News
Alumni Spotlight: Casey Bailey
Award-winning author and Birmingham’s former Poet Laureate Casey Bailey is an artist we are proud to call one of our Cadbury alumni.
With published collections of poetry and a sold-out debut play GrimeBoy at the Birmingham Rep to his name, former English student Casey has performed his poetry nationally and internationally.
Commissioned by the BBC to write ‘The Ballad of The Peaky Blinders’ in 2019 and named as one of the Alfred Fagon Awards’ Black Champions of Theatre in 2021, Casey went on to win a Royal Television Society award.
He is a Fellow of the University of Worcester and in 2021 was awarded an honorary doctorate in Education by Newman University.
Photo of Casey Bailey by Paul Stringer
Knowledge Is Key To Protecting The Environment
Has Earth Day inspired you to take action to protect our planet?
Does saving the environment and sustainability mean more to you than anything else?
Do you stand in solidarity with climate change campaigner Greta Thunberg?
Knowledge is key to making an impact and helping to solve some of the world’s most pressing issues.
So why not consider Environmental Science and Geography for your A Level choices at Cadbury Sixth Form College?
Environmental Science is a holistic subject with many interconnected systems and processes. A change in one area can affect many other processes over different spatial and temporal scales.
You’ll develop an understanding of how human society relies upon natural systems for resources and as a life support system. You’ll also consider how changes in society can produce sustainable lifestyles.
Conditions for life on earth and the conservation of biodiversity will be some of the topics you’ll cover as part of the living environment.
The atmosphere, the hydrosphere, mineral resources, biogeochemical cycles and soils are all part of the physical environment unit.
Energy resources, the sustainability of their current exploitation, strategies to secure future energy supplies and to control pollutants – it’s all there for you to learn along with biological resources like agriculture, aquatic food production systems and forest resources, plus sustainability and research methods.
What else should you know?
- Potential careers are many and varied, and include:
Environmental consultant
Environmental engineer
Environmental manager
Marine biologist
Nature conservation officer
Recycling officer
Sustainability consultant
Waste management officer
Water quality scientist
Landscape architect
Town planner
Toxicologist
Transport planner - Four days of fieldwork will get you out into the open
- Our minimum entry requirements for this A Level are that you have five GCSEs at grade 4 and above. These five should include Maths, English, another essay based subject, and Double Science. At least two of the five should be at grade 6.
Geography is an eye-opening study of the world, giving you an appreciation of everything from rainforests to volcanoes and humans’ place within it.
Physical Geography tells you everything you need to know about dynamic landscapes, so earthquakes, volcanoes, coasts, energy, floods, drought, climate change and hurricanes.
Human Geography covers dynamic places, so globalisation, regeneration, sustainability, water insecurity and energy security.
We also look at Superpowers in USA, North Korea, Russia, China and India, as well as migration and its impact.
What else should you know?
- Studying Geography can lead to employment opportunities across a wide range of sectors including business management, marketing, journalism, advertising, architecture, environmental conservation, research, town planning, government, the media and many more. For example, you can choose to specialise and opt for a science degree for a career in environmental management, or an arts degree for a career in planning.
- You’ll do your own independent Investigation, researching a geographical topic of your choice. This coursework makes up 20% of your final grade.
- Our minimum entry requirements for this A Level are that you have five GCSEs at grade 4 and above. At least two of these five should be at grade 6, and Maths and English should be at grade 5. It’s recommended that you have a grade 6 GCSE in Geography.
Ready to act? Apply now to study these courses from September.
Alumni Spotlight: Maryam
Cadbury alumna Maryam Wahid is bringing people together through powerful images and shared stories, creating opportunities for emerging voices and diverse perspectives to thrive.
As newly-appointed Head of Programs and Outreach at the Tasweer Photography Festival (part of Qatar Museums) and a first class degree graduate in Photography from Birmingham City University, Maryam has judged national and international photography competitions, including:
– Hold Still, spearheaded by HRH The Princess of Wales
– the BBC’s Great British Photography Challenge
– the 2024 Tasweer Project Award
Maryam, who studied A Level Photography, Business Studies and Religious Studies with Philosophy at Cadbury, has been commissioned for a range of portraiture projects, photographing Baroness Catherine Ashton, MP Pauline Latham OBE and former West Midlands Mayor Andy Street.
She says: “I work closely with artists, institutions, and cultural partners—both locally and internationally—to create meaningful, inclusive, and thought-provoking programs that reflect the evolving landscape of contemporary photography. I’m passionate about using photography as a tool for dialogue, representation, and creative growth.”
The Tasweer Photography Festival is a biennial programme of exhibitions, awards, commissions, collaborations, presentations and workshops that amplify diverse practices and dialogues of photographers and photographic communities in Qatar and the Western Asia and North Africa region.
Older News & Event Articles
The Titan Award finalists have been announced for 2023 – and one of the nominees for Further Education/Higher Education Student of the Year is from Cadbury Sixth Form College!
Zainab Mallah is an A Level Science student at Cadbury.
