The Cockerel - July 2021

The Cockerel

Year 13 enjoy Charity Fun Run

Year 13 enjoy Charity Fun Run

On their penultimate day in School, Year 13 students spent the morning raising money for a good cause. They put on their fancy dress costumes to walk or run three laps of the Levels and their efforts raised £173 for Barnardos

MCC Cricket fixture returns

MCC Cricket fixture returns

It is a long-standing tradition that the Bolton School First Eleven cricketers face the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) team each summer on the School’s Levels. The annual match went ahead this year under COVID-secure conditions, after being much missed in 2020, and was thoroughly enjoyed by both sides. The sun even shone for the occasion!

The MCC match was also one of the first opportunities for Bolton School to welcome alumni back into School grounds since the outbreak of the pandemic; a modest group of Old Boys came along to spectate the match while observing safe social distancing.

National exposure for School’s Pastoral Curriculum

National exposure for School’s Pastoral Curriculum

Pupils and teachers from Bolton School Boys’ Division have been talking about elements of their pastoral curriculum on BBC Radio 4’s File on 4 programme and on ITV’s Tonight programme.

Deputy Headteacher Mrs. Brandon and eight Year 12 students took part in the award-winning current affairs programme File on 4, talking about the issue of pornography within a programme focusing on sexual abuse in schools. The programme featured a Bolton School Sixth Form lesson on Relationships and Sex Education and told how the School regularly brings in experts to talk about the issue to pupils, staff and parents. The boys spoke articulately and openly about their experiences.

‘Pornography definitely has an effect on behaviour and relationships and can be extremely damaging, giving children unrealistic expectations and influencing how teenagers behave with one another,’ Mrs. Brandon said. ‘It is vital that we address the subject head on and are proactive in helping our students to understand how harmful these materials can be ’

You can listen to the radio programme here (from 23 minutes, 17 seconds): https:// www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m000w9vn

Sixth Form students also recently appeared on ITV’s Tonight programme. Senior teacher, Heather Tunstall said: ‘We have been working with Allison and Deana from the Rap Project for a number of years, in fact since I began designing the Pastoral Curriculum. Their work aims to raise awareness about personal safety and prevention in areas of rape and sexual assault, while openly discussing how pornography and social media influence attitudes and expectations. Many parents will be familiar with their work from the Teenage Journey lecture series and their book ‘Sex, Likes and Social Media – talking to our teens in the digital age.’

‘When they suggested us to the ITV Tonight programme for comment about the work they do in schools and its impact, we were only too happy to be involved. Finlay and Anuj in Year 12 kindly agreed to comment having recently been inspired to write about a range of issues in the school publication Creatives Now, including an in-depth interview with poet Andrew

McMillan about concepts of modern masculinity. Although the segment was short, their answers during the interview were articulate, considered and reflected the impact of our approach to pastoral learning throughout the school. It was a pleasure to hear them speak, I felt proud to know them.’

Headmaster Mr. Britton commented: ‘As ever, the boys spoke thoughtfully, honestly and eloquently on topics where I am sure many adults would be lost for words.’

Former pupil funds transformational bursaries

Former pupil funds transformational bursaries

Four new Sixth Form bursaries are to become available at Bolton School Boys’ Division, thanks to a £100,000 donation from Old Boy Adam Crook. Adam, who left Bolton School in 1992, has recently been promoted to the partnership at Goldman Sachs, the American investment banking firm, and the donation has been arranged through the Goldman Sachs (GS) Gives Fund. The fund can be used by Partners at their discretion to support charities and projects which meet key criteria, including social mobility – a key strategic priority for the School, which it helps deliver through its Bursary scheme.

From September 2021, and for the following three academic years, a bursary recipient will begin their studies in the Sixth Form of the Boys’ Division, having had their fees paid in full by the Adam Crook/GS Gives Bursary. The recipients will be chosen after consideration of their academic ability and their family’s financial circumstances, in line with the School’s bursary criteria.

