Bolton School raises almost £2m for bursaries

Bolton School has raised £1.96M for pupils during the past year to help pupils access bursaries and extra-curricular activities as well as hardship funds.

The money will also go towards university scholarship for its recent leavers.

The school hopes to assist one in three people to access its education by the end of the decade, reflecting its commitment to maintaining Lord Leverhulme’s philanthropic legacy to offer an education to all talented children regardless of their financial circumstances.

Philip Britton

Philip Britton, head of Bolton School Foundation, said: "All things considered, it’s an astonishing total, which reflects the unstinting generosity of our School community despite the economic challenges we all face.

"Since our re-foundation in 1915, the school’s role as a vehicle for social mobility in the region has been fundamental to its purpose.

"Both the Bolton Grammar School for Boys and the Bolton Girls’ Day School, the schools which became the two divisions we have today, were originally founded with the intention of offering a rounded education to the bright young people of the town, regardless of their families’ wealth or standing.

"From the outset, we have had some pupils who were fee-payers and others whose fees were paid for them and it is worth remembering that today’s binary division between fee-paying and state schools has only existed since 1997.

"Prior to then, a mixed model of funding existed, which drew the different types of schools within the educational landscape closer together for the good of all."

He added: "Our substantial partnership work makes us a key contributor to the local communities we serve, whilst ensuring our bursary scheme is promoted to all bright young people who could benefit from it. In the independent schools’ sector, we are seen as national leaders in the provision of bursaries, both in terms of fundraising and in the practical and successful delivery of a large-scale bursary scheme.

"By the end of this decade, we aim to offer bursary support to one in three pupils in our senior schools. This will ensure that we continue with this mixed model, enriching our school community and the wider society that we serve, whilst offering bright young people from every background the opportunity to transform the trajectory of their lives."