional round, all participants argued their cause with great fervour and each boy should be proud of their efforts.

During our lunchtime society meetings, we have continued to debate topical and – at times – controversial issues. Subject matter included civil liberty, world politics, war, sport and social housing. We look forward to another year of debating and competition.

Mr. J. Lucas-Nolan

Model United Nations

Following a year of virtual conferences, the Model UN team was delighted to be debating in person again in February. Organised by Manchester High School for Girls, MUNHIGH gathered students from seventeen schools, eager to debate issues ranging from cryptocurrencies to protocols for future health emergencies.

The two days of fruitful discussions that followed saw our students achieve great success. There were a number of notable individual achievements. Finley Littlefair, Alex Nielsen and Matthew Settle were Highly Commended in their committees and Jack Swires was Commended in the advanced Security Council. James Parfrey received a Special Mention in his first ever MUN conference. Well done to the rest of the team, Miguel Jones-Brosed, Dylan Lincoln and Amrit Mishra, for their involvement and their hard work.

As the year drew to a close, it was time for the Model UN Society to attend one final conference. This year has seen a number of new delegates joining the Club and WIMUN provided them with the perfect opportunity to put their newly acquired skills into practice.

WIMUN is a one-day beginners’ conference organised by Withington Girls’, with this year being the thirteenth edition and their first inperson conference since 2019. We sent a delegation representing Pakistan and our delegates spent the day debating topics including cyber warfare, election interference or private healthcare, raising their placards, lobbying students from other schools or simply enjoying more informal chats during breaks.

Well done to the team which included Khushal Gola, Tristan Hughes, Miguel Jones-Brosed, Ashton Kay, Dylan Lincoln, James Parfrey and Jack Swires, for their involvement and hard work. Congratulations to Jack Swires, who was Highly Commended in the Political Committee in his final conference with Bolton School, ending an outstanding MUN career with another achievement. Well done also to James Parfrey, who represented us in the World Health Organisation and received a Special Mention.

The Bolton School team sent a delegation representing Russia, meaning our students had plenty to read about due to the events that were playing out at the Russian-Ukrainian border at that time.

The conference started with a speech from the guest speaker, Yvette Cooper. The Shadow Home Secretary gave an inspiring talk on the importance of co-operation on world issues, urging all students to continue to get involved in the issues that matter to them.

It was very pleasing to see so many of our new delegates getting involved and hopefully a sign of more successes to celebrate next academic year.

Miss C.M.V. Buttigieg

Public Speaking and Debating Colours (including Model UN)

Public Speaking and Debating Colours are a public recognition of talent and ongoing dedication to work within Debating and Model UN. Colours were awarded to the following boys:

Name Form Colour

Thomas Hothersall 13c Full (re-awarded)

Matthew Settle 13f Full (re-awarded)

Jack Swires 13c Full (re-awarded)

Ewan Davies 11c Half

Freddie Higham 13i Half

Finley Littlefair 13d Half

Alex Nielsen 13e Half

Classics Club

This year in Classics Club, we have made mosaics, we have drawn Greek gods, made Top Trumps cards on mythical beasts and heroes in Greek and Roman myths, created clay figures of different types of gladiators and made coins. We have even written poems about Roman heroes. I enjoyed designing and making my own gladiator because I get to apply my ideas about ancient history and have my own design of ancient warriors. The reason that motivates me to go to Classics Club every week is because there is always something new and interesting to learn about every week about different areas of Classics and it is a great place to meet up with friends. The thing I like about Classics Club is the teachers because they always let us comment on topics, ask questions and make the meetings fun and interesting.

A special thanks to Mr. Fairbairn for keeping the Club interesting and engaging. We look forward to welcoming members, old and new, to Classics Club in the coming year.

Ian So 7b

Climbing

Ichose Climbing as my sports option at the start of Year 10. Although I had been on the school climbing wall, I did not regularly attend the lunchtime sessions. Like many, I had tried out climbing at birthday parties when I was much younger, and decided to try give it another go.

Clubs & Societies

Since September, during sports lessons, we have used the school climbing wall, and ventured out to a variety of different indoor climbing centres including Boulder UK in Preston. With the lighter nights, we have started climbing outdoors at a number of local quarries, transferring the skills we have developed indoors. Sessions have been expertly led by Mr. Bradley, Mr. Gilligan and Mr. Kettle, who are really encouraging and supportive.

I like climbing because it’s so varied – school provides all the equipment including climbing shoes, ropes and safety harnesses. Having been bitten by the climbing bug, I now have my own climbing shoes in a snazzy shade of orange.

In addition to my weekly sports lessons, I have also attended after school sessions, which have been open to Years 10-13 from both Boys’ and Girls’ Divisions.

I also chose climbing for the Physical section of my Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award, setting myself a series of achievable goals, working on my upper body strength and grip.

The Great Manchester Schools Climbing Competition

In March 2022, I was one of ten boys chosen to represent School in the Greater Manchester Schools Climbing Competition. At the end of a tiring and competitive day, our team was announced as the overall winners of the competition.

If you’re not sure whether to commit to Climbing in Sport during Year 10, why not try out one of the lunchtime climbing sessions? We really are lucky to have access to our own climbing wall at school.

I have really enjoyed visiting all the different climbing sites, both

Climbing aged 10

Clubs & Societies

indoor and outdoor – trying out the different routes has been great. I have started to learn and develop my climbing techniques and can see the progress I have made.

Without the outstanding team of boys helping to run the Club, this would not be possible. We would like to express our thanks to Owais Khalid, Warren Parody and Ben Pursey. In addition, we would also like to note the help and assistance given by the Biology Technicians Mrs. Hartley and Mrs. Hamer.

Dr. N. Morgan

Science Crest Club

After a two year hiatus, Science Crest Club is back. This year, four groups of boys worked incredibly hard during lunchtime and completed projects submitted for Bronze Crest Award. The variety of projects covered all three sciences.

Working as part of a group across both Boys’ and Girls’ Divisions has been enjoyable. I have made new friends through climbing, learning from the older, more experienced climbers, whilst at the same time doing my best to support those who have less experience.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my climbing in Year 10 and would recommend it to anyone wanting to try out a different sport. It can be challenging at times, but testing out new routes is all part of the fun.

William Hoare 10d

Club Animalia

Club Animalia is the students’ chance to help out with the care of the Biology Department’s exotic animal collection, which includes locusts, giant Madagascan hissing cockroaches, a corn snake, a leopard gecko and mice. With so many animals now present in the labs, the teachers and technicians need help looking after them. Sixth Formers have taken responsibility for the daily care of a different animal. Every Friday at Club Animalia, under their supervision, pupils in Years 7, 8 and 9 help to clean the tanks and ensure the animals are comfortable.

Favourite activities at the Club include bathing the leopard gecko, counting the cockroaches and feeding the snake. The boys get a chance to handle the animals and learn about their behaviour and biology, while also appreciating the responsibility that comes with owning animals.

Ned Manock, James Gallagher and Ephraim Jones from Year 8 undertook a Chemistry-related project, looking at the rate of reaction when a fizzy drink reacts with a Mento. They worked hard to resist the temptation to sample their reagents!

Nathaniel Waghorn and Paul McGuigan Lazo from Year 9 flew the Physics flag and were attracted to the correlation between number of magnets and their strength.

Ali Asghar and Marcus Ng from Year 8 kept their hands clean by undertaking a Biology-related project investigating the efficacy of various surface cleaners. Finally, Bomi Shodipo, who leaves Bolton School, completed his project investigating which foods can be identified by smell alone in a blind test. Unsurprisingly, most boys could identify chocolate, but very few identified bread correctly.

Not only have the boys enjoyed their projects, but they have also developed research and development skills.

Congratulations to Jack Huang, Oliver Kendall, Owais Khalid and Morgan Camm on being awarded the CREST Silver Award for work completed during Extension Studies. The programme aims to encourage research and innovation amongst young people, enabling

Clubs & Societies

them to develop skills which will serve them well at university and beyond. The boys produced superb projects, exploring topics as diverse as propeller design, bovine TB and antibiotic resistance. The feedback received on the work was highly complimentary and encouraging, and some of the boys hope to develop their project further to achieve a Gold Award.

Dr. I.K. Tranter

Dental Society

Dental Society is aimed at Year 12 students considering a career in Dentistry. It meets once a fortnight during the Spring and Summer Terms. This year, six boys have learnt about the career pathways in dentistry, regulation, the anatomy of the face and neck, various procedures as well as discussing dental health problems. Students have considered the wider issues impacting dentistry such as whether or not the current funding model for NHS dentistry allows technological advances to be integrated into all NHS practices.

Dr. M.J. Procter

During the Autumn Term, the Eco-Committee focused on plastic waste. We did some blind taste tests to look at packaging options for the Dining Room, relaunched our terracycle collection of stationery and shared our ‘Twelve Tips for a Sustainable Christmas’ with the school.

During the Spring Term, the Eco-Committee and Eco-Club focused on noticing local biodiversity. We took part in the RSPB Big Schools’ Birdwatch; this is a national campaign for people across the country to survey the birds in their gardens and schools over a specific week in order to spot trends in bird populations. This is the second year that we have been involved in this.

A group of Year 7 students went on a trip to Lancashire Wildlife Trust’s site at Seven Acres in Bolton. We learnt about recognising different species of plants and trees and did some activities to find a range of species whilst we were there. The volunteers told us interesting information about some of the local plants.

The Eco-Committee also continued to work on some longer term actions such as stationery recycling and food waste recipe cards during the Spring Term.

During the Summer Term, pupils across the whole school keenly got involved in some of the Eco-Committee’s initiatives. A week-long collection for the Big Battery Hunt saw form groups compete as they brought in old batteries from home for recycling. We had huge carrier bags and shoeboxes full of batteries from some homes and in total collected over 3000 batteries, which were recycled through Bolton Council. Well done to all the forms, who used this opportunity to reduce hazardous waste, especially our three top forms (7a with 460, 9d with 378 and 7g with 305 batteries).

Continuing with the theme of waste, our Year 7 forms took it in turns to complete litter picking at the edges of our school grounds during tutor periods. All boys really engaged with this and were surprised at the volume of litter collected in the hedges lining the roads around school.

Eco-Committee and Eco-Club

Clubs & Societies

Representatives from each year group planted trees to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee with the Queen’s Green Canopy project. Our trees can be visited on the Tudor Avenue car park area.

Congratulations to everyone for the great work you have managed to do, earning your Green Flag (Merit). You should all be very proud of your work and the application you have submitted.

Miss E.A. Bramhall

French Clubs

The French Department has provided valuable lunchtime enrichment throughout the year. For younger pupils, Miss Damprobe and Mrs. Baldauf-Good have run a very imaginative French Club. Highlights have included Devine-qui? (Guess Who?) games; learning about the festivals and traditions of France and learning how to play French boules on the Headmaster’s Lawn.

Finally, the climate emergency has been extremely high on the agenda this year with COP26 being held in Glasgow and so we launched our own version of the inaugural global Earthshot Competition, with students across the school having the opportunity to design an innovative climate solution in response to one of the five Earthshot themes. The entries were judged by a teacher panel based on their feasibility, impact and quality of their poster design. The joint winners were Joseph Williams in 9b and Jack Fletcher in 12e. Four other students were highly commended for their entries: Jacob Jones in 7d, Miguel Jones-Brosed in 10e, Alistair Reed in 12d and Reuben Simpson in 12g.

In the Summer Term, the Eco-Committee was awarded an EcoSchools Green Flag. Eco-Schools reviewed the application and gave the following feedback:

‘We love that pupils have defined roles and responsibilities within your Eco-Committee. It’s very reflective of professional environments and great experience for later life. It was wonderful to see how completing your Environmental Review helped your Eco-Committee to spot gaps in your school’s existing environmental activity. But equally important is that it helped you to recognise the great work that you were already doing. This helps to keep up the good activity whilst making you feel empowered to do different things. We love this!

It was wonderful to hear how pupils have gained so much from being a member of the Eco-Club! The parent quote is a great testament to the work that you are doing with your Eco-Committee, that they are taking their Eco-Schools work home with them and getting their families on board is something to be proud of!

Pupils in Year 10 and above have attended French Cinema Club. Attendance reached upwards of 40 in the winter months –possibility encouraged by a warm classroom and something useful to do certainly – but also captivated by a number of well-received films with subtitles. We have also welcomed Girls’ Division Sixth Formers. Highlights have been La Ch’tite Famille, La Famille Bélier and Les Poupées Russes. We have also looked at different aspects of war through La Grande Vadrouille, Au Revoir Les Enfants and the brilliant film adaptation of Un Sac de Billes

The Sixth Form have had the opportunity to attend a very well prepared Debating Club. Although attendance was on occasion down to a couple of Sixth Formers, those who challenged themselves and took themselves out of their comfort zone vastly improved their oral confidence in preparation for the speaking exams.

Both Miss Damprobe and Mrs. Baldauf-Good have been outstanding assistants this year, working imaginatively and always with the best interests of the boys at heart. We wish Miss Damprobe well as she begins her PGCE next year.

Mr. A.C. Robson

Junior Geography Club

Junior Geography Club has provided pupils with excellent opportunities to develop their geographical understanding on topics they have learnt in and outside the classroom. Pupils in Years 7, 8 and 9 have loved the element of competition each week. Also, there has been a leadership opportunity for the Sixth Formers, who have been excellent role models in helping lead the sessions.

Clubs & Societies

‘I really do look forward to Junior Geography Club each week. We love the variety of activities from quizzes to anagram games, where we have to crack the code! Also, we love the nature of the competitions and the rewards of the geographical badges. My favourite topics included studying environmental issues, plastic pollution and the continents. We go beyond the curriculum, which allows us to make links between our lessons and relevant current geographical topics. Overall, it has been an absolutely splendid year for Junior Geography Club and we thank Miss Gillibrand and the Sixth Formers for all of their hard work. We look forward to this club continuing next year.’

Charlie Feng 7d

Lower School Gardening Club

This year, we have been working towards the Level 2 RHS School Gardening Award.

In the Autumn Term, we created miniature gardens using salad and herb seeds, and found items from the woodland area near the Bottom Level. We incorporated sculptures made from air-dry clay to create interest. We also learned how to plant Hyacinth and Narcissus bulbs and sold them to friends and family to raise money for seeds.

‘This year, Junior Geography Club has been an overwhelming success, with 30-40 pupils attending each week. My fellow Sixth Form students and I have helped lead the club each week by creating engaging and interactive quizzes, activities and videos. Each week, we have new topics such as the seven continents, volcanoes and climate change. The club’s topics allow the pupils to go beyond what is covered in lessons and inspire their intellectual curiosity. The boys have had the most fun with the interactive quizzes and had great fun guessing the country each week on ‘Globle’ together. I have loved how each week the boys turn up eager for the new topic, and I have personally enjoyed creating difficult but engaging tasks to really challenge the lads. It is great to see the level of knowledge, engagement and commitment in the young pupils.’

Miniature gardens

In the Spring Term, we discussed what we should grow and decided on courgettes, spring onions, tomatoes and sunflowers as they are suited to conditions in the greenhouse.

Learning how to sow seeds

We also experimeted growing plants from kitchen scraps and had success with dried butternut squash seeds, celery and pak choi.

We are delighted to say we achieved our Level 2 School Gardening Award and we are looking forward to achieving Level 3 next year.

Miss L. Gillibrand

Kaushik Kathiriya 12i

Clubs & Societies

Quiz Club

Mrs. Brace, Mr. Cropper and an encouraging number of boys keen to expand and showcase their general knowledge were delighted to be able to reunite in person and return to some weekly face-to-face quizzing for Junior and Senior Quiz Clubs. The stalwart Year 11s returned from their Lockdown Zoom quiz sessions to provide some tough competition for their upcoming successors from Year 10 with Geography and History continuing to top the polls as the most popular topics. A more recent topic round on desserts and puddings was met with less enthusiasm for being too niche, however.

Boys’ Division School History magazine, ‘The HistOracle’, has been named as the top school History magazine in the Historical Association Young Historian Awards, with a special commendation for Usayd Bariwala for his article on Dunkirk. Very well done to last year’s Year 12 contributors and editors.

Very well done to JJ Campbell, who has won the inaugural HistOracle Award for the best piece of research and writing in the latest edition of the magazine. His article, ‘Culture in Post-War Britain’, was wide-ranging and insightful.

Miss S.V. Burgess

Medicine and Science in the Media

Medicine and Science in the Media is aimed at Year 13 students interested in careers in healthcare medical sciences. The club runs at lunchtimes during the Autumn Term and aims to improve students’ understanding of the causes and pathology of medical conditions, improve awareness of the complexities and pressures on healthcare systems, investigate the use of science and technology to solve medical and surgical problems, and develop an understanding and awareness of the portrayal of healthcare services in the media. This year, the discussions were centred around the Covid epidemic and its impact on the care sector. There was much debate about the development of the vaccination and the roll out of the programme.

Dr. M.J. Procter & Dr. I.K. Tranter

These efforts were rewarded with the return of the highlight of the quizzing year with the annual Senior Schools Challenge held at Bury Grammar School. An experienced team of Thomas Martin from Year 13, Ben Rimmer and George Houghton from Year 11 and Alex Cooke and Edgar Keogh from Year 10 easily won through their heats with some impressive high scoring, but narrowly lost out on a place in the Final after fighting out a tie-break in the Semi-final and losing by just one point to Bury Grammar School. All enjoyed returning to the adrenaline of an in-person competition, despite the sore fingers and mental workout provided by the intense buzzing and the pressure of the stop clock.

The Juniors are also showing great potential as a regular cohort of Year 7 and Year 9 have been meeting each week and displaying some promising teamwork and speedy answering. All the boys have impressed with their camaraderie and enthusiasm and we look forward to a new league of competitors next year.

Particular thanks and good wishes are due to Thomas Martin from Year 13 who, as one of the inaugural members of the Club, leaves the school after an impressive career in school quizzing. We thank him for his commitment and enthusiasm over the years and for all his help in encouraging the younger boys and in growing the clubs. We hope that he continues his quizzing career at university, and that we may even see him on an episode of University Challenge at some point in the future.

Mrs. C.A. Brace

Russian Club

The lifting of COVID restrictions has meant that Russian Club has been able to return to full strength, with attendance numbers at an all-time high. Friday at 13:35 in B16 is proving particularly popular with our current Year 7 cohort, who are very excited to begin in earnest their study of the language come September.

Miss H. Tunstall & Dr. J.C. Catterall

‘The HistOracle’

As ever, we have been led this year by a wonderful group of seasoned Russian Club elders. Ted Kay has entertained and enthralled us in his role as Technology Guru, Zain Ali has forged his very own Master of Ceremonies position, Joseph Stead and Evan Weston have helped wherever needed, whilst Sam Entwistle has delivered countless rousing speeches to take us to the end of the working week. Staples of Russian Club like our quiz (occasionally provided by Jack Huang and Dominic Flood) and Joke of the Week remain crowd-pleasers, whilst a new segment during which Alex Nielsen provides sage advice from the point of view of a Year 13 boy studying Russian is always popular. Those in leadership positions have also been ably supported by valuable contributions from other year groups, notably the Middle School.

Clubs & Societies

Sailing Club

The Thursday evening Sailing Club provides an opportunity for twelve Year 7 and 8 students to develop their sailing skills. It runs from April-September. Those with potential, appropriate attitude and a firm commitment to attending every Saturday morning during the Autumn, late Spring and Summer Terms may be invited to join the Sailing team on Saturday mornings.

This year, Club members have learnt to sail in a mixture of conditions, ranging from virtually no wind up to 20mph winds with gusts of 30mph. Capsize recovery is one of their specialities!

Most significantly in this troubled time, the members of Russian Club have shown authentic and heartwarming concern for the people of Ukraine and, led by our Club President, Peter Craig of Year 11, have provided weekly updates on the war, revealing astonishing levels of understanding and empathy. Well done, lads.

Looking forward, elections for our incoming Politburo have taken place, with Joseph, Zain and Sam soon to be joined by Aleks Clayden and Dimitris Demertzis, who will undoubtedly bring their own ideas and idiosyncrasies to proceedings. We look forward to this, and to welcoming new members next year!

2022 Sailing Club members: Lewis Babicki, Tony Chen, Rory Freestone, Joseph Griffiths, Louie Healey, Seb Hergart, Daniel Hunter, Jacob Jones, Ned Manock, Yehia Mohamed, William Richardson and Yaqoob Robertson.

Dr. M.J. Procter

Senior Physics Society

This year, a dedicated group of Year 12 and 13 physicists met weekly to discuss physics problems and look at interesting physics practicals.

Mr. N.R.W. Wyatt

Some of the highlights of our meetings were through our involvement with the STEM Quantum Ambassador programme. We attended several remote lectures and talks about new areas of technological advancement such as quantum cryptography. We were assigned a Quantum Ambassador, who hosted lunchtime sessions and chatted to us about his research in proton beam cancer therapy and fundamental nuclear structure. This really captured our interest and got everybody thinking about some of the less familiar applications of quantum physics and technologies and potential careers in these fields.

Mr. M. Ormerod

The Houses

The Lyde Cup

The House system has been in place for 119 years and, through various iterations, has evolved to support and develop the boys’ moral, social and cultural understanding of the world around them through building a community within each House with its own distinctive identity.

The Wardle Cup Chorley

Sports Day Trophy Blackburn

Junior House Cup Blackburn

Inters House Cup Chorley

Senior House Cup Manchester

The overall standings for the Lyde Cup, which was first presented in 1903 by then Headmaster Lyde, are as follows:

Wigan: 4th place with 12,813 points

Chorley: 3rd place with 13,579 points

Manchester: 2nd place with 13,959 points

Through its activities, the House system provides boys with the opportunity to learn from other year groups and their experiences. It provides the opportunity for the older boys to be role models for the younger boys and develop leadership skills at the same time.

Mr. P. Jackson has taken the decision to relinquish his position as Senior Housemaster after several years in the role. He has helped to shape and develop the House system during his tenure and we thank him for his leadership.

The following cups and trophies were awarded for participation in House Day competitions and Sports Day:

Word Games Trophy Chorley

Indoor Games Trophy Manchester

House Quizzing Trophy Blackburn

House Creative Pursuits Trophy Wigan

House Colours

The winners of the Lyde Cup and overall House Champions are Blackburn with 14,454 points.

House Colours are a public recognition of service and commitment shown within the House System and Charities Committee. House Colours were awarded to the following boys:

Name Form Colour House

Owais Khalid 13g Full Blackburn

Tom Barrett 13h Half Blackburn

Ben Price 13h Half Blackburn

Jack Swires 13c Half Blackburn

Ben Bruton 13c Full Chorley

Dan Houghton 13c Full Chorley

Ibrahim Khan 13d Full Chorley

Dan Morris 13i Full Chorley

Shady Morgan 13g Full Manchester (re-awarded)

Christian Stapleton 13h Full Manchester

James Hopkinson 13d Full Wigan

Thomas Hothersall 13c Full Wigan

Thomas Martin 13h Full Wigan

Ben Whittle 13h Full Wigan

Ibrahim Ali 13a Half Wigan

Dr. F.H. Mullins

Blackburn House Report

As school life returns to normality, Blackburn House has continued with its duties and commitments, for both charity and House events. We have had a mix of virtual House assemblies, as well as some in-person gatherings, in which we met as usual in the Great Hall.

This year, our Leadership Team had chosen to support a new charity – Blackburn Youth Zone, a charity that has supported over 14,000 young people (aged 5 to 19) in the Blackburn area since it was founded; be it providing the young people of Blackburn with new opportunities or offering activities to do in a time where isolation affects our mental health, Blackburn Youth Zone has been an outstanding charity in changing the lives of many people.

However, instead of just asking people to donate for the cause, we instead put a twist on it. Over the Christmas period, our housemaster, Mr. Benbow, challenged us all collectively to travel, using any method of self-propelled transport, the distance of the United Kingdom. This was from Land’s End to John o’ Groats. The total distance we would travel is 1,407 km, where we each raised £1 for each kilometre. All of us put a fantastic effort in and we eventually raised over £1,500.

The Houses

Blackburn House also generously offered to assist in the collection of toys for Bolton Lions, which provided entertainment for young children as a part of their Christmas Toy Appeal.

This year was an historic moment for our House, as we held a competition to change our badge. After some superb entries, the leadership team settled to change our badge to the one submitted by Dhilan Jacobs.

This year has been a most successful one, and I would like to thank my Vice-captains Tom Barrett, Ben Price and Jack Swires for their assistance in running the House affairs, as well as Mr. Benbow, our Housemaster, for his encouragement and continued support. I wish the next Blackburn Leadership Team all the best!

Owais Khalid 13g

The Houses

Chorley House Report

Our main focus in Chorley House this year was to prioritise our health and fitness and to encourage others to do the same. Our chosen charity, Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY) campaign, raise awareness and fund screenings, amongst many other activities. Twelve young people lose their life every week in the UK due to undiagnosed heart conditions and boys in Chorley House wanted to help reduce that figure in whatever way they could.

With the message ‘Healthy Heart’ at the core of our fundraising efforts, boys set out to complete the ‘Chorley 12 for 12 Challenge’. Boys were encouraged to walk or run 12 kilometres or miles for the 12 young people who lose their life every week from undiagnosed heart conditions. We raised awareness through our fundraising efforts when speaking to people who kindly donated. We also spread our message when completing the challenge, with lads regularly sending pictures of them having walked or run 12 miles or kilometres; these were then uploaded to our House Twitter page. Not only did we raise a staggering £1839 for a fantastic cause, we also looked after our health and fitness along the way.

During assemblies we looked and focused on certain character traits we encourage boys to develop at Bolton School so that they can make a difference for good, not only within the school environment, but in the wider community. Boys listened to assemblies on bravery in a sporting context, determination and kindness.

House Days and Sports Day are always a brilliant day in the school calendar. It is extremely pleasing to see boys of all ages work together towards a common goal. Leadership, teamwork and sportsmanship were just a few characteristics on show and have been transferred throughout school life.

I

would like to thank the Chorley Leadership team – the Captain, Dan Morris and the Vice-captains Ben Bruton, Daniel Houghton and Ibrahim Khan for all their hard work this year.

To cap things off, Chorley House won the Wardle Trophy for the Tug of War! Stronger together!

Mr. L. Watkinson

Manchester House Report

My time as Manchester House Captain has been truly enriching. As a House, we have managed to raise over £400 for Cancer Research and Stonewall charities, an achievement which I am immensely proud of. Researching both charities, so contrasting in their goals, has allowed me to understand and sympathise better with those who the charities are aimed at. Many often overlook charity and the impact which they can have on others, however, moving forward in my life, I will always hold it dear and donate when I can, as Bolton School has taught me to.