Here’s why she was nominated by her personal tutor Emily Broome:
“Zainab is a conscientious, kind-hearted, caring student who holds a real maturity beyond her years and always treats both staff and students with an incredible amount of respect and kindness. Zainab is very well liked and willingly gets involved in group discussions and speaks out appropriately if she has any concerns. She willingly supports those around her and has volunteered for open days as a student tour guide, supported fundraisers and petitions and has been involved with external companies such as SafeUp. She also started her own Medicine and Healthcare Society and always supports her peers with genuine care and enthusiasm.”
Emily added: “Zainab is a genuine delight and always makes me smile and brightens my day! I really hope her nomination will provide her confidence and allow her to see how truly hard-working and special she is! She is a credit to our college and an outstanding role model to our students! Our college truly wishes her the best of luck in her nomination and her future, I have no doubts that she will excel in everything she does!”
The winners will be announced at the upcoming Titan Awards & Charity Dinner in July at Aston University, and each will receive a trophy, framed certificate and Amazon gift voucher.
Good luck Zainab!
We were delighted to host Group Captain Deputy Lieutenant Ian Sargeant OBE today for our Big Coronation Party and tree planting ceremony.
Many of our staff and students have been making big preparations for this event to commemorate the historic Coronation of King Charles III.
Creating colourful bunting and learning about the significance and history of the Monarchy, students also enjoyed Coronation-inspired cakes and games and sang celebratory songs live on stage.
Royal representative Group Captain Sargeant, who is also a Queen’s Honorary Surgeon, joined in with the celebrations and met members of staff and students, before helping Head of Curriculum Ian Vogel to plant a commemorative tree in the campus grounds.
The Lord-Lieutenant, Sir John Crabtree OBE, who attended the Coronation on Saturday, is appointed by the King to represent him in the region and attend events and activities on his behalf.
He said: “The Coronation is really bringing people together to celebrate and get involved in some amazing projects. You can feel the excitement mounting across the region and there is a wonderful community spirit with many people volunteering for the first time to support their community.”
The West Midlands is the second largest Lieutenancy in England and Wales supporting nearly 3 million people across seven local authorities of Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall and Wolverhampton.
The Lieutenancy is active across the community supporting projects and initiatives that benefit the community and it helps recognise people through the Honours awards. It also coordinates Royal Visits and acts as a connection between the civic, military, religious, armed forces and emergency services.
The Lieutenancy is involved in a number of events that will be held across the region for the Coronation.
We asked our Digital Design and Production T Level students what they were enjoying most about their course so far, and to tell us a bit about themselves. Here’s what they had to say:
Abas – The reason why I have chosen this T Level course is because I believe it teaches me everything to send me in the right direction to become a software developer. Since the start of college, we have learnt a lot such as python, HTML and SQL. The teachers are also pushing us to work hard in building websites during our lessons and to do research at home. The course offers us the opportunity of a work placement to learn first-hand how the work environment is. My hobbies include playing basketball, reading and spending quality time with family.
Haneef – My experience of the new T Level Digital Production course I am taking has been excellent. I have expanded my knowledge of Computer Science and understanding of the Digital World, additionally I have learnt many core skills such as using tools from the Creative Cloud and Microsoft Office. I would highly recommend this course for anyone looking to go into any computer related career such as Web Design, Software Engineering and Cyber Security. It is a great environment and I couldn’t ask for more. The amazing support I get from my lecturers has really helped prepare me for any future industry placements.
Hassan – I have chosen this course as it will help me achieve my ultimate career goal of becoming a software engineer at Google, Facebook and TESLA. I have already learned a lot, like how to use CMS software Drupal. I have also learned a lot of different coding languages including python, JavaScript, HTML, SQL, CSS and PHP. My teachers are good and have real-world experience in the field of STEM and building websites for clients. We have learned how to use applications like Photoshop and InDesign to create the front end of a website. This course will help me achieve my future career goals because it offers me the opportunity of a work placement to learn first-hand what it is like to work in the software industry and how it operates. I’m enjoying this course because it’s helping me to understand how games, websites and apps are built. It also teaches us how to create and maintain databases with advanced security, plus how to build a really well functioning website and how to add good security features to prevent it crashing and breaking down. My hobbies are going to the gym, gaming and helping my brother build computers.
Shahzeb – Since this course became part of my schedule, I’ve come to understand how committed and enthusiastic I am about this subject. This T Level is excellent because it opens doors to careers in the digital industries, including web design, programming, game design, data analytics, software engineering, cybersecurity and many more. Outstanding instructors that have real-world expertise teach the course, which makes it easier and more entertaining. Amazing web design instructor Stuart has expertise creating websites for paying customers. I’ve learned how to design a website front end using Photoshop and InDesign. My career goal is to learn how to operate the (CMS software) Drupal and also learn the different computer languages such as python, JavaScript, SQL, CSS, HTML and PHP. I am already very good with computers and how they operate, but this course offers more challenges which is what makes it so attractive and fun. I always wanted to understand and learn how to build/design different games and software, which this course allows me to do. Studying this T Level course opens up a lot of opportunities for me and allows me to work on actual digital projects. This is one of the best courses in Birmingham, and I would recommend it to anyone interested in computers.
If you’d like to find out more about our T Level or Digital courses, register here now for our next Talk & Tours event or Open Day.
