The BRIT: The school behind Adele turns 30
With the new academic year upon us, Croydon’s The BRIT School celebrates 30 years of churning out some of the world’s top talent and pumping millions into the UK economy.
Boasting alumni like Amy Winehouse, Tom Holland and Adele to name but a few, the iconic school has produced some of the best British talent.
According to its own data, BRIT alumni have sold over 250m albums and streamed equivalents since its formation.
It also has 50 former pupils currently performing in London’s West End, bolstering the capital’s tourist appeal.
Founded in 1991, BRIT was loosely inspired by the musical Fame, forming a rough blueprint for what a performing arts hub in the City could look like.
Speaking to CityAM, chair of the BRIT Trust Tony Wadsworth said that the Selhurst-based school has “consistently punched above its weight” in terms of producing not just world-renowned artists and actors, but creators that operate behind the mics and cameras.
The triumph of BRIT is great news not only for London, but for the creative sector at large; an industry that is growing at twice the rate of the wider economy and now worth £111.7bn.
Unlike the UK’s top independent schools, the immediate BRIT neighbourhood crucially sits in one of the 20 per cent most deprived areas in the country, with over half of the students coming from a BAME background.
Although it relies heavily on external sponsorship from the BRIT Trust and members of the British Phonographic Industry, the school is largely sustained by government grants like any other state school.
On why it has been such a success, BRIT headteacher Stuart Worden, who has headed up the school for 28 years, told CityAM: “We believe that young people are amazing. We also believe and know that the arts are important to the economy of this country.
When you combine these two beliefs and work hard – success will follow. We are very proud of the powerful impact we have made on the UK economy and the UK status in the arts world. Long may this continue.”