West Midlands is a metropolitan county in the West Midlands Region, England, with a 2021 population of 2,919,600, making it the second most populous county in England after Greater London. It was created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972, from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. The county is a NUTS 2 region within the wider NUTS 1 region of the same name. It embraces seven metropolitan boroughs: the cities of Birmingham, Coventry and Wolverhampton, and the boroughs of Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull and Walsall. The county is overseen by the West Midlands Combined Authority, which covers all seven boroughs and other non-constituent councils, on economy, transport and housing.
Birmingham City University is a university in Birmingham, England. Initially established as the Birmingham College of Art with roots dating back to 1843, it was designated as a polytechnic in 1971 and gained university status in 1992.
Warwickshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Avon and Victorian novelist George Eliot,, at Nuneaton. Other significant towns include Rugby, Leamington Spa, Bedworth, Kenilworth and Atherstone. The county offers a mix of historic towns and large rural areas. It is a popular destination for international and domestic tourists to explore both medieval and more recent history.
The Metropolitan Borough of Solihull is a metropolitan borough in West Midlands county, England. It is named after its largest town, Solihull, from which Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council is based. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of seven boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands" NUTS 2 region. Much of the large residential population in the north of the borough centres on the communities of Castle Bromwich, Fordbridge, Kingshurst, Marston Green and Smith's Wood as well as the town of Chelmsley Wood. In the south are the towns of Solihull and Shirley, and the large villages of Knowle, Dorridge, Meriden and Balsall Common.
Solihull School is a coeducational independent day school in Solihull, West Midlands, England. Founded in 1560, it is the oldest school in the town and is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference.
Shirley is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, in the West Midlands, England. Historically part of Warwickshire, neighbouring districts include Shirley Heath, Sharmans Cross, Solihull Lodge, Monkspath, Cranmore and the Hall Green district of Birmingham.
Tudor Grange Academy is a co-educational Academy and technology college located in Solihull, West Midlands, England. Formerly known as Tudor Grange Grammar School and Tudor Grange Secondary School. It was originally a boys' grammar school for around 650 boys. A girls grammar school was built later and both original schools now form part of the current academy.
Lorely Jane Burt, Baroness Burt of Solihull is a British politician, who was the Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Solihull from 2005 to 2015. She was nominated for a life peerage in the 2015 Dissolution Honours.
Fordbridge is a civil parish in England between Kingshurst and Chelmsley Wood in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, which is in the West Midlands and also part of the West Midlands conurbation. It is 8 miles (13 km) east of Birmingham city centre. It has a town council. According to the 2001 census, the parish had a population of 8,749. Fordbridge lies within the historic county of Warwickshire.
Smith's Wood is a residential area in the north of the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in the West Midlands of England. It is a civil parish with a population of 10,476, according to the 2011 census.
Building Schools for the Future (BSF) was the name given to the British government's investment programme in secondary school buildings in England in the 2000s. The programme was ambitious in its costs, timescales and objectives, with politicians from all English political parties supportive of the principle but questioning the wisdom and cost effectiveness of the scheme. The delivery of the programme was overseen by Partnerships for Schools (PfS), a non-departmental public body formed through a joint venture between the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), Partnerships UK and private sector partners. Fourteen local education authorities were asked to take part in the first wave of the Building Schools for the Future programme for the fiscal year 2005/6. By December 2009, 96 local authorities had joined the programme.
Solihull is a market town and the administrative centre of the wider Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in West Midlands County, England. The town had a population of 126,577 at the 2021 Census. Solihull is situated on the River Blythe in the Forest of Arden area. Solihull's wider borough had a population of 216,240 at the 2021 Census.
Solihull College & University Centre, formerly called Solihull Technical College, is a further education college located in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, in the West Midlands, England. The College has two main campuses; the Blossomfield Campus near central Solihull and the Woodlands Campus based in Smith's Wood, north Solihull. The acting Principal of the College is Lindsay Stewart with Rebecca Gater taking over in September 2022.
The Warwickshire Cricket League is the biggest cricket league for clubs in Warwickshire. Its origins go back to 1989, and since 1998 it has acted as a feeder league to the Birmingham and District Premier League Aston Manor in 2005, Berkswell in 2006, & Sutton Coldfield 2014 gained successive promotions from Birmingham League Division Three the following season. Coventry and North Warwickshire Cricket Club are the current champions.
Newbold College of Higher Education is a member of the worldwide network of Seventh-day Adventist colleges and universities and attracts students from over 60 countries. It is a part of the Seventh-day Adventist education system, the world's second largest Christian school system.
Stratford-upon-Avon College is an English further education college in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire.
Tudor Grange Academy Worcester is a mixed secondary school in Worcester, Worcestershire, England. It occupies the site of the former Elgar Technology College that was disbanded following its inability to improve under the special measures received from Ofsted. Tudor Grange Academy Trust then sponsored the school, renamed it after the Solihull school named "Tudor Grange Academy Solihull" and heavily renovated the site. The new academy was established in 2009 and was the second academy school of its type to be set up in England, opening for the new school year in September. Work on refurbishing the buildings was scheduled to begin in April 2011, to be supervised by the Worcester Council Children's Services Department, and was expected to be completed in early 2013. Some of the new premises were expected to be ready for student use by late 2012.
John Henry Newman Catholic College (JHNCC), formerly Archbishop Grimshaw School, is an English secondary school in the Fordbridge area of Solihull, although it lies in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull.
