St. Thomas' Halliwell Alumni - Celebrating Our Former Pupils
At St. Thomas' Halliwell, we take great pride in the achievements of our former pupils. Our school has nurtured young minds, equipping them with the skills, confidence, and values to thrive in all aspects of life. Whether excelling in academics, sports, creative arts, community service, or professional careers, our alumni continue to make a positive impact in their fields and beyond.
We want to celebrate your successes and share your inspiring journeys with our school community. This is an opportunity to reconnect with your primary school and inspire the next generation of pupils by showcasing the diverse paths taken after leaving St. Thomas' Halliwell.
Share Your Success
We’d love to hear from former pupils about where life has taken them since their time at St. Thomas' Halliwell. Whether you’ve excelled in education, started a business, contributed to your community, pursued a sporting dream, or achieved personal milestones, we want to celebrate your story.
If you left St. Thomas' from 2016 onwards, we invite you to share your experiences by filling out our Alumni Story Form. Tell us about your achievements, memories of school life, and how St. Thomas' Halliwell helped shape your journey.
Ways to Get Involved
We believe that our current pupils can benefit immensely from the experiences of our alumni. There are several ways you can stay connected and contribute to the school:
- Be a Guest Speaker - Come in to share your story, offer advice, and inspire the children currently attending St. Thomas'.
- Offer Work Experience or Mentoring - Support our pupils with real-world insights and opportunities in your field.
- Sponsor or Support School Initiatives - Contribute towards school projects, events, or resources to help enrich our pupils’ learning experiences.
- Promote Our School - Help us share the successes of our school community through your networks and social platforms.
If you’re interested in giving back to St. Thomas' Halliwell in any of these ways, please get in touch with us at office@st-thomas-halliwell.bolton.sch.uk.
Our Alumni in the Spotlight
We will regularly feature alumni stories on this page and across our school’s social media to celebrate the incredible achievements of our former pupils. Keep an eye out for updates and be inspired by the journeys of those who once walked the halls of St. Thomas' Halliwell.
Currently I’m a Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability apprentice for Amazon based in London. Much of my work focuses on sustainability in our logistics. My team in particular focuses on execution, turning projects on paper into deliveries on the road. Over the past 18 months, we’ve successfully launched multiple sustainable operations across the UK and this has been a truly fantastic experience for me.
As much as I am enjoying my current experience, I recognise that I’ve been able to do well in my education thanks to how my journey started, with St Thomas’s School. St Thomas is a place that gives every student the opportunity to create the best foundation for their future in education. From the teachers, to the extracurricular activities and everything in between, my experience as a student and as the head boy in my final year, is what gave me the confidence and ability to prosper after I left. Being head boy gave me the opportunity to meet many brilliant people and the honour to represent a great school. I left St Thomas’ almost a decade ago in 2017 and I can only imagine that the services and education that the school provides to its students has only continued to improve since then. From my experiences as a student, St Thomas’ played a crucial role in my development, and I’d recommend this school to any parent who wishes the best for their child’s education.
Riyaad Kara
Age 20
My time at St Thomas’ Primary School played a fundamental role in shaping the person I am today. The school created a supportive and encouraging environment where I was given the confidence to challenge myself academically and personally. Through dedicated teachers who nurtured my curiosity and resilience, I developed the strong work ethic and determination that now guides me in my A Level studies in Economics and Business. St Thomas’ not only provided me with a strong academic foundation but also instilled core values of responsibility, respect, and ambition that continue to influence my goals for the future.
Esa Kara
Age 17
I was a St Thomas’ leaver in the summer of 2025. My years there really helped me feel ready for the jump to high school. Academically, the teachers didn't just give us answers; they taught us how to solve problems on our own and pushed us to keep trying even when the work got "Year 7 tough". Because they made sure we really understood the basics in English and Maths, I didn't feel overwhelmed when my subjects
started getting more complicated. Beyond the classroom, the transition days, and the way the school encouraged us to be more independent and "let our light shine" gave me the confidence to navigate a much bigger building and make new friends. St Thomas’ taught me that if I put in the effort and stay more organised, I can handle whatever high school throws at me. My primary school will always hold special memories in my heart.
Rumaisa Kara
Age 12
I left St Thomas in 2019 as a very proud Head Boy (which I still love to remember!) and moved on to Eden Boys High School. I worked hard and obtained the GCSE results I needed & was a part of the local community in various events including helping with local clean up operations and I still take great pride in helping people where I can.
Whilst in High School, I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to go back and have a brilliant week at St Thomas for my work experience in Year 10 and I would go back again if I could. It felt like I had never left and was at home with family & friends!
In terms of my personal interest for a career, I chose Computing and I studied the relatively new T-Levels Course at Bolton College (Digital Production, Design and Development), where I learned new skills such as how to write software to create websites for example from scratch.
Whilst at college I worked for a local company in Bolton Town Centre to gain experience & learn how to deal with a real world work environment which was invaluable for me.
I have now been accepted at Manchester Metropolitan University and will study Artificial Intelligence & Data Science with a view to have a career in an ever evolving digital world.
But I will never forget where it all started at St Thomas and the values the fantastic staff & School instilled in me. I still use those principles and values to shape my thinking to this day. I am a proud former St Thomas student & as my life progresses, I hope to keep adding to the Alumni page on the school website to help inspire current and former St Thomas pupils alike!
Thanks for reading.
Ayaan Chughtai
This may sound silly but I really miss being at St Thomas even though I'm 16 Years old and doing my GCSE's!
I was a former Head Boy and I loved every minute at St Thomas from Nursery with Miss Berry to getting ready for SATS with Miss Varley in Year 6! I have the photos and memories to prove it! The best days of your life are when your at Primary School & St Thomas has a brilliant social & family atmosphere that keeps the school principles alive. 'Let your Light Shine' is such a key motivating phrase & I want anyone who reads this to know that if you take the skills you learn at St Thomas you will have no option but to show the world how you let your light shine and with pride!
I was a proud member of the Ethos team and a reading ambassador and loved to try and get the best TT Rockstar scores I could get!
I hope you enjoy St Thomas as much as I did and if I had one piece of advice it would be to embrace the principles of the school. You won’t go wrong in life if you do that!
From the Harvest Festival to the Christmas choir the memories are always going to be there for me.
Thanks St Thomas!
Subhaan Chughtai
I left St Thomas in 2019 and I am currently studying Biology, Chemistry and Economics at college. In the future, I am going on to study Midwifery at university!
My time at St Thomas played a key role in shaping who I am today. Being Head Girl was both a privilege and a responsibility, helping me develop leadership skills, resilience and confidence. These experiences prepared me well for becoming a Gold Tie at Sharples, where I took on similar responsibilities such as being a role model and supporting events like parents’ evenings.
St Thomas also made my transition to secondary school an enjoyable and positive experience. The transition days and opportunities to meet teachers helped make the move feel much less scary and stressful.
Most importantly, St Thomas taught me that no matter where I go in the future, the school will always be there to support me. Completing my work experience placement there gave me valuable insight into the world of work.
I am incredibly grateful for the guidance, encouragement and opportunities I received during my time at St Thomas. The school not only supported my academic development but also inspired me to believe in my potential and most importantly, to always let my light shine.
Ayesha Vepari
Age 18