Our Courses Find Courses Personal and Social Development Free Thinking - a course for new communities Our next Free Thinking course is planned for a start date of 8th September 2023 - 12th November 2023. 3 days, 2 nights each week at the college. We will be taking applications through this website page from July 2023 onwards and by contacting our Admissions team on 0121 472 0116 or emailing [email protected] We look forward to receiving your application! 10 weeks Part-time Residential every week (3 days, 2 nights) Friday to Sunday Level This course is from Entry Level 2 Fees This course could be FREE depending on your financial circumstances and other eligibility criteria. To find out more about the fees of this course please contact the college's admissions team at [email protected] Take a look at our Free Thinking brochures for students and referral partners: Free Thinking for Students Free Thinking for Partners This very popular course is a regular at the college and is one of the reasons we have College of Sanctuary status, given to us by City of Sanctuary in 2021. Take a look at the video below to find out how Regina and other students have benefited from our Free Thinking course. The picture above shows students from the summer of 2021 Free Thinking course with their certificates of completion with Fircroft College staff. The programme includes: Sharing stories in a safe and supportive environment ESOL - taught separately and embedded in many of the lessons Employability skills and advice Your rights and responsibilities Wellbeing and confidence building skills IT and presentation skills development Team building and problem solving skills We offer: An immersive residential learning experience with clear opportunities for practical learning and experienced support staff to provide pastoral care Peer support from smaller classroom sizes to improve outcomes and build on social capital Opportunities for integration at your own pace as we're a mainstream college with a diverse student body Information, advice and guidance on identifying strengths, career aspirations, skills and abilities Entry Requirements You need to have refugee status, leave to remain or have been in the country for more than 6 months as an asylum seeker. You will also need to be eligible under funding rules. You will need to be able to stay at the college 2 nights and study at the college for 3 days each week This course is funded by the West Midlands Combined Authority and is available to people living within the West Midlands county including Birmingham. Other eligibility criteria applies - please contact our Admissions team on 0121 472 0116 or email [email protected], to find out more. Progression You can move on to our other courses where your learning level has been assessed accordingly. Take a look at where our Free Thinker, Ginger May, is now after attending our Free Thinking course in 2021 at the link below: Ginger May's Story The video below shows how Regina, a previous Free Thinking student, felt about the course: Read more about our Free Thinking students' experiences on the course below: Free Thinking Student Journeys 2019 Manage Cookie Preferences