Queen Alexandra College is a national college for people aged 16 plus with visual impairment or…read moreother disabilities and is based on the number 11/24 bus routes near Queen's Park. It's an impressive place with a mix of classrooms, studios, residential buildings, a well stocked library (which holds Braille and large print books, assistive technology and an audio described and standard video library) and a very decent gym. The latter has a wide range of equipment and a pay as you go service which is great if you don't want to fork out a big amount in gym fees (only to give up three weeks later). Other facilities worthy of note is the iCycle service - this is a cycle repair shop and service that allows QAC students to become cycle repair and maintenance mechanics.

Well, I'm bound to give my Alma mater a five star rating, as I had such a great time here (so much…read moreso, I ended up doing two degrees). But, on a more serious note, it is one of the UK's leading academic institutions - one of the original 'red brick' Universities, it has been ranked 5th overall for research excellence in the UK. It has around 18,000 undergraduate and 11,000 postgraduate students, and one of the UK's most impressive University campuses, being one of the earliest to adopt this model of urban design. Its history can be traced back to 1825 with the founding of Birmingham Medical College, and the establishment of the Mason Science College in the City Centre 1875. But it was not until 1900 that, with the driving force of Joseph Chamberlain, the University was awarded its charter - arguably the first of the so-called 'red brick' Universities to be formally recognised as such. For the new University, a new site was chosen in the suburb of Selly Oak, three miles south of the city centre, to build a campus on the American model, of buildings built in a parkland environment. The original buildings at its heart really are made of blood-red brick: they include the main Aston Webb building, with its impressive main hall and domed entrance hall in the neo-Byzantine style. But its most distinctive and well-known feature is the 100m (330ft) tall clock tower, modelled on that of the town hall in Siena, and named 'Joe' in honour of Joseph Chamberlain. (Useless facts: Joe is the tallest free-standing clock tower in the world. The University's own website calls the tower 'Old Joe' but I never heard anyone use this in over 7 years) Subsequent expansion - especially in the 1960s - has brought a greater diversity of architectural styles, notably the brutalist Muirhead tower, completed in 1969. There are impressive sports facilities, and the University is regularly in the top five at Inter-varsity sporting events. The campus itself is in two main halves, with the main halls of residence and student village on the Vale site a mile to the north. Land has been donated over the years by a number of local worthies, including Lord Calthorpe and the Cadbury family. In 1999, the various colleges of the Selly Oak campus (two miles further south) were integrated into the University, including the Westhill College of Education which was formally merged with it in 2001. The University has a long list of achievements to its name: it was the first to accept students on an equal basis from all religious backgrounds; its school of Commerce in 1902 was the UK's first (it is now the Business School); in 1937, vitamin C was synthesised by Professor Norman Haworth, who won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry (one of several Nobel Prize laureates); and in 1940 the first microwave device was built here, heralding both the development of radar and microwave ovens! Sir Edward Elgar was professor of music in the early 1900s, and the University boasts a long list of impressive alumni. And so on Practicalities Access to the University is easy, thanks to it having its own station on the Cross-city railway line, between the main campus and the medical school at the Queen Elizabeth hospital. There are frequent buses on the A38 Bristol Road just to the south of the campus, and extensive car parking, although this has been restricted in recent years. The University's motto is 'Per adua ad alta' - 'Through hard work, great things are achieved' (literally, 'through work to the heights').

Fantastic University! Really nice campus with some fantastic architecture, especially in the Aston…read moreWebb building. Plus UoB have the tallest free standing clock tower in the world. Beautiful campus, very well maintained grounds. If you're not a student, best to visit the last Wednesday of each month (during term times), when the Farmer's market runs and adds an extra buzz to campus. There are Cafés in many of the main buildings, but the best food is found in University Centre - the burritos from GoMex are a must!

I went to the open day today and was throughly dissapointed, don't know why but the place made me…read morefeel so depressed! It lacks life and colour, it is very dull and needs a certain facelift. Of course the reputation for teaching here is amazing and that is true from what I saw today but the place itself just doesn't live, from going to other university open days and seeing the life and atmosphere there, I didn't expect this place to be so dead. It is a good univeristy college but it feels more like a college.

A nightmare to get to if you are traveling from beyond the city centre. The campus is secluded and…read moreseems to be far from any shops etc. The staff are friendly enough. I cannot comment on the teaching as I only attended a one day training course, which is affiliated with the college.

I first went to the Fircroft College two years ago, and I've never looked back, I'm now looking…read moreforward to doing my pre-access course, and hopefully my access to the University, I find that people I've met so far are very friendly, Most people are very nervous when you come to college, but after three day short course the seem to bond very well. What I find is the college ethos does is build confidence in everyone, especially from the support staff, so if you want to do a course at Fircroft College signed up as soon as possible,you'll find it worth it your whi

Now known as Harborne Academy and boasting a rather fetching grey and red uniform that makes the…read morekids who attend it look very smart indeed (even if they do play up at the bus-stop) the school is one of Birmingham's newest academies which specialises in health and science. Independent of local authority control, the school is sponsored by Birmingham Metropolitan College and has recently extended its cohort to 16-18 year olds. Whilst the most recent Ofsted inspection reported mixed results - and I won't go into that here because all the information you need can be found using a quick Google search (plus as someone who used to work in education, just typing the word Ofsted gives me a sweaty neck) the place does seem to be on the up. Community involvement seems key - with initiatives including a play on local history run in conjunction with Harborne Library.

unfortunately Harorne hill secondry modern school used to be a good school where pupils actually…read morelearnt things by proper teacher's. These days the word "Acadamy" means that anyone can teach, they don't even need qualifications, even I could get a job there! (and I was the worse pupil HHSMS ever had,) yet because I am now profound in my area of expertise I would be allowed to teach, I'm not just picking on one school, all acadamy's are the same, so if you want your children to get an education don't send them to an acadamy send them to a proper SCHOOL.