Especially through the ‘COVID era’ of life, the House System and the sense of togetherness which it grants remains thoroughly important. Although I have not been able to give many in-person assemblies this year, constrained mainly to Zoom and Showbie, I still feel a strong sense of connection to the House. Growing up through the school, House Days and Sports Days have always been great fun, ranging from the shot put to debating, allowing pupils to engage with co-curricular interests for a wider House reward. As a pupil and House Captain, the ultimate goal of the Lyde Cup has always seemed to pull everyone together in a wider group effort. I will always be thankful for my time as a House Captain and the values which the position has taught me.

Christian Stapleton 13h

The Houses

Wigan House Report

It really has been an excellent year for Wigan House. The return to meeting in person has been greeted very warmly, and assemblies in the Great Hall and Arts Centre have been a lot of fun, reinforcing our House spirit and feeling of community.

Though unable to capture the Lyde Cup this year, our members enjoyed great success across a wide range of academic, sporting and other activities on our House Days and on Sports Day. The lads did a great job in volunteering for, organising and competing in these events, once again illustrating the kind of attitude Bolton School takes pride in.

once again on sustainability. The charity we chose to support in 2021/22 was Bolton Green Umbrella – a small, recently formed group aiming to reduce litter, re-energise green spaces and promote environmental initiatives in our town.

Following suggestions presented by a number of our Year Captains, we launched Skate to School Day in April. This event promoted the use of sustainable transportation when making everyday trips. NRWW, for example, skateboarded the 12 miles from his house to school on the 27th of April (but got a lift home), whilst others cycled, walked or jogged. Those who live too far away for this to be reasonable decided against asking for lifts when visiting friends or family, for example, turning instead to their bikes or perhaps just getting the bus. Over £1600 was raised, with some boys, such as Jack Singh and Sochi Umeadi of Year 8, managing to drum up over £200 each! Perhaps most significantly, it felt great skateboarding down B Corridor that day!

The invaluable contributions of our Leadership Team and Year Captains must also be acknowledged. These boys led assemblies, gave speeches, presented ideas for the House to vote on, attended Charities Committee meetings and set wonderful examples for our other members to follow. Our sincere thanks, therefore, go to Thomas Hothersall, Thomas Martin, Ben Whittle, Ibrahim Ali and James Hopkinson of Year 13, Kaushik Kathiriya and Will Fothergill of Year 12, Ted Kay and Muhammad Patel of Year 11, Jamie Logan and Mayan Kathiriya of Year 10, Isa Youssouf and Aariyan Chauhan of Year 9, Abdullah Zaeem and Harry Iddon of Year 8, and Remi Molajo, Yusuf Salih and Thomas Holt of Year 7. You have done superb jobs, boys; hopefully, you will be interested in putting yourselves forward for leadership positions next year. For those leaving us, all members of Wigan wish you the very best.

Mr. N.R.W. Wyatt

Following the amazing work done by Mr. Teasdale and previous members of Wigan in recent years, it was decided to focus our fundraising efforts

Sports Day

This year, our annual Sports Day returned to its House format after two years of ‘bubbles’. A fantastic morning of track and field events took place with every boy in Years 7-10 competing on behalf of their House. Although cut slightly short by the rain, the final Year 8 ‘B’ team relay race ran in torrential rain will live long in the memory for all I am sure with a full track invasion of excited yet soaked pupils!

The Tug of War competition also took place, with the trophy named after Mr. Doug Wardle, who many will know as a fierce competitor. The results were as follows:

Wigan 4th place

Manchester 3rd place

Blackburn 2nd place

Chorley 1st place

In the end, the Sports Day trophy went down to that last race, with the points as follows:

4th place Wigan with 331 points

3rd place Manchester with 343 points

There were just two points separating the top two….

2nd place Chorley with 389 points

1st place Blackburn with 391 points

Mr. M.G. Chilton

Camps & Journeys

Trips to Patterdale Hall

The post pandemic recovery of the Bolton School Patterdale programmes since May 17th 2021 has been remarkably smooth, with all trips and visits to Patterdale Hall going ahead as planned, albeit with some additional controls in place.

Taking time out within the busy school life to visit Patterdale in forms, with form teachers to build relationships between students and with staff, to develop the character and behaviours to be successful at school and beyond is something that the School places great value on and is integral to the Bolton School curriculum.

How we consume the natural ‘environment’ is something that we are focusing far more attention on, alongside all other parts of the school. We explore our behaviour and consumption routines across our complete operation and recognise the very real role we can play in helping our guests to understand and build up a respect and love of the natural environment. Usually if you can love something, then you can care for it. A next step is to quantify how our use of the natural environment has a net positive gain rather than cost, so that by educating young people using outdoor activities, we can do our bit to save the planet for future generations.

Patterdale Hall has continued to evolve during the pandemic. With generous support of school Alumni, a ‘Challenge Wall’ has been built. This new activity challenges teams of students to develop their teamwork to collectively overcome either the lower or higher wall or both. Improvements to our archery area are in the pipeline.

Whilst all programmes have an overarching theme or objective, perhaps picking on certain character traits such a resilience, intellectual curiosity or identifying how one can develop a more positive mindset, we understand and value the opportunity for simple fun and the enjoyment of being in the outdoor environment doing adventurous activities with friends and colleagues. This is all the more pertinent following a period where such freedoms were constrained.

T. Taylor

History Trips to Brougham Castle

With no fewer than eight Year 7 classes this year, the History Department undertook its most epic series of day trips to Brougham to date, effectively keeping the old fortress under siege for the best part of two working weeks. A closure of the M6 managed to hold back 7d’s attack of the castle, but only temporarily, and they were able to strike again with reinforcements from 7g a few days later.

Mr.

As always seems to be the case, the conditions were perfect for both defenders and attackers. Clear blue skies offered great visibility of the surrounding countryside from the top of the keep, warm weather kept the river levels low, and the moat nice and dry. A minor obstacle was presented by an unprecedentedly high number

Camps & Journeys

Year 8 Trip to Blackpool Zoo

Acrucial part of learning at Bolton School is applying what you have learnt in the classroom into the real world. Blackpool Zoo provides students with a fantastic opportunity to see first-hand the animals and habitats which they have learnt during their ‘Ecosystems’ topic. Below are some exciting comments from the day from this year’s pupils.

Mr. P.J. Newbold

The coach en route to Blackpool Zoo was ecstatic and buzzing with excitement. The animals we saw in the zoo were amazing. The range went from monkeys to snakes and from penguins to aardvarks. We went to the orangutan enclosure where some orangutans were monkeying around. We had learnt all about these creatures and the persecution they faced in our Geography lessons; however, seeing these docile and innocent animals in real life felt truly emotional. We had a lot of knowledge to apply to our Biology and Geography lessons and the whole day was a hugely worthwhile experience.

Dhilan Jacobs 8a

of nesting pigeons, but with nerve and stealth (and a special key provided by the warden) we were able to run the gauntlet and explore the dungeon. Lunchtime allowed for very pleasant sunny encampments, where we enjoyed a picnic lunch – and some improvised games of cricket with water bottle bats and tinfoil balls –before renewing our onslaught on the castle defences.

Fortunately, Medieval castles were built to withstand much more than this and by the end of our final trip, Brougham was still standing firm. Boys came away from each trip with a much better understanding of what castles were for and how they worked. All this expertise went on to inspire a particularly impressive set of submissions for the annual castle design challenge that takes up the last couple of weeks of the school year for Year 7 historians. We will be back with new recruits for a renewed attack next year.

We got there and started to explore the zoo by visiting the different animal habitats. We went past many types of birds such as parrots, toucans and even penguins! We also went past elephants, giraffes, meerkats, lemurs, capybaras, gorillas, orangutans and even sea lions! My favorite part of the day was the sea lion show, where they performed all types of exciting tricks. They even taught us their medical checkup routine! It was certainly a memorable day. Not only this, but the trip has enlightened me even further on the issues that we, as a society, are currently facing in the rainforest and in the seas.

Henrique Gaio Silva 8a

Miss S.V. Burgess

Camps & Journeys

We saw animals like a llama and a tortoise that were very exciting and we had a lesson in the zoo for one hour studying different types of artefacts like snake skin, a skull of a tiger and some different medicines used from the rainforest. My favourite activity was when we had to do an interview about one animal in small groups. My group chose a tortoise and we were talking about all of its senses and it was very entertaining. I learnt geographically about where the indigenous animals live and how important it is to help them. From the entire day as a whole, I learnt about the beauty of these animals and how different they are to each other and us.

GCSE trips to New Islington & Dean Brook River Valley

The GCSE boys were taken to Manchester on the first day to look at the impacts of urban regeneration as you move away from the city centre. Every year that we make this journey, the development continues to expand further out each time and East Manchester has changed considerably in the six years that we have been visiting. At the end of the data collection, we arrived at Sportcity and then moved on to a talk about the changes from the Commonwealth Games to the modern day Etihad Campus. The tour of the stadium always has some friendly banter between the red and blue geographers.

Blackpool Zoo also gave me the opportunity see new, exciting animals that I hadn’t even heard about, let alone seen. For example, the tapirs and capybaras were two animals that I found very interesting because they were different and diverse species. Overall, Blackpool Zoo was, in my opinion, the best zoo that I have ever been to, and I certainly recommend it.

Year 9 Trip to Ingleton

The annual Ingleton Waterfall trip took place in glorious sunshine and boys were treated to spectacular but somewhat less powerful waterfalls due to the dry weather in the previous weeks. As ever, the trip provides an insight into the erosional power of rivers and complements the GCSE unit that the boys study in the Summer Term. Thornton Force is a superb example of the textbook model of hard rock sitting on top of soft rock. The trip itself would not be complete without the delights of a well-deserved ice cream at the half way point of the 6 kilometre trek.

The following day, we then moved on to physical geography and collected data from the Dean Brook River on the Smithills Estate. The boys investigate changes in the characteristics as they move further from the source at Winter Hill. As with so many trips this year, we were once again fortunate to have favourable weather on our side, which certainly made the day more enjoyable.

Mr. P.J. Newbold

Mr. P.J. Newbold

Mohammed Gondal 8a

Kieran Holt 8a

Sixth Form Geography trip to Ainsdale & Easedale

This year saw the return of a residential trip for the Sixth Form geographers for the first time since 2016. Our new trip involved a data collection based on sand dune succession at Ainsdale, which provides the foundation for the boys’ coursework project. We then drove to Patterdale to stay over.

Camps & Journeys

The lounge was the venue for the evening activities which included:

• what to look for and how to navigate using stars and constellations as pointers

• constructing a clinometer to estimate the position of stars

• an excellent presentation by Owais Khalid (Year 13) on Greek mythology and the link to early astronomy

• what to look for in the Orion constellation

• the first part of the film Interstellar

Saturday was packed with various activities provided by Patterdale instructors along with astronomical activities which included:

• A masterclass in telescopic astronomy led by our guest Gary Hill. This included hands-on sessions using large telescopes, binoculars for viewing the moon and constellations and an introduction to astrophotography. Gary was also on hand to advise our boys on the finer aspects of their telescopes. An introduction to radio astronomy was to be followed up with a practical session on Sunday.

Day two started with a glacial walk around Easedale Tarn whilst taking in many of the erosional and depositional features we have been studying in the Cold Environments unit. On the final day, we visited Keswick to look at the impact that tourism has had on the settlement and how it has changed the economic and social characteristics of the town.

• An introduction to comets led by Mrs. Mills, which included a practical activity involving dry ice and various other ingredients to simulate a comet. This is the nearest we can come to seeing what a comet is like.

Astronomy Weekend at Patterdale Hall

After a gap of two years, the much-anticipated astronomy weekend at Patterdale Hall took place. The weekend was attended by boys from Years 9, 10 and 11, along with Physics staff and a guest amateur astronomer. The weekend commenced late afternoon on Friday 28th January with a welcome talk from Tim Taylor (Centre Manager) followed by a welcome meal.

Mr. P.J. Newbold

Camps & Journeys

• A session ably led by Mr. Gilligan on rocketry, culminating in the firing of water powered rockets. The launching of the rockets made us realise why NASA have to delay the launch of rockets during stormy wind. Some of our rockets were blown off course and are embedded in the trees around the Patterdale estate!

All was set for an evening’s stargazing using binoculars and telescopes and putting into practice what had been discussed on Friday; however, Storm Corrie was responsible for a power outage at Patterdale, leaving us with no electricity.

A very difficult decision was made to abandon the weekend and return home during the early evening. Some of the boys did see some constellations over Shap on the journey back to school.

The activities planned for Saturday evening and Sunday morning had to be put on hold.

Mr. M. Ormerod

The telescope session with Gary was good and it made us realise that there is a lot of preparation required to use a professional telescope. The Stabilised binoculars were fantastic.

The presentation by Owais in Year 13 on Greek Mythology was surprisingly interesting and entertaining.

Launching the water powered rockets was fun, involving experimenting to find the correct ratio of air to water in the bottle. One of the rockets got stuck in a tree, but we managed to knock it free with another rocket.

Making the comets did not work very well, but we had fun with the dry ice.

Jamie Logan 10c & Miguel Jones-Brosed 10e

Astronomy at Patterdale was by far my best Patterdale experience. I studied the subject I love in arguably one of the most beautiful places on Earth.

We studied constellations and now look into the night sky with a changed mind. We even got to watch Interstellar on the first night!

Overall, Patterdale 2022 was a very enjoyable experience, full of interactive activities.

Zak McAlister 9c

Visit to Laurence House Space Centre

On 12th May, a group of 24 Year 9 and 10 boys visited Lawrence House Space Centre based at Rossall School.

The centre is run by Dr. Nick Lister, who has been involved with Bolton School for a number of years. One of the ideas behind the trip was to make up for the lack of sky observation due to the early departure from Patterdale in January.

The main attraction of the centre is the presence of an excellent planetarium expertly run by Nick.

The day started with an excellent presentation by Nick roughly based on GCSE Astronomy exam material with an opportunity for our boys to ask questions. Afterwards, Nick commented on the enthusiasm and knowledge of the boys.

We had two sessions in the Planetarium that allowed us to view the night sky and navigate around the night sky using constellations as pointers. This is a skill required for the GCSE Astronomy course that is extremely difficult to organise as a group.

The second session in the planetarium showed us how to give bearings for stars using declination and right ascension, another very difficult concept. We could also have a look at the night sky in the Southern Hemisphere and take a look at the southern cross, positioned above the South Pole.

After an excellent lunch courtesy of Rossall School (some of the boys even commented that it beat the lunch on offer at Bolton School), the boys had a treat. After explaining that not all the moon rocks are ones that were collected on the Apollo missions to the moon, we were allowed to handle some moon rock that had been ejected from the Moon and landed on earth.

Nick also had some Mars rock that had been found on Earth after an asteroid collision on Mars.

Overall, the day was educational, helping the boys pick up essential information to help with the GCSE Astronomy course, but also very enjoyable and entertaining.

Mr. D. Roberts

Russian Summer School

During one searing and glorious August week, an intrepid group of Sixth Form Russianists set off from school to Fitzwilliam College, University of Cambridge, for an intensive Russian course. After a long trip in a minibus

Camps & Journeys

that was painfully speed-limited and lacking in air conditioning of any sort, we finally arrived at the College, where we were greeted by an excellent dinner and a general introduction to the course, tutors and fellow classmates.

Many thanks to Mr. Davidson for organising the trip, and to all the Russian school tutors who made the course most exciting and memorable, whilst also ensuring that each day ran incredibly smoothly – it was indeed a week relished by all the students.

Barnaby Keogh 12i Saundersfoot

Each day was themed around a particular aspect of the course, such as fashion and general family life, with each group having four teachers throughout the day. The ever-smiling Alla was responsible for our conversation lessons, with the use of English being strictly forbidden, a challenge that initially seemed intimidating, but was one we adapted to very quickly. Perhaps the most memorable sessions were the reading sessions with Lina, where the rules of proper Russian pronunciation were firmly established and enforced, significantly improving our oral speech through reading traditional Russian poetry and song lyrics from famous artists such as Muslim Magomaev, relatively unknown in the West, but sensations in Russia and the former USSR.

In the afternoon, we could participate in various extra-curricular classes, such as additional Ukrainian language and culture lessons, folk dance, or traditional crafts to name just a few. And outside of our language tutorials, the evenings were mostly spent enjoying the sizeable and well-cultivated gardens of the College; however, an evening trip into Cambridge’s centre to tour the rest of its famous colleges, accompanied by a stop for gelato, was enjoyed by all.

On the final day, the school closed with evening performances, showcasing what had been done in the extra-curricular sessions. We were treated to a Russian language play and even a violin recital. The Sixth Formers also showcased the Sailor’s Dance that we had been tasked with performing (the recording of which this author very much hopes will never see the light of a Bolton School Twitter account!)

The Saundersfoot trip is a week-long camp to the coast in South West Wales. This trip takes place over the summer and provides good weather and a week of enjoyable activities: a visit to a theme park, tent football and cricket, visits to the beach and to the nearby town Tenby. It gives the opportunity to the boys in Year 8 to develop character skills like teamwork and cooking. It’s an excellent way to spend time with others over the summer and is suitable for all.

Darragh Livesey 11e

Camps & Journeys

Biology Department Trip to Dominica

and there are many new species being discovered. The students helped to collect and pin samples, which were sent to the Natural History Museum in London for analysis.

• Freshwater ecology – samples were collected from the river as part of an effort to establish a freshwater index, which will allow a rapid way of identifying river health in the future and establish an affordable long-term monitoring method.

• Avifauna – Mist netting of birds was carried out to assess bird diversity. Birds flew into a large piece of netting and were then identified, and measurements taken and they were released unharmed.

• Bat surveys – there are many bat caves on the island. Bats were captured, weighed sexed and given a temporary mark to allow scientists to monitor population sizes.

This summer, thirty-two students in Years 11-13 enjoyed a once in a lifetime two-week expedition to Dominica. The Biology Department organised the trip to the ‘Nature Island of the Caribbean’ to allow students to work with scientists and assist in their research and ecosystem monitoring. The trip was split into two parts with the first section spent living on the edge of the island’s rainforest and learning about the terrestrial habitats, the second part was spent scuba diving and learning about marine ecology.

The first week was spent in a terrestrial forest camp, working with an international team of academics, who are collecting data on biodiversity. Previously, the School had visited Dominica in 2017, shortly before Hurricane Maria devastated the island, so a particularly interesting aspect to the research was how the island’s ecosystems had recovered from the natural disaster. Students rotated through different projects throughout the week, including:

• Herpetofauna – catching lizards to collect data on the effect an invasive species of lizard was having on the native lizard.

• Marine ecology – transects were laid at Champagne Reef. This site takes its name from the fact that carbon dioxide bubbles up from beneath the reef to make it look like you are swimming through champagne. This is a particularly special and important site, there are only four like it in the world; the reef offers a glimpse into what the future may be like if oceanic carbon dioxide continues to rise due to man’s activities.

• Invertebrates – the invertebrates on the island are under studied

The students enjoyed a volcanology day, where they were given a tour of the island by a local expert, visiting some of the nine active volcanoes present on the island. On this day, they had time to fit in a trip to a local beach, where many students enjoyed a refreshing coconut, which was harvested and prepared in front of them. The highlight of the day was a dip in the thermal pool at the base of the Pappa Waterfall at Trafalgar Falls. The water flowing into one side of the pool is around 45°C due to the geothermal activity, the water flowing in on the other side is at ambient temperature, creating a pool with naturally hot and cold areas.

When moving between camps at the end of the first week, the group went on a whale watching trip. They were joined by a pod of dolphins, who swam with the boat, saw many flying fish and, best of all, watched a group of five female sperm whales at the surface before they gracefully returned to the depths, rearing their tails out of the water as they did so.

During the second week of the trip, the pupils took part in a marine ecology week. Their accommodation was in the beautiful Fort Shirley, a fully restored old colonial fort dating from the 1700s, built by the British and the French. Most students completed their PADI open water qualification and then assisted with the research and monitoring of the reef. This included completing transects to monitor the health of the coral, and conducting dives to remove any litter found on the reef. A series of lectures was delivered throughout the week to teach students about the organisms found on the reef, how to protect them and what the future of the reefs are likely to be. Lots of interesting marine life was seen on the dives, including turtles, eels, barracuda, fire coral, barrel sponges, lionfish and many more.

Camps & Journeys

more soft and surprisingly calm than expected. After having the bat held to my face to tell if it was juvenile or adult, I found I gained a new-found appreciation for these animals. After returning to camp, the long day finally caught up on me and I headed back to my tent.

Throughout the expedition, one member of the group contributed a diary entry every day. The purpose of this was to create a collective memory of the trip all participants to look back on in future years. A couple of the entries can be read below:

Thursday 07/07 (Matthew Settle)

After being woken up at 4:30 by my noisy tent-mate, I finally crawled out of bed at 6am. After eating a bowl of cereal with chocolate milk and multiple cups of coffee to try and make it through the day, I headed down to the river for a swim. After spending a few minutes in the fast-flowing river, I dried off and ran back to shelter, narrowly avoiding a storm. I then enjoyed free time for the rest of my morning before lunch. After lunch, I got prepared for Lizard surveys. Travelling down bumpy Dominican roads, the island was full of life. On arriving at our destination, Emerald Pool, we quickly began trying to catch lizards. All afternoon I failed to catch any lizards with my lizard lasso while everyone around me slowly managed to catch more and more. Surprisingly, we found far more of the endemic species of anoles than the invasive variant. Nearing the end of the session, I put down my lizard lasso and grabbed a baby lizard with my hands. For dinner we had chicken with rice and vegetables, all using the shells of coconuts as bowls. Later in the evening, I set out to do a bat survey. The bat survey took us on a long track in muddy and dark conditions, although this journey was brightened by the sighting of an opossum. When finally reaching the survey site, a bat was waiting to be processed by us. The Jamaican fruit bat was a lot

Thursday 14/07 (Amaan Patel)

After an early start, group B of the qualified divers went into the ocean to clean and remove polluting material and rubbish from the sea floor. The dive was great, especially due to octopus and squid sightings. After the dive, Oscar (one of the staff) educated the group about mangroves and sea grass; their environments and their adaptations, and the way mangroves safeguard human territory. The lecture highlighted the importance of these species and the detrimental effects of their removal. Thereafter, we ate lunch, followed by the second dive of the day, which was a pleasure dive. This dive was one of the best dives I’ve ever done, due to the variation and the diversity of the species that were present. After logging the dives, we had free time to relax and take in the sun. Then came the evening lecture, which was concerning the future of the coral reefs of the globe. As a group, we were all shocked at how bleak the coming years (near and future) is looking for the reefs if action isn’t taken. It was an eye-opening talk. After the lecture, the day was brought to an end after some more free time, relaxing on the roof with members of both groups.

Mr. D.F. Teasdale

Music & The Creative Arts

Music Notes

Throughout this academic year, it has been wonderful to be able to enjoy live music performed to an audience present in the venues, rather than via pre-recorded videos shared online, as was necessary in recent years due to Covid restrictions. The Music Department has maximised performance opportunities and it has been an extremely busy and highly successful year.

Autumn Term

We were delighted to welcome Miss Archer to the Music Department team as a new full-time member of the curriculum staff, and she has relished being part of such a vibrant department.

In addition to a number of instrumental scholarships (which provide free lessons with an instrumental specialist) continuing to be made available to some musicians studying organ, oboe, bassoon and French horn, tuned percussion scholarships became available from September to Senior boys and girls. School possesses an impressive array of tuned percussion instruments (a marimba, xylophones, vibraphones, tubular bells and several glockenspiels) and these are heard regularly in our major school concerts when the Tuned Percussion Ensemble performs, playing arrangements of pop, rock, Latin American and jazz items. This scheme has increased the number of pupils who utilise these instruments, and who take ABRSM and Trinity tuned percussion exams. It has been a great success, with tuned percussionists scoring highly in recent practical exams.

On Saturday 25th September, both the Boys’ Division and Girls’ Division Great Halls resounded with splendid performances given by four Boys’ Division Senior School organ students, namely Laurence Britton, William Martin, William Miles and Lucas Ng. Their performances were part of the activities organised for the ‘0’ Years Reunion event. A number of attendees made a point of saying how impressive the musical renditions were and many former pupils were able to linger in the Great Halls, with the organ sounds bringing back many memories. By playing them in quick succession throughout the afternoon, the pupils gained valuable experience in how different two organs can be.

20 musicians from Years 8-13 performed at Open Morning on Saturday 9th October, appearing in two separate B corridor locations. Visitors to the School enjoyed hearing solos performed on flute, clarinet, violin and piano, together with clarinet quintet items.

On Wednesday 20th October, 18 pupils representing every year group from Years 8-13 entertained an appreciative audience in a Musical Evening.

Solo performances were given on cello (Adam Faulkner), violin (Mark Liu, Nathan Pierson), flute (Neeraj Singh), piano (Jayden Luhar, Amrit Mishra, Arsh Patankar), organ (Laurence Britton, William Martin, William Miles), guitar (Jacob Hughes), electric guitar (Yash Anand, James Wilson), tenor horn (William Earnshaw), trumpet (Arun Patel), xylophone (Nishan Sharma), as well as two vocal items (Ethan Caswell, Anuj Mishra).

The concert began with three organ solos performed on the Girls’ Division Great Hall organ due to a malfunction in the Boys’ Division organ, and then the performers and audience moved to Boys’ Division Great Hall for the remaining items.

Matthew Pearson William Miles

James Bland Clarinet Quintet

Mark Liu Neeraj Singh

The organists together with their teacher, Foundation Organist, Mr. Spooner

Music & The Creative Arts

The Joint Autumn Concert on Tuesday 16th November was a wonderful opportunity for the school community to come together and enjoy live music in both Great Halls. Pupils from the Boys’ and Girls’ Divisions put on a varied selection of performances, ranging from classical pieces to film scores to pop music.

The Joint Senior Orchestra opened the programme in the Girls’ Division Great Hall with a rousing rendition of The Magnificent Seven, followed by The Marriage of Figaro

Joint Chamber Choir

You can watch the first half of the Autumn Concert by scanning this QR code:

After the interval, the Concert moved into the Boys’ Division Great Hall for the second half, which began with the Drum Corps playing Marcia Ritmica.

Pianists Victoria Wong and Marie Poon then took the stage to play a duet, followed by a number of items featuring various Girls’ Division choirs. Alice Edwards played a violin solo and the Joint Saxophone Ensemble performed Coldplay’s Viva La Vida

The Joint Chamber Choir brought the first half of the Autumn Concert to a close with a performance of The Wayfaring Stranger with accompaniment by Marie Poon and featuring a violin solo from Alice Edwards.

Piano soloist Xuan Wang then played Liszt’s Liebestraum No. 3. Once again moving into vocal performances, the Boys’ Division Year 7 Choir sang Elton John’s hit, I’m Still Standing, followed by a vocal solo by Rishi Narla of his own composition, Anchor. The Joint Chamber Choir then returned to sing And So It Goes, by Billy Joel.

