MANDER PORTMAN WOODWARD

The academic achievements of our students are celebrated at MPW Birmingham and recognised by the wider sector.

MPW Birmingham

Leading independent sixth-form college offering a comprehensive range of A Level and GCSE courses giving students the flexibility to choose subjects that interest them the most. We strive to inspire and motivate our students to transform their academic aspirations into reality.

The academic achievements of our students are celebrated by the college and recognised by the wider sector. MPW students feature highly in the CIFE Awards presented annually to high achievers at the House of Lords.

Birmingham – A Level, GCSE Courses, Retakes and Transfers at the end of Year 12

At MPW we offer the following courses for full-time students:

• A Level , taken over one or two years
• GCSE 
• Retakes, for both A level and GCSE
• Transfer at the End of Year 12    

For students at other schools and colleges, we offer:

• Easter Revision    
• Supplementary Tuition, 1:1 twilight, Saturday morning or holiday sessions for students at other schools.

For our term-time courses, there is a maximum of nine students in each class. The small class sizes ensure each student receives the individual attention he or she needs. A high proportion of our subject tutors are qualified to Masters or Doctorate level and many are examiners for the A level and GCSE subjects that they teach.

In class, great emphasis is placed on the demands of the specification and on examination technique. We measure progress and performance by regularly testing via Timed Assignments and mock examinations.

The College also provides a programme of support for our full-time students with learning difficulties such as dyslexia, dyspraxia, working-memory problems and processing speed problems. Each student can receive weekly input and assistance from our Director of Teaching and Learning.

Facilities at MPW Birmingham

A full range of modern resources and facilities support the college’s programmes of teaching and learning. The college benefits from excellent science laboratories, two IT suites and most classrooms are equipped for screen based learning. Our classroom facilities are designed to make the most of our teaching model of fewer than 10 students per group – seminar configurations and tutor presentations via whiteboard, interactive whiteboard or group discussion.

The Study Centre maintains a comprehensive selection of academic support materials and university prospectuses. There are networked multimedia computers in the Information Technology suites, offering broadband Internet access, scanning and colour printing. Computers are also available throughout the day in the Study Centre.

The student common room provides drinks and snacks and is an area of relaxation for students and also offers access to networked computers. The common room hosts an electronic message board updating students on key developments and reinforces our commitment to an open and communicative community.

Results & Destinations

At MPW Birmingham we pride ourselves on helping students to reach their true potential. Our admissions policy does not select on prior academic achievement alone and this means that we are able to help students with a wide range of abilities achieve excellent grades and ultimately pursue highly competitive university courses.

For the academic year 2021-2022, our students recorded an outstanding set of A level results, with 32% achieving A*/A.

In addition to the achievements of our students in absolute terms, we are particularly successful in terms of “value added”, which measures the considerable distance travelled by our students at A level relative to where they were at GCSE. In 2018, the most recent year for which data are available, we were placed within the top 5% of providers nationally by the ALPS value added system. We are also especially proud of the fact that, for four of the last five years, out of all the independent sixth-form colleges in the UK represented by the Conference for Independent Education (CIFE), the student winning the national award for best value added performance was an MPW Birmingham student.