Top sixthformers win awards

Sixthformers have shared prizes worth more than £10,000 as Barrow Sixth Form College celebrated the very best in education in the annual prize fund awards.

The 35 students have been recognised for academic and personal achievement during their time at the Rating Lane campus.
Head of Sixth Form Helen Gibson said the students were recognised not only for talent but for commitment to their studies and achieving their goals during a global pandemic.

Congratulating the prizewinners, she said the class of 2020 had overcome adversity in a remarkable way.
“No one could have predicted what a rollercoaster year it was for our A level students and we are so proud of how they have responded,” she said.

“They have needed to adapt to the changing situations quickly and develop new skills including digital learning, communicating online and independent study and we know that alongside staff support they have supported each other.”

“We are sure the challenges they have faced will serve them well for their university studies and future careers as they will have a unique set of strengths.”

Awards were given as monetary prizes ranging from £100 to £1,000 for the top student. Many have progressed on to study at university or start higher apprenticeships.

A special prize for accounting was awarded to Evie Middleton in honour of the well-respected and long-serving former sixth form chair of governors Mike Phipps who died last year.

Amy Spry, who achieved top grades at A levels in chemistry, history, law and maths and was on the college’s Honours programme, was named Student of the Year winning the main prize of £1,000.

Amy, who joined from Chetwynde School and is now at Warwick University studying law, said she looked back on her time at sixth form with great memories.

“I made some amazing friends and it really helped prepare me move onto higher education this year,” she said. “I will be forever grateful to all the staff especially my subject teachers as I would not be where I am now without them.”

Among the other winners were Cameron Pollock who scored A*s in maths, further maths and physics and is now studying a study a degree in automotive engineering at Loughborough University. His twin Jason, who is now at St Andrew’s University studying geology, was also on the prize list securing the William Rollinson Memorial Prize.

Head of Sixth Form prizes for students who were the top academic performers also went to Owen Wilson who is at Manchester University studying a degree in maths, Brandon Yung who is a higher apprentice in nuclear engineering at BAE Systems, Katie Pugh, Ying Jie Jiang, Chloe Haney and Cleo Chaloner.

Dylan Gunter, who achieved his CTEC in business and media and GCSE English, won a Head of Sixth Form award as the top performer at college in his Level 2 studies. He is now doing a A level in psychology and Level 3 CTECs in business and media at Rating Lane.

Prize winners were selected by specialist sixth form staff on the basis of their academic excellence, commitment to their chosen courses, attendance and personal achievements during their time at the sixth form, which is now part of Furness College.

Principal and Chief Executive Professor Andrew Wren praise their achievements. “Every year I am impressed by the calibre of our students but this year’s award recipients have particularly proved themselves to be dedicated, resilient and ones to watch for the future.”

Full list of prizewinners

Principal and Chair’s Student of the Year
Amy Spry (Earnest Priest Foundation)
Head of Sixth Form awards
Cameron Pollock (Robert Pickin Memorial Fund)
Katie Pugh(McCullough Scholarship)
Owen Wilson
Brandon Yung
Cleo Chaloner (McCullough Exhibition)
Chloe Haney – (Murial Auld Fund)
Ying Jie Jiang
Dylan Gunter
Curriculum Leader Awards
Kelly Hannah
Joe Dunford
Libby Riley
Emily McKinnell
Joe Lomas
Alex Mosley
Sydney Henderson
Caroline Baynes
Personal Progress Coach awards
Hugh McGregor
Ellison Cornforth
Maisie Atkinson
Chloe Hogan
Personal Progress Coach attendance awards
Georgia Rollinson
Holly Carling
Megan Baynes
Emma Jinks
Harry Smith
Michael Phipps Memorial Prize
Evie Middleton
Martin Longstaffe Memorial Prize
Katie Pugh
Philip Geddes Memorial Prize
Ella Wheatcroft
Sharon Lamb Memorial Prize
Bethany Reeves
David Cole Memorial Prize
Joseph Knill-Jones
Dan Logan Memorial Prize
Hayden Carr
William Rollinson Memorial Prize
Jason Pollock
Derrick Gould Memorial Prize
Abe Brown
Elizabeth Mauchline Roberts Prize
Josh I’Anson