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Stourbridge sixth form college marks 50 years with year of celebrations

King Edward VI College Stourbridge is launching a year of celebrations to mark 50 years as a sixth form college.

By contributor David Handy
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The college is inviting former students, staff, families, and friends of King Ed’s to save the date for a major anniversary celebration on September 26, with more events and activities to be announced across the year.

While the college’s story began with its Royal Charter granted by King Edward VI in 1552, this anniversary focuses on a defining moment in its modern story: the move to become a sixth form college in 1976. Over the past 50 years, King Edward VI college has built a strong reputation for academic excellence, expert teaching, and helping young people into brilliant careers.

Today, the college serves more than 2,600 students from Stourbridge and across the wider region. For many families, King Ed’s has been part of local life for generations, and we hope the anniversary year will be a chance to celebrate that shared history as well as the students and staff shaping the college now.

Holly Bembridge, Principal, pictured with a portrait of King Edward VI at the launch of the College’s 50th anniversary celebrations
Holly Bembridge, Principal, pictured with a portrait of King Edward VI at the launch of the College’s 50th anniversary celebrations

Planned anniversary activity will include alumni events, opportunities for the local community to get involved, student-led projects, a heritage exhibition, and a commemorative musical gala. Full details will be released over the coming months.

Holly Bembridge, Principal of King Edward VI College Stourbridge, said: “As we mark 50 years as a sixth form college, we want to celebrate the people who have made King Ed’s what it is: students, staff, families, and our wider community. We are proud of our much longer history, but this is a great opportunity to celebrate the college generations of people know today and the difference it has made since 1976. We hope former students, colleagues, and friends of the college will join us on September 26 to celebrate that story together.”

The anniversary year will not only look back at the college’s history but also look ahead. As King Edward VI College continues to invest in its curriculum, campus, and student experience, the 50th year is a chance to honour a proud past and a thriving future.