News
Festival of Learning at Cadbury College
This week has been an incredibly exciting one for the Sandwell Family of Colleges as we celebrated our first Festival of Learning! The festival took place from Monday 21st October, to Thursday 24th October.
The Festival of Learning celebrates and showcases all aspects of college life across the three colleges, with this year’s theme being Lifelong Learning. The week has demonstrated how the colleges value personal and professional development for students, staff and our partners.
We have been delighted to have been joined by some incredible employers and alumni who have shared incredible insights to our students and staff. Just some of the inspiring events that have taken place this week include:
- University of Aston for an insightful Law Talk to our Law students
- Khaled Daley (Alumni) who performed Hamilton at the West End (plus many other performances), led a dance workshop to various groups
- Birmingham Black Lawyers did a Tech & IP Law Workshop for our Lower Sixth and Upper Sixth Law students
- Working for British Airways: Careers in Cabin Crew for our Business and Travel & Tourism groups
Khalid Daley (Alumni 2012-2013) who studied Drama & Theatre studies, English Language & Literature and Business said “I loved my time at Cadbury College, it was amazing to be amongst diverse and multicultural people and setting. Being with the students this week has been amazing. It’s so inspiring, I find young people so incredible, they have their own individuality and is what makes them special. So many of them really brought it out and haven’t even reached their full potential yet.”
This festival is the first of its kind at the college and we can’t wait to watch it grow even further year on year. To see some of the events and talks in action from this week, please follow our Instagram page here.
Dream Big MP Sonia Kumar Tells Students On Her Return To Cadbury
Politics A Level students from Cadbury Sixth Form College had the inspirational opportunity to hear from Sonia Kumar, Dudley’s first female MP and former alumna.
Sonia, a former NHS physiotherapist, shared her insights into the world of politics, her journey from Cadbury to Parliament, and current affairs.
She graduated with a distinction in MSc business and management from Aston University in July – the same month she gained her Dudley seat at the 2024 General Election with a majority of 1,900.
After leaving Cadbury College Sonia worked at the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital in Northfield where she is now a foundation trust member.
Sonia says: “My message to students is to dream big, break glass ceilings, and manifest what they want to do. I worked in the NHS for a decade and decided I wanted to make more of a change with politics and also studying at the same time. There is nothing you can’t achieve if you put your mind to it.”
Planning Your Open Day at Cadbury Sixth Form College – Make the Most of It!
Have you signed up to our Open Day and wondering how you can make the most out of your time here? With so much to see and do, we’ve pulled together our top tips to help you get the most of your experience.
- Meet current students: get the lowdown!
Ever wondered what student life is like at Cadbury Sixth Form College? Now’s your chance to find out by talking to our current students. Whether it’s about the freedom of college life, course choices or even how they use their free bus pass (yes it’s really a free bus pass), they’re there to help you! They’ve been in your position before so will be more than happy to help – they’ll be wearing green t-shirts!
- Choose your perfect timetable
At Cadbury Sixth Form College, we don’t make you choose certain subjects to fit within a timetable. You can mix A Levels and BTECs to create a schedule that fits you and your career plans. That’s right, you can balance the Arts with Science and Biology with Drama. So make sure you ask as many questions about your courses as possible.
- Enjoy the freedom of college life – welcome to independence
At Cadbury, you’re treated like an adult here. This means you manage your own time, choose which subjects to focus on and find the balance between socialising and studying. Make sure you take a look around the campus to find study spaces, hang out spaces, canteen and anything else you fancy!
- Learn about student support – we’ve got your back
Need some extra help with your studies or settling into the change of college life? We have an incredible student support team who can offer guidance, mental health support, learning support and so much more. Be sure to chat to them on the day and how it can help you through your time at Cadbury!
- Free bus pass for all students
One huge perk of studying at Cadbury College is that all students get a free year-round bus pass making it easy to get to college without breaking the bank. At the Open Day, you can ask all about this, knowing your transport costs to college won’t be an issue.
BONUS TIPS!
- Ask about extracurricular societies on offer
- Take notes (whether that’s on a notepad or your phone)
- Come with any questions you want to ask and we’ll be more than happy to help
Not yet signed up? Sign up here: https://www.cadcol.ac.uk/open-days/
Older News & Event Articles
Creative work by talented Cadbury students has been selected for a national art exhibition exploring environmental challenges when times are hard.
The ‘Your Money Or Your Life’ online exhibition has been launched by the Sixth Form Colleges Association and will run from June 14 until June 30.
Successful submissions by A Level Photography students Lucy Greetham and Zaynah Tariq will showcase their reflections on how to maintain the focus on sustainability when money is scarce.
Lucy created her installation entitled ‘The Cost-of-Living Crisis’ as a response to the current economic state of the UK and the rising prices of food, petrol, heating and electricity.
She says: “In this installation, I wanted to highlight what that struggle looks like through the voices behind those being most affected by the problem. Consisting of a set of propaganda inspired posters, and street photography of real people, I’ve created a set of images emphasising the fears and struggles that the public are being put through to maintain a normal lifestyle under money pressures, sinking them into further debt and poverty, in contrast to the politicians who are a part of the problem.
“This installation also features a shelf with cans across it, highlighting the scarcity of food and the difficulty to obtain such a mundane item due to the rise in prices and growth in poverty in the last two years. I wanted to highlight the frustrations at the rise in prices, the conflict it adds on regular people and their lives, using street photography to emphasise the people affected as well as a wall of quotations where I vent about those in lower incomes being most affected by the problems caused by those higher in power. In relation to this idea, I also screen-printed faces of political figures in the last year that have contributed to the growth in the Cost-of-Living Crisis onto the floor of the installation, allowing those viewing the installation to physically walk over political figures to view the art piece. This work was inspired by artists such as Rodchenko’s graphic design work and artist Lincoln Agnew.”
Zaynah created two posters for her piece called Attachment To Money.
She says: “The first poster shows obsession with money and a teenager’s viewpoint on it. I combined a high key poster of the subject saying what money means to her, followed by a projection shot of her obsessing over it.
“For my second poster I combined my money macro shots with the homeless shots I took. The meaning of this poster was to show our needs and how money does in fact have a big impact on your struggles and life. It shows the double imagery of how we need money to survive and how it does affect your mental state.”
Law students from Cadbury Sixth Form College have been getting real-life Crown Court experience in a Bar Mock Trial Competition.
The students have been working together to prepare legal arguments and to present a case in front of real judges.
Teams take part in a regional heat and go head-to-head with other schools across the country to prosecute and defend their cases. Winning teams will then compete in a National Final.
Our learners got to play all the key roles involved in a criminal trial, from lawyers to witnesses.
This helps them build on their critical thinking, employability skills and general confidence boosting.
Law students from Cadbury Sixth Form College have been getting real-life Crown Court experience in a Bar Mock Trial Competition.
The students have been working together to prepare legal arguments and to present a case in front of real judges.
Teams take part in a regional heat and go head-to-head with other schools across the country to prosecute and defend their cases. Winning teams will then compete in a National Final.
Our learners got to play all the key roles involved in a criminal trial, from lawyers to witnesses.
This helps them build on their critical thinking, employability skills and general confidence boosting.
