BRIT School

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BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology
Britoutside.jpg
Established 1990
Type City Technology College
Principal Stuart Worden
Location The Crescent
Croydon
CR0 2HN
England, United Kingdom
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Local authority Croydon
DfE URN 101849 Tables
Ofsted Reports
Students 1200
Gender Mixed
Ages 14–19
Website www.brit.croydon.sch.uk

The BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology is a British performing arts and technology school located in Selhurst, Croydon, in London Borough of Croydon, England, with a mandate to provide education and vocational training for the performing arts, media, art and design and the technologies that make performance possible. Selective in its intake, the school is notable for its numerous famous alumni including Adele, Tara McDonald, Leo the Lion, Stefan Abingdon, Katy B, the Feeling, Imogen Heap, Jessie J, Cush Jumbo, Rizzle Kicks, the Kooks, King Krule, Leona Lewis, Ashley Madekwe, Katie Melua, Kate Nash, Shingai Shoniwa, Amy Winehouse, Ella Eyre and Rainy Milo.

Established in 1991 under the CTC programme, the school is funded by the British Government with support from the British Record Industry Trust and maintains an independent school status from the local education authority. The school is remarkable as being one of only two performing arts and technology schools in the country that are free to attend, the other being Birmingham Ormiston Academy (BOA) in Birmingham city centre.

History

Mark Featherstone-Witty had been inspired by Alan Parker's 1980s film Fame to create a secondary school specialising in the performing arts. By the time he started trying to raise money through the School for Performing Arts Trust (SPA), he had refined a novel integrated curriculum. He approached Sir Richard Branson to be the project champion who agreed, on the condition that other record companies chipped in. As it happened, the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) were concerned with home taping and realised they had no political influence to bring the necessary pressure to bear. The then Conservative government needed to give impetus to their flagging City Technology College scheme.

Over 20 years, the BRIT School has been the beneficiary of more than £7 million from the British record industry, with a substantial annual contribution from the proceeds of the Brit Awards, administered via the record industry’s charity, the BRIT Trust.[1]

The school's former principal Sir Nick Williams was knighted in the New Years Honours List 2013 from services to education.

Mandate

Beatles Gig (Music)

The school was founded in 1991 under the auspices of the City Technology Colleges (CTC) initiative with sponsorship from the British Record Industry Trust (BRIT). Each year the BRIT Awards Music Ceremony raises money, some of which is used to help the continuing sponsorship of the school along with other music charities.[1]

The school recognises that most of its students intend to make a career in the arts, entertainment and communications industries, but the school expects all to follow full-time courses to completion. It has two professional theatres, the Obie Theatre, which can seat audiences of up to 324 and standing audiences up to 500; and the BRIT Theatre, which opened in January 2012 and seats audiences of up to 280. There are also various dance studios, musical theatre studios, and TV and radio studios.

Entry

Entry to any of the school's courses is initially by application. If applicants meet the initial entry criteria, they may then be invited to interview or audition in their chosen focus (either Broadcast and Digital Communication (BDC), Community Arts Practice (CAP), Dance, Interactive Media, Music, Musical Theatre, Technical Theatre, Theatre and Visual Arts & Design, for sixth-form entry students), plus a meeting with relevant tutors. Entry to the Music course also includes some aural and music theory tests, with entry to the Dance, Theatre and Musical Theatre courses including audition rounds.[2]

Dance Vision (Dance)
File:Steerthestartsdancers.jpg
Steer The Stars (Musical Theatre)

Growth

The school expanded in 2012, acquiring part of the former Selhurst High School building next door. Three new courses, Creative Design Technology, Interactive Media and Community Arts Practise are to be introduced to coincide with this.

Television appearances

  • GMTV did a one-week focus on the BRIT School, which was shown in the mornings for a week.
  • Alan Carr's talk show, Alan Carr: Chatty Man. spoke about the BRIT School on the episode that aired 13 December 2010.
  • An episode of Celebrity Masterchef was filmed at the BRIT School in spring 2011, which included the final four candidates serving lunch.
  • A documentary was filmed and shown on the CBBC channel.

Notable alumni

For full list, see Category:People educated at the BRIT School

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References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 The BRIT School Celebrates Twenty Years of Success, 22 September 2011 BPI. Retrieved 5 February 2012
  2. ↑ http://www.brit.croydon.sch.uk/school/documents/2007-08prospectus/General%20Info.pdf General information[dead link]

External links

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