A safe haven for learning

Fircroft is a unique place to learn, being one of only two adult residential colleges in England, situated in Selly Oak, Birmingham, close to the city centre and easily accessible by train, bus, bicycle and road. 

The college was developed from 1909 by George Cadbury Jnr. for his workers, encouraging them to increase their knowledge and skills to help them to meet their potential and pass their learning on to their colleagues.  After his death in 1954, George's family home and 6 acres of gardens in Selly Oak were transformed into a place of learning and became Fircroft College.  

The principles of social justice run through everything we do, part of the legacy of George Cadbury Jnr.'s family.  We are inclusive and value diversity in all its forms, having been awarded College of Sanctuary status in February 2021 (College of Sanctuary award).  

We are an inclusive college with a strong ethos of social justice, a legacy from the Cadbury family. As a charity, we feel it is our purpose to help those who need it, through education, and our values and inclusive societal themes that we work with demonstrate our passion to provide learning to become a better world.  Read about how we are a social justice college.

We are passionate about addressing all of the many issues within our society but we realise we cannot tackle everything so we have a number of themes that we feel are particularly relevant to Fircroft, and where we feel we can make a difference.  See our vision, values and themes here.

Today Fircroft is a vibrant college welcoming students from across the West Midlands.  The college offers a wide range of short and longer courses that include personal and social development, professional development, courses for those in work and those seeking work, social justice and functional skills.  We offer short residential courses (3 days, 2 nights) and longer courses that include online and independent learning, as well as residential.  All our courses can be found on the website and people can apply online or by contacting our Admissions team. 

Many of our students are eligible for fully funded or subsidised courses which means courses could be free or at a very reduced rate for the whole course including accommodation, meals and learning resources.

We are pleased to be funded almost entirely by the West Midlands Combined Authority and this means we are able to focus on our local West Midlands population based in the areas of Birmingham, the Black Country, Solihull and Coventry.  People from other areas of the West Midlands and England can apply for courses but may not be eligible.  People can contact our Admissions team for more information.

Staying as a resident allows students to ‘get away from it all’ and focus on learning and achieving, away from everyday home and work pressures and gives students access to extra support along with the “head-space” and time to focus on their studies.

The college is COVID-secure.  Please look at our website for more information about the health and safety measures that are in place.

The college is known for its kind and caring environment and can offer support from tutors to students who may find learning challenging and are perhaps going through a period of change in their lives.