Brit School Sixth Form 2024

[Fraidycat2023]

Hello everyone,

I just thought I'd start a thread for everyone whose kids have applied to the Brit school for sixth form entry in 2024. Hope you are all doing well.

Just wondering whether anyone has heard about the January auditions yet? DD is applying for the music strand and getting anxious.

Thanks so much and best of luck to all!

Also, if your child attended the Brit School what are they doing now? What did they go to do after? Career and workwise

It’s incredibly competitive. Try at year 10 and year 12. What strand is the talent . It’s really hard to get into. Are you in catchment ? My D failed at yr 12 and then retried and got in a year later.

They can only apply for 1 strand. My daughter got in this year for MT yr 12, I don't know how many people applied but the take only 75 kids. My younger one want to apply for yr10 MT which I think they only take 25 kids (not sure though) You can visit open evening then you will see if it the right one for your DD. Good luck. BTW my daughter is really enjoying it there. 😊

Definitely look into all the courses before you apply you can only try for one strand and competition is high. Good luck!

Thanks. The strand will be theatre. What is the audition like? What sort of thing they need to be doing now.? They are doing screen acting; should they move to theatre instead? What about dance and singing? Is that only for musical theatre? That seems to be the most popular strand

Hi @Orquid My DS is in Theatre and is absolutely loving it so far.

One strand only to apply for.

You have to write essay-ish length answers to about three questions. Then if you get an audition you have two monologues. You can choose them or they offer some suggestions.

DS wasn't doing drama outside of school plays and drama GCSE and going to the theatre with us. He didn't get support with the essays or auditions from his school (they were excited for him but there wasn't resource for is) but I know he wouldn't have got in if I hadn't worked with him on his monologue and fed back on his essays. I've worked in theatre for a long time so have experience and could get him to think about his acting, warm ups, and working through thinking about the motives and drive of the characters.

The best thing you can be doing now though is going to the theatre. It's amazing when you go to a straight play nowadays how few teenagers there are.
Lots of kids at musicals of course - and DS was and is very keen on them. He begged to go to the theatre from young and really got the bug. Eventually I said, right, we are going to some straight plays. I took him to "the Best of Enemies' at the west end with David Harewood in. Totally blew his mind! So we've seen lots of straight plays over the last 18 months ('the Motive and the Cue' is stunning, 'Dear England' is supposed to be brilliant too...) Honestly though, almost all of the time you could count the amount of GCSE age kids in the audience - usually maybe one or two others in an audience of a thousand.

Take them to the theatre! (The Best of Enemies was West End and we only paid £30-ish for the tickets, the National is cheaper than most West End, so it needn't be ££)

Thank you. This is super helpful advice.

I will start taking them to theatre.

Wondering if we should change the screen acting classes for theatre instead?

Also, perhaps they need to choose GCSE drama at school. They have not participated in any production so far.

We won’t be able to help much with the essays or monologues. We don’t know anyone in the performing arts world.

Yes to GCSE drama if hoping to do Theatre. They really need to be desperate to do this as a career. It's a very full on course and only for the most engaged and in love with the Theatre, and I mean love.

You absolutely don't need a theatre background to help with essays or monologues though. Just time, to read around the subject, think about the people, help to learn the text, and a bit of youtubing to help some warm ups. There are loads of online resources. I found it really rewarding to spend time with DS and we had some fun.

The essay questions ask about inspiring theatre or actors they have seen. They are looking for a love of performance.

DS started Brit Theatre in Y10 and reapplied for 6th form. He had only done school productions and joined a local youth theatre but had never done any Saturday drama schools, stagecoach or anything like that. He asked for a bit of help when he applied for Y10 from his school drama teacher - but all she did was to give him a couple of tips with his monologue. The rest was on him.

Answer the questions about theatre (long paragraphs were enough for DS) then a workshop and a monologue/audition. The school can tell ho has been coached and who is trying without guidance and can feel enthusiasm - DS and little input from us.

I would agree whole heartedly with PP who advised taking your child to the theatre - we do cheap tickets all the time - once you start going you get on the mailing lists for cheap tickets and it doesnt have to cost a fortune - saw Guys & Dolls for £10 the other week, Slave Play and Death of England for less than £10 each. He really got the theatre bug from a young age - he mostly likes straight plays but will go and see anything he is offered.

