Bolton School

Bolton School is one of the country’s pre-eminent educational establishments. In 2019 we won the TES Independent School of the Year and the Independent School Parent Magazine School of the Year Award. In the same year, we won the Independent School Fundraising Campaign of the Year.

In recent years, we became the first school to be awarded the Queen’s Award for Volunteering, we won the TES’ Community Initiative Award and the MEN’s Active Community Award.

Staff Benefits at Bolton School

There are many benefits to working at Bolton School, including;

• Training and development opportunities will be offered.
• A generous level of PPA.
• Lunches will be provided free of charge on campus.
• Payment whilst absent will be in accordance with the current Teachers’ Sick Pay Regulations, as defined in the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document (teaching members of staff only).
• Where appropriate fee remission arrangements will be offered for children to attend the Primary and Senior School.
• In line with school policy employees will have the opportunity to arrange to educate their children from Nursery age to 6th form; all on the Bolton School campus.
• Convenient, affordable, quality childcare provision will be available before and after the school day for children who are also Bolton School pupils.
• Life Assurance cover at 2 times salary up until the age of 65.
• Free parking on site and an easily accessible campus with strong transport links (including being on a direct bus route).
• Access to a free Employee Assistance Programme for all employees and their family members. As well as access to a 24-hour confidential helpline with counselling services, this benefit includes access to the Health Assured website and App, both of which have a wealth of well-being advice and guidance available.
• Free parking on site and an easily accessible campus with strong transport links (including being on a direct bus route).
• Ride to Work Scheme available.
• Sporting and leisure facilities will be available including gym, outdoor pursuits centre, swimming pool and tennis courts.
• Warm and friendly community.

Pension Scheme

All new members of staff are able to join the Bolton School Group Personal Pension Scheme. In this scheme the minimum employee contribution is 6% of gross earnings and the employer contributes 10%. There is the option to join the Group Personal Pension Scheme on a salary exchange basis.

Mission Statement

It is our aim to inspire each pupil to reach their full potential.

We provide challenge, encourage initiative, promote teamwork and develop leadership capabilities.  It is our aim that students leave the School as self-confident young people equipped with the knowledge, skills and attributes that will allow them to lead a happy and fulfilled life and to make a difference for good in the wider community.

We do this through offering:

• a rich and stimulating educational experience which encompasses academic, extra-curricular and social activities
• a supportive and industrious learning environment for pupils selected on academic potential, irrespective of means and background.

Why You Should Choose to Work at Bolton School

Academic Excellence

The curriculum is delivered by a highly qualified, experienced and dedicated teaching staff, who create an industrious but supportive working environment where pupils are motivated to learn. We are an academically selective school and we focus on stretching and challenging every child as we encourage scholarship to ensure each pupil reaches his or her full academic potential.

Academic results at GCSE and A Level consistently place us amongst the top schools in the North of England and often within the top 100 nationally. The vast majority of our students progress on to their first choice university and we have a regular flow of sixth formers to highly competitive courses and universities.

An Incredible Array of Extra-Curricular Activity

Pupils enjoy an incredibly diverse and strong extra-curricular programme, which offers unique opportunities, challenges and fun.

Each year, both Senior Schools offer over 100 clubs and activities and a wide range of options and interests are also available to pupils in the Junior Schools and Infant School. Outside the classroom, we hold an enviable reputation for sports, with pupil success at regional, national and international level. Our aim is to encourage all students, whatever their level, to achieve their personal best. Drama and music are also particularly strong at the School and there are numerous ensembles, choirs and orchestras as well as large-scale regular joint productions.

Pupils undertake many foreign and residential trips, including regular visits to our own outdoor pursuits centre, Patterdale Hall, in the Lake District.

Pastoral

Behaviour at the School is excellent. Each school within the Foundation places great emphasis on its pastoral provision and teachers build strong relationships with pupils. In Senior School, guidance, support and encouragement are provided by the pastoral team, which comprises the Subject Teacher, the Form Tutor, the Head of Year, Heads of School/Section and Deputy Heads. Any problems are dealt with rapidly, either by the staff team or the School Nurses.

There is a sense of purpose and challenge within the School, but this is built on an atmosphere that is friendly, supportive and, above all, happy.  As pupils grow through the School they develop the independence and self-motivation that will allow them to thrive when they leave.

Outstanding Facilities

All of our schools, from Nursery to Sixth Form, are on site and pupils make use of our outstanding facilities set in 32 acres of grounds.

The School combines heritage and modernity. With a history stretching back over 500 years, the School provides a local landmark on Chorley New Road with its imposing pink sandstone buildings replete with Neo-Gothic façade and turrets.

In September 2013, the opening of the new Riley Sixth Form Centre marked the latest phase in an £18m building project which saw the construction of a new state-of-the-art Junior Girls’ School (Hesketh House) and Infant School and the refurbishment and extension of our Junior Boys' School.

"The Levels" provide a running track and numerous high quality football, rugby, lacrosse and cricket pitches and nets. There are netball courts on site and at Leverhulme Pavilion, where there are also hockey and lacrosse pitches (a new sports surface was laid in 2019) and tennis courts, which is a short walk from the School.

The Arts and Conference Centre, opened by Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1993, provides a first-class auditorium and theatre as well as a swimming pool and Sports Hall. Other facilities include a multi-gym, theatres, well-stocked libraries and gymnasiums in both Senior Schools, where there are also outstanding Technology and Science laboratories and Art studios.

Pupils also benefit from time spent at the School's adventure learning centre, Patterdale Hall, which is located on the southern shores of Ullswater in the Lake District.

Engagement with the Community

The School is, and always has been, inextricably linked with the local community. It is a central part of our ethos that pupils engage with the real world and that when they leave the School they will make a positive contribution to society. It is through the interaction with local, national and international concerns that pupils learn about topical issues and develop a sense of their place in the world.

A Thriving Former Pupils' Network

A very active network of old boys and old girls spans the globe.  There are regular reunions both at the School and in major cities and towns throughout the UK. Successful former pupils, both young and old, regularly return to the School where they enjoy sharing their expertise and life experiences with current pupils.

The School has a history of producing top class scholars and achievers and our illustrious former pupils' network spreads across many disciplines. The Old Girls’ Association and the Old Boltonians’ Association include household names such as Sir Ian McKellen, Nigel Short, Monica Ali, Kate Long, Baroness Taylor of Bolton, the Nobel Prize Winner Sir Harry Kroto, Dame Janet Smith, Baroness Morris of Bolton, Mark Radcliffe and Ralf Little.

Diversity

Pupils come from diverse backgrounds and, currently, over 300 pupils receive bursary-assisted places with approximately half of them receiving full fee assistance.

Our secure private coach service covers over 20 routes meaning the School is accessible to a wide area.

Ethnically, the make-up of the School reflects exactly that of the local region.

School Inspection Reports

The School is inspected regularly by the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI).

The last inspection of the Boys' Division (Junior and Senior Boys' School) in February 2024 was the first to be undertaken at the Foundation under the new ISI Inspection framework. Both schools were found to have met all five of the standards upon which they are judged and the report identified their programmes of extra-curricular and outdoor learning activities as being a ‘significant strength’, a plaudit which recognises the School’s national leadership in this area of education.

In April 2023, the Girls’ Division (Junior and Senior Girls’ School) was graded as ‘Excellent’ in every category by the ISI. When last inspected, our Infant School was described as excellent in all areas with the Early Years' Foundation Stage (0-5 years old) also receiving the top judgement of being ‘outstanding’ in every category. A recent Department for Education report on assessment of children’s development in the summer term of their Reception year showed that at Bolton School, 91% of children make the top grade, called a Good Level of Development (GLD) compared to the national average of 67.2%.

Read the full Inspection Reports.

Location

Bolton School is at the centre of an excellent motorway and main road network. The campus is situated on the A673 (Chorley New Road) about one mile to the west of Bolton’s town centre and within easy access of the M60 and M61 motorways. The School attracts students from a wide catchment area and our own coach company provides a very comprehensive network of bus routes to cater for their needs.