Adam has strong personal reasons for wanting to make the donation. He reflected: 'Looking back at my own family history, it’s only really in the last couple of generations that there has been genuine potential for social mobility, through access to education and a broader more meritocratic society. Education is transformational and for my grandparents growing up in Bolton, today’s opportunities were just not available. Every child should have the opportunity to

fulfil their academic potential and that shouldn’t just be a function of where you grow up or whether your parents can afford it.'

Looking back on his time at Bolton School, Adam said: ‘I do think the school offers something unique and truly opens children’s eyes to opportunities in the community and beyond. I would love to be able to support some of those children who can’t take advantage of these opportunities because of family circumstances.'

the greater good. There could be no better example of that than Adam’s own personal success leading to him giving these bursaries.’

‘Being at a US firm, the ethos of donating to a former school or college is quite ingrained. It made sense to me, along with some other things I am doing with Veterans’ charities, to give something back to my old school and community. The School Bursary Scheme does an excellent job broadening access to education across the community and I would encourage any former pupil, who finds him or herself in a position where they are able to help, to consider contributing to this effort.’

Adam is looking forward to acting as a mentor to the recipients of the Adam Crook/GS Gives Bursary, if they would like this, and to offering them advice and guidance as they navigate their Sixth Form studies and beyond.

Headmaster Philip Britton, said: ‘These bursaries will make a difference not just to the young people who receive them but also to those in the communities they will be part of in later life as they live out the values that we promote here and use their talents for

During the last academic year, Bolton School spent £2.89m supporting bursary places for able students whose family circumstances meant they would otherwise be unable to attend. Currently 350, one in five, Senior School pupils receives financial help with their schooling, with one third of recipients – 6% of the pupil body – receiving fully-funded bursaries. The School remains intent upon its long-term ambition to deliver needs-blind access to the transformational education it offers, and this gift will make a significant contribution to that aim.

To date, GS Gives has made nearly $1.8 billion in grants and partnered with 8,000 non-profitable organisations in 100 countries around the world.

Boys learn from peers in Roots Programme

Boys learn from peers in Roots Programme

Six Year 9 pupils from Bolton School Boys’ Division have been involved in a six week social and cultural exchange with the Acle Academy in Norwich through a Salford based project called the Roots Programme. The aim was to connect people, issues and communities – deepening their understanding of themselves in relation to the lives of others, with a vision ‘of a more connected, compassionate and curious society, one built on dialogue rather than debate.' The boys met regularly online with their Norwich counterparts as they considered their identity, their relationships and their role in wider society whilst building meaningful bonds with people they otherwise wouldn’t have met.

The pupils received a beautiful illustration detailing the work they had covered. ‘The boys from Bolton School were a pleasure to work with this term. They were genuinely curious about the lives of their peers from Acle Academy and set a precedent for young people across the UK connecting with people from different backgrounds,’ the Roots Programme organisers commented.

Fraser Sackfield (9c) described this further:

We talked about the differences between living in Bolton and Norwich as they lived in the countryside in a smaller area. We then spoke about issues which affect young people such as climate change, discrimination and our futures. There were many different and interesting viewpoints to hear. One of our last tasks was to design a session of our own. It was very fun, one activity being discussion the name of a bread roll! The last thing was the vision day where we spoke to three other schools and had di ff erent vies on things because of our vastly di ff erent backgrounds. Overall, the Roots programme allowed all six of us to see how other people in the UK lived, and it was a great chance to get to understand about issues which affect us all.

Miss Bramhall, a Chemistry Teacher in the Boys’ Division, who oversaw the scheme, said: ‘The Roots programme has enabled our boys to discuss real world issues with the pupils of Acle Academy. I particularly enjoyed listening to their conversations about their local areas and the honesty with which they discussed discrimination they might have encountered. We are planning a physical meet-up with their students next half term –guidelines permitting – so they can get together and discuss their thoughts in person.

Double winners at Bolton Children’s Fiction Award

Double winners at Bolton Children’s Fiction Award

Bolton School is delighted to announce the 2020/21 Bolton Children’s Fiction Awards Winners. The Award Day was supposed to be held in July 2020 but, due to these unprecedented times, the announcement comes a whole year later! The shortlist for 2020 was carried over to 2021 to allow the Award to continue.

