Part-time adult education, evening classes: London: City Lit

About us

Student reviews

Access to higher education

“These courses are fantastic and an excellent opportunity for people like myself to return to education and turn their lives around.”
Tom, Access course

"This is a really good and challenging course. The teachers at this institution are excellent and are very helpful and responsible. There are very good facilities and the classrooms are well equipped too. The course is very challenging but you get a lot of satisfaction out of it. I definitely made friends on the course and it was a life changing experience for me."
Nicole, Access to HE diploma: creative studies

Careers in care work

“I liked the involvement of the tutor in furthering my career aspirations, with encouragement and advice.”

“I liked the relaxed atmosphere and the extra courses, like ‘managing challenging behaviour’. And the tutor was very funny and friendly."

“I enjoyed the variety of viewpoints and backgrounds of members in the group. I also enjoyed the forums in which we could openly discuss issues at our placements without fear of embarassment.”

Students on the VRQ Health and social care.

Computing

"Thanks for the support and the clarity in your recommendation for me as l begin to retrain. It is wonderful to have such kind and professional support, especially when going through redundancies, and it is much appreciated."
Carole, ECDL level 1

“This course is taught extremely well. Great teachers, very patient and allow you to work at your own pace. This course has been very inspiring and I would certainly be looking into other adult learning courses to further my career and hobby interests at this college if possible.”
Nicola, touch-typing

"You can be a complete beginner, this course is extremely easy and at the same time it teaches all you need to know. A very good introduction that makes you able to go on studying on your own more advanced techniques."
Student, Learn to write javascript

"I liked the classes a lot and City Lit is an excellent college. I have been there since and would recommend this college to anyone who wants to achieve and excel in their studies. The teacher is enthusiastic and good-humoured. City Lit has excellent computer facilities."
Jennifer, ECDL Word advanced

Deaf education

"City Lit is a great place because it has a lot of deaf students who come here to learn, meet new people and make new friends. The teachers are great and friendly. They always encourage and support me and other students to learn new things. I love City Lit because it is great!"
Hodan, English Improvers

"We received so much support from our tutors. Well taught and very interesting."
BSL Level 3

"I recently completed the Working Towards BSL Level 3 course I would like to say how much I enjoyed the course. The course was well planned and I always knew what was happening. I was unsure when I enrolled as to how much I would get out of the course but with the support and constructive feedback given by the tutor, Mark Hopkinson, I look forward to coming to the class every week. I now feel more confident and motivated in my job as a CSW. So thank you to Mark and the City Lit for a great course!

English, maths & ESOL

"City Lit has been a great help to me in improving my reading, writing and speaking abilities. It's given me a huge opportunity to change my life for the better." English for speakers of other languages

"I love my pre-GCSE maths course! Even I surprised myself with how much I enjoyed maths - my once most hated subject. The pace was great and I effortlessly achieved things I never thought I’d be able to."
Inka, Maths level 1 pre-GCSE

"This is the best English course that I’ve been to. There are others that were five days a week and I still learned less than I did attending this just one day a week. I love it."
Ramulo, English for speakers of other languages

"Having left school with next to no qualifications and no intention of ever returning to education, I was surprised at how easy going back has been. Through quality teaching in the relaxed atmosphere of City Lit I have found an environment entirely conducive to my happy return to education."
Matthew, English

Health and movement studies

"The course was relaxed and there was time for everyone to have an input. The pace was just right. Everyone went along with their own expectations of what the course would be and I’m sure everyone enjoyed it as much as I did. I have told so many people about Reiki since I attended and I learned so much on this course."
Student, Reiki healing

"This course has been life-changing. I now have boundless energy and far better posture."
Simone, Yoga: mixed levels

"I was a complete capoeira novice before I started this course but I would highly recommend it to anyone out there who wants to try something new. You don’t need to be fit (as I am seriously unfit) or ’gifted’ in any way. You just need to be enthusiastic. The teacher was inspiring! She made it look so easy! So be warned - it is hard work but worth every penny and drop of sweat! It’s one of the best things I’ve ever done!"
Student, Capoeira

"By improving balance, people are less likely to fall and this will help prevent injury and fractures".
An extract from an article in Osteoporosis News featuring City Lit tutor, Brita Forrstrom, explaining the benefits of the Alexander Technique. For the full article, please click here.

Humanities

Anthropology
Click here for courses in Anthropology.

"The tutor was very engaging and passionate about the subject in a way that could be understood by all."

"Very instructive without being patronising."

"The course gave a very good insight into Anthropological issues, covering a great many societies and cultures"

"(The tutor) is extremely knowledgeable, well prepared and enthusiastic."

Business and economics
Click here for courses in business and economics.

"Very, very comprehensive. I am surprised by the amount of information I got."

