Barrow Sixth Form College students had roared to the top of the class in 1990’s A-level examinations, declared The Mail in a front-page article in August that year.

Under the headline ‘Brains of Barrow’, the newspaper reported that the college had recorded some of its best-ever results – well above the national average.

The Mail:

It meant that more students than ever would be going on to university or polytechnic from Barrow.

Jubilant college principal David Heaton told The Mail: “It’s marvellous. I am very, very pleased. The pass rate is well above the national average.”

One hundred and ten of the 180 students who took A-levels that year would be going on to higher education.

The Mail:

Star performances came from 18-year-old Paul Swinglehurst of Skelwith Drive, Barrow, and 17-year-old Ian Shaw, of Infield Gardens, Barrow, both of whom achieved top A grades in four subjects.

Katherine Holland, 18, of Thwaite Flat, Natalie Johnson, Ian Booth and Jonathon Maddock achieved three grade As.

The Mail:

Mr Heaton, principal for five years, said the results confounded critics of the recently introduced GCSE examination for 16-year-olds, who claimed that they would provide insufficient grounding for A-level tests.

Mr Heaton said numbers at the sixth form college were expected to top the 600 mark the following year.

The Mail:

In 1993, Barrow Sixth Form College was given £1,000 to fund an annual prize for a drama student.

The Really Youthful Company had endowed the award. It would be known as the Really Youthful Company Award for achievement in drama and would be a cash prize from the interest earned on the £1,000.

The Mail:

In 1993, ten students from the sixth form college spent a week following in the footsteps of poet W.B. Yeats in Ireland.

Accompanied by teachers Antony Christie and Pam Bridgeman, the pupils saw many sights that influenced Yeats and his poetry.