Bolton School’s library staff, who organise the Award, said: ‘It is unfortunate that this year we have not been able to meet the authors in person and celebrate together. However, we hope that the spirit of the Award has been present in our community of schools, offering children the opportunity to explore the work of authors that they may not have previously encountered.

‘We would like to thank the authors for their patience and support over the last two years. The Shortlist was outstanding, making it a pleasure to offer the books to a second cohort of readers. We are very grateful to our lovely community of Librarians, English teachers and other bibliophiles for supporting and promoting the Award.’

This year, book clubs were unable to meet normally and access to libraries was restricted, but despite the circumstances, Bolton School’s librarians were pleased to receive a considerable number of votes from both primary and secondary schools.

Usually there is only one winner. This year, just like the Bookers, there are two!

Therefore (in alphabetical order) the two winners for 2020/21 are: Alan Durant, author of Clownfish, and Victoria Williamson, author of The Fox Girl and the White Gazelle.

Clownfish is about a boy called Dak, whose Dad has just died and has (miraculously) turned into a clownfish in his local aquarium. Themes of grief, friendship and learning to accept the death of a loved one are dealt with in a humorous, accessible way. The book is also about children being able to make a difference within their local community.

It took Alan almost twenty years to write Clownfish: he described it as a ‘slow burner’ so its success has relied upon word of mouth. It has now been included on Empathy and Wellbeing book lists. The Fox Girl and the White Gazelle is set in a fictional part of Glasgow and also deals with issues which are important to young people today, specifically home circumstances, friendship and how people are multi-faceted characters rather than ‘good’ or ‘bad.’

The two main characters are girls from very different backgrounds: Caylin has di ffi cult home circumstances and Reema is a refugee from Syria.

Students within our community commented that they felt represented by Reema’s cultural background. Despite their differences, the two girls are united in their struggle to save a wild fox and her cubs, find friendship and realise that they are really quite similar.

This year, the usual large-scale event at Bolton School, normally attended by up to 20 local schools, could not take place. Therefore Bolton School’s Librarians recorded the announcement, which also featured the winning authors, and this was shared with all the participating schools in and around Bolton.

The Library staff said: ‘We would like to thank you all for your support and hope you will join us in congratulating the winners.’

For the 2022 Award, Bolton School hopes to expand upon the online content that was provided in 2020/21 and move towards a hybrid Award, which will make it easier for more Schools to

participate. Please email library@boltonschool.org if your School would like to become involved.

The Skylark’s War by Hilary McKay

2020/21 WINNING BOOKS AND AUTHORS: Clownfish by Alan Durant

Clownfish was Alan’s 100th book! He writes for all ages and his latest book is Quill Soup, a picture book animal retelling of the ‘Stone Soup’ folktale. http://alandurant.co.uk/

The Fox Girl and the White Gazelle by Victoria Williamson

The Fox Girl and the White Gazelle was Victoria’s first book. Her latest book is The Boy with the Butterfly Mind. http://strangelymagical.com/

Her latest book is called The Swallow’s Flight following the lives of two lots of children during the Second World War, it is not a follow on as such, but characters from The Skylark’s War appear. https://www.hilarymckay.co.uk/

The Lost Magician by Piers Torday

Piers’ latest book is The Wild Before, a prequel to his Last Wild trilogy. https://www.pierstorday.co.uk/

Wildspark by Vashti Hardy

Vashti’s latest book was released on Thursday 1 July and is called Crowfall. https://www.vashtihardy.com/

2020/21 SHORTLISTED BOOKS AND AUTHORS: Malamander by Thomas Taylor

His latest book is called Gargantis and is again set in Eerie On Sea with its quirky characters. http://www.thomastaylor-author.com/

Boys celebrate achievement in Sport

Boys celebrate achievement in Sport

Congratulations to Advaith Govindu (7c), who becomes the latest in a long line of Bolton School cricketers selected for Lancashire Under 12s.

The Under 12s played in the Lancashire Cricket Cup at the end of June vs. Manchester Grammar School. Originally scheduled for Fylde CC, the wet weather meant the fixture was switched to the sunnier climate of Bolton. MGS batted first, scoring 143. Bolton were valiant in their efforts, but ultimately fell short, scoring 120. Congratulations to the Under 15s cricketers who made it through to the London Schools Cricket Association Final, but were narrowly beaten on the day by MGS.