However, Brit is a hard competitive place and he has not enjoyed all his time there and can't wait to finish 6th form and for it to be over. DS is as talented as most of them (there are a few standout people who I am sure I will see on Graham Norton/winning Oliviers/Oscars/Baftas one day because they are amazing). But there are a lot of wealthy connected families who stick together and are the 'populars' who are equally talented as DS. Their parents make sizeable donations to the school and for some reason they never seem to get the smaller parts. Non-rich/connected kids do get good roles, but rich/connected kids never get shit roles which leaves a bad taste as the kids without connections need the help more.

SO basically - it is a great school if you are tough enough for it and your face fits. I have friends who's children left Brit for other schools at end of Y11 because they preferred the atmosphere elsewhere. Brit does open doors but it is not the happy all singing and dancing place they would have you believe.

DS wants to do it as a career and has his eye on drama schools - UCAS forms currently in progress - but he is being picky about where he applies and wants something with a very different atmosphere to Brit.

Thank you. I am so glad I posted on this thread. I am ant to support DC as much as possible, so they can give them the best go; but I know it is a very competitive world.

What other performing colleges are good for Sixth form in London. We are South East.

If you are interested in Theatre then look at Applied Theatre too just as an option. Not all courses take 75 some only 50 so you definitely have to stand out in your field.

Thank you. Will ask DC to check all the strands to make sure. It seems extremely competitive so thanks need to be serious about it.

I didn’t even think to start taking them to the theatre; that’s how clueless I am.

They told me last week they didn’t want to continue in current school for Sixth Form and want to attend a performing arts school that’s when I started to look more seriously into it.

There are other performing arts colleges around London

London College of Performing Arts
LMA
Arts & Media College in Islington
Bodens

there are others too

I would also recommend Applied Theatre as it is not as oversubscribed as Theatre

Thank you. We will need to apply for all.

Will look at applied theatre.

My DC made a last minute application for sixth form MT strand last week. I have to confess that I’m not very well informed about the process…. Does every applicant get invited to audition/ interview? Or is it only selected candidates based on their applications? And if they are selected is it just one round of auditions? When do they usually happen for MT and when do you know the outcome? Also - how many are in a year? Sorry for all the questions…..I’d be very grateful if anyone could help!

Every applicant does not get invited to audition. There are thousands of applications and limited places. There is one day of auditions. My son was invited to interview last December 2023 and found out he was successful on musical theatre around March 2024

They said not all applicants got invited for the audition which happended towards the end of Dec/beginning of January, we received email invited for audition within a week after the dateline. The result came out in March. MT takes 75 students each year. On the day of the audition, there will be singing, acting, dancing and interview. My daughter got offered the place and having a great time there. Good luck.

Good luck @Mumster40

Quick question to all those with DCs at Brit. Do you know if the timetable changes from term to term?

For any parents helping their kids this year. The absolute best thing you can do is take your kids to the theatre/musicals/art galleries (delete as appropriate to strand.

They have to demonstrate critical thinking and their views about their subject as well as the auditions. If you child want's to do theatre please take them to a few proper grown up plays if at all possible. There is nothing like it. They need to have the bug. TV and film doens't cut it. Live performance is what it's all about. Seeing the current best actors do their thing up close is gold. We saw Johnny Flynn and David Harewood in plays before DS applied, he will never forget that.

Good luck

I think it depends on year group and course.

In Y10 & Y11 - Theatre they stayed the same

Y12 & Y13 - Again theatre, it has changed depending on portfolio, productions and voluntary and other commitments, He officially has Friday off, but rarely actually does as he is rehearsing, planning or there are other events like guest speakers. He did go in at 1 on a Monday but now it is 9 etc

My DS has been invited for an interview in December. Just wondered if anyone knows how many students get invited for interview and how many places are ultimately available. This is for the MT strand sixth form. Many thanks.

Good luck for your DS, we never know how many kids got invited for interview/audition. They take 75 students each year for MT. My daughter will help out on the audition days. She loves going to Brit school even an hour journey never bothered her.

Has anyone's DC who auditioned for sixth form musical theatre in December been offered a taster day? I didn't think there was a second round audition? The email says, The second round is designed to give applicants a taste of a typical musical theatre strand day, and for the staff to further assess your suitability for the course.
Was this the same as last year? Is this offered to everyone? Any advice would be appreciated as we weren't told there was another round for MT.