2 February 2018

Last year, 33 girls in Year 11 at Bolton School took part in National Citizen Service (NCS), meaning that almost one third of the year group was involved! Now, the current Year 11s have visited Bolton Lads and Girls Club to find out more about the NCS scheme and how they can get involved, boost their skills and make a difference.

The Joint Chamber Choir has reached the national final of the Barnardo's Choral Competition. The group, which consists of boys and girls from Years 10-13, has already beaten off stiff competition and will sing at the Royal Festival Hall on Monday 12 March alongside six other secondary school finalists.

Pupils in the Junior Girls' School were inspired to join in the annual Library writing competition by the adventures of Paddington Bear. They were asked to imagine they were Paddington, writing a letter home to Aunt Lucy, and came up with a huge range of creative responses which really impressed the judges. The results were announced in assembly, with five girls receiving books and one overall winner taking home Paddington himself!

The Girls' Division Junior and Intermediate Swimming Teams excelled in a recent swimming gala held at Bolton One. Both teams were crowned Town Champions after their excellent performances.

Pupils in both Senior Schools and the Junior Girls' School traded Bolton School for Hogwarts as they celebrated Harry Potter Book Night in the Libraries with some magical lessons. They competed for House Points as they tried to identify Fantastic Beasts from Pictionary-style drawings and Charades-style mimes.

Boys' Division pupils in Blackburn House recently made a huge donation of toiletries to Night Safe, a charity helping young homeless people in the Blackburn area.

Sixth Form pupils enjoyed taking part in a French Day which immersed them in the language and the topics they are studying at A Level. Years 12 and 13 discussed a wide range of complex issues related to the curriculum, and the experience will undoubtedly have helped to increase their confidence and fluency.

Dr Zubair Hanslot and James Kitson from the University of Bolton visited pupils at the Junior Boys' School to talk to them about careers in Engineering. They inspired the boys with descriptions of what engineers do and how they "change the world" with creative problem solving, using maths and science. The boys were also excited to meet the university's programmable robot, Able.

This year's Joint Production is The Tempest. Pupils will put on Shakespere's final play from 14 to 17 March, with tickets on sale at £5 each. Though the Saturday night performance has now sold out, there is limited availability Wednesday-Friday: book your tickets soon to avoid disappointment!