The senior Water polo team played their first (and last) fixture of the year against MGS. The senior team secured a comprehensive victory and leave school undefeated in their seven years. They won the English Schools Under 14 competition in 2016 and the Under 16 competition in 2018. Unfortunately this year’s competition has been cancelled.

During the past three years several of the pupils have been selected to represent the National Junior age group teams:

• Thomas Yates (13b) represented the Great Britain team in the 2019 European Junior Men’s Water Polo Championships.

• Harry Bentham (12i) and Daniel Bentham (13a) have represented England in the 2019 EU Nations tournament.

• Jensen Myerscough (13i) and Thomas Yates (13b) represented the English Schools team in a tournament against Australian and Romanian Schoolboys in 2018.

• Daniel Bentham (13a) and Tom Simpson (13h) represented the English Schools team in a tournament in Hungary in 2019. Their

aim is to be selected to represent the Great Britain team in the 2022 European Junior Men’s Water Polo Championships.

• Harry Bentham (12i) and James Blenkinship (12a) have both recently been selected to represent Great Britain in the European Junior Men’s Water Polo Championships. Their Qualification Tournament was held in Slovenia in June.

Last weekend, a number of our younger Water polo players, Ellis Matthews (11b), Joe Carolan (10a) and Robert Bentham (9e), attended National Academy. This is the first stage of the player pathway for elite athletes.

Congratulations to Hugo James (7b), who won first place in the Under 13 Long Jump at Leigh Harriers with a massive 4.60m.

Character education celebrated in Literacy Competition

Character education celebrated in Literacy Competition

• Year 12

Character is something we truly believe is part of the education of a Bolton School Boy. Traits such as bravery, resilience or perseverance are ones which we aim to foster so that boys can continue to strive to be their best, despite the obstacles or any adversity which they may face. The English Department challenged boys to write a piece on one of these character traits; boys excelled themselves, submitting entries on all manner of topics in all manner of forms.

Judging was extremely difficult even though it was truly a pleasure to see the talent in our School. Winners recently collected prizes and certificates, including a Parker fountain pen for all winners, with the hope to encourage each boy’s love of writing.

It is with great pleasure we announce the following winning entries:

Jack Phillips for his untitled short story on the theme of Resilience

• Year 11

Zain Akram for his science fiction short story ‘Backward Numbers’

• Year 10

Billy Burrows for his short piece on equality entitled ‘1312’

• Year 9

Lewis Bailey for his poem ‘Bravery’

• Year 8

Alan Al-Talabani for his untitled short story on the theme of Perseverance

Overall Bolton School Boys’ Division Winner - Moinuddin Master (Year 12) for his poignant poem ‘Next Mourning’

• Year 13

Myles Garth for his poem ‘The Hero of the River Thames’

• Year 7

Oliver Icely for his script entitled ‘The Leaving’.

Teacher Training during the pandemic

Teacher Training during the pandemic

Bolton School Boys’ Division has received a certificate from the University of Manchester, acknowledging the School’s work with PGCE trainees throughout the challenges of the Coronavirus pandemic. Despite national lockdowns and schools working remotely for a large part of the past eighteen months, the next generation of teachers still needed to be trained. Bolton School has continued to support this as an Initial Teacher Education (ITE) Partner and as a School-Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT) Hub School.

PCGE trainees usually arrive at school in January for their second or middle teaching placements, which coincided this year with a National Lockdown. Three trainees from the University of Manchester (Geography, Biology and Chemistry) and one from Manchester Metropolitan University (Design & Technology) started their placements at Bolton School online. The task of mentoring trainees initially remotely and then in a socially distanced school required adaptability and flexibility.

