The BRIT School, a free performing and creative arts school in South London that has spawned the likes of Adele, Amy Winehouse, Tom Holland, Jessie J and Raye, has earned an outstanding rating from the government agency Ofsted. This comes at a time when the school is in urgent need of funding to continue to provide world class training to the U.K.’s young creatives.
After a November inspection, the BRIT School was determined to be “outstanding” in all five categories, including quality of education, behavior and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management and sixth-form provision. “Pupils love to learn here,” Ofsted said in a statement. “From the moment they begin at BRIT, pupils respond positively to the school’s very high academic and behavioral expectations. The school helps pupils to learn together and to develop leadership skills. These qualities are role modeled by students in the sixth form, who exhibit responsibility, teamwork and empathy. This creates a school culture that simulates a professional workplace. Within this safe space, pupils know that they can be themselves, and that they are free from prejudice.”
The school, which is an exempt charity established by the British Record Industry Trust, trains 1,500 students from the ages of 14 to 19 in the creative industries. Since its opening in 1991, alumni of the school have secured 22 BRIT Awards, 21 Grammys, two BAFTA Awards and two Oscars.
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“Over the last five years, the BRIT School has improved in all subject areas including our results in national curriculum subjects. But our commitment to the arts has always been our guiding light,” principal Stuart Worden said. “Studying a creative arts discipline is hard work. It is hard to be a choreographer, to write an original play, to be a multi-instrumentalist or to work as a lighting designer on stadium gigs. These are not soft subjects and creativity is crucial to the future of our society and also, significantly to our economy. At this time of year with the BAFTAs and our U.K. music industry’s award night — The BRITs — on the horizon, I am proud that our School in Selhurst has contributed in some way to the rich cultural landscape.”
Added Josh Berger CBE, chair of trustees of the BRIT School: “This school matters nationally — and globally — and that’s one reason I am thrilled by Ofsted’s endorsement and, in particular, its highlighting of the education BRIT students receive making them ‘work-ready.’”
According to a 2021 survey collected by the BRIT School, 60% of its alumni went on to work in the creative industries. The school also prides itself on diversity, with 40% of its students of Black, Asian, Indigenous or Latin American descent. Students from low-income households account for 47% of the school’s population, making it even more pressing that attendance remains free as the cost-of-living crisis continues. Though it receives government funding, the school has a £3.2 million annual shortfall in order to set its students up for success in the professional arts and put on high quality productions.
In a statement, alumna and Grammy nominee Jessie J highlighted the impact the BRIT School has had on her life and career. “The Ofsted report shouldn’t surprise anyone who has stepped foot into The BRIT School. As soon as you enter you feel the attention to detail, the dedication and the energy that’s poured into the students and the school,” she said. “That’s love. Let’s keep raising money for this wonderful school and its incredible students and teachers. It’s magical.”