News
Emma Brannen Joins The Sandwell Colleges as Senior Vice Principal, Quality and Student Success
The Sandwell Colleges is delighted to announce the appointment of Emma Brannen as Senior Vice Principal, Quality and Student Success. Emma brings a wealth of experience in further education, having served as Vice Principal Quality at Stoke-on-Trent College.
During her tenure at Stoke-on-Trent College, Emma was instrumental in driving curriculum development and quality assurance, ensuring students achieved exceptional outcomes. Her leadership has been widely recognised, including overseeing national award-winning projects that celebrated participation and inclusivity.
Emma is also well known for her community-focused work, having served on the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Board for Stoke City Football Club. Her contributions have inspired confidence and inclusion across local communities, particularly through initiatives empowering women and girls.
In her new role, Emma will focus on enhancing curriculum strategies and maintaining the highest standards of quality across The Sandwell Colleges’ programmes, including Sandwell College, Cadbury Sixth Form College and Central Saint Michael’s Sixth Form campuses. She will work closely with staff and stakeholders to ensure the College continues to deliver exceptional education and training opportunities for all learners and employers across the West Midlands, fostering an environment that promotes success for all.
Emma commented on her new position, saying: “I am thrilled to join The Sandwell Colleges, which is renowned for its commitment to learners and community impact. I look forward to working with the team to build on its successes and drive further innovation and excellence.”
Lisa Capper MBE, CEO and Principal of The Sandwell Colleges, said: “We are proud to welcome Emma to The Sandwell Colleges. Her experience, leadership and dedication to educational excellence align perfectly with our vision to support all learners, apprentices and our community. Emma’s expertise will undoubtedly strengthen our senior leadership team as we continue to grow.”
Emma joins Asa Gordon, Deputy Principal Curriculum and Skills, who was appointed in November. Emma’s appointment marks another exciting milestone for The Sandwell Colleges as it continues its mission to deliver outstanding learning opportunities to over 12,000 students annually.
Students’ Generous Donations to Salvation Army
Generous students from Cadbury Sixth Form College’s Inclusive Learning department delivered a collection of donated gifts to the Salvation Army.
These donations were gathered by dedicated staff and students, reflecting their commitment to supporting the local community during the holiday season.
Additional Learning Support Manager and Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead, Siân Whitehouse, said: “This initiative highlights the values of inclusivity, compassion, and teamwork that we strive to instil in our students. It was a meaningful experience for everyone involved, and we are incredibly proud of their efforts.”
It’s a Wrap! Rewind Cadbury 2024
It’s been a whirlwind year for Cadbury Sixth Form College. Let’s catch up on the highlights and look back on our top 5 moments of 2024!
- New Developments: we opened our brand new £6.6 million Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths (STEM) Centre to the very first Cadbury students. The STEM centre aims to ensure we can offer the widest choice of courses across Birmingham, and has dedicated suites for Digital Media, Health and Computer Aided Design (CAD).
- Partnerships: Birmingham Hippodrome will give Cadbury learners exclusive work experience opportunities, BTS access to theatre productions and companies, and special appreciation of what goes into set construction and assembly, scenic painting and prop-making at one of the city’s biggest theatre brands.
- SafeHaven will empower young people through creative arts, sports, and community-building activities, including multi-sports, music production, drama, console gaming, and Warhammer. Workshops will also feature hip-hop, graffiti, and drawing sessions led by Creative Birmingham Arts Therapy UK, encouraging creativity and cultural expression, with free entry for ages 13-17.
- Summer Unity Fest: we hosted Cadbury Culture Day for everyone to unite, reflect and have fun. We were also the first college in the region to thank our local community with food and friendship by hosting the Big Community Lunch, which was attended by The King’s representative.
- Disneyland Paris: Cadbury Performing Arts students sang a medley of classic Disney songs live on the Videopolis Stage to an audience of 300.
- Chartered Status: We’re proud to finish the year with our official Membership to The Chartered Institution for Further Education (CIFE). We were granted this prestigious Chartered Status at the historic Apothecaries’ Hall in the City of London, recognising us as a leading provider of education and skills training.
Join us as we look ahead to 2025 under the exciting fresh direction of our new Group CEO and Principal Lisa Capper MBE. We look forward to seeing you at one of our first open days of the New Year!
Older News & Event Articles
Here at Cadbury we’re big believers in choice and think that students shouldn’t have to compromise on what they enjoy when deciding what to do after school. For that reason we have one of the largest course offers in the region with over 50 subject areas to choose from.
Applied Science BTEC with an Art A Level? No problem. Some university courses and careers will require you to study certain courses at Level 3 after you leave school but lots of them won’t. The most important thing to remember when selecting your courses is to concentrate on what you’re good at and what you enjoy.
In theory you are free to do any combination of courses you want here at Cadbury – you just need to do a combination which adds up to the equivalent of three A Levels. We do however have recommended combinations that provide pathways into careers and university courses.
Due to high demand we will be hosting a series of Talk & Tours at Cadbury Sixth Form College to help you plan your next move when you leave school. Our next events will be happening on Tuesday March 5, 4-7pm, and Saturday March 9, 11am-3pm.
Here’s why you need to book your place now!
- The Personal Experience: You’ll get a real feel for where you’ll be studying in September when you come to campus.
- Our knowledgeable student ambassadors will be there to share their own experience and insights with you and take you on a personal tour of the college.
- You’ll get to experience life through the eyes of a current student, ask all the questions you need answers to, and see all the facilities we have to offer you.
- We’ll cover many different areas on the tour including our brand new £10 million Science City campus, Psychology, Law and Art rooms, plus the IT suite, learning centre, drama theatre, science labs for Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Forensic and Biomedical Science. You’ll also be shown the individual study pods and learner coaching spaces. We’ll visit the Media, Film, Design and Photography areas for some creative and cinematic inspiration, before the tour concludes in the Eat Central dining area.
- Careers advisers and Student Mentors will also be there to offer specialist advice and guidance to help you navigate your next steps. It’s important to do your research and understand what’s involved in studying certain subjects and which professions they lead to before you commit to your final choices. We can give you lots of support with this.
Remember also that you can apply there and then at Talk & Tours, if you haven’t already. If you have applied but your plans have changed since you signed up, you can still update your choices.
Whether you have favourites in mind, or would like to try something brand new like Psychology, Law, Politics or Criminology, Talk & Tours offer you the perfect time to apply and continue your career journey.
So come and join us, and book your place here.
Here at Cadbury Sixth Form College we offer a wide range of Level 3 programmes combining A Levels and BTECs, as well as T Levels and several Level 2 courses if you need to improve on your GCSE grades. Picking the right route for you post-GCSEs is important, so it’s good for you to understand the different types of qualification on offer to work out which route works best for you.
If you’re unclear about which route to opt for, here are some things to consider when choosing your options after school:
– What do your current studies at school tell you? Do you love Maths and working with numbers and theories, or are you creative? Do you enjoy more hands-on learning? Thinking about what you are good at can help you choose the best route.
– Select subjects you enjoy – studying a subject you are genuinely interested in will greatly improve your chances of succeeding at college.
– What are your plans for the future? Whether you intend to go to university, on to an apprenticeship or straight into employment, different routes may require you to study specific courses at college – so make sure you do your research.
– Seek advice – ask our Careers Team questions weekly via our web chat facility or discuss your choices with a member of staff at interview.
– Visit the Sixth Form – attend Open Days, Taster Sessions and Applicant Days to meet your subject teachers and current students.
What’s the difference?
All of our Level 3 programmes are equal to A Levels and are accepted by universities if that’s your goal. What’s important is matching your ambitions and strengths to the options available to ensure you get the best results for you.
A Levels
A Level courses are predominantly assessed by examinations, although some subjects may have a coursework component as well. All A Level courses are linear, meaning examinations are taken at the end of two years. These are Level 3 courses, ideally suited for progression into University or Higher Level Apprenticeships.
To study an A Level course you will need a minimum of five GCSEs (with two at grade 6, and three at grade 4). Due to the advanced level most subjects will have additional individual entry requirements.
BTECs
Because BTEC courses are vocational in nature they are more practical routes of academic study. Each course will have a larger coursework element to the assessment method. All our BTEC courses are studied at Level 3, meaning they are ideally suited to progression to University or Higher Level Apprenticeships. BTEC courses come in different sizes and are the equivalent to either one, two or three A Levels.
To study a BTEC Level 3 course you will need a minimum of five GCSEs at grade 4. BTECs can also be studied alongside A Level courses if you meet the entry requirements, making them an extremely flexible option that can be tailored to your demands.
T Levels
T Levels are an alternative to A Levels, apprenticeships and BTECs. Combining academic study of A Levels with a focus on vocational skills can help students into skilled employment, university or higher level apprenticeships. Each T Level includes an industry placement of at least 45 days giving students valuable experience in the work place.