"It was perfect to know how to run a business. We learned a little bit of all departments in a company"

"Definitely improved my understanding of business environment."

"I have learnt a lot from this course. I know nothing about business and taxes."

Communication and study skills
Click here for courses in communication and study skills

"Brilliant, It was actually fun. Yes, grammar was fun."

"Very interesting! More fun than I imagined!"

"Very well organised and attention was given equally to each student."

"Positive atmosphere, responsive to student needs."

"The teaching was excellent - very positive!"

“The tutor is inspiring.”

Creative writing
Click here for courses in creative writing.

"Stimulating without being intimidating."

"I thought it was brilliant, really relaxed and very clear. I like how (the tutor) led us into writing and then discussed what we had done afterwards so it never felt too daunting."

"Enlightening and inspirational. I went home and wrote each time the course had finished. I'm finding my discipline."

"I thought it was brilliant, fun, instructive, hopeful. helpful. Great teacher and great poet."

"Excellent teacher - full of imaginative strategies for creative writing."

English for speakers of other languages
Click here for courses in English for speakers of other languages.

"It was extraordinary. I loved the interaction between tutor and colleagues."

"I would say that the teaching was very good and I did learn so many new thing."

"The teaching was excellent., the teacher has been passionate, skilful and always ready to explain."

Film
Click here for courses in film.

"(The tutor) was confident, enthusiastic and had very good engagement with the group. (He) was very knowledgeable."

"I really liked the range of things we looked at and that film clips were used to demonstrate ideas/points. I will most certainly watch the films ae looked at that I haven't seen."

"Inspiring and humorous."

"I learned a lot about cinema, film techniques, styles, influences."

"(The tutor) had an encyclopaedic knowledge of his field and conveys it with an infectious passion along with a relaxed sense of humour."

Folklore, myth and spiritual studies
Click here for courses in folklore, myth and spiritual studies.

"Informative and easy to digest. (The tutor) has a pleasant manner and sense of humour. Responsive to questions and ideas."

"Really enjoyed it. (The tutor) was extremely knowledgeable and it was a chance to get a wider perspective on the subject."

History and politics
Click here for courses in history and politics.

"Tutor was very well versed in his subject and very enthusiastic."

"Absolutely marvellous - thoroughly prepared, detailed in content and beautifully delivered."

"The teacher was plainly in love with his subject, and we benefitted."

"Stimulating and delivered with great enthusiasm and through knowledge of the topic."

"Entertaining and challenging - full of information. Tutor delivered with energy and passion."

“I have enjoyed every course and learned a great deal from the excellent tutors. The classes have also been a great opportunity to meet other people who share my interests.”

Journalism
Click here for courses in journalism.

"Excellent - the tutor is very experienced and has a lot of practical examples to offer."

"Excellent. Very relevant, interesting and the tutor clearly very knowledgeable and interested in journalism."

"The tutor has a very friendly and professional style. It was easy to contribute."

"Excellent practical delivery and industry advice and support"

Latin America
Click here for courses about Latin America.

"Very good, tutor incredibly well informed."

"The classes were really value for money, (The tutor) shared a love of the subject which he communicated in his teaching to the class."

Literature
Click here for courses in literature.

"Teaching, as usual from (the tutor) was exceptional - informative, full of background history, statistic with a huge raft of material to support the course."

"Very knowledgeable tutor with an excellent way of putting across some (often) difficult concepts. Very well chosen poems illustrating a diverse range of emotions and poetic forms."

"Excellent, very stimulating and broad in approach."

London walks
Click here for courses in London walks.

"It was excellent, (The tutor) has so much to tell us which was very interesting."

"The guided walks were well planned and covered the designated areas in great detail."

"Absolutely brilliant - very informal and entertaining but full of information."

"An action-pack gallop through English political history, in the places events happened, with interesting fellow students."

Philosophy
Click here for courses in philosophy.

"Excellent - good debate."

"Very thought provoking (as it would be!) and flexible, giving people room to air their views and debate issues."

"Tutor allows the class to discuss its own arguments. Very good, not dogmatic."

"First rate. Comprehensive. stimulating, clear, interactive. The tutor was very patient and willing to accommodate all questions and comments."

"Wonderful. In the wrong hands I'm sure the topic would seem obscure and difficult, but (the tutor) has a real talent for explaining difficult ideas, and the balance of presentations, discussion and argument was very effective."

Science and environment
Click here for courses in science and environment.

"Excellent, considering the speculative nature of the subject."

