School Remembers its Founders

With School flags flying in Centre Quad both Divisions at Bolton School enjoyed whole school assemblies that remembered their founders. The tribute takes place annually on or around the anniversary of the date of the death of one of the School’s major benefactors, Lord Leverhulme, who died on 7 May 1925.

Mrs Kyle, Head of the Girls’ Division at Bolton School, was joined on stage by members of the new Head Girl team to deliver an assembly focussing on 1915, the year in which Bolton’s Girls’ High School and the Grammar School for boys joined together to become the Bolton School Foundation. The assembed sang the school song, ‘If God Not Built the House’ and ‘Jerusalem’ and Mrs Kyle reflected on the many and varied legacies that have shaped the School – the buildings, the history, the culture and the community. She also paid tribute to Mary Haslam, whose vision in 1877 led to the setting up of the Bolton Girls’ Day School and to all the School’s other benefactors, past and present. She reflected on how a constant, throughout the time of the School, has been the engagement of first-class scholars to teach and to inspire the next generation.

You can watch the Girls’ Division Founders’ Assembly in full through this link.

In the Boys’ Division Philip Britton, Head of the Foundation, opened the assembly by saying that Founders’ Day is all about continuity and change as we mark the fact that we follow on from those in our past, that we live our lives in the present and that we are part of shaping the lives of those to come.

The audience was transported back to the very beginnings of the School in 1516. Henry VIII, aged 25, was still in his first marriage and his wife had just given birth to a daughter who was to become Bloody Mary. Members of the Monitor team talked about how the world looked in this year and how Bolton itself would have appeared.

Mr Britton then introduced the School Song ‘Forty Years On’ which, he said, was ‘stolen’ from Harrow School in 1904 in an early example of 'product placement' by Headmaster Mr Lyde. He told how it fell into disuse in 1966 and had been reintroduced in 2016 when the Boys’ Division celebrated its 500^th year. The third student reading of the morning spoke of the founding of the School in 1516.

Asking why does all this matter, Mr Britton said it is important to understand our context - where we come from, what we are, what our purpose is now and what our future must be. He told how it is important to feel that you are part of something – something that extends back but also an understanding that you can shape the future. Ever since 1516, teachers at the School have believed in the transformative opportunities of education and in aspiring to a better future.

After the singing of Jerusalem, the School Captain thanked all of the key benefactors and Head of Boys’ Division, Mr Ford, paid tribute to five centuries of teachers and able scholars, from the first single school master to the present.

Mr Britton noted it was the last time in the Great Hall for Year 13 students and for a few Year 11 boys. He told how he could remember many of them as Nursery ‘Butterflies’ and all the plays, concerts and presentations that they had been involved with. He left them with the words of Mike Griffiths, former Chair of Governors and Captain of School, who always advised leavers to go out into the world to try and make a difference for good and to strive to make each place that you visit a little better than it was when you arrived.

You can watch the Boys’ Division assembly in full through this link.

Photos from the two assemblies can be viewed in this gallery: