Bolton School shortlisted in the UK Social Mobility Awards

Bolton School has been shortlisted in the School/College of the Year category in the UK Social Mobility Awards (SOMOs) 2021.

The awards – now in their fifth year – provide an opportunity to recognise organisations who are making strides and creating initiatives to advance social mobility within their own workforce or beyond their own walls.

The SOMOs were the first national awards dedicated to social mobility, recognising the forward-thinking organisations that are working to progress social mobility.

Organised by social justice charity, Making The Leap, this year’s awards have received an impressive array of entries comprising a variety of sectors from across different regions – the shortlist represents those who have best demonstrated the efficacy of their social mobility initiatives.

The winners will be determined by an independent judging panel, made up of leading figures from business, charity and the public sector, and chaired by Sir Ken Olisa OBE.

They will be announced at the awards gala on 14th October 2021.

Providing social mobility is inter-twined with Bolton School’s history and it was Lord Leverhulme’s vision to offer an education for all capable children when he re-endowed the School in 1915.

Last summer, 42 pupils from the Class of 2020 left having received bursarial assistance for their education – 38 went on to university, 32 of whom secured places on courses at Russell Group institutions.

During the same academic year, the School community made pledges and gifts totalling £672,000 to the Bursary Fund for the next intake of students, enabling 54 Y7 pupils to join the two Senior Schools in September.

Overall, the School spent £2.89m on means-tested bursaries, supporting 350 – one in five – girls and boys across the Senior Schools.

One third of recipients – 6% of the pupil body – received fully-funded bursaries.