BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology is a British performing and creative arts school located in

Selhurst Selhurst is an area in the London Borough of Croydon, England, south-east of Charing Cross. Historically in Surrey, the area is bounded to the west and south by Thornton Heath and Croydon and to the east and south by South Norwood and Woo ...

, Croydon, England, with a mandate to provide education and vocational training for the performing arts, music, music technology, theatre, musical theatre, dance, applied theatre, production arts, creative arts, film and media production, digital arts, visual arts and design. Selective in its intake but free to attend, the school is notable for its celebrity alumni. Opened on 22 October 1991 under the CTC programme, the school is funded by the British Government with support from the British Record Industry Trust (BRIT) and other charity partners and donations and maintains an

independent school A private school or independent school is a school not administered or funded by the government, unlike a State school, public school. Private schools are schools that are not dependent upon national or local government to finance their fina ...

status from the

local education authority Local education authorities (LEAs) were defined in England and Wales as the local councils responsible for education within their jurisdictions. The term was introduced by the Education Act 1902, which transferred education powers from school bo ...

History

Mark Featherstone-Witty had been inspired by

Alan Parker Sir Alan William Parker (14 February 1944 – 31 July 2020) was an English film director, screenwriter and producer. His early career, beginning in his late teens, was spent as a copywriter and director of television advertisements. After abo ...

'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 Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson (born 18 July 1950) is an English business magnate who co-founded the Virgin Group in 1970, and controlled 5 companies remaining of once more than 400. Branson expressed his desire to become an entrepreneu ...

to be the project champion who agreed, on the condition that other record companies chipped in. As it happened, the

British Phonographic Industry BPI (British Recorded Music Industry) Limited, trading as British Phonographic Industry (BPI), is the British recorded music industry's trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards; is home to the Mercury Prize; co-owns the Official Charts C ...

(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. For over 30 years, the BRIT School has been the beneficiary of funding 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.The BRIT School Celebrates Twenty Years of Success, 22 September 2011
BPI. Retrieved 5 February 2012 In 2012, the school expanded acquiring part of the former Selhurst High School building next door. Three new courses, Production Arts, Interactive Digital Design (now known as Digital Arts) and Community Arts Practise (now Applied Theatre) were introduced to coincide with this. There are currently 1400 plus Students on roll. The school's former principal Sir Nick Williams was knighted in the New Years Honours List 2013 for services to education. The school celebrated its 30th birthday in 2022 and was awarded a PRS Music heritage award for shaping UK Art and culture for 30 years.

Educational focus

The school was founded in 1991 under the auspices of the

City Technology College In England, a City Technology College (CTC) is an urban all-ability specialist schoolWalter (2007), p. 6 for students aged 11 to 18 specialising in science, technology and mathematics. They charge no fees and are independent of local authority ...

s (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. 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.

YouTube Music YouTube Music is a music streaming service developed by the American video platform YouTube, a subsidiary of Google. The service is designed with an interface that allows users to simultaneously explore music audios and music videos from YouTu ...

funded a new Television Studio that opened in 2019 for Film & Media Production students. This was in response to the student-run show "The BRIT Live" which airs on the BRIT School's YouTube channel, giving the students their own studio and control room to broadcast from.

Entry requirements

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 workshop in their chosen focus (strand) (either film and media production (FMP), Applied Theatre,

dance Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

, digital arts,

music Music is the arrangement of sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm, or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Music is generally agreed to be a cultural universal that is present in all hum ...

music technology Music technology is the study or the use of any device, mechanism, machine or tool by a musician or composer to make or perform music; to musical composition, compose, music notation, notate, playback or record songs or pieces; or to Music infor ...

musical theatre Musical theatre is a form of theatre, theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, ...

, production arts,

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a Stage (theatre), stage. The performe ...

, or visual arts & design), for sixth-form entry students, plus a meeting with relevant tutors. Entry to the music course also includes aural and music theory tests and an audition, with entry to the dance, theatre, visual art & design, and musical theatre courses also including audition rounds. The school is known for being selective in its admissions and though it has a large catchment area, students outside this area are only granted a place if they show unusual merit. A 2011

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...

article discussed whether students who are accepted by the school get an unfair advantage in creative arts industries over those who did not.

Curriculum

The school teaches the following course:

Notable alumni

* Ace and Vis (TV/radio presenters) *

Adele Adele Laurie Blue Adkins (; born 5 May 1988) is an English singer-songwriter. Regarded as a British cultural icon, icon, she is known for her mezzo-soprano vocals and sentimental songwriting. List of awards and nominations received by Adele, ...

