BOLTON School ­— the borough's top performing school and one of the country's best ­— is a step closer to achieving its founder's Lord Leverhulme ambition to provide a high quality education for all bright youngsters regardless of parental income.

Some £5 million has been raised through the schools 100 Campaign For Bursaries to fund places for children to study for free or at reduced costs.

The campaign was launched in 2015 to mark its centenary.

Lord Leverhulme created the Bolton School Foundation in 1915 with the intention of providing an excellent education for every child of ability, irrespective of financial means.

Headmistress of the girls’ division, Sue Hincks, said: "Support for the 100 Campaign has come from right across the school community, including Old Boys and Old Girls, Charitable Trusts, current and former parents and other friends of the school as well as from our Parents’ Associations, who raised money through a Family Foundation Festival and two spectacular school balls.

"The funds raised will help us to honour Lord Leverhulme’s founding ethos and build a firm foundation for the next 100 years in the school’s history."

Until 1997, state funding enabled the school to remain accessible to pupils from low-income families. When that stopped the bursary fund was set up and is now one of the most most generous bursary schools in the UK.

But still for every bursary place awarded, one other child, who has proved their potential in the entrance assessments has to be turned away.

Philip Britton, headmaster of the boys’ division, added: "Our means-tested bursaries allow children from families that earn £20,000 or less to potentially enjoy a free education with us, and enjoy all of the opportunities that provides. Currently more than 300 pupils ­— or one in five children attending either the girls’ or boys’ division senior school ­— receive assistance with their fees and, of these, half have all their fees paid in full. The astonishing generosity shown by donors during this campaign will prove transformational in the lives of bright, deserving young people who wish to study here. This has a positive benefit to both the School community and also on local and wider society as these students leave school and make a positive impact in the world."

Chairman of Governors, Michael Griffiths, said: "We are delighted with the success of this campaign. Our vision for the future is to be the school that any talented child can come to, regardless of their parents’ ability to pay the fees. With the continued support of the School community, we know that this ambitious target will, one day, become a reality."