The Boys’ Division Lower School Strings played The Medallion Calls from ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ and the Tuned Percussion Ensemble performed two pieces: Sway and ABBA’s Money, Money, Money

Drum Corps

Year 7 Choir

Yash Anand William Earnshaw

Arun Patel Nishan Sharma

Joint Senior Orchestra

Music & The Creative Arts

The Joint Senior Concert Band ended a wonderful evening of music on a high note with their performances of Accolade and music from ‘The Incredibles’

You can watch the second half of the Autumn Concert by scanning this QR code:

Great Hall was the setting on Wednesday 17th November for the Year 11 GCSE Musicians’ Concert, an opportunity for 20 pupils to perform solo items on clarinet, cornet, trumpet, violin, guitar, piano, drum kit and voice in advance of recording their GCSE performances. A specially formed clarinet ensemble drew the event to a close with its rendition of Georgia on my Mind

The Joint Senior Concert Band received a grading of Gold Award after taking part in the National Concert Band Regional Festival in Oldham on Sunday 21st November. It was the first time such an event had been held in two years and the band performed a programme of challenging music to a panel of adjudicators who commented: ‘This is a really promising band with brilliant potential. To get to this level so soon in the year is a real achievement.’

This was a wonderful opportunity for students from both Boys’ and Girls’ Divisions to perform for experienced adjudicators, alongside semi-professional and university bands, and Bolton School was the only school to take part in the North West regional heats. The band went on to perform at the National Finals at the Royal Northern College of Music in April.

Year 8 pupils singing as a whole year group

On Monday 13th December, the paper angels hanging in the Girls’ Division Great Hall once again watched over the Ceremony of Carols. This year, in addition to the audience in school, a wider audience of alumni, family members and pupils were invited to attend the event via live stream. In accordance with tradition, the Ceremony of Carols began with the Great Hall in darkness. The Joint Chamber Choir processed in while singing Hodie, bringing with them the light.

Joint Senior Concert Band

On Tuesday 23rd November, it was the turn of the Year 8 pupils alone to provide the musical entertainment in their own concert in the Great Hall. They sang enthusiastically as a whole year group with their unique take (featuring a number of vocal soloists) on Rolling in the Deep, Bad Habits, Viva La Vida, Half the World Away and September. Interspersed between these items, we were treated to solo clarinet, cucurbit flute, saxophone, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, drum kit and piano pieces, as well as duo, trio, Samba Band and String Group performances.

Joint Chamber Choir and Girls’ Division choirs

The Girls’ Division’s many choirs performed throughout the evening. The Chamber Choir sang Mirabile Dictu and Mary, Did You Know? Girls in the Chamber Choir also performed Three Kings From Persian Lands Afar – a central part of the Christmas tradition in the Girls’ Division.

After various musical items, carols and readings centred around the story of Christmas, Head of Foundation Mr. Britton gave the final reading from St. John, Chapter I, before the whole audience together sang Adeste Fideles to bring the Ceremony of Carols to an uplifting close.

The Joint Chamber Choir processed out to the sound of Hodie as the lights were dimmed, creating a magical atmosphere at the end of an incredibly special evening.

Music & The Creative Arts

On Wednesday 15th December, the Christmas Festival, held in front of a reduced audience in the Boys’ Division Great Hall provided joy through well-chosen readings and carols. The event was live streamed.

Nic Ford, Head of Boys’ Division, proffered an invitation to worship and the evening began with a rousing version of the traditional opener, Once in Royal David’s City, which included an impressive solo from Cipriano Prasad. The massed ranks of the School Choir followed this up with Morning of Promise before Will Lucas gave the first reading of the evening, a passage from Isaiah 40: v3-5. Keshana Fonseka read the reflection, I am not alone, by Taylor Caldwell.

The Boys’ Chamber Choir, accompanied by Harry Adams on violin, sang A Gift for the King before the audience was on its feet again to lend their voices to See Amid the Winter’s Snow

Luke 2, this time v8-14 by Daniel Keene. The following reflection, Is Christmas the Smell of Evergreen? was read by Peter McCreedy. The School Choir then reassembled to perform a haunting version of A King in Swaddling Clothes.

A perennial favourite, Joy to the World, saw more audience participation ahead of the fourth reading of the evening, a passage from John 4: v7-9 by Tinashe Nyahwo, and a reading of When Christ Was Born by Reuben Rowley. The melodious tones of Mary, Did You Know? sung by the Joint Chamber Choir, then filled the night air. Mary’s Boy Child allowed for some fine solos from Thomas Martin, Anuj Mishra and Max Turner, and further audience involvement.

The fifth reading of the Festival came from Head of Foundation Philip Britton, who recited John 1: v1-14 and the fifth reflection came from Thomas Martin who read Behold I Stand. The large School Choir then gave a wonderful rendition of We Three Kings

The Reverend Dave Brae, Associate Minister at St. Peter’s Halliwell and Young Adults’ Pioneer in Bolton town centre, gave the service’s Meditation. He thanked the musicians for ‘giving us a taste of heaven’ and spoke about ‘rebellious hope’ and how it is displayed throughout the Christmas story.

James Hopkinson delivered an arresting version of Winter Song, and the final prayer, Light Up Our Lives, came from Will Colvin. Choristers and the audience combined voices for two further songs, Shine Jesus Shine and O Come, All Ye Faithful!, which brought a wonderful evening’s entertainment to a close.

The Joint Chamber Choir sang an atmospheric version of Carol Ann Duffy’s Mirabile Dictu and the second reading came from Antoine Jodeau, reciting Luke 2: v1-7. The reflection, Day to Remember, was read by Levi Higham.

A Boys’ Division favourite then followed in the shape of a rousing Hark! The Herald Angels Sing! before there was another reading from

The 47 strong orchestra, massed choirs of almost 100 and the assembled audience, together with Mr. Spooner’s glorious organ playing, made a truly magnificent sound. This year’s retiring collection was for Barnardo’s and Create Boltones

On Friday 17th December, Mr. Spooner, Mr. Costello, Mr. Fairbairn and I enjoyed forming an ad hoc ‘boy band’ to provide festive singalong favourites during the serving of the Christmas Dinner in the Dining Hall.

The Christmas Festival’s orchestra and choirs

Harry Adams with the Boys’ Chamber Choir

Joint Chamber Choir

Music & The Creative Arts

Christmas staff ‘boy band’

Spring Term

On Tuesday 25th January, five of our organists (Marie Poon, William Miles, Xuan Wang, Daniel Corr and Harry Roberts) attended a special event at Blackburn Cathedral with Mr. Spooner. The Director of Music at the cathedral, John Robinson, gave a short introduction and demonstration of the organ, and then each pupil played pieces that they were currently working on.

Great Hall was the venue for the Year 7 Concert on Wednesday 2nd February. The entire year group sang together enthusiastically in their performances of Rockin’ All Over the World, Forever Young, Here with Me, Since You’ve Been Gone, Everybody Wants to Rule the World and You Got It. The audience were also treated to pieces from the African Drumming Group, Guitar Group, String Duo and Year 7 Choir, together with solo performances on flute, guitar, drum kit and piano, and a solo vocal item.

On Tuesday 8th March, the Final of the Young Musician Competition, in its eighteenth year, delivered a showcase of exceptional talent. Fourteen outstanding solo performers, who were already winners in their individual categories, wowed the Great Hall audience with an amazing level of musicianship. They created a tough job for North West based musician, composer and teacher, Andrew Wilson, who was the adjudicator. In his summation, he said: ‘This has been a wonderful evening of music-making. I have been so impressed and there has been a splendid level of achievement. Frankly, I have had the time of my life; it has been such an enjoyable couple of days. Everyone has a right to be here tonight. I say to the boys, thank you for making my job so incredibly difficult!’

After giving detailed feedback to each contestant, Mr. Wilson declared the Senior Young Musician of the Year as being Harry Adams on violin and the Junior Young Musician as Jamie Chen on guitar. The Junior Young Composer of the Year Award was given to Advaith Govindu and the Senior Young Composer of the Year to Harry Adams, who picked up his second prize of the night. The Most Promising Performer Award went to pianist Xuan Wang.

The competition actually began back in January with hundreds of boys entering; 74 musicians were then selected as Semi-finalists and took part in competition over the course of a whole day on 9th February before the winner of each category was invited to take part in the Final. I congratulated the pupils on their performances and reminded the audience that what they were seeing and hearing was the culmination of years of dedication and hard work. I also thanked Mr. and Mrs. Hilton, who were in the audience, for their ongoing contribution towards the prize money as the ‘Walker-Hilton Music Prizes’.

The Junior Finalists (in performance order) were:

• Dhilan Jacobs who was at Patterdale Hall and whose piano piece was played on the large screen as a pre-recorded video

• Jamie Chen playing guitar

• Nathan Pierson who sang

• Antoine Jodeau playing trumpet

• Charlie Simpson playing drums

• Martin Ma playing cucurbit flute

• Stephen Nagai playing violin

The Senior Finalists (in performance order) were:

• William Miles playing piano

• Laurence Britton playing drums

• Harry Adams playing violin

• Kevin Longthorne playing French horn

• George Houghton playing clarinet

• Anuj Mishra who sang

• Akshat Kamath who played guitar

Harry Adams

Jamie Chen

Advaith Govindu Xuan Wang

Music & The Creative Arts

City of Stars and In the Mood were the chosen numbers of the Joint Saxophone Ensemble. The Boys’ Division Tuned Percussion Ensemble played Earth Wind and Fire’s Fantasy

The Finalists

In March, the Boys’ Division was reaccredited as an Artsmark Platinum school. The award - first presented to the School in 2018 - signals that arts and cultural provision in the School remains at the highest possible standard.

It was my pleasure to lead the Full Assembly on Monday 14th March, which celebrated the high standard of music-making in school. Laurence Britton and Xuan Wang provided the organ music at the beginning and then Thomas Martin gave a musical Thought for the Day. We then heard from the winners of our Young Musician competition, namely Advaith Govindu (Junior Young Composer) playing his composition, The Bessy Brook, on piano, Jamie Chen (Junior Young Musician) performing Gary Ryan’s Memories of Summer on guitar, Harry Adams (Senior Young Musician) with his rendition on violin of Massenet’s Meditation from Thais, accompanied by Ms. Lien, and Xuan Wang (Most Promising Performer) with his solo piano performance of Chopin’s FantasieImpromptu. This musical feast was ended with Mr. Spooner’s stirring organ performance of Widor’s Toccata from Symphony No.5

The Joint Spring Concert on Wednesday 23rd March was enjoyed by a large audience at Bolton Parish Church, next to which the School was once sited. Reverend Canon Dr. Chris Bracegirdle welcomed the School to what he believed to be ‘the best parish church in the world’ before the Joint Senior Concert Band, conducted by Miss Sherry, got the evening of music underway. They played three melodies with accomplished aplomb: With Fire and Sword, Viva! and soundtrack highlights from ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’. They were followed by the School’s Joint Intermediate Concert Band who, led by Mrs. Wade, performed admirable versions of ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ and ‘Skyfall’

The Joint Chamber Choir, conducted by Mr. Ainscough and making full use of the stunning acoustics, performed Stephen Sondheim’s The Ballad of Sweeney Todd and Sunday, before it was the turn of the Girls’ Division Tuned Percussion Ensemble, featuring Marie Poon, to play Tico Tico

This wonderful evening of music-making concluded with Mr. Lovatt directing the Joint Senior Orchestra through The Blue Danube Waltz, Adagio for Springs and Romeo and Juliet Overture

Tuned Percussion Ensemble

Joint Chamber Choir.

Girls’ Division Tuned Percussion Ensemble

Joint Senior Concert Band

Music & The Creative Arts

who began by recognising how these activities and qualities are a distinguishing feature of the all-round education at Bolton School. Levi Higham performed the exciting East Coast Mainline by James Rae on the saxophone, accompanied by Ms. Lien.

Summer Term

On Sunday 10th April, the Joint Senior Concert Band performed at the National Concert Band Festival in the prestigious concert hall of the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM). The group performed to a large audience and received encouraging feedback from Simone Rebello of the RNCM. They also had the opportunity to watch numerous inspirational performances before a small number of the band joined the Royal Marines Band for a performance. It proved to be an excellent day for the band, who were thrilled to receive a Gold Award, with the percussion section being awarded an Outstanding Performance Award.

Pupils, parents and teachers were delighted to be back in the Girls’ Division Great Hall to celebrate the traditional May Serenade on Thursday 5th May after, last year, the event was live-streamed and in 2020 it did not take place at all. The event, as ever, was a last chance to offer a fond farewell to Year 13 musicians as they performed in their last school concert.

The School’s Joint Senior Orchestra opened the evening with flawless renditions of The Barber of Seville Overture and Themes from Scheherazade

On Saturday 30th April, seven of our organists (William Miles, Xuan Wang, Laurence Britton, Marie Poon, Bing Yu Wang, Marissa Hollinghurst and Emily David) entertained visitors to the ‘1’ Years Class Reunion, performing on the organs in both Great Halls.

The Arts Cups and Colours Assembly annually celebrates the achievements of Boys’ Division pupils both in the Arts and within the House system. This occasion on Tuesday 3rd May highlighted collective and individual endeavours within music, dance, drama and public speaking, as well as public service, leadership and commitment. The assembly was led by Deputy Head Dr. Mullins,

Solo, duo, trio and choir items were then enjoyed by the audience before the Joint Chamber Choir closed the concert with haunting versions of Bruckner’s Virga Jesse and Brown’s Hear My Song

On Thursday 12th May, 49 musicians entertained an enthusiastic and supportive audience of family and friends in a Musical Evening in Great Hall. The Drum Corps ensured that the concert got off to

Levi Higham

Joint Senior Orchestra

Joint Chamber Choir

Joint Senior Orchestra

Joint Senior Concert Band

Music & The Creative Arts

a rousing start with Loosen Up! and Paradiddle Parade, followed by the Guitar Group’s foot-tapping rendition of Volare. After 8 solo performances, the Joint Strings Group gave a delightful performance of Hit The Road, Jack. Another 9 soloists then played prior to the Year 7 Choir closing the concert with their inspiring version of You Will Be Found

Sibley on their superb performances as part of the Joint Middle School production of ‘Matilda the Musical Jr’, which took place in the Theatre from 15th-17th June. This was an exciting and technically demanding production of Tim Minchin’s adaptation of the much-loved Roald Dahl story, Matilda

The Lower School Prizegiving on Wednesday 29th June included two splendid solo musical items given by Advaith Govindu and Jamie Chen, winners of the Young Composer and Junior Young Musician prizes respectively.

At the prestigious Senior Prizegiving event on Thursday 30th June, Organ Scholar Xuan Wang played the introductory organ music, with Mr. Spooner providing the remaining organ items. The assembled gathering also thoroughly enjoyed Maybe This Time, sung by Billy Burrows (accompanied by Mrs. Whitmore) and Freddie Audley’s solo piano performance of All of Me

The impressive solo flute, clarinet, saxophone, violin, guitar, piano, organ, vocal, xylophone and glockenspiel performances, in a wide range of musical styles, were given by pupils from each year group in Years 7-13, namely Jamie Daley, Charlie Feng, Tanmay Gokul, Charlie Simpson, Advaith Govindu, George Meredith-Alexander, Oliver Scales, Nishan Sharma, Suhayb Valli, Harry Brown, Amrit Mishra, Levi Higham, Laurence Britton, Mark Liu, Rishi Narla, William Miles and Anuj Mishra.

A new Year 7 Choir was formed in the Boys’ Division by Miss Sherry and Miss Archer in September and it is now a thriving ensemble, singing pop and musical theatre repertoire. The group has performed in public at several events, including the Joint Autumn Concert, Year 7 Concert and the Musical Evening.

On Monday 4th July, the Year 7 Choir travelled to Blackburn Cathedral to join schools from around Bolton and Blackburn in song. The boys sang as part of a massed chorus accompanied by a live orchestra. They then took to the stage and performed two songs alone, impressing the large audience with their passionate and enthusiastic singing.

Congratulations to Jenson Byrne, Louis Ferguson, Sebastian Hawkes, Jacob Little, Theo Michaelas, Gabe Payne and Thomas

Billy Burrows

Freddie Audley

Year 7 Choir

Guitar Group

Year 7 Choir

The Matilda cast on stage

Music & The Creative Arts

This performance was the highlight of a busy year for this new ensemble, who have sung at five different events this academic year. The choir will expand to a Lower School Choir next year, with both Year 7 and Year 8 students invited.

An exciting pilot project launched this year, generously supported by the Parents’ Association. The school has purchased a large number of woodwind and brass instruments. This allowed 26 Year 7 boys to learn either trombone, trumpet, clarinet or saxophone as a group at lunchtime, during the Summer Term. This project was hugely oversubscribed and a success. This has been expanded into the Year 7 curriculum for September 2022, where every boy will learn a woodwind or brass instrument of their choice as part of their classroom music lessons.

The Lower School string players have had a great year of rehearsals and performances in the String Group. They enjoyed playing a repertoire of film music, classical pieces and popular songs, performing in the Autumn Concert. After Easter, we merged the players into a joint ensemble, welcoming the enthusiastic Girls’ Division string players to round the year off performing in the Musical Evening. We look forward to them continuing as a joint ensemble next year as our string players go from strength to strength.

For two weekends in March and June, the National Children’s Orchestras of Great Britain used our facilities to rehearse and perform concerts in the Great Hall. Young musicians travelled from across the UK and these events were a tremendous success. I look forward to welcoming this prestigious organisation back to Bolton School next year for future projects.

As the academic year drew to a close, we said farewell to Mr. Andrew Mallon, who has been our visiting low brass specialist for over six years. The Music Department would like to thank him and all of our musicians who are leaving the School for all that they have done for us in sharing their musical talents during their time at Bolton School. We wish them every success as new chapters begin for them.

Many thanks, too, to Miss Sherry, Mrs. Whitmore, Miss Archer, Mr. Spooner, Ms. Lien, Dr. Booth, Mr. Lovatt, Mrs. Wade, Miss Ormerod, Miss Fairclough, Mr. Kyle and all of our visiting music teachers for their unstinting energy, commitment and enthusiasm, which ensures that our Music Departments continue to thrive. Roll on next year’s music-making!

Mr. I.K. Forgrieve

Music Colours

Arts Colours (Music) are a public recognition of talent and ongoing dedication to work within Music. Music Colours were awarded to the following boys:

Instrumental Music Examinations

Face-to-face practical music examinations were reinstated by the examination boards following the lifting of Covid restrictions. The results of our onsite Autumn and Summer Term examinations are shown below.

Some pupils have continued to take the digital alternative to faceto-face examinations, submitting videos for assessment, and others have taken face-to-face examinations at external centres. These examinations have taken place throughout the academic year and the results that have been shared with me are shown in a separate list below.

Congratulations to all candidates and their teachers on these impressive results.

Mr. I.K. Forgrieve

Music & The Creative Arts

Autumn Term 2021

Marcus Fung 11a ABRSM Violin Grade 8 Merit

Harry Adams 11c Trinity Violin Grade 7 Distinction

Jamie Chen 7f Trinity Classical Guitar Grade 5 Distinction

James Bland 11b ABRSM Oboe Grade 5 Distinction

Nishan Sharma 8d Trinity Tuned Percussion Grade 3 Distinction

Ilyas Khunda 8c Trinity Clarinet Grade 3 Merit

Thomas Hothersall 13c Trinity Classical Guitar Grade 3 Merit

Akindi Heywood 11f ABRSM Bassoon Grade 3 Pass

Shivaansh Dubey 9e ABRSM Cello Grade 3 Pass

Oliver Seddon 9f ABRSM Cello Grade 3 Pass

Elliot Guest 8e Trinity Saxophone Grade 2 Distinction

Summer Term 2022

Levi Higham 11b Trinity Saxophone Grade 7 Merit

Arun Patel 10a Trinity Trumpet Grade 7 Merit

Jake Partington 11a ABRSM Cornet Grade 5 Distinction

Alexander Pearce 9a Trinity Cornet Grade 5 Merit

Brandon Yuen 12h Trinity Flute Grade 5 Merit

William Earnshaw 9f Trinity Tenor Horn Grade 5 Merit

Nishan Sharma 8d Trinity Tuned Percussion Grade 5 Merit

James Logan 12b Trinity Violin Grade 5 Merit

Advaith Govindu 8f Trinity Classical Guitar Grade 5 Pass

Harry Brown 10a Trinity Clarinet Grade 4 Merit

Nishan Sharma 8d Trinity Clarinet Grade 4 Merit

Thomas Norrington- Trinity Flugelhorn Grade 4 Merit Moore 11f

Ethan Caswell 10d Trinity Classical Guitar Grade 4 Pass

Tanmay Gokul 7a Trinity Classical Guitar Grade 4 Pass

Yohaan Bhalme 7e Trinity Classical Guitar Grade 3 Merit

Jenson Byrne 7a Trinity Singing Grade 3 Merit

Hamza Ahmad 9f Trinity Classical Guitar Grade 3 Pass

Kenzie Naylor 8e Trinity Trumpet Grade 3 Pass

Jamie Daley 7g ABRSM Guitar Grade 2 Distinction

Advaith Govindu 8f Trinity Tuned Percussion Grade 2 Distinction

Maxwell Dean 7h Trinity Classical Guitar Grade 2 Pass

Charlie Feng 7d ABRSM Singing Grade 1 Distinction

Charles Kaboutian 7g Trinity Tuned Percussion Grade 1 Distinction

Anuj Mishra 13i Trinity Singing Grade 8 Distinction

Rishi Narla 12i Trinity Singing Grade 8 Distinction

Mark Liu 12i Trinity Violin Grade 8 Distinction

Matthew Yeung 8e ABRSM Violin Grade 8 Pass

Max Turner 13b Rockschool Vocals Grade 7 Pass

Nathan Pierson 9e Trinity Singing Grade 6 Distinction

Xuan Wang 12g ABRSM Organ Grade 6 Merit

Charlie Simpson 7d Trinity Rock & Pop Drum Kit Grade 5 Distinction

Jamie Chen 7f Trinity Piano Grade 5 Distinction

Stephen Nagai 7a Trinity Violin Grade 5 Distinction

Ed Goodfellow 9e Trinity Classical Guitar Grade 5 Merit

Oliver Longworth 12a Rockschool Electric Guitar Grade 5 Merit

Amrit Mishra 10c Trinity Guitar Grade 5 Merit

Laurence Britton 12f ABRSM Organ Grade 5 Merit

Freddie Higham 13i ABRSM Piano Grade 5 Merit

Suhayb Valli 9d ABRSM Singing for Grade 5 Merit Musical Theatre

Charlie Simpson 7d Rockschool Drum Kit Grade 4 Distinction

Charlie Simpson 7d Trinity Piano Grade 4 Distinction

Nathan Pierson 9e Trinity Violin Grade 4 Merit

Harry McLoughlin 9a Trinity Electric Guitar Grade 4 Pass

Alex Pierson 7a ABRSM Singing Grade 3 Distinction

Jack Rothwell 7e ABRSM Singing Grade 3 Distinction

Gabe Payne 7a ABRSM Tuned Percussion Grade 3 Distinction

Priyesh Fernando 11d ABRSM Violin Grade 3 Merit

George Meredith- Trinity Violin Grade 3 Merit

Alexander 8a

Joel Male 13g Trinity Drum Kit Grade 3 Pass

Kevin Longthorne 11d ABRSM French Horn Grade 3 Pass

Harry Gilligan 8f Trinity Piano Grade 1 Merit

George Burrows 7a Rockschool Vocals Grade 1 Merit

Creative Learning and Partnerships

Artsmark Platinum Award Reaccreditation

In September 2021, the Boys’ Division was reissued Artsmark Platinum Award status. The Girls’ and Primary Divisions have also now begun their Artsmark development journeys in this area of Foundation excellence. Artsmark is a schools accreditation awarded by Arts Council England. Reaccreditation at this level is testament to the ongoing work of the wonderful staff, who deliver inspirational arts and cultural provision and to our extraordinary pupils, who take part and lead in arts, culture and creativity. It also indicates a commitment to the development of creative learning across the curriculum.

Festival of Education at Wellington College

Foundation Artsmark colleagues attended the Festival of Education at Wellington College in July 2022 at which they networked with colleagues and gained insight into the latest creative and cultural themes and pedagogies in education.

Music & The Creative Arts

Young people have the opportunity to learn about arts career pathways, develop their CVs, explore new art forms and to represent youth interests in arts and culture at town events and meetings. The collective is dedicated to co-design and encourages a diverse range of young artists to work together on topical issues.

Miss Lord joined Old Boy Hadley Stewart (Class of 2014) to present ‘A Decade of Lessons: in conversation with a gay student and his former teacher’ as part of the Festival’s LGBTed Strand. Hadley is a Senior A&E Nurse, Features Editor of Vada Magazine and has written chapters about LGBTQ+ matters in education in the books Boys Don’t Try and Big Gay Adventures in Education

Bolton Cultural Education Partnership

School is both a steering and delivery partner of the BCEP, an organisation that comprises the town’s leading arts organisations, Bolton Council cultural leaders, freelance artists and educationalists. The group’s vision is to enable access to quality arts, creative opportunities and culture for all children and young people in Bolton. In connection to the BCEP, School launched a youth-led arts collective, ‘Creatives Now’ in partnership with Bolton at Home and funded by Public Health in January 2022, and ‘Saturday Social’, a youth theatre project for children aged 10 – 14 in partnership with the Octagon Theatre.

The BCEP is currently in a consultation phase with schools to develop the offers and support available to both staff and students in Bolton’s formal and informal educational settings.

Creatives Now

The Creatives Now project runs sessions in its town centre studio in the Crompton Place. Membership to the collective is open to those 12 to 18 years old, who are interested in arts, culture, digital production and events management. The collective organises interviews with local, national and international industry professionals; goes on trips and visits and curates exhibitions resulting from open calls to Bolton schools for creative work.

In June 2022, the collective hosted a Crompton Place Takeover. The day included an open studio event, where members of the public were invited to contribute to the collective’s arts for social action ideas; a school open art exhibition on the theme ‘We Are Young’; film showings; spotlights on local artists’ work; an installation build to raise money for a school in Malawi; an ‘Imagine If’ decorative postcard exhibition in which the town’s primary school children presented the changes they wished to see in their locality and Bolton FM interviews with local cultural leaders.

The collective have published various creative zines and have ambitions to produce a town-wide youth arts magazine in School’s

The collective interviewing members of the public about local culture

Music & The Creative Arts

‘Creatives Now’ publication.

