Education in Birmingham facts for kids
This article is about education in Birmingham, England.
Higher education
Birmingham is home to six universities (date of being awarded university status)
- University of Birmingham (1900 by royal charter)
- Aston University (1966 by royal charter)
- Birmingham City University (1992)
- Newman University (2012)
- University College Birmingham (2012)
- The University of Law (2012, private teaching university)
Arts education
Birmingham City University (BCU) in particular has a significant role in higher education in the arts in Birmingham. The Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, now part of the university, was formed as the Birmingham School of Music in 1859 and formerly constituted in 1886. It is one of only nine conservatoires in the United Kingdom and the only one which is also a university faculty. The conservatoire has strong links with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra whose former conductor, Sir Simon Rattle, is the conservatoire's president. The conservatoire moved from their location in Adrian Boult Hall to their new state-of-the-art building on the city centre campus of the university.
The Birmingham Institute of Art and Design (BIAD), another faculty of BCU, is one of the largest faculties of art, design and media education in the United Kingdom. BIAD includes the Bournville Centre for Visual Arts, the Birmingham School of Art and the School of Jewellery (in the Jewellery Quarter), which highlights the importance of jewellery manufacture in the city.
Royal Birmingham Conservatoire's School of Acting, founded in 1936, is one of the United Kingdom's leading vocational drama schools, offering higher education courses in drama as well as a range of part-time, summer schools and short courses for adults and children. Its merger with BCU was announced in June 2005.
Elmhurst Ballet School is the oldest vocational dance school in the United Kingdom and offers dance training and academic education to pupils of secondary school age. The school was originally located in Camberley, Surrey but after becoming an associate school of the Birmingham Royal Ballet in 2002, it relocated to Edgbaston in Birmingham in 2004.
Libraries
The city council is also responsible for the provision of libraries throughout the city. There are 41 local libraries in addition to Birmingham Central Library, reputedly one of the largest public libraries in Europe. According to city council figures, Birmingham's library system has over 2.7 million books and receives over 4 million visitors each year.
Images for kids
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Birmingham Metropolitan College, Matthew Boulton Campus
