Brit School North plans confirmed by DfE

A new Brit School North is to open in Bradford, serving as a specialist college to 16- to 19-year-olds across West Yorkshire and the North.

Aiming to make the creative industries more accessible for young people from all backgrounds, the school’s plans in the north of England have been approved officially by the Department for Education (DfE). 

With a curriculum offering performance and skills-based subjects across music, theatre, musical theatre, dance, film and TV, interactive digital design and production arts, the school will open in 2026 or 2027; the final site in Bradford is yet to be confirmed. 

The new college will be inspired by the model of Croydon’s Brit school, which is free to attend and as alumni including Kate Nash, Adele and Jessie J. 

Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, said the school was a ‘fantastic win’ for the North. 

Jo Twist, chief executive of BPI said: ‘We are delighted with this decision and it is a positive signal that the government recognises the critical importance of creative and specialist creative arts education.’

‘This school will not only focus on producing our next generation of performers but, crucially, train young people with the important technical qualities needed for our industries to thrive and provide them with opportunities that they otherwise might not be able to access.’

The school has been created by the British Phonographic Industry, which is a representative body for record labels.