We published a Spring character edition of ‘Creatives Now’ magazine which can be read by scanning this qr code:

The magazine will take a hiatus as it reforms as a magazine team drawing from schools across the borough. To find out more, search @Creatives_Now on Twitter and Instagram

‘Clockwork’

Our December 2022 Senior Production ‘Clockwork’, a reworking of Anthony Burgess’ A Clockwork Orange with nods to 1984, Kae Tempest’s lyrics and Dead Poets Society, posed brave questions about young people’s relationship with education, culture and society. It is reviewed here by Mr. Minta.

‘You know you are in for a great night when you step in to a space with quotations from Plato, Kubrick and Beckett plastered onto the walls, colourful banners with the faces of philosophers, activists and thinkers hung on every surface and the wail of Mark E. Smith singing “t-t-t-t-t-ttotally wired!” filling the air. It’s going to be a real horror show, brother. Double-plus good.

‘Clockwork’ is a bold, provocative and thought-provoking piece of theatre that wouldn’t find itself out of place at the Contact Theatre or the Royal Exchange; it dares to treat the audience as if they are ready to actively engage with philosophical ideas, dystopian fictions

and the obsessions of their here and now. After all, as the screens proclaimed, “forever is composed of nows”.

The play combines ideas, themes and fragments from a wide range of sources including A Clockwork Orange, 1984, the work of Kae Tempest and more, into a series of Brechtian ‘units’. There is potential for this to feel messy and disjointed, but in the masterful hands of the writer, cast and production team, this collection of ideas is pulled into a cohesive whole that references and responds to remix culture, the transitory nature of social media and postlockdown attention spans.

Themes of violence, control and individual choice are deftly woven into a narrative that, although pegged in historical fiction, also relates to contemporary concerns and the big questions: What sort of society do we live in? What is my part in it? An ensemble brimming with confidence, skill and talent carried this wonderful script forward.

Finley Littlefair as Alex runs the whole gamut of emotions as his swaggering confidence is pierced by self-doubt and eventually abject horror as he is forcibly conditioned to reject violence. He is ably supported by a cast of ‘droogs’ played by Tom Griffiths, Billy Burrows, Eve Blackmore and Jack Howarth, who manage to bring depth and individual quality to this gang of complex and fundamentally unlikeable characters.

Particularly poignant was the representation of a teacher facing a crisis of confidence in front of a class. Stood under a spotlight, baring his soul, Jayden Luhar embodied the world-weary teacher questioning what it means to be an educator and how we educate.

Music & The Creative Arts

Another stand out performance came from Alex McKie, who brought us the role of a nameless government minister, delivered with the right balance of outward paternalism and an ill-concealed ideological fervour.

Individual performances aside, the strength lay in the honest and often understated performances of the whole cast; every element fitted together like a well-oiled machine and ran like, well, clockwork. Powerful stuff.

This was an exceptional play that really deserves a wider audience. The perfect foil to panto season.’

‘Matilda’

– Year 7-9 Joint Musical

Pupils in Years 7 to 9 brought Tim Minchin’s adaptation of the Roald Dahl classic ‘Matilda’ to the stage in June 2022.

Packed with high-energy dance numbers and catchy songs, ‘Matilda JR.’ was a joyous romp. Audiences were thrilled and delighted by the story of the special little girl with an extraordinary imagination.

Thomas Sibley’s (7h) recount of participating in this excellent show follows:

‘For a limited three night run, thirty Year 7, 8 and 9 students from across Boys’ and Girls’ Divisions performed ‘Matilda the Musical JR.’ directed by Mr. Lovatt and Miss Talbot.

‘Brainstorm’ - Year 7-9 Devised Production

In March 2022, pupils presented a devised piece, ‘Brainstorm’

Inside every adolescent brain, 86 billion neurons connect and collide to produce the most frustrating, chaotic and exhilarating changes that will ever happen to us. ‘Brainstorm’ was a unique theatrical investigation into how teenagers’ brains work, and why they’re designed by evolution to be the way they are.

Created by Ned Glasier and Emily Lim with Company Three (formerly Islington Community Theatre), in collaboration with neuroscientists

Professor Sarah-Jayne Blakemore and Dr. Kate Mills, the play is designed to be created and performed by a company of teenagers, drawing directly on their personal experiences.

Our cast worked through Company Three’s series of exercises and activities to create their own show. We know from the parents, teachers and other adults who came to watch how important it is that adults understand what’s going on in the changing teenage brain and how empowering it can be for teenagers to be the ones to tell them.

I played the role of Eric, who is one of Matilda’s classmates. I loved my role because I featured in many of the amazing numbers; such as ‘Bruce’, ‘Revolting Children’ and ‘When I Grow Up’. I was lucky to act alongside amazing performances from Lucy McLoughlin as Matilda and Eleanor Holland as the evil Trunchbull!

Trunchbull inflicts terror on pupils in ‘Matilda’.

Mr. Ford congratulates the cast of ‘Brainstorm’

Music & The Creative Arts

All the cast were fantastic and I made lots of great memories –including falling into the curtains whilst performing for the incoming Year 7s! I made lots of friends across year groups and school Divisions.

I cannot wait to be part of future productions! On behalf of the cast, I would like to give a huge thanks to Mr. Lovatt, Miss Talbot, Mrs. Wade and Mrs. Rigby.’

Recommissioned by Bolton School and supported by Arts Council England, ‘The Lost Words: Told in Gold’ was brought to life in the school grounds before a tour across the local area visiting Bolton at Home community centres and a stint in Manchester’s Heaton Park.

The production is the official adaptation of the book The Lost Words by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris, adapted and directed by Old Girl Collette Murray.

ESU Affiliate School

In 2022, the Boys’ and Girls’ Divisions became English Speaking Union Oracy Affiliate Schools. Alongside participation in public speaking and debate programmes, girls and boys take part in the ESU’s Performing Shakespeare Competition.

In the regional final of the Performing Shakespeare Competition, Thomas Sibley (7h) represented the Boys’ Division and was highly commended for his performance of a Shylock speech. As the youngest entrant in the regional heat, he was just pipped to the post. Many congratulations to Thomas and Ella Hughes, who represented the Girls’ Division, for their impressive performances.

The show, suitable for family audiences and the young at heart of any age, takes its audience into a giant goldfinch nest and then along a woodland theatre-trail featuring stunning 3D installations of Morris’ golden illustrations and Macfarlane’s words. Audiences were invited to seek, find and speak the lost words and spells that were wrapped around trees, in the undergrowth and perched on branches like starlings.

All of the children from our Primary Division’s Infant and Junior schools watched the show, as did Year 7 pupils and theatre students from the Senior Divisions.

‘The Lost Words: Told in Gold’

Music & The Creative Arts

Local primary school children and their teachers were also invited to Bolton School to enjoy the magical outdoor theatre production. The show and related community arts work were featured in a documentary for French television, on regional radio and BBC Breakfast television.

A Bolton School Acting Tradition: Meeting Old Boy

Sir Ian McKellen in Windsor

Pupils and alumni were thrilled to meet homegrown theatrical legend Sir Ian McKellen on a trip to the Royal Theatre Windsor in the Autumn Term.

Students met Sir Ian after watching the famous actor perform the title role in a production of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet

Sir Ian has maintained a long term connection with Bolton, having spent much of his childhood in the town and having attended Bolton School himself as a boy and was open to a wide range of questions from the boys after the show, alongside director Sean Mathias.

Neurodiversity Week Neurodiversity Celebration

Week is a worldwide initiative that challenges stereotypes and misconceptions about neurological differences. It aims to transform how neurodivergent individuals are perceived and supported by providing schools, universities, and organisations with the opportunity to recognise the many talents and advantages of being neurodivergent, while creating more inclusive and equitable cultures that celebrate differences and empower every individual.

In School, this was organised by Ms. Sullivan and pupils were encouraged to explore professionals from all manners of disciplines. In the Arts, we were keen to promote an understanding of a prevalence of dyslexia, dyspraxia, ADHD and other forms of Neurodiversity amongst creatives.

Sir Ian asked the boys about their familiarity with Hamlet and their thoughts on his adaptation. The gathering fell into a conversation about playing age-blind and how, in this production, the existential angst of a young man, Hamlet, was amplified by the sense that a famous Shakespearian actor and octogenarian was perhaps playing this role for the final time in his career.

Sir Ian was delighted that the boys had made the effort to travel down from Bolton and took the opportunity to thank again those on the trip that had performed at his surprise 80th birthday party back in the summer of 2019.

The Hamlet performance was the 83rd consecutive show of the play by the 82 year old Sir Ian. Thanks to Mr. Teasdale and Miss Tunstall for accompanying the trip.

Boys also spoke with Old Boy and architect Robin Partington of Apt, who led the design team for 1 St. Mary’s Axe (‘the Gherkin’) about neurodiversity in the workplace. Robin commented that he had ‘a fantastic experience chatting to Jack, James, Rafael and Ibrahim’ and noted the benefits of working with current autistic colleagues in his studio practice. ‘An architect needs to have people who derail a train of thought, who help to think differently. Autism brings a pronounced ability to think laterally.’

Enrichment and Outreach

In House Day activities, boys enjoyed learning gruesome special effects make-up techniques and we enjoyed welcoming children from Onside Youth Zones to participate in arts activities including theatre workshops and African drumming.

Miss N.R. Lord

Music & The Creative Arts

RSA Design Awards

Finley Littlefair (13d) and Anuj Mishra (13i) were shortlisted for the Royal Society of Arts’ Pupil Design Awards in the summer. Their project, ‘Engaging with Leverhulme’s Legacy’ was a response to the RSA’s ‘Roots to Empowerment’ brief, ‘How might we challenge systemic racism by redefining heritage to ensure that future generations engage with a more inclusive story of our past?’

The boys, supported by a team of other Year 12 pupils, launched a live project that progressed as the school year continued. Their work connected School, the Bolton community and other cultural organisations endowed by Lord Leverhulme to the White Cube gallery in Lusanga, formerly Leverville.

The judges praised the boys’ understanding and communication around cultural wealth and their approach addressing this. They were impressed with their response to the RSA question, highlighting themes around co-creation and collective action, which they felt linked strongly to deliberative democracy.

Overall, the judges were blown away by the potential of the project; out of all submissions they felt the work could have the biggest impact and this really made it really stand out. We congratulate Finley and Anuj on this excellent achievement, along with the boys that supported the development of the project: James Roberts (13d), Ibrahim Ali (13a), Jack Swires (13c), Rafael Goloba (13i) and Ali Ahmed (13g).

Arts Award

Year 7 pupils completed an Arts Award Bronze this year. Every pupil was given the opportunity to complete an individual project in a creative art form of their choice. During SPACE, Year 7 enjoyed a Creative Arts practical carousel, an opportunity to review our Year 7 Concert and time to engage in research surrounding their work.

This project cumulated in an exciting celebration, featuring an exhibition of the work produced by the cohort, a concert performed by their peers, and the chance to hear from older boys where their creative journey in school could lead.

An oil pastel piece in the style of Van Gogh by Leon Spurdle 7g

Product design by Theo Michaelas 7g with peer review

Still from an Animation by Alex Preston 7d

Miss H. Sherry

Music & The Creative Arts

Performing Arts Colours

Arts Colours (Drama) are a public recognition of talent and ongoing dedication to work within Art. Art Colours were awarded to the following boys:

Art Colours

Arts Colours (Art) are a public recognition of talent and ongoing dedication to work within Art. Art Colours were awarded to the following boys:

Harry Adams 11c Half Billy Burrows 11f Half

Ketan Dhokia 11d Half

Will Duffy 12e Half

Jack Howarth 11c Half

Omer Ibrahim 13b Half

Henry Nuttall 12a Half

An acrylic piece in the style of Kazimir Malevich by David Kurlovic 7b

Creative Writing and Artwork

Creative Writing & Artwork

As I continued to walk down the pavement, a black cab appeared out of the corner of my eye, resting on the pavement riddled with cracks and crevasses. Although it was strange to find a cab such as this in Manchester, I believed it would take me to London. After patiently waiting for an opportunity to cross the road, I approached the car. A sense of relief engulfed me as I entered the cab.

“To London, please,” I said.

“Of course. I can take you anywhere,” the cab driver replied kindly. “Thank you! How much will that be?” I asked inquisitively.

“Oh, don’t worry about that. There is no fee,” the cab driver replied nonchalantly.

“Oh, right,” I replied, puzzled as to why it was free.

Suddenly the car started and the cab driver drove alarmingly quickly as he made sharp turns. Whilst looking around the car, I glared at the front mirror, which was reflecting the face of the driver. He was an elderly man with little hair; the little hair he had was grey. Several wrinkles lay undisturbed upon his forehead. On the left side of his face, a dark, black scar created a feeling of doom. He was wearing a jet black blazer alongside a white shirt and a black tie. Unusually dressed for a cab driver, I thought.

“Who else have you driven recently?” I asked.

“Not many people. I drove someone named Gideon yesterday,” the driver murmured.

As the car halted in the ensuing traffic jam, I decided to sleep before the charity auction. However, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a newspaper. Believing that reading a newspaper would be more productive than sleeping, I picked it up and stared at the front page. As I looked at it, I was immediately alarmed. The newspaper read ‘Gideon Atlee missing – last seen in a cab’. Beneath the headline, there was an image of a black cab, indistinguishable from the one I was in. Underneath the image, there was a caption which read ‘Last seen in this car’. I was immediately alarmed. Believing the cab driver was responsible for his disappearance in some way, I attempted to open the cab door and escape. The door was locked…

The following extract formed part of the final piece for the Bronze Arts Award:

Exhausted, worried and flustered, I wandered around the city of Manchester whilst looking for a cab which could take me to London. It was a charity event, which I was to be hosting alongside my colleagues, therefore it was necessary for me to be there. As I wandered around the bustling streets and roads, an unpleasant smell of petrol lingered in the air. Flanking the busy streets were narrow, dark alleyways hiding thieves waiting to threaten an innocent person walking past. Echoing around the polluted streets, the horns of cars deafened any pedestrians as a result of the ongoing traffic jam due to roadworks nearby. Instead of prosperous trees, lampposts littered the pavements and the streets were devoid of any wildlife.

Akshay Kallat 7d

Liv Hextall 11c

Ketan Dhokia 11d

Harry Summers 11c

Creative Writing & Artwork

come as it had not in recent weeks. His grades had been slipping ever since the ‘accident’. He knew that she wasn’t coming back, no matter how hard he wished or pleaded, she could not just reappear. The dead were dead, even the ancestors of the ancients die just like everyone else. That’s what life is – watching people die until they watch you die. He contemplated this thought for longer than he would like to admit, until the sun rose in the east and a small yawn came from next door...

The following extract formed part of the final piece for the Bronze Arts Award:

Tarquin ran. It was coming. He had to warn his village before it arrived. He ran. The crunch of trees being crushed behind him. All he had to do was run, one foot in front of the other. He was tripping at every opportunity, even despite his best efforts, he was a few miles from Aquitaine Valley, where he could gather all the summoners to rally against the beast that had been following him for what felt like hours. He tripped and, for a second, he seemed to hang there mid-air, then he fell. His ankle was in no condition to walk, let alone run, after that fall. It then dawned on him that he could not save his village. He had failed. He was a failure. He was as good as dead. The creature towered over him, looking him in the eye, as if toying with his food.

“Just do it!” Tarquin yelled. As if the thing understood, he picked up Tarquin and threw him into the dark abyss of his stomach.

Tarquin woke with a start. It dawned on him that it had all been a dream. He had not failed his people or his family. He sat up in bed, suddenly shivering at the coldness of his room and gathered his blanket so it was twice as thick. Tarquin knew that sleep would not

Untitled

Summer in Politika, Greece, can be very hot, but thankfully it was now dusk, several years after the disaster.

Like any other sweltering hot summer’s day, this one had been no different. In the morning, I had my breakfast outside, under the shade of our fig tree. I then retreated into the house to gather my things before heading to the port. I filled my backpack with snorkeling gear and set off for the beach.

Jacob Jones 7d

David Chow 11c

Jacob Carr 11a

Omer Ibrahim 13b

Billy Burrows 11f

Creative Writing & Artwork

The scorched tarmac road roasted my feet whilst my hat battled with the sun. The walk was long, but rewarding. I walked past olive groves, where farmers gathered in any shade they could find and the sound of happy seagulls intensified as I progressed along the weary road.

The air of the port was intense with the smell of fresh fish, octopus and a hint of ouzo. Ships rocked with the current, and fishermen were fishing: life was running as normal.

I set my belongings down against the sea wall and got my gear ready. Mask in place, I waded into the water and dove into the calm sea. The ocean bed was filled with colourful corals and seaweeds, which many species of fish swam through. I grew jealous of their tranquil existence and sank to the bottom to weave in and out of the soft seaweed too. Many hours of exploration passed.

The sun was setting as I raised my head out of the salty seawater for the last time that day. I watched the fiery inferno being put out by the ocean as it sank deeper below the horizon line.

As I walked back home, the village rose before me. The great castle at the centre was lit up, rising from the warm orange light from the street lamps. Without the sun’s heat, my arrival was not slowed and I made my way home speedily. Arriving home, my grandmother had prepared a dinner of grilled cod in tomato sauce with potatoes. We also enjoyed bread from the local bakery. I then took a shower, put on a fresh set of clothes and, as usual, made my way to meet with my friends.

As I stepped out of the house gate, I looked to the moon. Everything slowed down. The feeling that this inspired was ineffable. It felt like a sign, telling me to enjoy the small things; and that is exactly what I did. Making my way to the centre, I took photos of the village dog, Prokopis, walked over the old bridge, admiring Mount Dirfi and the raging river water below. I sat at the local tavern, built at the base of the marvellous castle, ordered souvlaki and, as I waited, absorbed my surroundings like a sponge. I listened to the low murmurs of customers near me and their conversations; my friends joined me and the noise of the singing crickets and cicadas carried through the air, providing the best background noise.

We conversed well into the night until heavy rain broke out; we had seen the ominous clouds gathering, but were having far too much fun to heed them. When a thunderclap broke out, I knew it was time to go.

The rain intensified and the water at my feet rose. Most other people had already scrambled to their homes. I was alone. As I crossed the bridge, I heard a loud bang of metal behind me. I turned around to see the metal guard rails of the bridge completely engulfed by furious brown water. My heart was ready to come out of my chest. The adrenaline built up and I ran, I ran faster than ever before.

As I ran, the hillside was a constant rush of water. Leaves and branches cascaded with the water. As I arrived higher up the hillside, I looked back down to see the full might of Poseidon’s rage. The water carried away not only branches, but great pine trees and I saw cars being tossed from one side of the road to the other.

The storm raged around the family home, but I was glad to know everyone in my family was safe. No-one slept as the thunder rolled. I did not think it possible to sleep, but I woke up the next morning to the smell of earth and the sound of crying.

Beyond our home, trees lay across people’s doorsteps, houses were painted brown by the dirty water and the bridge was half-collapsed in the distance, the river banks riddled with debris from the storm’s destructive path. The tavern, where I had spent the previous evening, was sunk in squelching mud, with the furniture deep-rooted inside. The media had already arrived at the scene.

I couldn’t believe that my village, my home town, my community was destroyed. And this is where I would start. I closed my hand around the wooden handle of a shovel and got to work. And we did the same thing again each day until the village began to surface once again.

George Gkikas 11a

Ismaaéel Patel 11c

Cameron Geskell 11d

Sports Preface

It gives me great pleasure to write a quick introduction to the Sports section of this year’s ‘Boltonian’. It has been a fantastic sight to see The Levels full of pupils playing sport once again. From having fun at breaktime, playing through the House System, inter-form sports during SPACE or our traditional full block fixtures against other schools, it has been long overdue.

In Football, the First XI had a great season of results, with a large percentage of wins over their many games, reaching the Semi-final of the Greater Manchester Cup. The Under 12 and Under 13 football teams capped a fine season, reaching their Town football finals, and First XI player Sam Olawumi captained ISFA, as well as representing BWFC at reserve level.

When you read the numerous articles that follow, I am sure you will agree it has been another great year for sport here at Bolton School. Our achievements and successes are many – both team and individual. One that deserves an early mention is that once again we are the National winners in Water polo at Under 18 level.

The cricket season was very busy as we basked in the sun. At the time of writing, our Year 7 (final) and 8 (semi) sides are still in the County Cup. It was also our turn to host the successful and hugely popular cricket festival with Rydal Penrhos, Wirral Grammar School and Ratcliffe College joining us for three full days of cricket.

Rugby, hockey, swimming, tennis, athletics, outdoor pursuits and much more were played, ensuring a large percentage of our school population represented the School throughout the year.

Many individual sportsmen went on to represent Bolton, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and England.

It is only right to mention a few changes at the helm. Mr. Prentki steps down as Head of Football after a lengthy regime and we would like to take this opportunity to thank him for his leadership. Mr. Chilton will take over from September.

Mr. Joseph retires at the end of the academic year. As a member of the common room, Mr. Joseph has run the First XV rugby side for over thirty years, a commitment that will possibly not be seen

in future years. Fourteen former School Rugby captains, ex-players, friends and family travelled considerable distances to attend the Senior Rugby Dinner at Bolton RUFC. A convivial evening was enjoyed by all, as the night was spent reminiscing of tales from the rugby field.

As usual, we supported our favoured charity SOS Kit Aid, with donations from across the Division going off to support sports people less fortunate than ourselves.

At the annual Cups and Colours assembly, it was a great pleasure to award over sixty sportsmen their colours for a wide variety of activities. ISFA Football Captain Sam Olawumi was awarded the Hindley Trophy for his tremendous achievements in football. Ben Price and Daniel Morris won the Ron Booth and the Norman Davies awards respectively for their contribution to School Sport. Both sportsmen have represented the School at several disciplines over many years.

Our return to a near normal PE/Sports programme, saw us regain our School Games Gold Award for 2021/22, awarded for our commitment and engagement in the School Games programme.

We would also like to thank Helena Walker, for her expertise treating our injured players. At home or away, we are always very well supported by our parents – thank you very much for your continued support.

As usual, I would like to thank the many staff who give up countless hours to run school sports teams. This huge commitment, along with the continued great work by the Grounds, Catering and Estates teams, enable us to be consistently at the top of our game.

The next pages of ‘The Boltonian’ will give you the chance to read about the fine achievements of our teams and individual athletes.

Mr. P. Fernside (Director of Sport)

Sport Cups and Colours

Sport Cups and Colours are a public recognition of talent and ongoing dedication to work within Sport. Sport Colours were awarded to the following boys:

Name Form Colour

Chess

Laurence Britton 12f Half

James Logan 12b Half

Hashir Sapra 12d Half

Climbing

Alastair Harris 13b Full (re-awarded)

Jack Phillips 13d Full

Paul Bigger 12a Half

Xuan Wang 12g Half

Cricket

Kaushik Kathiriya 12i Half

Zane Nirodi 12e Half

Cian Patel 12c Half

Alistair Reed 12d Half

Harry Whittles 12a Half

Football

Ben Holden

Omer Ibrahim

Joel Male

Max Goodwin 11a Half

Sunyul Koo 12b Half

Ben Male 12g Half

Ben McCarthy 12c Half

Robert Morgan 13e Half

Finlay Taylor-Watson 13i Half

Seb Thompson 12c Half

Hockey

Matthew Mair 13a Full

Max Turner 13b Full

John Oxley-Harrison 12a Half

Max Rimmer 13e Half

Reuben Simpson 12g Half

Simon Whitmore 12h Half

Outdoor Pursuits (Paddle Sports)

Ibrahim Ali 13a Full

Alastair Harris 13b Full (re-awarded)

Ben Hunt 13b Full

James Roberts 13d Full

Isaac Simmonite 13f Full

Rowing

James Hopkinson 13d Full

Rugby

Tom Barrett 13h Full

Harvey Goodwin 13a Full

Cameron Milton 13f Full (awarded posthumously)

Ben Price 13h Full (re-awarded)

Daamin Aslam 13g Half

Ollie Cook 11e Half

Jacob Farnworth 13e Half

Daniel Houghton 13f Half

Harvey Leigh 13a Half

Harry McDermott 13a Half

Maani Parsai 13i Half

Aadil Patel 13b Half

Max Sibson-Finch 13f Half

Swimming

Rikin Patel 13g Full

John Oxley-Harrison 12a Half (re-awarded)

Seb Thompson 12c Half

Water polo

Harry Bentham 13i Full (re-awarded)

James Blenkinship 13a Full

Joe Carolan 11a Full

Josh Dickens 11b Full

Ellis Matthews 12b Full

Oliver McCann 11f Full

Robert Morgan 13e Full

Robert Murray 12b Full

Noah Nethercott 11d Full

Aran Pomian 12g Full

Ben Price 13h Full

Seb Thompson 12c Full

Sports Cups were awarded to the following boys:

Name Form Cup

Harry Bentham 13i Pearson Trophy (Water polo Captain)

Oliver Hinks 10a Alan Prince Award (School Badminton Captain)

Oliver Leahy 12e Ashworth Trophy (Most improved Hockey player)

Matthew Mair & 13a Allison Trophy

Max Turner 13b (School Hockey Captain)

Ellis Matthews 12b TPP Award (Volunteer in Sport Award)

Daniel Morris 13i Chris Rigby Award (Football player of the Year)

Sam Olawumi 13g Hindley Trophy (Best Individual Performance)

Rikin Patel 13g Field Cup (School Swimming Captain)

Ben Price 13h L.C. Jones Award (School Rugby Captain)

Jacob Stevenson 13b Bradley Trophy (School Football Captain)

Harry Whittles 12a Hyde Plate (School Cricket Captain)

Toby Yates 11f Eric Dawber Award (School Golf Captain)

The 2021-22 season has been a busy one for our football teams.

Many of you will have followed and seen our progress throughout the year via our Sports Twitter feed, but there are many achievements that are worthy of mention in this publication.

Sam Olawumi had full national ISFA representation at Under 18 level, also captaining the side, which is a fantastic achievement and all the more impressive, as this accolade rarely reaches schools north of the M25. In the Under 14s, Joe Nicholson and Ollie Hatton were selected for the Under 14 side, but unfortunately, they missed out as they were both injured at the time. At Under 13 level, Kieran Holt and Charlie Dewhurst represented the Under 13 North West teams at the Easter Festival at Shrewsbury, following which Kieran has been selected for next season’s national Under 14 side. These are terrific achievements and ones that the boys and the School should rightly be proud of. ISFA representation at any level is a fantastic achievement for any boy and is a culmination of hard work, dedication, but, above all, a commitment to School Football first and foremost

In terms of ISFA competitions this year, our Under 13s bowed out in the early stages of their competition. Both the Under 15s and 1st XI were in the last 16 of their respective ISFA Cups, which they can both be proud of, and both squads will have had their regrets in terms of what might have been. In the Town Cup, our Under 12s and Under 13s reached the Final, but were unable to come away with a trophy on this occasion. There have been over 190 matches this year, which equates to approximately seven games

per week since September; that is a significant number of games and demonstrates our commitment to School Football.