(singer-songwriter) *

Amy Winehouse Amy Jade Winehouse (14 September 1983 – 23 July 2011) was an English singer, songwriter, musician, and businesswoman. With over 30 million records sold worldwide, she was known for her deep, expressive contralto vocals and her eclectic mix ...

(singer-songwriter) * Ashley Madekwe (actor) * Archie Madekwe (actor) * Bashy (rapper/actor) * Billie Black (singer) *

Black Midi Black Midi (stylised as black midi) were an English Band (rock and pop), rock band from London, formed in 2017. Their most recent line-up consisted of lead vocalists and multi-instrumentalists Geordie Greep and Cameron Picton, along with drumme ...

(band) * Blake Harrison (actor) * Breakage (musician) * Cat Burns (singer) * Cash Carraway (screenwriter/showrunner) * Cat Sandion (presenter) * Charlene Soraia (singer) * Cormac Hyde-Corrin (actor, filmmaker) * Cush Jumbo (actor) * Dan Gillespie Sells of the band

The Feeling The Feeling are an English rock/ pop band from Horsham, Sussex. Following a limited release of their first single " Fill My Little World" in late 2005, the band entered the UK Singles Chart at #7 with their first full release " Sewn" in Fe ...

Dane Bowers Dane Bowers is an English singer, songwriter, producer and DJ. He is a part of Contemporary R&B, R&B boy band Another Level (group), Another Level. Bowers has also had solo success. He has made TV appearances on ''Celebrity Big Brother (British ...

(singer-songwriter and former member of Another Level) * Deelee Dubé (jazz vocalist, songwriter, and poet) * Ella Eyre (singer-songwriter) * Eman Kellam (presenter) * Emily Head (actor) *

FKA Twigs Tahliah Debrett Barnett (born 16 January 1988), known professionally as FKA Twigs (stylized as FKA twigs), is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, and dancer. She was a backup dancer for numerous musicians, and made her musica ...

(singer-songwriter and dancer) * Freya Ridings (singer) * Gemma Cairney (radio presenter) * Geordie Greep (musician) * Harrison Osterfield (actor and model) *

Imogen Heap Imogen Jennifer Jane Heap ( ; born 9 December 1977) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and entrepreneur. She is considered a pioneer in pop music, particularly electropop, and in music technology. While attending the ...

(singer) *

Jade Bird Jade Elizabeth Bird (born 1 October 1997) is an English singer, songwriter and musician. Bird's music has been influenced by many folk and Americana artists. The media, when describing Bird's music, have drawn comparisons with pop, American ...

(singer) * Jamie Isaac (singer-songwriter) * Jamie Woon (singer) * Jessica Morgan (singer) *

Jessie J Jessica Ellen Cornish (born 27 March 1988), known professionally as Jessie J, is an English singer and songwriter. Born and raised in London, she began her career on stage, aged 11, with a role in the West End musical '' Whistle Down the Wind ...

(singer-songwriter) *

Joel Pott Joel Laslett Pott (born 20 January 1979 in Spilsby, Lincolnshire, England) is an English musician. He was the lead vocalist and guitarist of the indie band Athlete between 2000 and their split in 2013. In recent years he has served as a son ...

(singer/frontman of

Athlete An athlete is most commonly a person who competes in one or more sports involving physical strength, speed, power, or endurance. Sometimes, the word "athlete" is used to refer specifically to sport of athletics competitors, i.e. including track ...

) * Joivan Wade (actor) * Jvck James (singer-songwriter) * Kae Tempest (spoken word performer, poet, recording artist, novelist and playwright) *

Kate Nash Kate Marie Nash (born 6 July 1987) is an English musician and actress from North Harrow. Her singles "Foundations (song), Foundations" (2007) and "Do-Wah-Doo" (2010) charted at numbers 2 and 15 on the UK singles chart and her albums ''Made of Bri ...

(singer-songwriter) *

Katie Melua Ketevan Katie Melua (; ka, ქეთევან "ქეთი" მელუა, ; born 16 September 1984) is a British singer and songwriter. She was born in Kutaisi, Georgia and raised in Belfast and London. Under the management of composer ...

(singer-songwriter) * Katy B (singer-songwriter) * Kellie Shirley (actor) *

King Krule Archy Ivan Marshall (born 24 August 1994), also known by his stage name King Krule, among other names, is an English singer, songwriter, musician, rapper and record producer. He began recording music in 2010 under the moniker Zoo Kid. The foll ...