Mr. Simon Heald, who leads the PGCE training in school, said: ‘Beginning their placements remotely was a daunting challenge

for trainees, which they met with aplomb after a day of induction in school with mentors. Perhaps the greater challenge was upon school reopening and for them to gain confidence in the actual classroom, face to face. This could not have happened without the excellent support from mentors and other colleagues.’

the profession. The certificate from the University of Manchester recognises the School’s commitment to this and was awarded ‘with grateful appreciation for the welcome and care, skill and professional support extended to PGCE trainees by subject and professional mentors and many other staff throughout the challenges of the Pandemic’.

Janet Steer joined the Boys’ Division from Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) in the Department of Design, Technology and Engineering (DTE). Looking back on her PGCE year, she said:

‘My final placement at Bolton School commenced with online learning before moving back into a classroom setting. Having support from both my professional and subject mentor was essential to complete this transition and familiarise myself with the school. In a challenging year for teacher training, I don’t believe I have missed out on opportunities; all the staff in the Boys’ Division have been extremely supportive and I feel very privileged to have worked in the school.

In addition, the School adapted its CPD programme to mostly online and Zoom sessions to ensure that the teacher trainees could continue to develop their skills and knowledge despite the challenges of Lockdown. It was important throughout the difficult times of the pandemic to maintain partnerships with universities to support those new to

‘My subject specialism is Design & Technology (D&T) where pupils develop creative thinking through problem solving and decision making... A typical D&T lesson would be conducted within the workshop with access to tools and equipment suitable for the learning objectives. Whilst COVID-19 has forced most D&T lessons into a standard classroom at Bolton School Boys’ Division, the boys have showed their resilience and continued

engagement with the subject. The curriculum has been adapted to allow for practical lessons to continue using basic tools such as glue guns, screw drivers and soldering irons.’

The School has also continued to work with National Mathematics and Physics (NMAPS) SCITT and National Modern Languages (NML) SCITT trainees during the pandemic. Despite a strenuous and, at times, fraught year, trainees have continued to receive excellent training opportunities at Bolton School, adapted to fit the ‘new normal’.

Mr. Deane Lamb, who leads SCITT training in the Boys’ Division, said: ‘Throughout the disruption of the last year we have continued to provide regular and purposeful opportunities to train to teach to a cohort of keen and dedicated trainees. They have been required not only to master the skills associated with teaching but also the

emerging technologies and pedagogy necessitated by the global pandemic. By affording our trainees an unbroken learning experience and continuity in delivering lessons to pupils, both in person and via remote platforms whilst in lockdown, we have ensured that they have had consistency in developing their practice. Access to subject mentors and Hub Leaders has been similarly unbroken and, as such, the trainees have been able to discuss the best approaches to delivering the subject they love, to engage with group discussion on current educational theory and to share experiences from the classroom (physical and virtual) in order to develop the reflective practice necessary to become an outstanding teacher.’

NML trainee Zoe Janes looked back on Initial Teacher Training experience and said: ‘Lots of

trainees have talked about missing out this year, but I don’t feel like that here. Bolton School has been fantastic and supported me fully throughout. I have had such a positive start to the profession.’

NMAPS (Mathematics) trainee Imran Mussawar also reflected: ‘I have received regular feedback for improvement in open discussion. It has been easy to approach and communicate with the relevant person. The relationship between me and my mentor was based on trust and respect; he gave me regular feedback on my strengths and weaknesses. I would definitely recommend the SCITT process because you are guided and supported at every stage by experienced mentors. If I was given a chance to do training again then I would happily choose the SCITT process again.’

Chloe Zornemann, another NMAPS (Physics) trainee, who has secured a job in the Girls’ Division following her Initial Teacher Training, said: ‘Training with NMAPS has provided a consistent and structured training experience even in the most uncertain of years. The program offers the opportunity to be in the classroom from day one while subject specialists support your professional development. The relationship with a mentor provides excellent support as you have a contact to discuss both your strengths and developmental areas with and receive regular guidance on how to improve the quality of your teaching. This support extended throughout Lockdown and enabled me to continue improving my

teaching practice. I have found training with the SCITT accelerates your progress as a trainee as you see how a school runs from day one and have access to valuable specialist subject training with NMAPS. I would highly recommend this SCITT to anyone considering Physics teacher training!’