My thanks, as always, to the Senior boys who leave us this year. Many of them will have represented their school in over 200 fixtures. I wish them all the very best as they move on and wish them every success for the future. I would also encourage them to keep in touch with the OBAFC as they would be more than welcome to play for the club as and when they return to Bolton in the coming months and years.

Mr. M.H.J. Prentki

1st Xl Football

Ihave to say how great it has been to get back to the wet, cold Levels on a Saturday morning and, after over 12 months of no School Football, the real success of the season has certainly been seeing boys back playing football and having fun.

It was always going to be an inexperienced 1st Xl, with only a handful of Year 13s having played Senior Football before as Year 11s and the incoming Year 12 and Year 11 teams having not been able to represent the School since Under 15 and Under 14 age groups respectively. On top of losing a number of talented footballers the previous year, this season’s focus was on rebuilding.

That said, we had our longest run in the ISFA Cup for a number of years, falling to MGS in the last sixteen and reaching the Semifinal of the Greater Manchester Cup before losing in the dreaded penalty shoot out to another close rival, Canon Slade. The ISFA Cup third round win away at the fantastic facilities of Queen Ethelburga’s Collegiate was a real standout moment of the season, keeping a

A View from the Dugout

clean sheet and scoring two great goals. The win against the muchfavoured hosts showed that Bolton School can still compete with the very best in this competition. Another clean sheet and 3-0 win on the road at Cheadle Hulme at the end of January and the first round 5-3 win at Ashton on Mersey School in the Greater Manchester Cup showed character, grit and determination, but was underlined by quality and increasing maturity in the game.

Jacob Stevenson captained the team while Dan Morris was awarded the Player of the Year Award, neither missing a game all season; both have been tremendous servants over a number of years. Sam Olawumi captained the ISFA National side at Under 18 level while also playing regularly for Bolton Wanderers Reserves – both outstanding achievements. I wish all our Year 13 leavers luck in their future football careers and encourage them to play on as long as they can.

Max Goodwin cut a lonely Year 11 figure at times, but the goalkeeper grew in stature over the season, while the likes of Year 12 boys Seb Thompson, Ben Male, Max Carter and Ben McCarthy will take on greater responsibility next year. Seb was narrowly denied a last minute winner (twice!) away at MGS towards the end of the season in a frantic game that ended 6-6, but the manner of the performance should give confidence to all these players going forward.

We are very fortunate to have Mr. Branagan and Mr. Hunt passing on their knowledge and expertise. I would also like to thank the parents and families of all boys who have supported us home and away in numbers. I am sure just like our leavers, you will miss the buzz of Bolton School Football being back!

Mr. M.G. Chilton

2nd XI Football

The start of the 2021-22 season began with mixed emotions. There was huge excitement and enthusiasm to play a first competitive game since March 2020, particularly a derby against MGS, but there was also a sense of anxiety. Would the team be able to gel after being apart for so long? What would the boys’ match fitness be like? Would they even remember the rules of the game? Such questions abounded, but were soon put to rest with a superb 3-0 opening day victory away at MGS. Joe Prudham’s brace on his old stomping ground set the tone for what would be a very good season. Prudham’s pace and trickery would become a feature of the team’s play while Nathaniel Kampers, who chipped in with the third, showed his pedigree with his passing and vision, constantly slicing open opposition defences.

Victory followed in the next match away at Oldham, before a small stumble against a very strong Altrincham XI gave us our first taste of defeat. But, as is well known, you sometimes learn more in

adversity than you do in triumph and, despite the loss, there were some sparkling performances. Rob Morgan had one of what would be several outstanding games in goal, while Max Crompton, who played in every game bar one (and who was the Players’ Player of the Year), showed his determination and ability from the fullback position that he eventually made his own. ‘Operation First-Team’, as he named it, may have been his initial target, but he became a loyal warrior in the Second XI and even scored his first ever competitive goal for school in the final fixture of the campaign – a 3-0 win at home to Crompton House.

A sense of purpose and a clear style of play began to materialise as autumn gave way to winter. The Second XI played a lot of expansive, quick football, turning defence into attack at speed. Moving Guy Seddon from midfield into the forward line proved to be inspired, as Seddon had a magnificent season, scoring key goals on many occasions and setting the tone with his energy and pressing. He was, without doubt, a worthy recipient of the Coach’s Player of the Year award. Attackers often catch the headlines with their goals and moments of wizardry but, over the course of the season, no team can hope to be successful without a solid defence. In Barnaby Horridge, we had a defender who was dedicated to the cause, reliable and truly idiosyncratic. He did many terrific last-gasp tackles and even occasionally some scintillating forays forward, but his falling clumsily to the ground while dangling from the crossbar at the end of a game after his ‘run into the box’ came to nought prompted much merriment. It was an image that will live long in the memory. (For those worried, Barnaby’s pride was the only thing injured.) Barnaby’s regular defensive partner in the early part of the campaign was Finlay Taylor-Watson. His positional sense, leadership and calmness under pressure were qualities that made him a worthy co-captain (alongside Rob and Max), and the fact that he got himself on the scoresheet a few times demonstrated his prowess in the opposition box, too.

There were fine contributions in defence from Sam Schofield, Sam Whitaker and Zen Jepson, while Harvey Husbands showed his versatility and defensive strengths with some excellent performances both at right-back and in a holding role in midfield. He was not the only Year 11 boy to excel this season: Joe Emery was outstanding, scoring goals, making assists and tracking back when required to become the type of midfielder that every team craves; Kian McDonald showed his silky skills, tenacity and plenty of moments of real quality that bode well for the coming years – his four goals against Runshaw a particular highlight; while Billy Maher proved his worth in both midfield and defence with his combative, no-nonsense style bringing steel and resilience to our game – traits that any good team requires.

They were ably supported by more senior team members: Oliver Kendall and Alistair Reed were both exceptional; the pair formed a super ‘double pivot’ as they call it in modern football, complimenting each other nicely and providing a terrific shield for the defence and an excellent platform for attack. They chipped in with some crucial

goals too, with Kendall embodying the ethos of the team: you turn up, you play, you give your all, you do the hard yards and you enjoy it.

Talking of goals, Henry Miller-Stenton was warmly welcomed back into the fold in October and caught the eye with some scintillating displays. The five goals he scored against Shrewsbury in a wonderful 5-3 victory, the fifth of which was THE team goal of the season, underlined his ability. But for a serious knee injury, he may very well have gone on to win the Golden Boot. Thankfully, he recovered from his injury sufficiently to play again and end his time with us positively.

Football is a squad game and people need to be prepared to step up and contribute when needed. Dan Williamson, when he was not playing for his own team on a Saturday, provided us with some eye-catching displays and goals, while Harry Summers and Harry Connor featured regularly enough and demonstrated their quality sufficiently to prove that they ought to become mainstays of the team next season. Elliot Davies deputised magnificently when called upon for Rob Morgan in goal and thanks go to the likes of Max Sibson-Finch, Tom Barrett and Ben Clarkson who all played crucial minutes at various junctures; they all answered ‘the call’, so to speak, when asked – some on several occasions – and they each did very well. Their willingness to represent the School and to give of their best on the field was admirable, and School Football simply could not operate without such contributions.

My thanks go to all the boys for their unstinting efforts this year. This was a campaign that had significantly more highs than lows and one which we can look back on favourably in years to come. I thank them all for their involvement and I look forward to a similarly enjoyable season next year.

Mr. P.G. Davidson

3rd XI Football

The season could be described as a rollercoaster! Most games ended either in a comfortable victory or a heavy defeat with little in between; the goals scored and conceded by the team were some of the highest in recent memory. The first game and last game of the season highlighted this point. Early in September, after the team had not had long to train together, we hosted MGS and they gave us a footballing lesson. A promising start and possession-based football by Bolton was soon to be overrun by a very effective pressing MGS team, who ran out 5-0 winners. We played MGS again on our final Saturday game and this was an excellent chance to see how far we had progressed. Mr. Newbold’s decision to setup in a 4-1-3-2 formation turned out to be a tactical masterstroke worthy of Pep himself and was a decisive factor in the team’s 5-0 victory. This game was undoubtedly the team’s best

performance of the season – a fantastic way to finish.

However, the team also put in some excellent performances throughout the season with wins against King’s Chester, Rishworth, AKS and Stonyhurst mixed in with heavy losses against Shrewsbury, Leeds, Thornleigh and Cheadle. The final Wednesday afternoon fixture was played against the 2nd XI, four years after the 3rd XI’s last win in this fixture. The team managed to secure a glorious 3-1 win; the antics of the 2nd XI goalkeeper certainly aided our cause, but that should not detract from the outstanding performance from the team.

A thank you to all the boys for turning up and giving it their best efforts all year and to Mr. Newbold, who steps away from leading the 3rd XI after five years at the helm. His enthusiasm and expertise will be missed; his successor, Mr. Pilkington, has big shoes to fill!

Mr. D.F. Teasdale

Under 15 Football

The first game of the season saw the Under 15 Football team return to The Levels after a year’s absence due to Covid, hoping to start the campaign on a positive note. However, a 5-0 defeat to a very strong St. Bede’s Under 15 team meant that the team had not started the season with a confidence boosting result. The first away fixture of the season saw a visit to MGS, a team that had proved difficult to beat in previous years. Things looked promising when goals from Tom Wilson, Archie Forshaw and Zach Giggs gave the team a 3-2 lead in September sunshine. Could this be a first victory for this group of players against their local rivals? Sadly not. A late free kick for MGS took a wicked deflection off the wall to beat George Warren in goal and leave honours even between the two teams. Not a victory then, but a very encouraging performance that certainly merited a winning scoreline.

Saturdays in October, November and December brought fairly straightforward victories against Oldham Hulme, Altrincham, Bury Grammar and St. Aidan’s Harrogate, with Ollie Evans and Lucas

McGann looking to be in a two-horse race for the Golden Boot. A 0-3 defeat to Westholme was avenged with a 5-3 victory a few weeks later. October saw the beginning of cup competitions with Sheffield’s Birkdale School seen off in Round 2 of the ISFA competition, in which we received a bye in the 1st round, and St. Joseph’s in Horwich were beaten 5-2 in the first round of the Town Cup. With goals flowing freely, optimism was high that a win in at least one cup competition could be on the cards. Such optimism only grew when a miscommunication meant that the Under 15’s strongest team was put out against Shrewsbury’s ‘B’ team. Despite playing players out of position to keep the score down, a resounding 13-0 win, including a goal from goalkeeper-turned-striker Ben Maher, ensued. At least the Shrewsbury players and staff received a very nice two course meal before heading back to Shropshire, displaying Bolton School’s hospitality off the pitch if not on it.

The third round of the ISFA competition brought a journey to Queen Ethelburga’s in York. With a pitch that would be the equal of Premier League playing surfaces, the boys could have no excuses about bobbles for miscontrolling the ball. A 2-0 lead evaporated to bring about extra time and penalties. Successful spot kicks from four Bolton School players, including the very reluctant Isaac Lucas, were enough to secure a 4-3 win on penalties and progress to Round 4 of the competition. Leaving the opulent surroundings of Queen Ethelburga’s with not only a victory, but also the most middle class packed lunch imaginable (houmous crisps anyone?) meant a happy, if rather long journey home.

The ISFA fourth round draw appeared to be kind with a home fixture against Shrewsbury. This time, however, they brought their ‘A’ team. A close encounter saw Bolton take a 3-2 lead with around 10 minutes to go. The Quarter-finals beckoned; however, a long-range free kick from Shrewsbury restored parity with only a few minutes to go. All square at full time. Unlike round three, Isaac didn’t need lengthy persuasion to take a penalty as Shrewsbury scored a winner in extra time. Perhaps putting 13 goals past them a month earlier hadn’t been wise. So, the ISFA Cup run was ended before Christmas.

A return to Saturday fixtures in January brought a victory against King’s Chester, a draw in the bracing coastal wind away at Morecambe and a narrow defeat to Cheadle Hulme, who had managed to progress past Shrewsbury in the ISFA Quarter-finals. After winning two games in one day against Ripley and QEGS Blackburn, both 3-2, came the busiest week of football during the season. It was the sort of fixture congestion that Premier League football managers would complain heartily about – as, in this case, did Mr. Hunt. ‘Rotation’ was the single word answer given when I asked how we were going to field five teams for fixtures in eight days. This busy period began inauspiciously with defeats to Merchant Taylors’ and West Hill, but our fortunes saw an upturn with a Thursday afternoon victory against Little Lever in the Town Cup Quarter-finals, before the week ended with victories at home and away against Leeds Grammar School.

And so, after 24 matches played, many miles travelled and 35

different players representing Bolton School at Under 15 football, the season was reaching its climax. The first act of this finale saw MGS visiting the Levels. Could this age group finally beat their rivals from Manchester? Things didn’t look promising when MGS took a 1-0 lead, but a goal from Tom Wilson, who was rapidly turning the race for the Golden Boot into a three-horse race, and a thumping header from Emmanuel Eze finally brought the team a long overdue victory against MGS. Joy unbounded.

The Under 15 Team before a long overdue win against MGS

Feelings of joy didn’t last. The following week saw the Town Cup Semi-final against Canon Slade. A harsh penalty gave Canon the lead and a second goal effectively wrapped the game up for them. The season was to end with no silverware, though there was time for a final victory, a 3-1 win against AKS Lytham. A talented group of players, with no fewer than five of the squad at academies, certainly had the ability to win a cup competition. It wasn’t to be. Goals had flowed freely before Christmas, but they dried up as the season reached its climax. Captain Michael Stivaros might put this down to the ‘box’ midfield system employed with wide strikers. Maybe he’s right. Alternative explanations would include a difficulty in coping with more physical opposition and injuries to some key players meaning that it was very rare for Mr. Hunt and Mr. O’Toole to be able to pick from the whole squad for a given fixture.

The squad will now be competing for places in the school’s 1st and 2nd XI teams; good luck to them in this endeavour. Thanks are due to Mr. Branagan and Mr. N. Hunt for their enthusiasm, commitment and footballing knowledge in coaching the lads. Thanks also to parents for supporting the boys and making sure the lads were in the right place at the right time. Well done to Lucas McGann for finishing top scorer with 16 goals, Isaac Lucas for being voted Players’ Player of the Season and Michael Stivaros for receiving the Coaches’ Player of the Season award.

Mr. C. Hunt

Under 14 Football

Overall, the season went well and the players should be proud of themselves. We had ups and downs, but all players responded very well to any setbacks. We won some important games; however, we did have a few disappointing results. In the Cup, we reached the Semi-finals, which was a great achievement.

The experience of playing for school is very good and can be good fun. With sport on a Thursday (for Year 9) we had time to prepare ourselves for the game on Saturday. The whole experience of getting the coach to the game and having food afterwards was extremely enjoyable, allowing various opportunities to socialise with teammates.

I am proud to have won Player of the Year award and believe School Football allows players to develop and grow as individuals in a sport they enjoy.

Liam Jenkins 9c

Coaching alongside everyone and working with the Under 14s has been a wonderful experience. The lads have demonstrated brilliant growth in understanding their roles better, gaining a wider perspective of the sport and developing their technical skills.

Moreover, the whole squad has been brilliant in displaying sportsmanship, passion and dedication. One amazing sportsmanlike aspect that we have recognised with this squad is the ability to be considerate and caring. For example, when things would get heated and a slide makes all the frustration go away (all part of the game), shaking hands, getting him back on his feet or even that nod of acknowledgment shows character and respect which is something we enjoyed seeing. We hope the squad continues to grow in a way that displays equilibrium between having passion for the game, but also respect for those involved and a burning desire to win it all next season – it’s a tall order, but nothing this squad cannot handle.

Mr. L. Jones

Under 13 Football

It has been fantastic to return to normality this year, with regard to our extensive football fixture programme. The Under 13 Football team made considerable progress throughout the season, playing some outstanding football at times and showed a fantastic team spirit.

Due to the effect of the Pandemic in the previous year, it took a couple of weeks to organise the boys into playing 11-a-side and the change in formation and tactics. After a shaky start against St. Bede’s, the team began to make considerable progress in their defensive qualities, shape and compactness by keeping a clean sheet against MGS thanks to some excellent saves from the goalkeeper Freddie Wardle and then beating Hulme 8-1 with some exhilarating football.

The first competitive fixture saw us take on Leeds Grammar in the ISFA Cup. Considerable preparations were made to ensure the lads were fully organised and understood specific roles. For some strange reason, this didn’t have the desired effect and we were 3-0 down within the first 10 mins – disaster.

After hitting the woodwork three times and missing a great deal of clear chances, we lost the game 4-3 in what was a very disappointing result. The team brushed themselves down and then went on a nine match unbeaten run. One highlight of this run, was a 4-3 win away at Cheadle Hulme, with the side losing 3-1 with 10 mins to go, thanks to goals from Jasper Seddon, Kieran Holt and a brace from Charles Bennett.

The lads were now developing some real fluency with their play. Charlie Dewhurst was beginning to terrorize defences, players were now understanding individual roles and were able as a team to switch up a range of formations and tactics, thanks to some excellent leadership from the skipper Will Lucas.

After a succession of victories, the team found themselves in the Town Cup Final against an extremely strong Canon Slade team. At full time, the score ended up at 3-3 and went to extra time with both teams battling hard. Bolton continued to show their excellent team spirit by coming from behind three times. With ten mins remaining, Bolton took the lead for the first time in the match and just needed to hold on for eight minutes. Unfortunately, it was Canon’s turn to come from behind and equalise with minutes remaining, taking the game to penalties.

After several misses from both teams, it was Bolton who had the opportunity to score the last penalty to win the Cup. Unfortunately, the penalty was missed and Bolton ended up losing on sudden death – such a cruel way to lose a final after coming from behind three times.

Overall, it was an excellent season, where I really enjoyed working with such an excellent group of lads and watching them progress as a team both technically and as young men. I look forward to hopefully working with them again in the future.

learn both individually and for the betterment of the team. Many boys learnt to play in a variety of positions and were always willing to give it a good go, even when they found themselves in an unfamiliar playing role. All in all, it was an excellent season from our Year 7 boys, culminating in a Town Cup Final, which was lost to an excellent Canon Slade team performance. There were, at times, some tough lessons to learn from, especially in defeat, and when things were not quite going to plan. One thing I can say about this group of boys is that they do not give up easily, which is a great credit to them all. We wish them all well as they progress to Year 8.

Mr. M.H.J. Prentki & Dr. F.H. Mullins

A View from the Scrum

After the enforced absence due to COVID, it was fantastic to get the lads back onto the field and enjoying their rugby.

The younger age groups have displayed enthusiasm throughout the season, and have embraced the new after school training slot with grit and determination. It has been a common sight this season to see hordes of young, rugby kit-clad figures descending onto The floodlit Levels.

Mr. Watkinson has continued to set a strong platform for School Rugby with the Under 12s; assisted by Mr. Hicks, he has fostered a fantastic team spirit, and the numbers attending training is a credit to his relationship with the lads.

Under 12 Football

As always, with a new intake, it took several weeks for the squad to settle down at the start of the year, with over one hundred boys in the year group trialling for a place in the squad. In the end, twenty-seven boys played for their school across the season. There were some excellent team and individual performances throughout the year, with notable wins against our local rivals, including MGS and Bury GS. As a squad, the boys made real progress as the season unfolded. Monday night training was always very well attended, and the boys were keen to

Mr. Brown was joined this season by NLD County player Mr. Mallinson at Under 13 level; the team has gone from strength to strength under their guidance. The number of lads who have represented the Under 13s this year has been excellent. The prestigious Stonyhurst 7s Bowl was just rewards for their efforts. This was Mr. Brown’s final season coaching the Under 13s as he steps aside due to family commitments. I would like to thank him for his tireless work with School Rugby over a number of years.

Mr. M. Johnson

Mr. Fernside has continued to coach at Under 14 level; his expertise and experience are second to none, and he has moulded the side into a very impressive outfit. Three selections for the Sale DPP just shows what a quality side they are. Well done to Corey Morgan, Will Simpkins and Cooper Atherton.

The Under 15s have battled well to overcome injury and availability issues. Many thanks to Mr. Barlow for his support with this year group. As a new member of the team, he has worked tirelessly this season and has brought some quality coaching to School Rugby.

Mr. Jackson has continued to bring his ample enthusiasm to the Under 16s. A talented squad, I was disappointed not to have been able to coach them for Under 15s, and they have impressed greatly.

One of the highlights of the Season was the joint Under 13 and Under 14 tour to the South West. Staying in Bath, we played two local schools on the Friday and two clubs on the Sunday. Saturday consisted of an excellent training session with the Bristol Bears Academy, followed by enjoying the hospitality of a local rugby club before sampling a bit of the Bristol night life at Za Za Bazaar. The weekend was wrapped up with us being the guard of honour at the Bristol Bears vs. Harlequins game – a fantastic weekend was had by all.

The 1st XV were led by Mr. Joseph for the final time. A true gentleman, he has coached hundreds of young men over the years, with his unique mix of humour, passion, knowledge and enthusiasm. His final Senior Rugby Dinner was a real celebration of his time at Bolton School. It was testament to how well-respected Mr. Joseph is that the dinner was attended by fifteen former School Rugby Captains. It was at this dinner that Mr. Joseph was honoured by the Lancashire RFU, for his services to School Rugby. To mark his time here at Bolton School, we will now play for the Caspar Joseph Trophy vs. Clitheroe RGS, coached by Mr. Joseph Junior.

The senior sides we have continued to have individual success. Ollie Cooke and Robert Bentham have been part of Sale Sharks Academy, with Robert also being involved with Wigan Warriors. Archie Stocks has been selected for Sale Sharks Developing Player Pathway (DPP) and Ben Price was selected to play for Lancashire Under 18s for their game against Yorkshire.

To finish this review of the year, I must comment upon the sad passing of 1st XV player Cameron Milton. A fantastic young man, who commanded the respect and friendship of his fellow players. He will be sadly missed by all at Bolton School, but especially those involved in Rugby.

Mr. T. Benbow

1st XV Rugby

The season began with the traditional fitness and skills sessions with good numbers, enthusiasm and enjoyment. The opening fixture saw a promising victory over Liverpool College, followed by losses against tough Cheshire opposition from Lymm, Wilmslow and Sandbach.

2nd XV Rugby

The team was commendably led by Ben Price, who was accurate with the boot and ran the ball with speed and elusiveness, and was selected for Lancashire Under 18s, a deserved achievement and accolade – he also played regularly for Bolton RUFC 1st XV. In the backs, there was strong running and combative defence from Harvey Goodwin, Harvey Leigh, Harry McDermott and pace and fierce tackling from Cameron Milton. The forwards were led by Tom Barrett, who consistently ran hard and straight, followed by Max Sibson-Finch, Maani Parsai and Jacob Farnworth in the back row, and the strength of Jack Huang and Daamin Aslam in the front row, although the all-round skills of Daniel Houghton were missed after an injury put him out for much of the season.

Year 12 were well represented with Rory Pixton, Henry Nuttall, Aran Pomian, Ryan Williams and Hashir Sapra demonstrating skill and industry, which augurs well for next season. The excellent victory against Rishworth, after an earlier defeat against the opposition from across the Pennines, marked a period of excellent fast rucking and handling rugby, with further victories against Runshaw College and The Grange.

The introduction of Year 11 players Ollie Cook, Archie Stocks, Jack Stevens, Jake Dickinson and Luis McPherson improved the team in terms of energy, technique and genuine excitement playing 1st XV rugby.

The Sevens team did well at the Stonyhurst Invitation Tournament, reaching the Semi-final of the Plate Competition, defeating Shrewsbury and Birkenhead, and improving their playing of the shortened form of rugby as each game went on.

The season finished with a convincing victory against Clitheroe RGS, a poignant game after the tragic death of Cameron Milton, and one played in the manner this much-loved player would have enjoyed.

The 2021/22 season was both enjoyable and hugely successful for the twenty boys who represented the squad. The team should be congratulated for their phenomenal team spirit and togetherness during training and on match days. They were a dedicated group, who led the way in terms of commitment to School Rugby, as well as their technical rugby ability.

Early wins against Sandbach and MGS gave us an excellent platform for the season ahead, losing only three games throughout the year. There were many outstanding individual performances week in, week out, but it was the team’s bond and camaraderie that stood out and gave solidarity to the season.

The team reached the Semi-finals of the Lancashire Cup competition, losing to Kirkham; this was a great experience for the team, and their performance in this competition showed the strength and character that they possess collectively.

May I take this opportunity to wish those players leaving school all the best in all that they do and I look forward to seeing the rest next season. Congratulations to Ollie Cook for being selected for the Sale Sharks Academy and to Archie Stocks for being selected onto the Developing Player Pathway (DPP).

Mr. P.D. Jackson

Under 15 Rugby

Mr. C.C. Joseph

The 2021/22 season was a challenging one for the Under 15s after two years lost to COVID, but throughout the challenges, the lads have conducted themselves impeccably and stuck to the task manfully.

We made a promising start to the season with solid wins against Liverpool College and Rishworth. We played some exciting games with our marauding pack, including the likes of James Logan, Ammaar Ibraahim, Arran Patel, Matthew Roberts and Hashim Choudry, sucking in defenders and creating space for our backs to exploit.

Charles Darbyshire and Jack Entwistle interchanging at scrum half brought different strengths to the attack. Sam Neill pulled the strings from ten, putting Ethan Caswell, Jonathan Frank and Robert Bentham into gaps with the pace of Haoming Ren, Muhammad Thagia and Lewis Bailey providing the threat out wide.

However, after the early encouragement, the second half of the season went a little downhill. Over a tough period in our fixture list, the side was struck with a spate of unavailability to key players due to injury, other sporting commitments and social engagements; this meant that there were a number of weekends when some of the more inexperienced members of the squad needed to be drafted into the side, to allow fixtures to be fulfilled.

Well done to Player of the Season Sam Neill and Players’ Player Haoming Ren (one of our new recruits).

Finally, I’d like to thank Mr. Mallinson and Mr. Barlow for their help with the team – their good humour, tenacity and expertise have been most valuable.

Mr. T. Benbow

Under 14 Rugby

It is important to reiterate that the lads have stuck with it and done their best. We have had over 25 players represent the team this year, and have a number of converts to the game. No doubt if the lads stick with it, keep working hard, and avoid injury, things will improve next season.

The Under 14 side produced a very good set of performances in their return to a season of full contact rugby.

The side, though small in number, was full of energy and enthusiasm. The players were very committed to training and rarely missed it, unless it was through injury or a clash with other commitments.

The side had a good balance to it, with a strong pack and backs with pace and flair. Due to changes to the RFU guidelines, we had to play Under 13 laws for the first term, so all games were recorded by tries only.

