A New Structure for Bolton School

The Governing Body at Bolton School is pleased to announce a structural change to the Foundation, which educates girls and boys for the whole of their academic journey, up to the end of the Sixth Form.

As of 1st October, there will be a new position of Head of Foundation, which will have oversight of the overall direction of all elements of the Foundation. Philip Britton, MBE, who has very successfully led the Boys’ Division since 2008, has been appointed to this role, which will oversee both the Girls’ and Boys’ Divisions as well as a newly created Primary Division. Lynne Kyle will continue as Head of Girls’ Division, whilst Nic Ford, currently Deputy Head, Academic in the Boys’ Division, has been appointed as its Head.  During the coming months, the Governing Body will conduct a full recruitment process to make permanent appointments to both of these roles.

The restructure will also include another new position – Head of Primary Division, which will comprise the School’s Nursery, Pre-School Class, Infant School, two Junior Schools and wraparound childcare facility, Kidzone. The Governors have appointed Sue Faulkner, currently the Head at Beech House, the Foundation’s Infant School, to this role. The day to day education for boys and girls across all parts of the Foundation will be unchanged and for them there will be clear leadership across the three Divisions from faces familiar to both pupils and parents.

Commenting on the reconfigured arrangement, Ian Riley, Chairman of Governors, said: ‘At a time when the Foundation has more pupils than ever, these changes reflect the Governors’ desire to build for the future whilst retaining the strong identities and high academic standards of the individual schools. As a Governing Body, we believe now, with the School thriving, is the right time to implement change to invest in our future. The Foundation of Bolton School envisaged by Lord Leverhulme intended much closer co-working between the two Divisions than has often been the case in our first century, whilst maintaining the vibrant identities of both single-sex girls’ and boys’ schools for children aged 7 to 18 years. The growth of the younger part of the school, from babies in our Nursery to 11 year olds in Hesketh House and Park Road, could not have been anticipated by our founder. The brand new Primary Division mirrors his vision of the Boys’ and Girls’ Divisions, bringing greater focus to that part of the School and those important early steps in education.

‘The School’s founding ethos - that children of the highest potential should be afforded the best possible education, irrespective of their financial circumstances – forms the blueprint for the Governors’ vision for the future of the Foundation. Led by Philip Britton, this new structure will help keep our fees affordable for parents whilst driving forward the Governors’ agenda of widening access to the School through its bursary scheme, delivering true social mobility in Bolton and beyond. The new structure will allow us to build upon our nationally-renowned reputation for partnership work within the local community, enhancing our reputation as one of the leading institutions in the town.’

Philip Britton commented: ‘It has been a great pleasure to lead the Boys’ Division for the last 13 years, sharing all that the boys and my colleagues have achieved. The opportunity to be the first Head of Foundation for the School is an enormous privilege. In the last decade, we have become nationally recognised as a leader in education and that focus on the experience of the girls and boys being the best they can be will continue to inspire us. Both Divisions are amongst the largest single-sex schools in the country and have shown the huge benefits to pupils of that approach to education, whilst also working together to provide the “best of both worlds” for pupils with mixed activities where that adds value to the school day. Being able to take an overview of the next steps for the Foundation and to ensure its continued success, alongside the Primary Division and our commercial activities at Patterdale Hall and within school, will help us prosper in the future as we consolidate and develop our reputation as leaders in academic success, character development through activity, e-learning, social mobility and partnership work.’