Assemblies Honour School’s Founders and Benefactors

Senior School pupils in the Boys’ and Girls’ Divisions at Bolton School learned more about the heritage and history of the Foundation in special assemblies held at the end of June.

Head of Foundation Philip Britton spoke to packed Great Halls at both assemblies, sharing with the students the importance of remembering the people who have been responsible for the continuation of School throughout its history and to the present day. He acknowledged the complicated legacy of Lord Leverhulme, while also reiterating that his re-founding of Bolton School was unequivocally a force for good through the educational opportunities it has provided since then.

Mr Britton noted that, after Lord Leverhulme’s unexpected death in 1925, his son the second Viscount Leverhulme and Fred Tillotson came together to secure the future of the school and ensure that work would continue on the main sandstone buildings that are so iconic today.

Head of Boys’ Division Nic Ford and Head of Girls’ Division Lynne Kyle addressed their respective Schools alongside Boys’ Division Monitors and Girls’ Division Prefects. They collectively looked back on the state of the world 100 years ago: on a global scale, in the UK, and specifically in Bolton. They spoke about life at Bolton School itself in 1925 under Miss Meade and Mr Lipscombe, and Mr Ford and Mrs Kyle went on to thank all of the teachers and headteachers who have worked at Bolton School, and who live on in the lives and successes of the pupils they taught.

During the assemblies, the Boys’ and Girls’ Division’s School Songs were sung in addition to the hymn Jerusalem.

The pair of assemblies was an important opportunity for current students to look back at Bolton School’s history and acknowledge the service of its founders and benefactors.