The side started the year very well, with four wins in the opening four matches vs. Liverpool College, West Hill, Sandbach, and MGS. A trip to St. Mary’s, Crosby led to the first defeat, 4 tries to 5 in a very tight game. Further wins vs. Bury and AKS went in between losses to Wilmslow, Birkenhead and a strong Stockport side. Our home match with Hutton was cut short at 3-3, due to an injury to a visiting player; the best result of the day was the phone call later to say all was well with the player.

Our County Cup exploits started with a good win vs. West Hill, followed up by another win vs. MGS. In the Semi-final, we travelled to Stonyhurst College and lost to the eventual cup winners.

The side was led by Nathan Pierson, to whom I must give my thanks; he led the side with great maturity and was quick to fill any last minute gaps through illness etc. Finally, I would like to thank our parents, who travelled across the North West, supporting the side in all kinds of weather.

Mr. P. Fernside

Under 13 Rugby

In the Sevens season, we travelled to the strong Kirkham tournament and competed well before hosting our own competition, which was won by

The season came to an enjoyable end when we toured the Bath and Bristol area. The lads played very well, winning all five matches and enjoyed themselves as good tourists, leaving a very favourable impression with everyone they met along the way.

We started the season with a game away at Liverpool College, but unfortunately lost by a small margin due to a lack of teamwork, as we had only had a few training sessions as a team, and we couldn’t match the pace they had on the wings.

We started the year with a variety of players, many being new, who had not played before and some that had been part of a team since they could walk!

We moved onto our second game, which was in school time on a Tuesday against West Hill. This also was a close game, but we came out on top for the first time of the season winning 4 tries to 1.

Playing Manchester Grammar School was always going to be tough. We arrived at MGS with a large squad and played three 15 minute thirds. The first third really highlighted our inexperience, which was proved by the quickly widening scoreline. After a good team talk and some substitutes on the field, we brought back the score, but alas, MGS took victory. However, in the return fixture, MGS came to us in appalling conditions. The game was close at half time, but our forwards blew them away in the second half. The biggest cheer of the morning came from the opposition when the referee ended the game so that everyone could get warm!

Stonyhurst.

Corey Morgan, Cooper Atherton and William Simpkins trained with the Sale Sharks Developing Player Pathway (DPP), and I am sure they enjoyed the experience and became better players as a result.

We seemed to play the remainder of the season in horrendous weather – hail, rain, sleet and freezing conditions. It wasn’t just the weather that was dampening our spirits, but losing a few of our matches to Stockport, St. Anselm’s and Hutton Grammar School to name but a few. However, we won a number of games too, including against Rishworth, Wilmslow and our local rivals, Bury Grammar. On balance, we won a few, lost a few, but learned a whole lot about the game and what it means to win and lose as a team, but, most of all, about why we love the game itself.

After Christmas, it was the long-awaited Rugby Tour and a great chance for us to bond as a team, both in training and socially. After a long drive down to Bristol, it was time to play some local school teams. It went well, drawing the first two games, but sadly losing our final game to a last minute try. Sadly, Henry Hughes, one of our key players, cut his head open in the first game, which cut short his time on the pitch. Mr. Watkinson drew the short straw and had to spend the rest of the day in hospital.

We would like to thank Mr. Mallinson and Mr. Brown for their efforts at coaching us this season. We are particularly grateful to Mr. Mallinson, who taught us some key skills and encouraged us week in, week out. We wish him well in his new job at Poynton High School.

We stayed in a very nice youth hostel and watched a great game of rugby at a local rugby club. We finished off this amazing trip at an all-you-can-eat buffet – let’s just say a few of the team took this to the extreme. On our journey home, we ended on a high, playing and winning our final match. The tour is still talked about by all the team, and it was a great experience, where we made new friends and memories that we will keep for life.

Every September, the new academic year brings a fresh group of enthusiastic Year 7s with an ambition to play Bolton School sport. This year saw a vast number of boys wishing to play rugby, which was very pleasing to see.

William James 8e, Noah Williams 8e & Jordy Dare 8d

Under 12 Rugby

With boys put through their paces in the only sports lesson before the first game of the season, a squad was put together. The lads gave a fantastic account of themselves against Liverpool College in a game that was used as an introduction to rugby. Led by Captain Maxim McKay, boys demonstrated teamwork, determination and enthusiasm – something that all rugby players endeavour to produce. The ‘B’ team also had a good run out, with boys gaining valuable experience in the sport. This contributed to the first win of the season against West Hill on a Tuesday night after school, with tries from Maxim McKay, James Vaughan, Hugo Gallet and Steven Wang making the difference.

The following Saturday saw us play three matches against Sandbach, who were themselves blessed with talented young rugby players. Bolton School won all three games, showing tenacity and endurance, even after losing George Burrows early in the first game with a knock to the head. Alex Preston and Daniel Watts dominated in defence, whilst Hugo Gallet’s intelligent runs cut Stonyhurst apart – a pleasing morning to say the least.

Then it was on to our biggest rivals, Manchester Grammar School, who have always been strong across all sports. The game was on a knife edge for the majority, with both teams refusing to budge. Only the dominance of Steven Wang could break the deadlock, running though defences with his trademark floppy hair and tackling everything in sight; however, a twisted ankle in the last play of the game would rule Steven out for a number of weeks. Following in the footsteps of his two talented brothers playing Under 12 rugby, George Burrows led the defence, as requested by the coaches, which limited MGS to just two tries – indeed a leader amongst the group. Four tries to two the game finished, with bragging rights going to Bolton School. The ‘B’ team, led by Callum Hodgson, showed the strength in depth the Under 12s had in a competitive game.

A 7-3 victory at home to St. Mary’s, Crosby continued our winning streak. A team performance with some new faces including the likes of Fin Stanford and who ‘Else’ but Wesley was the most enjoyable aspect of the morning. Chris Frank, showing his athletic ability, whizzed past the St. Mary’s defence, scoring a number of tries in the process, whilst Charles and George Kiely shut up shop in defence. Under 12s Rugby was certainly catching the attention of the Common Room!

With passports packed, we travelled across the border to West Yorkshire, where we played against Rishworth School. Chris Frank again ran in a number of tries, but the day will ultimately be remembered for Alex Pierson’s tackling masterclass; the full back saved the day on countless occasions, with last-ditch tackles that most certainly would have led to tries. Jacob Little, loving life in Year 7 rugby, played his heart out and embodied everything we ask for with Bolton School Rugby. The team enjoyed a 9-2 win on the day.

A tough fixture would follow against a strong Wilmslow side. Another close encounter with the lads tackling well, saw Fin Stanford lead by

example, rallying the rest of his teammates to follow. A few decisions not falling our way put us under a little pressure, with the game finishing 4-2 to Wilmslow where a draw would have been a fair result; improvements were made nonetheless. The ‘B’ team had another cracker of a game, with coach Mr. Barlow at the helm –commitment and work ethic were the buzz words of the day.

Our annual fixture against Stockport Grammar School meant that they would travel to us during Year 7 sport lessons. Five Under 12 fixtures took place, with The Levels full with matches, all with different variations of the rules, taking into account the experience levels of the boys. It was a wonderful occasion, with rugby the winner, as over 100 boys represented their respective school during a Thursday games lesson.

The introduction of Yasir Shobowale only strengthened the Under 12 rugby squad and his no-nonsense running game proved too powerful for AKS Lytham. Running the show again were Maxim McKay and Toby Hazelton, keeping things tidy and well organised in a 9-2 victory. An away fixture at Birkenhead followed, and yet another dominating performance. Nippy winger James Vaughan showed his pace and competitiveness whilst George Burrows again organised a solid defence. A frustrating game, which was stop-start due to an over officious referee, but a win nonetheless.

On the windiest day of the year, we travelled to Hutton Grammar School, which always proves to be a tough, muddy fixture. A 3-3 draw reflected the grit and determination in what was a rugby game with little passing, due to the wind and sideways rain. There was plenty of contact and plenty of heart from all on show.

After a restful break over Christmas, our first game back was a

tough one. A very skilful Cowley side visited Bolton School and demonstrated their overall game. James Vaughan ran in the first try of the game, followed by six from Cowley. The lads by no means gave up and pushed all the way to the final whistle.

One of our best performances of the season came away at Audenshaw in a 4-3 defeat; however, the scoreline did not reflect how we played. Defensively brilliant and mentally resilient, we tackled and pressured the opposition all game. Three tries from their six foot tall winger was a kick in the teeth, but all our lads walked off with a smile on their faces with a proud bunch of parents on the sideline.

Another defeat followed at home to St. Anselm’s. A tough rugby school proved too strong for us on the day, but again, there were positives to take from it. David Kurlovic appeared from nowhere and wanted to try out rugby and what a find he proved to be, entering into our festival fixtures.

Our first festival was at Preston Grasshoppers RFU, where in the group stage we beat Manchester Grammar School and Ormskirk, and drew to St. Mary’s Hall. We then faced Audenshaw in the Semifinal, which was a very similar game to the one just a few weeks earlier; again, we were on the wrong side of the result, but it was a fantastic effort nonetheless. The Audenshaw 7s came just a few days later, with the lads still chomping at the bit to play rugby. We beat Lancaster and Bury in the opening two games of the group stage and drew to St. Edward’s. Again, we got to the Semi-finals, but unfortunately it wasn’t to be.

A View from the Astroturf

Over the Summer Term of 2021, we put together a set of fixtures more in hope than expectation that we would get through the season without another lockdown. To our great relief, we were able to put together a more or less normal programme even though cup competition days were hastily arranged, as conditions became more favourable for mass events.

The number of pupils throughout the school playing some form of hockey has increased massively, whether it be on House Day, participation in a carousel in Sports lessons or training seriously as part of one of the hockey squads. We had nearly 100 boys attending the end of season Hockey Dinner, showing how far we have developed.

The superb Leverhulme AstroTurf is getting excellent usage with after school training three nights a week as well as hugely increased Girls’ Division involvement. It has been great to see hockey developing across the arch, and for them to play their first competitive fixtures. We wish them well on their development journey. Over the summer, the Leverhulme Pavilion will be fully refurbished, completing the building programme.

Our Senior team was ably led by joint captains Matthew Mair and Max Turner. For various reasons, we only had three Year 13 students in the squad and the teams were therefore mainly made up of Year 12 and 11 students. We will have largely the same group next year with the addition of very useful Year 10s. It is fair to say that the team competed very well in some fixtures, but lost heart in others. In the Indoor Competition at MGS, in the Lancashire Cup and in the North West Finals at Timperley, they gave it their best shot, losing

Mr. L.

I’d like to thank all those associated with Bolton School Rugby including parents and guardians for their effort and dedication throughout the course of the season.

Watkinson

frustratingly by the odd goal with frustrating regularity. The highlight of the season has to be coming back from 3-0 down to beat King’s Macclesfield 4-3. This was a day when everyone played well, we had our best team available and they played with confidence. My thanks also to Max Rimmer, who captained the 2nd XI; the clear highlight was a 1-0 smash and grab at Sedbergh, defending virtually the entire second half in our own half, but holding on.

We have tried to introduce fixtures for the Under 13 and Under 12 teams. The Under 13s were led by Oliver Scales and Aaron Patel and huge numbers of these year groups have attended training and are keen to be involved in School Hockey moving forward. The Under 13s competed well in the Powerplay competition at MGS and enjoyed friendlies against MGS and Rossall. The Under 12s enjoyed friendlies against AKS and King’s Macclesfield. We hope to increase our offer to these year groups moving forwards.

The Under 15s were captained by Nikhil Patel, who brought professionalism and maturity to the team. Virtually the whole squad attends training every week and that has clearly made a huge difference to outcomes. The group have great chemistry together, listen to advice and are keen to learn new skills and embrace new ideas. They had some well deserved victories such as 1-0 vs. King’s Macclesfield, 3-0 vs. AKS and a 1-1 draw at Birkenhead. In other fixtures, they stayed in difficult games and didn’t give up. Back in Year 8, the team lost heavily in several fixtures and it has been great to see them playing the same teams two years later with much closer score lines.

The Under 14s were led by Nathan Watts and ably assisted by the very talented Kyran Chitre. They have had good wins over Wirral Grammar School 2-1, Sandbach 2-0, AKS 5-3 to name a few games. They also competed well in the Lancashire Cup.

All of this would not be possible without the support of fellow staff – Mr. Sutcliffe (our coach) and the support of Mr. Moore and, more recently, Miss Petrie.

We have also been helping local firms who support hockey by entering into partnerships with them. Next Goal Wins are providing our team kit. We have run a very popular ‘design a stick’ competition with Kabo, who are providing our school sticks and generous discounts for our pupils to purchase their own sticks.

Hockey again. We only won two games in the whole season, one at the indoor tournament vs. Lymm 2-1 and the other against King’s Macclesfield in our penultimate game of the season.

We may not have been successful on the winning front; if it was the Premier League we may have been relegated by Christmas, but in terms of skill and ability and the sheer fact of playing hockey, this group of lads have come on leaps and bounds, which is testament to them. Being Captain (with Matthew Mair) was a real privilege and it has been a great honour watching all these players develop and grow. On a personal note, captaining these lads has helped me develop many of my own skills, such as communication and leadership.

1st XI Hockey

The First team strolled into this season with plenty of optimism, but not much play time. Due to the impact of the Pandemic, much of our squad didn’t have the usual level of experience on the pitch.

Good luck next season – I hope you continue to develop and progress. Finally, I’d like to say a massive thank you from me and the other Year 13s to all the coaches – especially Mr. Robson and Mr. Sutcliffe for the relentless work they put in behind the scenes – we wouldn’t be half as good without you two.

The first game back came round, St. Anselm’s, and it’s fair to say we took a hefty beating. The privilege of playing for the 1st XI Hockey team was well and truly put back into perspective. Performances did pick up, and as a team we learned what it was to play School

Max Turner 13b

Mr. A.C. Robson

2nd XI Hockey

This was not the easiest of seasons for our Second XI Hockey Team; however, we certainly made progress by the end of it. While we endured some defeats in often dreadful conditions, we played well in both games against Wirrall and drew with them at home.

The high point of our season was when we defeated a strong Sedbergh team away in a hard fought 1-0 victory and this was a great step in our ongoing process of improvement. Overall, this season was a learning curve for our team, but we constantly improved and showed much resilience in the face of adversity, especially towards the end.

Max Rimmer 13e

Under 15 Hockey

After coming out of a pandemic and having a fairly uninterrupted season, the Under 15 squad had a successful year, winning five out of eight games and competing in 7-a-side and 11-a-side tournaments, in which we had some good results. Many players have chosen hockey for their Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, which led to lots of new players taking up the sport and becoming good additions to the squad.

During the season, we have made very good progress, with some very talented core players: Aleks Clayden, Greg and Alex Dorsky, Umar Darsot, Joshua Moffitt and Ethan Wong, who play for their respective clubs and turn up to training every week and perform well

in games, especially Amu Vijaya Kumar, who is a very promising goalkeeper.

All of the players have shown exceptional commitment and selfdiscipline. Hopefully, all of the players can continue to improve and enjoy their hockey. I would also like to thank Mr. Moore, Mr. Robson and Mr. Sutcliffe for giving up their time to coach and help us throughout the season.

Under 14 Hockey

This season, Under 14 Hockey was a real rollercoaster. From results that we won’t dwell on, to victories that we definitely should look back on with pride, we’ve experienced it all. We were out of practice for the start of the season thanks to the pandemic, having never previously played a competitive game.

We started with a couple of unlucky losses, which, as we progressed through the season, started to be phased out for good. We ended on a high at the North West Tier 2 Finals, in which we came third, an achievement of which the entire team should be very proud. This was a great way to end the season, and hopefully a nice way to thank Mr. Sutcliffe and Mr. Robson for their continued support, something that I would like to reiterate. We have seen a significant improvement throughout the season and I’m sure we will continue this upward trend next season.

Nikhil Patel 10f

Nathan Watts 9b

Under 13 Hockey

Under 12 Hockey

We had a shaky start to the season, introducing some new players to the brilliant sport of hockey. Personally, it has been wonderful to see those players improve and develop over the season and so I would like to thank the team for their support towards and encouragement of those new players.

From a rough start, we have come together as a team and, personally, my highlight of this season was when we finally achieved a well-deserved win against King’s Macclesfield, beating them with an overall score of 6-4. This game has shown how far we have come and given us a refreshing boost for next season; it has also shown us what we are capable of as a team.

Overall, there are lots of positives to take from this season. It has been an honour to act as the Captain of the Under 13 squad and I am very much looking forward to next season and what’s to come.

First of all, I would like to thank Mr. Robson and Mr. Sutcliffe and other teachers who have helped bring our skills up this season. It has been hard for some, however, maybe unknowingly, our hockey practice improved in the second AKS match.

At Macclesfield, our ‘B’ team had a very good game whilst our ‘A’ team showed great effort, but unfortunately, both games ended in

Oliver Scales 8b

defeat. Not to be too pessimistic, however, things could have been much worse, like not having a goalkeeper! In the future, I would like to see us play many other teams because even if we have hundreds of losses, that one win would be a spark.

The second half term, focused on the tactical elements of the game in match scenarios – full court press, half court press, zonal defence and a junk defence. This aspect was particularly enjoyed by the lads as they were able to express themselves on the court with considerable success in match situations.

As their confidence grew and their skills became more fluent and successful, it was time to play against a select Under 15 Turton High School team. The team won by 28-8 points with significant performances by Arin Wong, Haoming Ren, Luke Yates, Riley Ng and Ethan Wong.

Basketball

Basketball at Bolton School during the Autumn Term became a regular occurrence on a Monday evening as Year 10 pupils worked hard to develop their skills and understanding of the game. The initial focus was to improve the quality of their fundamental core skills – passing, dribbling, shooting, lay ups and rebounding. As the term progressed, so did the numbers, with a group of around sixteen regularly attending.

It was a very enjoyable term of basketball, with a significant amount of progress and enjoyment. Well done.

Cross Country

Notable performances in Cross Country this year included Year 9 George Holt, who finished third in the Town Championships and eighth in the English Schools Regional heat. Year 7 boys Chris Frank (11th), Alex Preston (17th) and Alex Pierson (20th) in the Town also qualified for the Greater Manchester race due to their top twenty finishes, as did Year 11 pupil Lucas Collins and Year 13 pupil Matthew Mair.

Mr. M. Johnson

Mr. M.G. Chilton

Ambrose Zheng 7c

Swimming

The start of the swimming calendar was unfortunately interrupted due to the lasting effects of Coronavirus – our opening gala against Hulme Oldham had to be cancelled for just that reason. With numbers restricted and spectators unable to attend, we continued on as well as possible with our first meet coming in the ESSA time trials at Bolton School. We didn’t qualify on this occasion, but there was no shortage of effort from the lads.

It’s always nice to play against local rivals and there’s no-one closer than the Girls’ Division. The competition was fierce, with boys and girls cheering on all the competitors, but it was the girls that came out on top, winning by the barest of margins. Galas against Manchester Grammar School and Ripley St. Thomas followed, enabling boys across all year groups to compete and showcase their talents against strong opposition.

Swim training during Friday lunchtimes was growing with a good number of boys putting in a considerable amount of effort. The boys worked extremely hard during the Autumn Term and deserved to enjoy an extended break over the holiday period.

The new year began with the annual Fastwater Gala hosted at Bolton School. Sandbach, Ripley St. Thomas, Hutton, QEGS Blackburn and Bolton School all competed to win a unique competition where it’s all about the lowest cumulative time. The team that wins won’t necessarily finish first in every event, but will post the overall lowest time. Bolton School came out on top, with some fantastic performances across the board, taking home the Cutty Sark Trophy.

The final gala of the season was a chance to get our own back over the Girls’ Division. Again, another fiercely competitive gala went right down to the wire. The boys claimed victory with just one point in it – a fantastic way to end the season.

Thanks to all those who have contributed to Bolton School Swimming.

Mr. L. Watkinson & Mr. A. Evitts

Water polo

Congratulations to Year 13 pupils

Harry Bentham and James Blenkinship, together with recent leavers Daniel Bentham and Tom Simpson, who were all selected for the GB Juniors Water polo team (born 2003 or later). This team competed in the European Championships Qualification tournament in Malta in April.

Another highlight came when the Junior boys won the Town Championships at Bolton One. Schools across the borough all came to compete to be the best, and the Junior boys put in a cracking performance to take the spoils.

Congratulations to Joe Carolan (Year 11) and Robert Bentham (Year 10), who represented the England Youth Water polo team (born 2006 or later), which competed in the EU Nations Tournament in the Czech Republic in April.

Ellis Matthews (born 2005), Jamie Logan (2007) and Harry Butler (2008) are members of the National Academy age group squads.

The Under 18s competition started in the Autumn Term, when they comfortably won the first round of the English Schools Competition. In the Spring Term, the Under 18s travelled to Northampton, where they qualified for the English Schools Finals, finishing top of their qualifying group. The boys defeated both City of London School and Queen Elizabeth’s School Barnet, before drawing with Trinity School.

trio of Harry Bentham, James Blenkinship and Seb Thompson all produced outstanding penalties to score against the Trinity School and Great Britain keeper, which saw Bolton retaining the title they have now held since 2014.

The Finals were held at Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys’ School in March. The team defeated Alleyn’s School 7-3 and Northampton School for Boys 6-5 to win their group and then defeated Manchester Grammar School 5-3 in the Semi-final. The Final was against a strong Trinity School, where the lead alternated before finishing with a 3-3 draw. The Final was to be decided by a 3 player penalty shootout. Bolton’s

The team comprised Robert Bentham, Joseph Carolan, Oli McCann, James Blenkinship, Robert Morgan, Harry Bentham (Captain), Robert Murray, Ellis Matthews, Ben Price, Aran Pomian, Josh Dickens, Noah Nethercott and Seb Thompson.

The Under 15 Water polo team finished second in the English Schools Water polo competition. They drew with Trinity School 3-3 before defeating MGS 6-2 by a larger margin, which resulted in them ‘topping’ the group. In the Semi-final, the game vs. Dulwich College was tied 3-3 at full time, but Bolton won the penalty shootout. In the Final, Northampton School for Boys proved to be too strong, winning 2-7 and were deserved champions.

The Under 13 team have had a COVID-disrupted start to their playing careers. It has been great to look back and reflect that over the academic year, training has been possible for all across the Lower School.

In the spring, the Year 8s competed in the first round of the English Schools competition. They played well, defeating MGS and St. Joseph’s and St. Bede’s, Bradford before finishing runners-up to St. Ambrose College.

In May, the team travelled to Northampton to play in the second round of this competition, knowing that only one team qualified for the Finals. The team played well, demonstrating better tactical awareness, but were not strong enough to prevail. Haberdashers’ School won the group and went on to finish runners-up in this National competition.

Several players are now training with the City of Manchester Water polo Club and have represented the City of Manchester in the National Club competition

The season was celebrated at a Water polo dinner, where the following awards were made across each age group: Most Improved Player, Players’ Player and Coaches’ Player.

a teacher, therefore yours truly stepped in. The boys were Joe Emery, Toby Yates and Thomas Wilson. Their handicaps are 3, 4, and 8, respectively. We enjoyed a great day, beautiful weather and managed a respectable fourth place, which included myself winning the teachers’ lowest gross prize. The overall winners were Rossall, with a tremendous score of 146.

We entered another national tournament, the ISGA matchplay and were drawn against Kirkham Grammar in the first round. Unfortunately, they beat us, quite convincingly I might add, but this meant we had a crack at the Area Plate. We made the Final of the Plate after receiving a bye against Shrewsbury School and we found ourselves walking the famous fairways of Royal Liverpool against an outstanding team from Birkenhead School. This was an excellent opportunity for our relatively young team to test their skills on one of the finest courses in the country. Could our team replicate Tiger Woods’ victory in 2006, or Rory McIlroy’s thrilling win in 2014? The links can be challenging and even daunting when the wind blows, but we arrived on a calm and pleasant, sunny spring morning. Hoylake makes the trickiest demands of a player’s shot selection, distance control and accuracy, and our boys were up for it. Bolton’s young guns came out firing and took early leads; however, with local knowledge on their side, the Birkenhead team fought back, eventually winning all three matches. I know the Bolton team were upset at the defeat, but they did everything I could have asked from them and more. I was extremely proud of their resilience during the matches and especially their conduct at the end of the game. Well done, boys.

The Lancashire Schools Golf Association held two tournaments this year, but only two boys from Bolton School entered. I do hope that, in future years, more pupils get involved in this wonderful sport. Joe Emery and Thomas Wilson enjoyed playing at Dunscar Golf Club in the Under 18 championships and Ashton & Lea Golf Club in the Under 16s. Joe was placed 8th in the Under 16 category and Thomas 11th; with over 60 boys and girls entering, the two performed remarkably.

During House Days this year, we have taken two enthusiastic groups to play the pitch and putt course within Heaton Park. I have witnessed some excellent golf from the younger generation and I hope that these boys continue to improve and hopefully, one day, join the Golf Team.

Golf

The academic year began with an invitation to the Worsley Marriott to play in a national tournament run by the Independent Schools Golf Association, with two from the three students’ scores to count. The team chose itself, the three lowest handicappers in school, accompanied by

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all members of the Golf Team who have, through much hard work and dedication to their sport, reduced their handicaps throughout the season and are beginning to receive deserved recognition on a County and National level.

My thanks go out to Mr. Fernside and Mr. O’Toole for their continued and invaluable help.

Mr. C. Coffey

Dr. M. Yates

Sports

Outdoor Pursuits

Year 10 paddlers

A challenging climb at the Greater Manchester Climbing Competition

Year 10 Climbing at Wilton Quarry

Year 13 peer coaching Years 11 & 12

Year 13 on the River Lune practising river running skills

Year 9 Sailing at the Anderton Centre

Year 10 White water kayaking

Year 10 Tandem canoeing

Winners at the Greater Manchester Climbing competition

Chess

This was an extraordinary year for Bolton School Chess. We made it to the Finals of three national competitions, beating a couple of our strongest North West rivals along the way.

ECF Under 19 National Schools Chess Championship

Our fixture list began on 25th November, with the qualifying round which we hosted in the Great Hall. Visiting teams from Cheadle Hulme, Gateacre School, King’s Chester, Sir Thomas Boteler, King’s Macclesfield, and MGS, battled in a Swiss rapid tournament along with our ‘B’ team to qualify for the first-round proper (our ‘A’ team was given a bye at this stage). Cheadle Hulme and MGS came joint first on that day, but King’s Chester and Bolton ‘B’ scored enough points to qualify for the knock-out stages.

The ‘B’ team travelled to Cheadle Hulme School near the end of January to play their first knock-out game of the tournament. Zac Walsh, Marton Lange, Zeeshan Shepherd, Mustafa Malik, Filippos Giannakopoulos and Dheer Shah all fought hard for the best part of two hours, but were outclassed by a stronger side, losing 4-2.

had played Altrincham in what came to be our last face-toface fixture for some time. We lost back in 2020, however, the competition ended for both teams as the pandemic took hold and the competition was scrapped. This time around, we narrowly won 3½ - 2½ and progressed to the regional final.

The next hurdle for the ‘A’ team was the regional final against MGS. In recent history (roughly 20 years), we have been knocked out of the competition whenever we have met MGS. However, this time, victory was ours, thanks to some great wins by Laurence Britton, Amrit Mishra and Hashir Sapra on the bottom three boards plus some excellent preparation by Team Captain, James Logan, who had studied his board 1 opponent’s online games beforehand and went on to beat the much higher rated player. We were going to the Finals.

The ‘A’ team didn’t play its first knock-out game until March 2nd –away, against Altrincham Grammar School. It was strange to think that in the same competition, almost exactly two years earlier, we

The Main Ballroom, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Stratford-uponAvon was the venue for the Finals on 30th June and 1st July. England’s top twenty school teams met to fight it out in five rounds of chess over two days. With Mr. Pilkington and Mr. Costello sharing driving duties, the ‘A’ team that saw off MGS, made their way to Stratford and were ready for Round 1 at 1.00 p.m. The competition was tough from start to finish – we were ranked 16th when we arrived, and we were still ranked 16th when we left; however, we learned that the best teams in the country are not so far ahead of us that we cannot compete. We beat Queen Elizabeth’s Hospital School convincingly, drew against King Edward’s School and were only narrowly beaten by sixth place Norwich School in our final round; plus, there were excellent individual performances by our players.

ECF Team Chess Challenges

We took part in both the Under 14 and the Under 19 versions of the Team Chess Challenge.

Our Under 14 team were runners-up at the Regional Final in March, at King’s School Macclesfield and qualified for the London final along with first place Urmston Grammar School. So, on Saturday 23rd April, Mustafa Malik, Filippos Giannakopoulos, Marton Lange and Dheer Shah caught a very early train from Manchester Piccadilly and made their way down to King’s College School in Wimbledon to start play at 9.30 a.m. Sadly, the team found they were outclassed by the more experienced southern teams and took a sound thrashing in each of eight rounds. Well done to the team for their sportsmanship at the event; they had enjoyed the day and were still smiling on the train home.

Thank you to all the players and staff, who have helped Bolton School Chess this year.

Mr. P. Costello

Rowing

Our Under 19 team of four won their regional final very convincingly at Sir Thomas Boteler School in March, but have to wait until September to play in the National Final.

There are Chess Clubs on three lunchtimes every week and participation continues to grow. We look forward to more competitions this year, and with the growth of online chess platforms we are now part of an online league with teams we would otherwise never play.

This year saw two new cohorts of students begin learning the sport of Rowing down at Salford Quays – Year 11s and 12s in September and then some new Year 12s in the Summer Term. We’ve had another windy year, but have managed to make the most of our Wednesday sessions and even enjoyed the indoor competitions with MGS and St. Bede’s, who also train at the same time.

Notably, it has been the year in which we began racing. Our Junior double of James Hopkinson (Year 13) and Barnaby Keogh (Year 12) entered Agecroft Head in October. This was the first rowing event that current students have entered, and they did a good job in their first race, on home water at Salford Quays. This was followed for the pair by Lancaster’s Head of the Lune and Trafford’s Head of the Bridgewater, where they secured a win, again a School first, in the open doubles, beating student teams. Barnaby also raced locally at Northwich Spring Head in a single, his first solo event.

James also stepped up his training with the Agecroft Senior Men’s Development Squad and made their 8+, representing the squad at Rutherford Head (Newcastle), North of England Head (Chester) and the big race of Head of the River (London). These are three of the biggest events in club rowing and it is a massive achievement given he has been Rowing for little over two years. He was awarded Full Colours for rowing this year, the first time a colour has been awarded for this new sport in school.

In other achievements in the sport, Old Boltonian Lewis Daly broke the British record for the 24 hour indoor row, supported by many students and staff. This achievement is nothing short of phenomenal. It is also lovely to have heard of or to have met Old Boys at local and national races, who have picked up the sport at university. My thanks also to school for their continued support of myself as an athlete, racing with Agecroft’s first 8+ at the major head races and regattas this year, culminating in Henley Royal Regatta during the summer.

Miss E.A. Bramhall

Gymnastics

The boys took part in Race the Thames, which was a charity team indoor row of the 72km of the tidal Thames. They did it in a great time, being the third fastest school team (although the submission photos and record keeping were definitely the more demanding part!)

The Year 7 Gym Final in the Boys’ Division of Bolton School has been running well over 100 years, but it was a first this year as form groups watched the competition remotely from their classrooms. The event was, however, as competitive as ever, with some fine displays from the seven finalists of eight piece sequences, demonstrating a wide range of skills including handstands, back supports, headstands, bridges, backward and forward rolls and much more. Good usage of the mat was employed as boys showed great poise and balance, exhibiting both tension and fluency through their travelling movements as their cohort watched on.

Head of PE, Mr. Johnson, had the unenviable task of choosing a winner from the seven sequences which had been perfected in curriculum PE lessons. Announcing those on the podium, Mr. Johnson awarded third place to Lucas Bishop, second place to Ben Quillam and the winner as being Toby Hazelton. The other four contenders: Maxim McKay, Will Roberts, Ruhaan Bhalla and Usman Mohammed, were all commended for their efforts.

In what was almost certainly another first for this year’s competition, the Year 8 Final, which took place in the same week, was that it was won by Toby’s elder brother Finlay. Finlay won through a highly competitive final to make it a double for the Hazelton brothers.

Badminton

Six finalists took part in the vaulting final, which was relayed to Forms in their classrooms through the wonder of Zoom. Having worked on their routines in PE lessons, the boys performed four disciplines: through vault, long fly, rotational vault and double box vault. Jasper Seddon came in second place and Adam Bakker in third. The other contestants, who all performed with great skill, confidence and dexterity were Oliver Scales, Freddie Wardle and Aaron Patel.

This year, the badminton extra-curricular clubs have flourished for pupils in Years 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11. The pupils have enjoyed developing their tactical and technical skills through games like ‘King of the court’ and ‘Around the world’. Some pupils had never played badminton before and really enjoyed learning a new skill with their friends.

Summing up the two gym finals, Mr. Johnson said: ‘ Congratulations to the winners of both the Year 7 and the Year 8 Gymnastics Finals. Both Hazelton boys showed what a talented pair they are, with a range of superb skills on show. Well done.’

It has been great to see pupils developing these skills and then playing for the school team in fixtures against different schools. These included Bolton School Girls’ Division, Canon Slade, Mount St. Joseph and Thornleigh.

The highlight was Bolton School Boys’ Division representing the borough of Bolton in the Greater Manchester Badminton Finals. The pupils involved were: Matty Wright, Jayden Cheung, Max Roberts, Zach Tyrer-Hall, Oliver Hinks, Joe Howard, Haashir Imran and Raees Patel.

Association (RYA) North Region Junior Championship at Ullswater Yacht Club over the weekend of 17-19th June. This was an excellent opportunity to get a feel for competitive sailing with a view to aiming for the Championship Fleet in future. It was a steep learning curve; the team was introduced to lots of briefings, rules and protest hearings, as well as some excellent sailing conditions! After nine races, it was very close between 1st, 2nd and 3rd places and the boys did exceptionally well to finish in second (Tristan and Ashton) and third (Zach and Daniel) place.

Sailing Team members: Ashton Kay (Boys’ Captain), Tristan Hughes, Daniel Hunter, Oliver Seddon, Zach Tyrer-Hall, Adam Winter, Lucia Baker (Girls’ Captain), Sarah Ali, Neve Haughton, Cheryll Khoo, (Sienna Barlow), and (Roz Caller).

Dr. M.J. Procter

Sailing

The purchase of three RS Feva sailing dinghies

(plus a fourth by the Anderton Centre) in November 2021 meant that work could begin on developing a joint BD - GD sailing team. Six boys and six girls were selected from the Thursday night Sailing Club and committed to regularly attending Saturday morning training sessions. Training through the latter part of the Autumn Term and most of the Spring Term was not for the faint-hearted, but six boys and four girls did make it through to May. During this time, their sailing skills and confidence grew enormously and eventually some attained a competitive standard.

Tristan Hughes, Ashton Kay, Zach Tyrer-Hall, Daniel Hunter, Neve Haughton and Lucia Baker were selected to represent the School in the Regatta Fleet at the Royal Yachting

School gave me the opportunity to first try Sailing at the end of April 2021. The following October, I was lucky enough to be chosen to be part of the first Bolton School Sailing Team, combining the Boys’ Division with the Girls’ Division. No matter the weather, training sessions were always fun and usually the highlight of my week; I always came home smiling, even if I sometimes had blue lips! With the amazing training from the Anderton Centre staff and the help of Dr. Procter, the team and I acquired many new skills, including how to use a second sail called a jib. We were also the first people to use the newly-bought double-handed RS Feva dinghies and RS Quests – both are very fun to use as they are bigger than the previous sailing dinghies we had sailed in. In the lead up to the third weekend of June 2022, we practised race starts and race rules, sailing in all weather conditions, perfecting and improving our abilities. I was part of the lucky six along with Tristan, Zach, Daniel, Lucia and Neve, who were picked to represent Bolton School at the ‘2022 Regional Junior Championships’.

We went up to the Lake District with the RS Fevas after school on the Friday, and managed to get a glimpse of the many boats that would be racing throughout the next two days. After stepping out of the tent the next morning, I realised what a great day it was going to be – with some of the windiest conditions I had ever sailed in. After the large

Miss L. Gillibrand

main briefing and a smaller regatta and fleet briefing, we got ready to go out on Ullswater for the first time. I was paired up with Tristan and, after pulling up the mainsail, we were ready to go. After about half an hour of getting used to the conditions and the number of boats on the water, the first race was underway, and we and the other two Bolton School boats all made a good start. Due to the strong winds, the boat was heeling (tipping over) a lot and, to battle this, we had to hike (lean) out over the side of the boat using our whole weight to try to balance the boat and prevent it capsizing. It also kept our speed up (and increased the fun!) There were many times when we thought we were going to capsize, but we managed to recover, even when water was pouring over the side of the boat!

We ended up coming second in the first race, with Zach and Daniel getting third place. After a great lunch, we took part in two more races. The second race was the best we had all weekend because, as a team, we managed to get first, second and third place: Zach and Daniel came first, Tristan and I came second, and Lucia and Neve came third. The Saturday had some of the best weather I had ever sailed in and, as daunting and exhilarating as it was at times, the speed we got up to was incredible and the adrenaline really kicked in. The amount of physical strength required, however, was more than most people think and there was always so much to do, no matter whether you were crew or helm, so we all went to bed tired after an incredibly good day of sailing.

The next day, we were back on the water. There were a couple of unexpected moments, such as in the first race when Tristan and I Ied for the whole race until the last gybe mark when we capsized and turtled (went completely over); however, we managed a speedy recovery and achieved second place, with Zach and Daniel coming first. After another five intense races,

the sailing came to an end and it was time to see the standings of all nine races. Tristan and I came second overall, just four points behind the team in first place. Zach and Daniel came third, just one point behind us, and Lucia and Neve came sixth, just two points behind fifth place. Overall, as a school, we did very well, especially since we have only sailed for just over a year and it was our first ever competition.

Sailing has been a great experience for me and I am looking forward to taking it further in the coming years.

Ashton Kay 10b

A View from the Wicket

Cricket at Bolton School has a rich history and is extremely popular amongst the boys. Whether playing socially, for a team or going on to represent county teams and in some cases internationally, boys have the opportunity to thrive. Lower down the school, through Years 7 to 10, boys are actively engaging in Cricket, playing in the Boys’ Quad, Dobson Road Quad and during Sports lessons. Those who represent teams on a Saturday have done so in the right spirit and with enthusiasm, demonstrating their talents along the way. The Seniors have enjoyed a number of Saturday fixtures and a number of marquee fixtures against the MCC and festival days.

Mr. L. Watkinson

1st XI Cricket

The 1st XI enjoyed a number of fixtures this season against the likes of Manchester Grammar School, Lancaster Royal Grammar School and King’s Macclesfield, to name but a few. Our first win of the Saturday fixtures came against Birkenhead on the last day, outlining the tough season we have had as a group. It was particularly pleasing to see some of our talented youngsters represent the 1st XI this year, not just to fill in numbers, but to take important roles. Harrison Prill, Luke Yates, Nikhil Patel and Ben Maher made the step up and demonstrated a maturity and skill level beyond their years. In a game against an extremely talented Sedbergh School, Ben Maher and Nikhil Patel shone with

the ball in hand, at one stage getting the opposition 60 for 4; but for a dropped catch in slip, that could have been five wickets. Harrison Prill and Luke Yates have also shown their level of ability with the ball and the two spin bowlers have done exceptionally well since coming in, with strong performances against Birkenhead and King’s Macclesfield respectively. The future certainly looks bright.

We enjoyed two annual fixtures against the XL Club and MCC, the first ending in a wash out and the second going all the way to the wire. Alistair Reed received Player of the Match by the MCC captain and Old Boy, Tom Liversedge, who was certainly impressed with the day’s play. Three days of festival cricket followed, with lads from various year groups taking part – a thoroughly enjoyable way to see out the season.

Finally, the Mervyn Brooker Trophy, played in honour of our late Headmaster, was played at Edgworth Cricket Club. An Edgworth XI, the club Mervyn played for whilst here in Bolton, went up against a Bolton School XI. Edgworth proved too strong on the day for Bolton School, but with Brigid and family in attendance, the outcome of the match paled into insignificance – it was a thoroughly enjoyable day for a man who gave so much for Bolton School Sport.

MGS and in the Cup, we failed to reach our expectations, but still enjoyed the game.

Against MGS, batting performances let us down, but our bowling was consistent throughout the year other than on one or two occasions. Sadly, due to complications in other teams, our team had to be weakened and we didn’t have the chance to develop as a team, due to our stronger players having to leave for the First Team, sacrificing our own results.

Finally I’d like to thank Mr. Moore and Mr. Sutcliffe for the efforts the two of them have made throughout the year and trying to get the best out of the team; but, at the end of the day it’s down to the players, because they have to score the runs, take the catches and wickets.

Under 14 Cricket

It’s been an excellent season, with the lads having a great time training indoors and outdoors in the nets. Many have gone on to become part of the Lancashire and Cheshire team, which is fantastic. The lads enjoyed their weekend fixtures with the School to compete against much prepared and challenging teams, but often returned victorious, instilling their passion and exhibiting their hard work and skill in the art of cricket. Many of the lads loved the process of travelling together as a team to away games in the coach, and many loved the element of putting their training and experience over recent years into practice to win, especially the games involving local rivals such as MGS.

Mr. M.A. Patel

Under 13 Cricket

Many thanks to all those who have contributed to Cricket at Bolton School.

L. Watkinson Under 15 Cricket

This cricketing season has been disappointing at times, but it was fun. This year, we only had two half centuries, both coming from Jack Fearnley – one against King’s Macclesfield and one in a tough match against Clitheroe in the Semi-finals of the Cup. We beat the weaker teams, whilst giving everyone a game, showing no mercy. Against our stronger teams like

It was good to return to some form of normality this year, with the sound of leather on willow and a full fixture list. The Under 13s began their season’s preparations with a good set of indoor net sessions, grooving their technique with both bat and ball.

Monty Horridge 10a

Mr.

The season started with a very difficult opening fixture against MGS, and it soon became clear that there was plenty of work to be done in the field and with the bat, as we lost the game by 42 runs.

The following week demonstrated what a strong and talented bowling side they were, with a very effective display, bowling out Lancaster for 59 to win on a very challenging wicket. This was followed up with a very competent bowling display against Cheadle Hulme, winning the match by 6 wickets.

As the weeks rolled by, the performances began to improve, as well as the ground fielding. The next challenge was to improve the number of runs scored during limited over cricket. Training began to move out of the nets and into game scenarios, the focus being on taking singles, backing up and better communication. At the same time, we progressed nicely in the County Cup competition, with wins against Thornleigh, Bury Grammar and Stonyhurst.

The most exciting game of the season came against King’s Macclesfield, with them posting 120 runs for 8 wickets. Bolton’s reply saw them need 6 runs off the last 5 overs and then 2 runs off the last over. Unbelievably, we were not able to cross the line with a flurry of wickets and the game finished as a draw. Highlights of the year for me was the excellent leadership of the Captain Will Lucas, Venkishen Duddukuri’s 52 not out against Birkenhead, and excellent bowling from Sam Cottrell, Aaron Patel, Zain Burrill and Advaith Govindu to name a few.

The season ended in frustrating fashion as the Semi-final against Kirkham was rained off, leaving the destiny of the Cup in the air. I would like to congratulate all the boys in the squad on an excellent season and a tremendous attitude.

Mr. M. Johnson

Under 12 Cricket

The Under 12s ‘A’ team ended with some ups and downs along the way. We started the season away at MGS, where the team showed everyone what their skills and weaknesses were as we hadn’t played with each other before. MGS chose to bat first and they finished the innings with a score of 179; we tried to chased it down, but sadly ended the game 34 runs short. For the second game of the season, we had our home debut against Lancaster Grammar School, where we batted first and posted a total of 164 runs, with Dylan Yates being the star batter, hitting 70 runs not out. We then defended our total, bowling them out for 56. After playing two games, winning one and losing one, we hosted Cheadle Hulme. We bowled first and bowled them out for 64; we then got 65-1 with Musa Haq getting the top score of 27 not out. Our third home game was against MGS, where they posted a total of 136 in 30 overs, where we fell short by 40 runs – our second loss to MGS.

We then played our first game in the Lancashire Cup against Saddleworth, where we all played well after bowling them out for 31 and chased the runs down in 6-7 overs. After our victory against Saddleworth in the second round, we hosted Pendle Vale and bowled them out for 39 and got another simple victory to progress into the Quarter-finals. Our next game was away against King’s Macclesfield – we bowled first, and our opponents put on a total of 145-6; we then chased it down in a tough battle, but came through in the end, with the help of Dylan’s 84 not out.

For our Quarter-final game in the Lancashire Cup, we played Audenshaw at home, where we batted first and put a large total of 146-3 for them to chase in 25 overs; thankfully, they finished on 95-7 making us proceed to the Semi-finals after winning by 51 runs. Next, we were hosted by a stronger Lancaster team, who were ready to get revenge on us after our victory earlier on in the season. The Bolton School captain won the toss and chose to bat first, and put on a score of 174-7, with Adam Bhuta getting the top score of 50 retired and Alex Roberts following on and getting 42. We then came out to bowl and took 9 wickets, conceding only 133 runs. We won by 41 runs.

For our Semi-final game, we played Bowland High and got a comfortable victory, sending us straight through to the Final. We bowled them out for 52 and got the runs quite quickly, only losing 4 wickets, but carried on to finish the overs on a total of 126-5. For our final Saturday game of the season, we played away at Birkenhead, bowling them out for 67 and chasing it comfortably, ending on 71-4 and winning by six wickets.

After making it through to the Final of the Lancashire Cup, we faced a mighty MGS team at Ramsbottom CC. Bolton batted first and got 145 runs, losing 7 wickets, which, at the halfway stage of the game, we thought was enough; however, MGS took the game pretty close, hitting a six to win the game with only 1.2 overs left. Sadly, we finished the season on a loss, but we go into the summer with a lot to work on and hopefully we can get our first victory over MGS in the upcoming season in Year 8.

Tennis

Year 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 pupils have loved Tennis Club on a Thursday after school and have enjoyed playing against pupils from other year groups during the sessions. They have developed skills learnt in their physical education lessons through the use of training, drills and fun games like ‘Jail’. There have also been leadership opportunities for the older pupils to coach the younger pupils by focusing on a skill e.g. a forehand.

The highlight was winning the two Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) rounds against Manchester Grammar School (home and away) and progressing to the next round, with some nail-biting matches from Alfie King, Oliver Hinks, Harry Lamb, Ed Goodfellow and Alex Cook.

We won all twelve matches, which is extremely impressive! Also, we played a fun fixture against Bolton School Girls’ Division on Thursday 23rd June involving 32 pupils from Years 7-10. This was a great opportunity for cross-foundation sport and ended with the boys winning 27-25 in matches.

Miss L. Gillibrand

Jacob Prill 7a & Dylan Yates 7g

Athletics

It has been good to get back to competing in Athletics again, which actually began before Christmas with a series of indoor event meets at the Sportscity Etihad Campus hosted by Sale Harriers Athletics Club. We would also return here in the summer with the invitational meets – good opportunities for some competition practice and also nice to compete alongside Girls’ Division, as we would over the course of the Athletics season.

Year 7-10 teams entered the English Schools’ Athletic Association (ESAA) National Cup. The Intermediate Team made up of Years 9 and 10 qualified for a Regional Final of the competition at Ellesmere Port against the best performing schools in the North West.

In the traditional Bolton Town Athletics Championships, Mark Lintott (who also competed at the Greater Manchester Cup on behalf of Bolton Town) won the Year 10 100m gold, while Joe Nicholson also became Town Champion in the Year 9 High Jump. Another notable individual success was Kieran Holt, who has set a new School record for the Year 8 300m of 42.7 this season. Well done to all three boys.

Out of the seventeen schools in the Bolton Borough, the year group results at the Town Championship were as follows:

Year 7 2nd place

Year 8 4th place

Year 9 6th place

Year 10 3rd place

Mr. M.G. Chilton

Review of the Scouting Year 2021-22

Scouting is flourishing at Bolton School with lots happening. During the last year, both our youngest sections – Beavers and the Cubs – have been involved in a wide variety of activities both inside and out. Year 6 Scouts have been involved in a variety of activities from creating more bricks for the giant Jenga set to a Lego challenge. For a few days in the summer, they were able to join the main Scout Long Camp. It was fantastic that the Scouts were able to go greenfield camping again and put into action many back to basics Scouting skills, and that the Explorers ventured down to the south coast for an exploration that they planned themselves.

As ever, I am grateful (on the young people’s behalf) to our eclectic band of volunteers, who make all the activities not only possible, but exciting, memory-making experiences. At the end of the Beavers’ Summer Term, we said a big thank you and goodye to ‘Tracker’ (Miss Dean from Senior Boys’) for all the exciting activities she led the Beavers through and have been grateful to ‘Chil’ (Mrs. Faulkner) and ‘Limmerskin’ (Mrs. Sykes) for stepping in as the new Beaver Leaders. I hear whispers of sleep-outs planned and we are hoping that, at some point in the future, we might hear the patter of tiny Squirrel feet as we look to open the newest section in Scouting.

Mrs. A.L. Hough (‘Akela’)

Scout Troop Report

The Autumn Term returned with a breeze – or on occasions a gale – as we met with all doors open to comply with the Covid regulations. Some 35 Scouts, Troop Leaders and Leaders returned to a more normal Scouting than had been possible for the previous 18 months.

Scouts

We settled back into a programme: games, training, activities – both indoor and outdoor – along with our usual competitions and fun nights. During the Summer Term, the weather was kind and allowed outside activities to take place by choice, culminating in the ever popular ‘Total Wipeout’ night.

After a two summers’ break, a summer camp was planned, using a farmer’s field on the outskirts of Clapham in North Yorkshire. A happy band of 18 Scouts, none of whom had been to one of our camps before, arrived on a dry but windy Saturday afternoon in late July for a slightly shorter than usual camp of seven days. Whilst the weather was sometimes blustery and showery, all our activities took place as planned: Commando courses, MasterChef, trips out, a campfire, a hike up Ingleborough, Camp Olympics, Wide Games, a swimming competition and the inevitable Card Night Spoons Competition.

Scouts

The academic year started with meetings at Park Road and concluded with a Summer Camp in Dorset.

During the first half of the Autumn Term, the Explorers divided the meetings between activities at school and a variety of offsite events, ranging from night hikes to Rivington Pike and Winter Hill to attending and participating in a recording of Radio 4’s Any Questions at Bolton Parish Church. One of the Explorer Scouts was invited to ask a question to the panel – a prestigious start to the academic year.

On our return to Brookside, the activities have included backwoods cooking, Wide Games, debates, ice-skating, go-karting, visiting the cinema, developing hand-eye coordination through archery and rifle shooting at Bibby’s Farm, and drawing and painting skills at Brookside.

The highlight of the year was the Summer Camp in Dorset. The Explorers were able to take part in a sea-kayak journey around Brownsea Island, attend an open-air performance of ‘Twelfth Night’ on Brownsea Island, climb Dancing Ledge, walk along the Purbeck Hills, see dinosaur footprints, Roman temples and mediaeval castles.

Ann Chambers (Paradox ESL)

As ever, thanks must go to our many Leaders and Troop Leaders, who put in an amazing amount of time to enable the Troop to operate.

John Greenhalgh (Scout Leader)

Paradox Explorer Scouts

The Old Boltonians

Message from the President

It pleases me to be able to say that during this calendar year, the Association has been able to undertake its various activities following emergence from Covid restrictions. I thoroughly enjoyed the Scottish Dinner at the University of Edinburgh, where I was able to meet and catch up with a number of old friends.

The Cumbria Lunch enjoyed marvellous hospitality at Lindeth Howe Hotel and was very well attended. The Football Dinner in belated celebration of the Club’s centenary was a huge success, with the highest attendance for some time. Those attending included many former players, friends of OB Football Club and current players from men’s, ladies’ and veterans’ teams. I am informed that there was also a sizeable donation of the proceeds of a raffle and auction to the charity Young Lives vs. Cancer.

At the end of April, there was a memorable Reunion for those who left in the ‘1’ classes, again, with high numbers attending, who assisted me in celebrating a significant birthday – many thanks for that.

I have had the good fortune to read the School’s GCSE and A Level results. GCSE students have been celebrating an excellent set of exam results despite the two-year Covid disruption. Celebrations are also the order of the day for Sixth Form students receiving their A Level results. I understand the same applies to the Girls’ Division. Congratulations to everyone for these outstanding achievements, which, I am sure, are due to the hard work and perseverance of the students and their teachers.

The Association’s calendar of events has its own familiar rhythms, which we shall be continuing during the course of this academic year, and I look forward to welcoming you to as many of those events as possible.

Roy Battersby (1953-1961)

(Old Boltonians’ Association President, 2021-22)

Old Boltonians

On leaving school, every boy automatically becomes a member of the Old Boltonians’ Association and is subsequently given the title of ‘Old Boy’. Membership of the Association is free, and all Old Boys receive a twiceyearly newsletter, ‘The Bugle’, and invitations to a variety of events, which provide a great opportunity to keep in touch with both the School and with former classmates, as well as to establish new friendships with other Old Boys. Old Boys who are not currently on the mailing list, but would like to join it, should contact the Development Office.

