The school was founded in 1855 by Canon James Slade as Bolton Church Institute, aimed at educating the poorer children of Bolton. The Church Institute was on Institute Street. Offices and the Society of Friends Meeting House occupy the original site next to St Peter's Church. The school moved to its current site on Bradshaw Brow in 1956. The school holds its annual Founder's Day service at St Peter's. The school became a direct grant grammar school, then a comprehensive. It celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2005 with a ceremony at the Bolton Arena. A range of items including a brief history - created by historian John Aldred - and a whole school photograph were produced to commemorate the occasion.
About the school
The school has around 1,700 pupils on roll, including 340 in the sixth form. It has a reputation for its academic work, for several years the sixth form has been ranked amongst the top thirty nationally for A-level results in a comprehensive state school, and also for sport, for music, drama and other activities. It was a Specialist Arts College and is a Training School and has Healthy School and Leading Edge status. Since 2004 the school has been an Ambassador School for the National Academy of Gifted and Talented Youth. In 2009 the school was awarded Gold Standard by the Specialist School and Academies Trust for Community Cohesion. Canon Slade School is set on a site in the foothills of the West Pennine Moors on which are hundreds of mature trees, a river bank, two wildlife ponds, one of which is inhabited by several endangered species of amphibian, extensive sports fields, including a cross-country course and floodlit all-weather pitch.
Admissions
The governors' policy on admissions is to give priority to children from committed Christian families. The number of intended admissions each year to Year 7 is now 300. Pupils are admitted without reference to ability and aptitude except in the case of applicants to the sixth form. To gain access to the sixth form candidates must hold a minimum of five GCSEs at grades 9 - 6 including English Language and Mathematics.
Sixth form
The sixth form centre is Ashworth House. More than 50% of Year 11 pupils join the sixth form where there are around 340 pupils on roll. In 2011, 94% of pupils who applied gained a place at university, 79% got a place in their first choice university, A Level passes were at 99.5% of which 25% were A* or A. The range of A Level subjects offered includes Art and Design, Biology, Chemistry, Classical Civilisation, Computing, Dance, Design Technology, Drama and Theatre Studies, Economics and Business Studies, English Language, English Language and Literature, English Literature, Environmental Science, Film Studies, Food Technology, French, General Studies, Geography, Geology, German, History, Information and Communication Technology, Law, Mathematics: Further, Pure and Applied, Mathematics: Pure and Mechanics, Mathematics: Pure and Statistics, Music, Music Technology, Performing Arts, Physical Education, Physics, Psychology, Religious Studies, Sociology and Spanish. There is also AS Critical Thinking and the Extended Project Qualification. The more vocational Advanced Creative and Media Diploma is also available. As of the academic term for 2019, Music Technology was no longer offered.