Languages

“The class is very lively and everyone is given the opportunity to contribute. The tutor is excellent.”
Margaret, French 5: langue et culture

“The trainer is enthusiastic and knowledgeable. There is a community feel to the classes and external friendships are encouraged. Lesson plans are well thought out and inventive. City Lit at Holborn has excellent facilities in a bright accessible building. They have a full library and good online facilities too.”
Sue, Gaelic level 1

“The course helped me a lot to maintain my level of fluency in the language. Resources are impeccable.”
Carne, French: infos et discussions

“The pace was good, with just enough homework. Good knowledgeable instruction. Great friendly atmosphere.”
Anna, Latin level 2

Music

"For anyone who has a passion for music and wants to expand their musical horizons, I would certainly recommend City Lit. There is no hype with City Lit it's just excellant teaching, supportive staff,a lot of hard work and with that a great pay off. You get to live your passion and that's what music is about"
Sunita Arora Shah. Outstanding winner for London Music foundation

“Learning has enabled me to channel my creativity into music. The teachers are inspirational.”
Saiward, Saxophone level 4

"The teaching was superb. [The tutor] Karina is warm and friendly and soon put us all at ease. We were a very varied bunch, young and old, male and female, with very varied abilities and experience. Karina managed it all with ease. Her enthusiasm is so catching. Nothing is too much trouble for her, and we all felt the excitement of learning and mastering an enormous amount of music technology. I have benefitted enormously from this course, both technologically, and psychologically."
Maria, Cubase Midi Module

“The teacher ensured full participation and all of us had the opportunity to play alongside professional musicians. Plenty of progressive homework! Top quality keyboards and comfortable learning environments.”
Jack, jazz piano level 1

“It was wonderful to learn all about the authentic latin musical vocabulary, like clave, montunos and tumbao, and to actually play real latin music straight away. As a pianist with a classical background, I found it really helped to ’loosen’ me up and made me listen more. Great fun, and would recommend it highly!"
Gary, Latin piano

“This course is very enjoyable, bringing together amateur musicians from varying backgrounds with the differing levels of skills and different instruments. Its all about being flexible and working together and leaving egos behind. Tanya is a fine coach.”
Anon, chamber music ensembles

“Great course to build confidence. The teachers are commited and are very good at their job. This course has really helped my singing.”
Tom, Music foundation level 2

Progress - courses for people with learning difficulties

"My concentration has improved through keeping my diary. I let my mind think more.
George, Jazz

Psychology, counselling & personal development

“The tutor was excellent, clear explanations, sensitive and enthusiastic. I was amazed at how much I learnt about myself and how much more aware I have become of myself and others.”
Student, Counselling level 1

“The course was very motivational as the tutor was highly organised. She ensured that we had set targets for our year. City lit was very organised, clean and friendly. Facilities were easy to find and these were plenty and it has just been refurbished. There was a great mix of people.”
Sally, Life planner

“I found the course extremely relevant and useful for both work and outside of work environments. The atmosphere was very good indeed - it was something I looked forward to going to. There was a good mix of people.”
Student, Assertiveness

Speech therapy

“I am very glad that I took part in the course, and I think that I now regard my stammer in a much healthier and more positive way…I cannot recommend it strongly enough.”
Adam, Stage 1 stammering therapy

“The teaching was excellent. The information we were given was helpful and respectful to us as individuals. The content of the course was very good and self-empowering. We were asked what we would like to cover on the course which I really appreciated.”
Andrew, Stage 2 stammering therapy

“The teaching was really good, all the tutors were very approachable and knowledgeable. There were lots of opportunities for asking questions which was helpful. The course content was excellent and meeting the clients was invaluable. The course overall was so much more than I expected.”
Natasha, Speech and language therapy as a career

Teacher & management training

"I thoroughly enjoyed all the taught sessions and felt the standard of teaching was excellent - really good demonstration of modelling good practice in the classroom" Diploma in teaching student 2008-9

"Extremely positive feedback was given to me both by tutors and City Lit observers. The support provided by the course tutor especially was outstanding. I have immensely developed as a teacher and have taken on board constructive feedback" Diploma student 2008-9

"The course content was excellent, specific and highly vocational. The tutors were motivated and very committed." C&G 7303 PtLLS stuent 2008-9

“Lots of practical tips blended with underpinning theory – you are bound to find something of immediate use, plus lots of food for thought for the future. I found it really helpful.”
Claire, Management level 5

Visual arts

"Learning from well-known designer-makers means the course is tremendous value for money and very inspirational. Because it is a City and Guilds course, the content is more comprehensive than doing a series of short courses. Challenging, but fun."
Kathryn, City and Guilds Basketry, part 1

"I learnt a lot more than I imagined on this course. The teacher explained in careful detail the principles of shooting a good video, guiding us practically as we completed assignments using videos shot by ourselves on the streets on London! It was good value for money, there was so much information given in a short time, to take away and use."
Cliff, Produce and shoot your own digital video

"It was an intense two weekends but the tuition was brillant."
Melaine, Develop your drawing

Last minute availability

Film of the book

» Course details

Teaching exercise and fitness: CYQ level 2