News
Creating Safer Communities: Colleges Week 2025
Cadbury Sixth Form College students took part in a powerful workshop with West Midlands Police – gaining real-world insights into the impact of crime and the importance of making positive choices.
For Cadbury – part of The Sandwell Colleges – safety, like always, remains a top priority. Today’s theme, ‘Taking Back Our Streets’, highlights the vital role colleges play in ensuring students feel safe, supported, and empowered every day.
Meanwhile, our Student Support Officers led the inspiring ‘Hear Our Voices’ brick mural, a lasting symbol of unity, strength, and student voice, reinforcing our commitment to creating safe and supportive spaces.
Joined by Councillor Carmel Corrigan, we are proud to be working with our community partners to build a safer, stronger future for our students.
Igniting Performance Talent With The National Youth Theatre
Performing Arts and T Level Media students from Cadbury Sixth Form College took part in an IGNITE workshop with the National Youth Theatre, sponsored by Netflix—opening doors to amazing opportunities.
Faye Campbell, a former student with a thriving stage and screen career, shared her expertise with the next generation of creatives who explored arts careers, mastered camera techniques, and even pitched their own TV and theatre shows.
This crucial hands-on experience has equipped our students with the skills and confidence they need as they take their next steps into the creative industries, with many students now getting the chance to attend a week-long workshop at Birmingham’s new film studios.
New Beginnings Beckon For You at Cadbury
New beginnings beckon for you at Cadbury Sixth Form College when you apply for a place to start in September 2025.
At Cadbury we pride ourselves on offering school leavers an impressive range in excess of 50 advanced level subjects, in an inspirational recently revamped campus designed to exclusively meet the needs, interests and aspirations of the young adults we serve.
We’re on an ambitious mission to provide expert education, leading to excellent university and employment prospects for our diverse and vibrant community of students.
Whatever their destination, our students leave prepared for their next steps: independent, adaptable and resilient. And you could be joining us this year if you apply to us now.
What are the benefits of getting your application in early?
– You can focus firmly on your exam preparation once you know your college place is confirmed and your future is secure.
– You can make a well-informed decision on which of our 50+ subjects are best for you and tailoring your timetable to include a mixture of practical and theoretical, A Level and BTEC, or all academic routes by researching your choices thoroughly and getting meaningful careers advice from our caring tutors.
Travel Far
Cadbury sixth formers travel all over the city to reach us – anywhere from Solihull, Hall Green, Bordesley, Sutton Coldfield, Redditch and even further afield – to experience our specialist college.
We offer all of our students FREE bus travel, regardless of their financial circumstances, so whether the college is local to you or not, we make it easier for you to get on board.
Professional Growth
Cadbury students are benefiting from our industry-focused learning spaces, employer connections and wraparound careers and pastoral support as part of our Young Professionals Academy, gaining professional growth and career opportunities.
Hamilton star Khalid Daley, BBC football expert Eniola Aluko, Birmingham Poet Laureate Casey Bailey and Auto Trader UK product design apprentice Eniya Ali are just some of our amazingly successful alumni who started their journey with Cadbury.
Launch Pad
Discover why Cadbury is the best place to launch your career after leaving school, and how T Levels will give you that much needed head-start in Health, Research Science, Digital, Education, Childcare, Broadcast Media, Business Leadership and Law, by signing up for our T Level Tuesday Talk & Tour on 11 March. Select a 5pm or 6.15pm arrival slot and come and explore our new multi-million pound facilities at Cadbury.
Lydia Maher, Principal of Cadbury Sixth Form College, says: “At Cadbury Sixth Form College we are able to offer an inclusive, nurturing, and aspirational environment for young people to flourish in. We want to unlock the full potential of every single learner, ensuring that they leave us fully prepared for a bright and successful future. Whatever your plans might be, we’re here and ready to help – so there’s no better time to apply for every exciting opportunity available.”
Catch up on the latest from our Cadbury community, accelerate your career and apply now for 2025.
Older News & Event Articles
A new Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths (STEM) Centre has opened to its very first students at Cadbury Sixth Form College.
Due to the overwhelming demand for places at Cadbury Sixth Form College, the £6.6 million centre is focused on delivering a new technical curriculum, responding to a growing demand for specialist teaching facilities and learning for students. The centre aims to ensure that Cadbury Sixth Form College can offer students the broadest choice of advanced courses, including A levels, T Levels and vocational qualifications, across Birmingham.