Anyone interested in training to teach through the SCITT can find more information on the NMAPS SCITT and NML SCITT websites, on the School’s Teacher Training Opportunities page, or via the Get Into Teaching website.

For further information, or to arrange a chat about training to teach at Bolton School, please contact Marcia Teichman ( mteichman@boltonschool.org ) or Simon Heald (sph@boltonschool.org).

A snapshot of extra-curricular school life

A snapshot of extra-curricular school life

Our musicians continue to be successful in performance examinations - congratulations to the following pupils:

Ethan Caswell (9e)

Rockschool Grade 5 Vocal Merit

Trinity Grade 3 Classical Guitar Merit

Congratulations to those Year 10 pupils who have successfully completed their Chief Scout’s Gold Award, despite the lack of Scout meetings during the pandemic. They all completed nine challenges during their four years in Scouts including adventure, personal, expedition and creative. Congratulations go to Charlotte Hothersall (GD), Veer Patel, Ben Turner, Jonathon Brennan, Cameron Geskell, Danny Heywood, Priyesh Fernando and Jamie Latchford. We hope that they all go on to complete their Queen’s Scout Award with the 19th Bolton Explorer Section.

Anuj Mishra (12i)

Trinity Grade 7 Singing Distinction

Freddie Higham (12i)

ABRSM Grade 4 Piano Merit

Toby Holt-Gregson (9c)

Trinity Grade 3 Piano Distinction

Seven teams of 3 students entered the National Young Analyst competition organised by the Royal Society of Chemistry. This was a three hour practical competition involving chromatography, flame tests and anion analysis. Congratulations to Ali Ahmad, Mohammed Dalal and Hamaad Ahmed for being the highest performing team within Bolton School.

Advaith Govindu 7c

Shayan Kanji 7c

Reuben Rowley 7c

Sami Khan 7e

Lucas Ng 7e

Ahmed Tahir 7e

Zohan Raza 7e

Ziming Ma 7g

Adam Patel 8a

Keeran Singh 8a

Alan Al-Talabani 8c

Congratulations to the following boys for reading over a million words this year on the Accelerated Reader Programme:

Sid Kumar 7a

Ben Heath 7b

Alex Northcott 7b

Shaurya Shaktawat 7b

Ethan Herring 8d

James Woods 8d

Kelsey Liu 8e

Joseph Robertson 8e

Adam Patel 9d

The Bolton School Model United Nations (MUN) team was in action last Sunday for the last time this year. We attended WIMUN, organised by Withington Girls’, remotely and won a number of awards. Congratulations to Jack Swires and Christian Stapleton, Outstanding delegates in their committees and Matthew Settle, who got a special mention in his committee. Well done to the rest of the boys involved: Levi Higham, Dylan Lincoln, Veer Patel, Ibrahim Ali and Alex Nielsen.

The Manchester/Wigan House Rowing Challenge has reached its conclusion. There was some great work from both Houses, but Wigan just pipped the boys in green, with over £1300 raised for Bolton Hospice and covering over 160km.

Congratulations to Luke Burns of 8b who recently raised sponsorship for Parkinson’s UK with his 100 solve cubing challenge. Luke is pictured presenting a cheque for £609.53 he raised to Mrs. Alison Jennings of Parkinson’s UK along with his grandad, Peter.

Well done to the following boys – winners of the Year 8 Careers Project :

1st place – Joseph Williams 8b

2nd place : Ethan Herring 8d

3rd place: Matty Wright 8f

4th place: James Woods 8d

Our pupils have contributed significantly to the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award volunteering hours across the town in the last year despite the pandemic, contributing a total of 4,355 hours. Well done to everyone involved.

Credits

Credits

Editor: Miss K.S. Wrathmell

Contributors: Mr. M. Power, Mr. J. Newbould, Miss A. Bradshaw, Mr. J.D. Williams, Sport Department, Mrs. H.M. Brandon, Miss H. Tunstall, Mr. P.J. Britton, Adam Crook (OB), Fraser Sackfield 9c, Mrs. M. Howarth, Mr. I.K. Forgrieve, Miss E.A. Bramhall, Mrs. J. Higham, Mr. L. Watkinson, Dr. M. Yates.