About Us

Swarthmore Education Centre is a charity founded by the Yorkshire Quakers in 1909 and originally funded by them. It started life as a learning centre for those who wanted to make the world a better place, but in the decades that have followed it has seen many changes. It has been a centre for internationalism through languages, a refuge for the victims of Nazism, a vibrant Arts centre, a second start for mature learners and increasingly a learning centre for priority groups and individuals. In spite of all the changes Swarthmore still aims now, as it has always done, to inspire lives through friendly learning.

We provide a wide range of programmes, both fully funded and self -funded and accredited and non- accredited, on a variety of courses which run during the day, in the evenings and at weekends. Subjects vary from Arts to Languages, from Counselling to Computing or from Personal Development to Yoga.

 We run the Swarthmore Study programme, a fulltime course for just over 60 young people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities This offers a wide range of opportunities to suit the needs of individual students, with a focus on general education. A broad range of learning opportunities is utilised to improve English, Maths and IT skills with the aim of preparing students for employment or further training.

We have been judged by Ofsted as a Grade 2 ‘Good’ provider for our EFA funded courses. Our Adult Education provision is sub-contracted and this forms part of a wider Ofsted inspection through different lead providers.

We rent out rooms to an international summer language school and to community groups.

We provide a warm and friendly environment, with a crèche for students attending daytime courses and a café, also open to the public, at the heart of our Grade 2 listed building which is in a historic conservation area.

Contact Us
Swarthmore Education Centre
2-7 Woodhouse Square
Leeds
West Yorkshire
LS3 1AD