(singer) * Laura Angela Collins (poet, producer, author) * Laura Dockrill (poet, author and illustrator) *

Leona Lewis Leona Louise Lewis (born 3 April 1985) is a British singer, songwriter, actress, model, and activist. Born and raised in Islington, Inner London, she later attended the BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology in Croydon. Lewis achieve ...

(singer-songwriter) * Lola Young (singer-songwriter) * Benjamin Coyle-Larner (rapper, under the stage name Loyle Carner) * Luke Pritchard (singer) * Lynden David Hall (singer) *

Marsha Ambrosius Marsha Ambrosius-Billups, born Marsha Angelique Ambrosius (born 8 August 1977) is an English singer and songwriter. She began her music career in the early 2000s with Floetry, achieving both critical acclaim and commercial success. Following the ...

(singer-songwriter and member of

Floetry Floetry were an English contemporary R&B, R&B duo comprising Marsha Ambrosius ("the Songstress") and The Floacist, Natalie Stewart ("the Floacist"). The group recorded two studio albums, one live album, and sold over 1,500,000 records worldwid ...

) * Maya Delilah (singer-songwriter and guitarist) * Nancy Sullivan (actress) * Natalie Stewart (singer and member of

) *

Nathan Stewart-Jarrett Nathan Lloyd Stewart-Jarrett (born December 4 1985) is a British actor. He starred as Curtis Donovan in the E4 series '' Misfits'' (2009–2012) and Ian in the Channel 4 series ''Utopia'' (2013–2014). He is also known for his theatre work, ...

(actor) *

Octavian Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in ...

(rapper) * Olivia Dean (singer) * Percelle Ascott (actor) *

Polly Scattergood Polly Scattergood (born 18 October 1986) is an English singer and songwriter. She has been described as wikt:ethereal, ethereal, dark, intense and quirky, while her musical style has been described as "early 21st century electropop, electro-dan ...

(singer) * Rachel Chinouriri (singer) *

Raye Rachel Agatha Keen (born 24 October 1997), known professionally as Raye ( ), is a British singer-songwriter. She first rose to prominence after signing with Polydor Records and subsequently releasing Dance music, dance singles and extended pla ...

(singer-songwriter) *

Rex Orange County Alexander James O'Connor (born 4 May 1998), known professionally as Rex Orange County, is a British singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Grayshott, England. '' NPR Music''s Zoë Jones has described O'Connor's music as "a bright b ...

(singer-songwriter/producer) *

Rhianne Barreto Rhianne Gabrielle H. Barreto (born ) is a British actress. Her work includes the film ''Share (2019 film), Share'' (2019), the ITV (TV channel), ITV drama ''Honour (TV series), Honour'' (2020), and as Rani Rekowski in the BBC One and Amazon Prim ...

(actress) * Richard Jones of the band

* Rickie Haywood Williams (presenter, Kiss FM) *

Rizzle Kicks Rizzle Kicks are a British hip-hop duo from Brighton, England, consisting of Jordan "Rizzle" Stephens (born 25 January 1992) and Harley "Sylvester" Alexander-Sule (born 1991). Their debut album, '' Stereo Typical'', was released in 2011. As o ...

(hip hop duo) * Robert Emms (actor) * Róisín Mullins, (dancer and presenter) * Shawn Emanuel (singer) * Shelby Logan Warne (singer and multi-instrumentalist) * Shingai Shoniwa of the band

Noisettes Noisettes are an English indie rock band from London, currently composed of singer and bassist Shingai Shoniwa and guitarist Dan Smith. The band first achieved commercial success and nationwide recognition with the second single of their seco ...

(singer) * Stuart Matthew Price (singer) * Tania Foster (singer) * Talia Mar (singer and Internet personality) * Tara McDonald (singer) *

Tom Holland Thomas Stanley Holland (born 1 June 1996) is an English actor. The recipient of numerous accolades, including a BAFTA Award, he featured on the ''Forbes'' 30 Under 30 Europe list of 2019. Some publications have called him one of the most ...

(actor) * Twist and Pulse (performers) * Will Bayley (Paralympian)

References

External links

Official website

The BRIT Trust
{{authority control City technology colleges in England Educational institutions established in 1991 Secondary schools in the London Borough of Croydon Educational charities based in the United Kingdom Schools of the performing arts in the United Kingdom Dance schools in the United Kingdom Science and technology in London 1991 establishments in England