We look forward to seeing as many Old Boys and Old Girls as possible throughout the coming months – please keep an eye on our social media channels for news of Reunions and School events.

The Development Team

Stay in Touch

Connect with Old Boys and Old Girls on the Bolton Alumni Network: www.boltonalumninetwork.com

‘Like’ our Facebook page for event invitations, School news and memories: search Bolton School – Old Boys and Old Girls (Official)

Connect with fellow Old Boys on LinkedIn: connect with Bolton School Alumni and join the Bolton School Group

Follow Alumni and School news via Twitter: @BoltonSchool/@BoltonSchAlumni

Follow boltonschoolalumni to keep up with news, events and memories on Instagram. You can also follow bolton_school_foundation for the latest news and photographs from School and use #BSAlumni to share your own memories and photos.

Watch short films posted on the School’s YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/user/boltonschoolmedia

Read regular blogs from pupils and staff from across the campus: http://boltonschool.me/

View photos of Alumni events on Flickr at www.flickr.com/ photos/bsalumni/albums

The Old Boltonians

Visit the ‘Alumni’ section of the School website at www.boltonschool.org to see event photos, read Alumni career profiles, find news of Old Boys, view an up-to-date events calendar, update your contact details and more.

Contact Us: Development Office

Bolton School Chorley New Road

Bolton BL1 4PA

T: 01204 434718

E: development@boltonschool.org

The Development Team:

Rebecca Brayshaw – Development Manager

Laura Firth – Director of Development and Alumni Relations

Frances Johnson – Development Officer

Rebecca Kendrick – Development Assistant

Emma Metcalfe – Alumni Engagement Officer

School Captain 2021-2022

As the academic year draws to a close and School Captain Ali Ahmed makes the transition from pupil to Old Boy, he tells us about his year in post and offers advice to incoming Captain Rishi Narla.

Full Name: Ali Adrian Ahmed Years at School: 2015-2022

Deputies: Finley Littlefair and Matthew Mair

Were you a member of any teams, clubs or societies in Sixth Form?

I mainly attended MedSoc in Sixth Form, alongside ‘dabbling’ as a member of the Rugby 1st XV.

What were your key responsibilities as Captain?

For any events that needed the assistance of the Monitorial Team, I was responsible for making sure that enough support was present, whether that be through delegation to my Senior Monitors or taking on the task myself. I had to meet guests that visited the School, making general conversation, which was quite an experience for someone who can be quite introverted! I gave multiple speeches throughout my time as Captain, from Votes of Thanks to Thoughts For The Day in morning assemblies. Finally, I also had to complete general duties and lead by example.

What was the most memorable occasion for you as Captain? There were two occasions which were particularly memorable, but

for different reasons! The Monitors Do just before we went on Study Leave was very emotional for me. At the end of the day, becoming Captain was as a result of the support I had from my own peers. I think just having everyone there and thinking about all the work we had put in together as a team just made me so immensely proud of both myself and my team. The setting in the beautiful Headmaster’s Garden, the prizes, badges and certificates that I had prepared, and the overall jovial ambience really made it a wonderful time.

The other occasion was probably, maybe possibly due to my own forgetfulness! I had gone to have dinner at a local restaurant with some friends before returning to school to help with an event. I was deep in the middle of a medium 12oz. Angus beef steak and crunchy chips when I received a call from Finley. Alarm bells were not ringing until I was absolutely delighted to hear Mr. Williams on the other side. The soft steak that was going down very well ended up like a pile of bricks – I had forgotten to meet the guest speakers that had arrived! Luckily, Finley came to my rescue and all was well until I arrived at school. Truly a mild hiccup in the life of a Captain.

What was the most difficult aspect of being Captain?

The most difficult aspect was organising the team, especially when it came to events. Trying to get teenagers who would preferably be somewhere else to do a task can be quite difficult at times, in addition to life and Covid throwing hurdles along the way. Ultimately, we tried our best and I can only be thankful to everyone for giving it their all.

Were there any unexpected aspects involved with the role?

I wouldn’t say ‘unexpected’ but I would say it was a pleasant surprise to find out we would be meeting with Dr. Mullins and Mrs. Brandon every Friday breaktime. The scary people in B2 are people too!

Has the role helped you develop any new skills?

Public speaking and self-confidence. Sometimes it is easy to doubt yourself, especially when you are meeting executives of companies, Heads of organisations and you are still a schoolboy; speaking in front of hundreds of people with all their eyes on you as you stand alone on the stage, and even meeting and speaking to people who you would normally never get the opportunity to meet, listening to their life experiences and their advice.

What would your advice be for the incoming Captain?

Genuinely be interested in guest speakers and their professions and career. Generally just have an interest in people. Delegate, delegate, and understand what each of your team is best at so you give the tasks to the right people. The workload is too much to just do alone. Finally, embrace the role. You will only come out a better and more well-rounded individual afterwards.

How do you feel about leaving School?

I am both excited and scared at the same time. Excited for the new chapter in my life, but also scared, in the sense that I am a small fish in the big pond that is the world. Mr. Britton is right – school gives us

The Old Boltonians

purpose, structure and routine, and for me, the main challenge will be to find my purpose and find that new daily routine without Bolton School. But I think I will miss the feeling of belonging that being at school gave me the most.

Which university are you going to and what will you be studying? Lancaster University to study Medicine.

Are you planning on being involved in any activities/societies at university?

Absolutely. Reflecting on these past two years, through events happening in my own life and others around me, life is too short, and time passes too quickly to not try and experience whatever you can whenever you can. Personally, I would love to rekindle my spark for Russian at university as an extra-curricular activity or as a minor, in addition to trying out new sports such as martial arts.

What are your career aspirations?

Becoming a doctor, though I have not decided on a speciality yet. My heart also tells me I should try and give back to the community that has raised me and created the individual I am today. I am considering serving as an Army Doctor once I have completed university to give back to the UK, or dedicating my later life to being politically active.

Will you continue to be involved with School?

Absolutely. Miss Metcalfe should have my contact details! If I ever become successful, I would genuinely love to give a Tillotson Lecture, be a guest speaker at Prizegiving or even become a mentor. Bolton School will always be a major part of my life, and the network that extends to Old Boys and Girls after they have left is truly remarkable.

Old Boltonians’ Golf Society Report 2021-22

As I write, we are nearing the end of another season and I hope everyone has enjoyed some success or, failing that, the good weather we have had for the last month.

As ever, we were able to muster a six-man team to travel over the Pennines to Huddersfield Golf Club for the Grafton Morrish Qualifying and I am delighted to report that a team of David Johnson (Class of 1976), Guy Haynes (Class of 1995), David Crammant, Nick Baxter, Norman Fletcher (Class of 1968) and Mark Worsley (Class of 1981) were able to qualify. It is getting harder and harder to qualify these days with an ever-improving standard and our ever-aging team, so this was a fantastic effort and the team will be travelling to Hunstanton and Royal West Norfolk for the Finals on the weekend of 8th October.

We also had an historic day at Royal St. David’s Golf Club (Harlech) on Sunday 28th August, where three generations of the Millhouse Family competed in the Eonon Pierce Foursomes Trophy. Josh Millhouse (current Year 7) partnered his grandad, Frank Millhouse

(Class of 1961, President 2006), whilst I partnered the evergreen Norman Fletcher. Under sunny skies, Josh and his grandad played some excellent golf and finished with a very creditable score, despite Josh having to play from the championship tees at only 11 years old! The Club Secretary said it was extremely unusual to have three generations competing in the same competition, let alone from the same school. Later in the afternoon, Norman excelled himself by going into the Final of the Edward VII Bowl and winning 3 and 2 against a much younger man! Well played, Norman, and congratulations on winning this trophy for a third time!

As ever, if you know of any Old Boys who would like to join the Society, then please let me know.

Mark Millhouse (1989-1994), Golf Secretary

Hard to say who was the winner in the Old Bolts’ 2021-22 season… Covid certainly would remain on the shortlist, but, whilst several other teams dropped out and did not finish the season, and the LAL decided against any cup competitions, all our six teams completed their seasons despite a number of players succumbing in later season to restrict any late runs for success.

In terms of potential playing victors, it was the Youth team’s season – ended in their league’s second regional round, having led their

Old Boltonians’ AFC Report 2021-22

The Old Boltonians

league for long spells of the year – that might claim bragging rights within the Club. The Ladies often struggled with numbers in their premier division, but reached their Cup Final, losing by just one goal to the league runners-up. Perversely, the Ladies, the Vets, the Reserves and the First Team all finished fifth in their divisions, with hopes of promotion and silverware that flickered and blazed on occasions being finally extinguished when goalscoring (that oh so vital skill!) dried up. The ‘A’ Team realised early that they were in a dogfight being left in a division higher than ideal – three sides battled for survival; we were not successful.

The extras of the Club were often highly successful – the new social of a curry night, two great days at Liverpool Ramblers Easter Festival, the Legends trip to Jersey, and the resurrected Annual Dinner make for a fearsome foursome fighting for ‘top spot’; however, your correspondent votes for the Centenary Celebration at School in July! Twice Covid-delayed, and somewhat lower key than grandiose ideas from three or four years ago, but, in many ways, all the better for it! It was a sun-drenched memory-filled day, with active participation from such as the First Eleven, Ladies and Legends, plus conversations and reminiscences from so many matches, seasons and incidents past. Spectators and players who played in the Club’s first half century mixed with the most recent of Old Boys – a joy epitomising all that is strong and right about the unique Club that is OBAFC.

It almost goes without saying that, as your correspondent writes on the day after Football Came Home, the pre-season is in full flow, our Club remains determined to grow into its next decade and century and it feels like our football’s never been away!

Martin Wadsworth

OBAFC Centenary Day

There had to be a celebration – a hundred years (plus two); several thousand players; innumerable matches on innumerable pitches across Lancashire and the North West and beyond – all under the aegis of the Old Boltonians Football Club.

Teams from glories past, present and future

Doubly delayed through Covid, a myriad of commemorative memorial ideas were eventually distilled down to just one day back at the alma mater… and what a triumph this proved to be. Four matches, embodying the current range of OBAFC activity blended with alumni reliving times past, were played on what some present still called ‘the New Level’. The sun shone from a perfect blue sky – this seemed somehow appropriate and made spectating through rosecoloured glasses all the better. Winter days in the winds of Turton, the Mancunian mud, the Blackburnian blizzards were banished from memory in favour of glorious goals, terrific and terrifying tackles, spectacular saves and perfect penalties.

The newest aspect of the Club, Boltonian Ladies, started proceedings alongside the in-house team of current players. The First Team played Bolton Borough, a recentlyformed team, emanating from Bolton Wanderers Football Club’s work in the community – to highlight a possible strand going forward for the School and Club linked to the University and Wanderers. For many, the playing highlight was the Legends match. Kev Taylor brought together Phil Riding to manage the Raiders versus Neil Thomasson’s Tornados, in which some three dozen past players across the decades played at a quite wonderful standard. Mike Hancock and Dave Lee in their seventies were the doyens, Dave topping his performance with only the second ever penalty of his career, which started on the self-same Levels for School in the Sixties. Dave Freeborn, Matt Dewhurst, Tim Entwistle, Andy Beardsworth and Tom Whittaker scored in the Raiders’ 5-2 win, but that is almost not the point. Well over a hundred players and spectators enjoyed the superb sunny weather, the beers, iconic Carrs Pasties, but mostly the memories, the reminiscences, the banter. We had mums and dads, sons and daughters, former players sadly no longer able to venture forth onto the pitch, but talking a great game, former School and Bolts managers still able to spin subtleties of strategy (still beyond many of us).

(Boys’ Division Staff, 1974-2006)

The Old Boltonians

On Saturday 25th June, a group of Old Boys hosted a 24hour five-a-side memorial match in memory of Jonny Sharples, who was a pupil at the School and tragically passed away aged 17, 15 years ago this year. The group of friends have staged other large fundraising events including cycling to West Ham’s London Stadium back in 2017 for the tenth anniversary. The idea of a memorial match was close to the lads’ hearts, as Jonny loved football and they felt the event could be easily supported and participated in by anyone and everyone.

So we had new connections and old acquaintances, alarming levels of skill, crunching tackles, memories, some clear as a bell, some embellished through the fogs of time, but, above all, from ladies through current male players to alumni from at least 50 of the Club’s 100 years, the evidence of the strong links of friendship that the game generates. Those forged at School and the Club showed themselves to be so wonderfully deep and well-nigh eternal. We all variously toasted OBAFC as the afternoon became the evening and, indeed, in the case of certain casino visitors, the early hours, and looked forward to the next celebration – perhaps a decade rather than a century hence!

24-hour

The event was a huge success, with the weather holding out for the whole 24 hours and over 150 players turned up on the day, including former Bolton Wanderers players, walking football groups, a ladies’ team and many Bolton School alumni. There was also help throughout the day from volunteers and Jonny’s family. The match was between Jonny’s former team, AC Milads, and West Ham, which were represented by Jonny’s family. There was a representative from one of the lads in every game throughout the day, with them all playing throughout the night. Some of the players clocked up over 40 miles of running and 28 hours awake, so it was no mean feat. The final score was 331-300 to AC Milads!

The main aim of the event was, of course, to raise money, with an amazing £9,000 going to Wish Upon A Star and The Salvation Army; both of these fantastic charities were incredibly appreciative of the monies raised.

Thank you to everyone who turned up to support and also to Bolton Arena, Regency Estates and Nam Ploy Restaurant for all their help, support and sponsorship throughout the event.

Keep your eyes peeled for 2027!

Martin Wadsworth (Boys’ Division Staff, 1974-2006; OBAFC 1978-present)

Five-a-side Memorial Football Match

Memorial Match for Mervyn

The annual Mervyn Brooker Memorial Trophy played in memory of the former Headmaster took place on 2nd May 2022.

The Old Boltonians

Looking Back

The sun shone as the Bolton School XI took on the Edgworth XI. Edgworth won the match, but just as important as the score was the coming together of players and spectators, including many members of the Brooker family, to remember Mervyn, himself a first-class cricketer.

Thank you to David Berry (1964-1974) for this photo of some fabulous hairstyles!

Economics 6B2 1973/74

Back, L-R: M.D. Taylor, Ste Tatlock, Bob Gibbins, Pete Wane, Paul Battersby

Middle, L-R: Dave Thorneycroft (Form Teacher), David E. Berry, Ned (A.J.) Ashton, Nick Taylor, Brian Willman

Front, L-R: Pete Whitaker, Brent Curless, Dick Timmis, Mick Davis

Thank you to Bill Dick (Class of 1960) for sending in this photo of the Monitors and Deputy Monitors 1959/60.

Bill is sitting cross legged at far left of the front row; Martyn Roper, is third from right on the front row.

Bill Dick also sent in this picture of the Swimming Team outside Bootham School, York, in June 1960.

L-R: David Brookes, Barry Morris, Bill Dick, Roger Barnes

Nick Holt (2001-2008)

The Old Boltonians

How did the 2nd Viscount Leverhulme Support Bolton School?

Mention the name Leverhulme at Bolton School and the immediate reaction is invariably to think back to the 1st Viscount Leverhulme, whose extremely generous endowment led to the formation of the current Bolton School Foundation in 1915.

Whilst this is perhaps understandable, it would be remiss not to acknowledge the significant contributions made by subsequent generations of the Leverhulme family. This article will focus on the significant support given by his only son, William Hulme Lever, who became the 2nd Viscount Leverhulme after his father’s death in 1925.

William Hulme Lever had been born on Palm Sunday, 25th March 1888 and, like his father before him, he was given his mother’s maiden name as a second name. He was educated at Eton College and graduated from Trinity College, Cambridge, in 1913 with a Master of Arts Degree. His first marriage was to Marion Beatrice Smith on 24th April 1912 and they had two daughters and one son. The son was Philip William Bryce Lever, who later became the 3rd Viscount Leverhulme. His second wife was Winifred Agnes LeeMorris, whom he married on 20th January 1937.

He was appointed a Governor of Bolton School after his father’s death on 7th May 1925 and remained a Governor until his own death in 1949, being Chairman for the last nine years of his life. When he joined the Governing Body, the School finances had been under pressure for some years. War time had proved difficult for the School and this had resulted in operating deficits being reported, which had, in turn, prevented building work starting. Such was the problem that, in 1916, the Trustees decided to use the income arising from the original Leverhulme endowment to help meet the School’s day-today operating costs until 1922.

The deficits continued after the War and, in 1921, the hard decision was taken to increase fees. For his part, Lord Leverhulme doubled his endowment so that it would henceforth generate £20,000 per year. The original building costs had been estimated as being between £135,000 and £150,000, but had now increased to £180,000. Lord Leverhulme then signed a contract in 1923 whereby he would contribute £2 for every £1 spent on the new buildings by the Trustees up to a maximum of £125,000. This was an extraordinarily generous action, given the financial pressures Lever Brothers were experiencing at the time, not least because of the ill-advised purchase of the Niger Company in Nigeria.

Building work therefore began at last and by the time the 2nd Viscount Leverhulme became a Governor in 1925, the Great Halls and Libraries of both Divisions were in course of construction as was a classroom wing – the South Wing – for the Girls’ Division.

There was then a potential impasse because the Executors of Lord Leverhulme’s Will tried to disassociate themselves from his commitment to fund two thirds of the ongoing building costs because of the severe financial pressure still being faced by Lever Brothers. The situation was only resolved when the 2nd Viscount Leverhulme donated £50,000 of his own money to keep his father’s vision moving forward. It can thus be argued that, but for the largesse of the 2nd Viscount, the building programme may well have ground to a halt.

The 2nd Viscount’s donation enabled building to continue at a controlled pace, with the Girls’ Division being the first to benefit from new buildings when their South Wing was completed together with their Great Hall, Gymnasium and Library. It was officially opened by the wife of the 2nd Viscount Leverhulme on 25th September 1928. The Boys took possession of their new Great Hall and Library in 1929 at a special Prize Distribution attended by the 2nd Viscount. Their Gymnasium came into use shortly afterwards, but it was not until January 1932, when the Boys’ Division South Wing was opened, that they had new classrooms. Until this time, the boys continued to be housed in Westbourne, although part of that building had to be demolished to allow the Great Hall section to be built.

More operating deficits were recorded in the depression of the 1930s and the next step forward came with the building of the Girls’ Division West Wing, which opened in September 1934, with its science and domestic science rooms, form rooms, dining room and kitchen.

There would then be a gap of almost 20 years before more buildings

2nd Viscount with Mrs Atherton, School Governor, 1937

2nd Viscount Leverhulme in Library with Miss Varley

were completed, by which time the 3rd Viscount Leverhulme had become Chairman of Governors.

The 2nd Viscount was taken ill on a train in Banff, Alberta, in 1949 during the latter stages of a world tour and died on 27th May 1949. He had shared and continued his father’s commitment to the School and, like his father, deserves our immense gratitude.

Lives Remembered

The Hon. Mrs. Victoria Marion Anne Tower (née Lever), the daughter of the 3rd and last Viscount Leverhulme, has died peacefully aged 76.

William Hesketh Lever, who was to become the first Viscount Leverhulme, re-endowed the School in 1915, bringing together Bolton Grammar School for Boys with Bolton High School for Girls to create the Bolton School Foundation (Girls’ Division and Boys’ Division) and, as a governor, continued to support the School throughout his life. His son went on to become Chairman of Governors as did his son, Philip Leverhulme, who was Chairman of Governors at the School from 1949-1990. His many benefactions included the Leverhulme Pavilion (the opening of which is pictured).

The third Viscount had three daughters, of which Victoria was the second. Her younger sister The Hon. Lady Jane Heber-Percy was a Governor of the School for many years, and is still an emeritus Governor. She laid the Foundation stone of Hesketh House, Bolton School’s Junior Girls’ School.

The Hon. Mrs Victoria Marion Anne Tower had a daughter and two sons, one of which is a current Bolton School governor, continuing the link with the first Lord Leverhulme.

The Old Boltonians

Lives Remembered – Former Staff

Rodger Hannah (Boys’ Division Staff, 19762005)

Rodger was born in Crumpsall, Manchester, and went to Crumpsall Lane Primary School (the primary school where he met Vivien, to whom he was married for over 50 years) and then to North Manchester Grammar.

After school, he gained a place at Oxford to read Engineering Science after which he embarked on a short career in engineering before joining Bolton School in 1976.

As well as teaching Physics, he undertook many and varied roles in the School; latterly, he was Careers Master, but he was also involved in badminton, running the School teams for many years, and hockey. He, together with Vivien and his children, Daniel and Emily, was involved for several years in the Saundersfoot Camp.

As well as singing in the School Choir, Rodger also performed the role of a policeman in the School production of ‘Pirates of Penzance’ – he was the only member of the police force with a real moustache!

My wife and I have many happy memories from our times together, particularly of his tales of incidents that had happened to him and Vivien – for example, when their caravan set on fire one holiday in France. They were always amusing and often lengthy … “to cut a long story short” did not apply to Rodger. He was a real raconteur –truly an asset to any gathering.

I remember sitting next to him in the Physics staff room for many years at Bolton School and him being so supportive and helpful when I joined the School, finding it reassuring that he had come from a similar work background to me. I truly valued our friendship and really missed him when he retired the year before I did.

Don Thompson (1957-1965; Boys’ Division Staff, 1983-2006)

Destination of Leavers 2022

Hamza Adam Lancaster University Economics and Finance

Ali Ahmad Gap Year

Ali Ahmed Lancaster University Medicine and Surgery

Hamaad Ahmed Gap Year

Karthik Ajith University of Glasgow Aeronautical Engineering

Mohammad Ali Gap Year

Ibrahim Ali University of Nottingham Classics

Daamin Aslam University of Liverpool Business Economics

Umar Awais Gap Year

Yahya Bandukwala University of Sunderland Pharmacy

Usayd Bariwala Lancaster University Architecture

Thomas Barrett Newcastle University Geography

Harry Bentham USA – California – Irvine

Qais Bhuta Gap Year

James Blenkinship Manchester Metropolitan University Accounting and Finance

Charlie Bohanna Gap Year

Scott Bowden Cumbria University

Degree Apprenticeship with Turner & Townsend – Project Management

Nicholas Brooks University of Liverpool Law

Ben Bruton St. George’s, University of London Biomedical Science – 2023

Morgan Camm University of Nottingham Veterinary Medicine – 2023

Hamaad Choudry Gap Year

Benjamin Clarkson University Academy 92 (UA92) Sports Development

Max Crompton Met Film School Practical Filmmaking

Aamir Dalal Harper Adams University Agricultural Engineering

Mohammed Dalal Lancaster University Economics

Vijay Duddu University of Birmingham Medicine

Jacob Farnworth Gap Year

Ahmad Fawad Gap Year

Alexander Fitzpatrick Manchester Metropolitan University Sport and Exercise Science

Dominic Flood Newcastle University Modern Languages and Business Studies

Harry Forshaw

Theo Forshaw

Employment

Employment

Thomas Fox Newcastle University English Literature

Nat Gatenby Cardiff University

Philosophy

Dimitrios Giannakopoulos University of Salford Civil Engineering

Rafael Goloba Gap Year

Harvey Goodwin Gap Year

Ali Hanif Gap Year

Alastair Harris York St. John University Law – 2023

Frederic Higham University of York Computer Science

Ben Holden University of Salford Podiatry

James Hopkinson University of Oxford Materials Science

Barney Horridge Lancaster University Politics and International Relations

Thomas Hothersall University of Hull American Studies

Daniel Houghton University of Brighton Product Design

Jack Huang University of Liverpool Mechanical Engineering

Benjamin Hunt Durham University Engineering (Aeronautical)

Omer Ibrahim University of Manchester Architecture

Haris Imran Manchester Metropolitan University Accounting and Finance

Shahzaib Imran Hull York Medical School Medicine

Andrew Jacob University of Bristol Aerospace Engineering

Zen Jepson Newcastle University Economics and Finance

Oliver Kendall Loughborough University Commercial Management and Quantity Surveying

Owais Khalid Gap Year

Ibrahim Khan Gap Year

Benjamin Kyle University of Hull Accounting and Financial Management

Harvey Leigh Employment

Finley Littlefair UCL (University College London) Comparative Literature

Matthew Mair Lancaster University Geography

Joel Male Nottingham Trent University Property Development and Planning

Thomas Martin Durham University Geography

Moinuddin Master University of Manchester Mathematics and Physics

Harry McDermott Leeds Beckett University Geography

William Miles University of Cambridge Natural Sciences

Henry Miller-Stenton Leeds Beckett University Sport and Exercise Science

Anuj Mishra University of Oxford English Language and Literature

Kian Mistry Liverpool John Moores University Real Estate

Umar Mohammad Gap Year

Shady Morgan Gap Year

Daniel Morris University of Reading Accounting and Finance

Adam Mullins University of Liverpool Politics

Affan Nabeel Lancaster University Medicine and Surgery

Abubakr Naeem Gap Year

Dawood Nalla Lancaster University Computer Science

Tom Nally Northumbria University, Newcastle Law

Alexander Nielsen University of Birmingham Russian Studies and International Relations – 2023

Maani Parsai King’s College London (KCL) Classical Studies

Arsh Patankar University of Oxford Medicine

Aadil Patel London School of Economics Economic History and Geography and Political Science

Amaan Patel University of the Arts London Fashion Jewellery

Amin Patel Employment

Rikin Patel University of Bath Economics

Jack Phillips Cardiff Metropolitan University Architecture

Benjamin Price University of Nottingham Mechanical Engineering

Rishen Raja University of Reading Philosophy

Max Rimmer University of Exeter Classics

James Roberts University of St. Andrews Neuroscience

Sam Schofield University of Salford Accounting and Finance

Matthew Settle Lancaster University History and International Relations

Max Sibson-Finch Heriot-Watt University Economics

Jacob Sidoli University of Edinburgh Philosophy and English Literature

Isaac Simmonite University of Cambridge Mathematics

Christian Stapleton University of York English

Jacob Stevenson UCFB Football Business and Marketing

Jack Swires Imperial College London Physics

Matthew Syers Edge Hill University Law with Politics

Finlay Taylor-Watson University of Salford Quantity Surveying

Max Turner University of Reading Real Estate

Alexander Utley University of Bristol Chemical Physics

Sami Waheed De Montfort University Aeronautical Engineering

Amay Wahie European University Cyprus Dentistry

Dom Walley University of Lincoln Geography

Samuel Whitaker Loughborough University Economics

Benjamin Whittle University of Warwick Physics with Astrophysics

Daniel Williamson Newcastle University Accounting and Finance

Callum Wong University of Warwick Economics

Muneeb Yousaf St. George’s, University of London Medicine

Kamran Zaidi Liverpool John Moores University Accounting and Finance