The School also had strong results to celebrate, with its best collective results in several years. The percentage of results at grades 9-7 (previously A*-A) was 58%, with 36% of results graded at 9-8 and 16% of all results at grade 9. The School’s overall pass rate (grades 9-4, previously A*-C) was 98%.
Philip Britton, Bolton School’s Head of Foundation, said:
“Today we are celebrating our best set of GCSE results since the Covid reset in 2022, and I am delighted that the boys and girls have reaped the rewards of an enormous amount of hard work and focus across the past two years.
It is also great to see that our school, with its Girls’ and Boys’ Divisions, is doing exactly what we want it to. Single sex education allows everyone to be themselves and be all that they can be, as evidenced in our results today. Our girls’ science results are great and the boys’ English results are excellent, bucking the trend of gender stereotypes.
“I am also really pleased to see this academic achievement knowing what else the year group have been doing. These results are not the outcome of excluding a wider education, they are because of it. They have developed leadership skills in the outdoors, they all have the Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award with its focus on service and community. They have been in sports teams, orchestras and debating teams. They are young adults you would wish to meet and who we are proud of, especially today.”
Among those collecting their results in Boys’ Division was Cipri who achieved five Grade 9s, four Grade 8s and a Grade 7, including 9s in all three sciences. With hopes of following members of his family into medicine, Cipri will stay at Bolton School for Sixth Form, where he plans to continue with Biology and Chemistry. Having built strong relationships with his teachers over the past five years, staying felt like the right choice, particularly with his future ambitions in mind. He said, “They know me and how I work. The Futures Department has been amazing so far, and I know they can really help me work out the best route into university and, hopefully, medicine.”
Arham was so proud to see how far he had come since his mocks, improving from grades 4 and 5, to predominantly Grade 7s. “When I opened my results, I was just like, ‘Wow.’ I thought I was about to cry,” he said, while his mum was overcome with emotion and cried when she saw how well he had done. Arham plans to stay at Bolton School for Sixth Form to study Biology, Chemistry and Psychology, and is already thinking about a future in medicine or dentistry. Reflecting on the support that helped him improve, particularly in Maths, he said, “I don’t think I would have the grades I have now without the help I’ve had from my teachers. I get so much support here and I’m really happy to be staying!”
Ollie could finally relax and enjoy the rest of his summer after finding out his results. Rugby has been a big part of his time at Bolton School since he joined in Year 6 and was one of the reasons he chose the School in the first place. Reflecting on his years here, he said, “I’ve made a lot of friendships and a lot of good memories at Bolton School. Rugby here has been really good too and I’ve been able to balance that with my studies.”
Teddy will be studying Maths, Spanish and Chemistry next year and said the support he has had from his teachers and the familiarity of the School made staying feel like the right choice. “I’ve had a great experience here and I think this is the best environment for me to keep progressing.” His advice for next year’s Year 11 pupils was straightforward: “Revise early.”
Over in Girls’ Division, Faatimah was in disbelief at her results after admitting her mocks had left her unsure of what to expect. “I was really stressed this morning, and when I opened them, I just thought, ‘Oh my God, what?’ The mocks helped me see what I needed to change and I had so much support from my teachers going into the real exams. I’m really proud of myself.” Faatimah hopes to study Biology, Chemistry and Maths alongside an EPQ, with either neurosurgery or dentistry in mind for the future. Her mum was equally proud after seeing how much work had gone into the exams. She said, “For those few months it was all about revision. I even had to give her a cut-off time and tell her to put the books down, so it’s lovely to see all her hard work pay off.”
Lola could not have been happier with her results after an anxious morning waiting to find out how she had done. Her mum was just as emotional and shed a few happy tears when Lola opened her results. Having been at Bolton School since Beech House, Lola will stay for Sixth Form to study Maths, Further Maths, Economics and Geography, with a future in maths or finance already on her mind. She said, “I’ve grown up here with the same people and I just feel really comfortable. I’ve loved my time at Bolton School and I’m honestly so excited to stay for Sixth Form.”
Roma will be back at Bolton School in September, where she plans to study Maths alongside Spanish and Chemistry. She is still working out where those subjects will take her but knows the Sixth Form and The Futures Team will help her explore her options for university. Roma said the support she has already received was one of the reasons she wanted to stay. “There was so much support, whether that was extra notes, clinics or just having someone to talk to. It really helped keep you going.” Results morning itself brought Roma lots of relief. She said, “I’m so happy! I got everything that I expected myself to get, and that’s enough for me.”
Across both Divisions, the morning was a chance to take in just how much Year 11 had achieved and to enjoy a moment they had worked towards for so long. Many will be back at Bolton School in September to begin Sixth Form, while others will continue their studies elsewhere. For all of them, Results Day marked the close of an important chapter and the beginning of something new, with plenty to look forward to beyond the Great Halls.