BACK in 1992 grand plans were being drawn up to usher in a new era for education at a Furness secondary School.

Headteacher Peter Cooper chose the annual awards evening to reveal plans to pupils and parents for a building project which would bring St Bernard's RC School on to a single site.

The ambitious project on a site at Rating Lane would see the provision of new laboratories and technology rooms, a new library and resources centre and what was described as a games barn.

He also praised staff and pupils for rising to the challenge as schools had faced a host of government changes to the curriculum.

An article in The Mail, on November 14, noted: "This year, continuing the pattern of so many recent years, has brought upon education in general and schools in particular its own crop of what appears to be arbitrary comment and legislation.

"Here at St Bernard's we have never believed that the only criterion of success should be the achievements of only the most able pupils - commendable as they may be."

Prizes were presented by Bishop of Lancaster, the Right Reverend John Brewer.

The Mail, on February 8 in 1993, noted that tenders for the £2m building project at St Bernard's were going out to tender.

The Roman Catholic Church was to pick up 15 per cent of the cost with the rest coming from the Department for Education.

Air Fire and Water was the theme when pupils and art teachers at St Bernard's put on an exhibition of their work at Barrow's Forum 28 in January 1994.

Help in producing the work had come from visiting artists John and Alice Voogd.

Art teacher Mike Whittaker said: "It was the first time any of them had done fabric printing and mono printing."258

The show was officially opened by Barrow and Furness MP John Hutton and was sponsored by British Gas, Poole Townsend, Cumbria Arts in Education and Barrow Borough Council.