Barrow Sixth Form College

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Barrow Sixth Form College
Barrow Sixth Form College Revised Logo.jpg BSFC Main Building.jpg
Rating Lane Campus
Address
Barrow Sixth Form College
Rating Lane

, ,
LA13 9LE

Information
TypeFurther Education
Established1979
Local authorityWestmoreland & Furness Council
ChairJan Fielding
Principal/Chief ExecutiveNichola Cove
GenderMixed
Age16+
Enrolment550
Website Furness College

Barrow Sixth Form College, part of Furness College, is in the outskirts of Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England. Barrow Sixth Form College was established in 1979 to fulfil the role of the main A level provider in Barrow following the merger of the two Barrow Grammar Schools and their change to deliver education to only 11 to 16 year-olds. It is the only sixth form college in Cumbria. A levels and Cambridge Technical qualifications are taught in buildings that have been specially designed for students over the age of sixteen. It includes facilities for physically disabled students and is a satellite campus for Beaumont. The college primarily educates students within the age range of 16–18 years, as well as courses for adult learners.

Contents

In August 2016, the college gained chartered college status. [1] This membership is awarded to the higher performing further education colleges and training providers in the UK. [2] The college is also a member of the National Skills Academy for Nuclear. [3]

In 2024 the campus was rebranded from 'Barrow Sixth Form College' to 'The Sixth Form'.

Profile

As part of Furness College, the college is the largest provider of education and training in south Cumbria offering a wide range of A levels and technical/professional courses to its students. The college works closely with its local community providing a wide range of part-time and full-time courses and links closely to the courses offered at the Channelside campus.

The college has over 1400 students aged 16–18, of which over 500 study at the Rating Lane campus.

Campus

Rating Lane Campus Entrance BSFC Entrance.jpg
Rating Lane Campus Entrance

The Rating Lane campus is located at the north end of Rating Lane in Barrow-in-Furness. Nearby sites include Furness Abbey, Furness General Hospital, Chetwynde School, St. Bernard's Catholic High School and Abbey Road (the town's main central road network).

The campus was purpose built to replace existing school sixth forms in the town and it opened its doors in 1979. Plans to rebuild the campus in 2010 did not come to fruition due to the withdrawal of national college capital funding by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). The campus has received substantial investment since the college's merger to fund, for example, upgrades to the fabric of the building, up-to-date computer equipment and a new IT network infrastructure, and cosmetic improvements around the campus. As part of the merger, the college committed to continue this investment to upgrade learning facilities. [4] The Rating Lane campus is one of two of Furness College's campuses, the other being Channelside in Barrow which is located approximately 3 miles away in the centre of the town.

Merger

Channelside Campus Furness College, Channelside Campus.jpg
Channelside Campus

On 1 August 2016, Barrow Sixth Form College underwent a 'type B' [5] merger with Furness College. [6] The Sixth Form College received a financial notice to improve [7] in January 2016 from the Education Funding Agency and was deemed no longer to be financially viable due to its inadequate financial health. As a result, merger discussions between the two colleges continued and on 1 August 2016, the corporation of Barrow Sixth Form College was dissolved and its assets and liabilities transferred to Furness College.

The college will continue to operate on both campuses, which are approximately three miles apart, retaining both the Furness College and Sixth Form College brands.

Courses

Barrow Sixth Form College offers a wide range of A level courses which are predominantly studied on a full-time basis. Subject areas include:

As part of Furness College, the following courses are also offered:

Ofsted Inspection

In March 2019, the college underwent a full Ofsted inspection [8] which was its first Ofsted inspection since the merger between Furness College and Barrow Sixth Form College in August 2016. Inspectors judged the College to be a good (grade 2) college with good provision in all main judgement areas.

Student Union

The Furness College Students' Union is affiliated to the National Union of Students, and students of all Furness College campuses are entitled to membership. [9] The college also offers extensive academic and pastoral support to all its students.

Leadership and Management

The College is led by the senior leadership team under the direction and scrutiny of the Board of the Corporation which is also responsible for overseeing the strategic direction of the college. Jan Fielding is the current Chair of Governors and Nichola Cove is the Principal and Chief Executive of Furness College, including Barrow Sixth Form College.

Notable alumni

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References

  1. "Membership". FE Charter. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
  2. "Leading standards in further education". FE Charter. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
  3. "Nuclear body recognises Barrow college's high-quality training". North West Evening Mail. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
  4. "Merger proposal consultation document" (PDF). Board of Governors of Barrow Sixth Form College Corporation. Archived from the original on 21 December 2016. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
  5. "Overview of mergers in the sector". JISC. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
  6. "Barrow colleges merger hailed "exciting new era for education"". North West Evening Mail. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
  7. "Financial notice to improve: Barrow Sixth-Form College". GOV.UK. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
  8. "Further education and skills report: Furness College". Ofsted. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
  9. "Barrow Sixth Form College Students' Union". National Union of Students. Retrieved 17 January 2017.

54°07′47″N3°12′00″W / 54.12972°N 3.20000°W / 54.12972; -3.20000