The 1,000 sqm, two storey STEM Centre supports the education of young people looking to enter careers in advanced manufacturing, life sciences and other critical sectors of the economy. It houses dedicated suites for Digital Media, Health, Computer Aided Design (CAD) and Employee Engagement. Digital learning labs and VR suites will offer robotics and coding opportunities for new T Level and A Level courses, alongside a media suite, a practical healthcare learning space, extended classrooms and flexible study and social spaces.
The project marks Phase 2 of Cadbury College’s ambition to position itself to support as many young people as possible who aspire to advanced learning and university; and continues the multi-year investment following the opening of its £3.5 million Science City facilities in 2021. This new facility will support the growing need for new skills and jobs across Birmingham and the West Midlands for both universities and employers.
Julia Stevens, Principal of Cadbury Sixth Form College, commented: “We’re so excited to open the doors to our new STEM Centre, providing local students with even more opportunities to study in state-of-the-art facilities.
“The new building allows students to get hands on and see what their industry looks like, preparing them for life after college – whether that be for university or straight into employment. By providing specialist teaching facilities in growth areas such as advanced manufacturing and life sciences, the new STEM Centre will be a huge benefit to the wider community and the regional economy.”
To find out more about the new STEM Centre at Cadbury College, sign up now for one of our next open days.
Images © Speller Metcalfe
One of Cadbury’s successful alumni, Hamza Ali, has won a competition to create a new Reddit icon for social media superstar KSI. Hamza, who is set to graduate from Birmingham City University as a Graphic Designer in the summer, has been praised for his “passion, imagination and huge flair” by the famous YouTube influencer.
Hamza saw off thousands of rivals from around the world with his entry, which will now be viewed by KSI’s army of 2.9m followers. KSI, who also has more than 20 million subscribers on YouTube, added: “I’ve seen Hamza’s work all over Reddit. I love his passion, imagination and huge flair for artistic design. I know his work is in hot demand by other YouTube influencers. He is very talented. Hamza managed to whip up a madness of colours and energy, combining all the things I love in this icon. The design is super awesome and sick.”
Hamza, who goes by the name Ballpoint Papi on social media and has more than 40,000 followers across TikTok, X and Instagram, said: “It’s pretty amazing and it’s hard to put into words what this means. KSI rarely changes his icon for Reddit, so it’s really massive. It means the entire KSI community will know my work. KSI is very into Dragon Ball Z, so the icon was inspired by this and the Reddit logo.”
Hamza hopes this competition win will improve his chances of impressing leading design agencies in the USA when he heads to New York later this year with a group of fellow creatives from the Faculty of Arts, Design and Media at BCU. He also plans on travelling to Japan to publicise his work next summer with a series of exhibitions.
He added: “Apart from my academic pursuits, I have arranged studio visits in New York City. During my visit, I will be exploring ‘SlangInc’ and Design Bridge to broaden my knowledge and gain real-time exposure to the professional world of graphic design. This opportunity follows a similar experience I had last year when I met with esteemed designers such as Michael Beirut at Pentagram and Georgia Stout at 2×4. These visits have shaped my approach to design and have inspired me to continue pushing the boundaries of creativity.”
Hamza credited his experience and lecturers at Cadbury for paving the way to his growing success. “The A Levels I chose have played a significant role in shaping me into the designer I am today. Stuart, my former graphic design tutor at Cadbury, challenged me creatively, and I am incredibly grateful for him pushing me beyond the boundaries of what is considered ‘normal’ for a graphics designer. He encouraged me to pursue a career in graphic design, and I attribute my success in this field to his guidance and unwavering support.”
You can view Hamza’s winning icon here
Our tireless Careers Team have worked round the clock to process record numbers of university applications ahead of the cut off time.
Numbers of Cadbury Sixth Form College students applying for higher education places has now brought the total for all Sandwell College group sites to more than 1,300.
Careers Coordinator and Adviser, Andrew Farthing, said: “Ahead of the 6pm UCAS deadline on 31st January, the Careers Team worked tirelessly to advise students and tutors, check all student applications and send completed applications with references to UCAS.
“This huge task will help our students to secure offers for places at university. We are on track for record numbers of applications this year.”
Last year 1,035 students across the group were placed at university destinations. Russell Group Universities attracting our students included Oxford, Birmingham, Nottingham, Warwick, Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, Southampton and York.
The top 5 most popular choices emerged as Birmingham City University, University of Wolverhampton, Aston University, Coventry University, plus De Montfort and Birmingham Newman University in joint fifth place for popularity.
Course sectors which attracted the most students were Criminology and Law, Business/Finance/Accounting/Economics, Nursing and Midwifery, Computing, Psychology and Engineering.
To be part of our next year of success at Cadbury, apply now!
