BRIT Community

The BRIT Reach Festival

About

The BRIT Reach Festival is an annual community festival run by The BRIT School which engages up to 30 local community partners in a range of collaborative arts experiences, including workshops, interactive performances, flashmobs, exhibitions, concerts and much more. The project culminates in a festival day at The BRIT School, where a range of community groups come together to share the creative work they have developed with our staff and students, as well as take part in more creative activities.

Mission

The mission of the BRIT Reach Festival is to provide all BRIT students with a participatory community arts experience to incorporate into their growing creative practices, whilst forging meaningful bonds in our local community and using the arts to build connections across different generations and life experiences.

Ethos

The BRIT Reach Festival is about diversity, inclusion and community collaboration. We work with a range of community groups, including; nurseries, primary schools, secondary schools, Pupil Referral Units, SEN Schools, care homes, people living with Dementia, people living with Parkinson’s Disease and day centres for adults with learning disabilities.

Organisations we have worked with are:

Dance for Parkinson’s
St John’s Care Home
Whitehorse Community Hub
Leonard Cheshire Home
The Link School
Selhurst Children’s Centre
Archbishop Lanfranc Secondary School
The Crescent Primary School

Participants say:

“I learnt that it's possible to be taught and perform a new dance with confidence, even with my condition. It's the kind of experience I'd never have had if I didn't have Parkinson's - and in a strange way that's what made it special.”
Participant from Dance for Parkinson’s

“I learned about dancing, singing and projection and lots about nature, animals and even about growing trees to save the wildlife. We turned our knowledge into a dance.”
Primary School Student

“It felt very inclusive [...] Wouldn't miss an experience like this for the world.”
Secondary School Student

Staff from partnering organisations say:

“An incredibly uplifting and positive experience for our clients. A rare opportunity to get to work across generations with skilled and talented students, to be challenged and cared for in equal measure and gain new skills in performance and choreography.”
Staff member at Residential Care Home.

“This is the third year we have been a part of the festival and each year it feels really special. All creativity is celebrated and the atmosphere is one of collaboration and celebration; not judgement and competition.”
Secondary School Teacher

Get involved with BRIT Reach

The BRIT Reach Festival is growing every year and we are frequently creating new projects which sit within the festival. Below you can find some of the projects we currently have on offer.

Performing Arts Workshops

Our Performing Arts strands engage partners in weekly workshops, culminating in a festival day at The BRIT School, where all groups share their work and take part in creative activities. Taking place over five weeks, this project is the longest-term one of all BRIT Reach projects and is open to a range of different community organisations, as outlined above. You can find out more about this project in the FAQs at the bottom of this page.

Creative Arts Workshops

Our Creative Arts strands, such as Digital Arts and Production Arts, offer one-off workshops and longer-term projects as part of the festival. These workshops will often take place at The BRIT School, giving your students/clients access to our facilities, and are aimed at primary and secondary school students.

National Curriculum Workshops

Our National Curriculum teachers and students run four weekly workshops in English, Maths, Science and History with an emphasis on how to use creativity across a range of school subjects. These workshops are run at The BRIT School and are aimed at Year 5-6 primary school students.

BRIT Kids Workshops

BRIT Kids offer FREE Saturday dance workshops for 10 lucky students from one local primary school as part of each year's BRIT Reach Festival. These students are then invited to perform alongside BRIT Kids street dance company 'Onyx' on the festival day.

Little People's Day

Local nurseries and primary schools are invited to bring their Reception and/or Year 1 students to Little People's Day, our annual one-day event created by Year 10 students and staff, bringing a range of creative activities for the young child to engage with.

The festival is now in its fourth year and we are keen to collaborate with new partners in our local area. If you are interested, please read through the ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ section for more details, then sign up by emailing an expression of interest to lrobirosa@brit.croydon.sch.uk

Frequently Asked Questions: Performing Arts Workshops

When does the festival take place?

The festival takes place during June and July each year. The workshops take place on Tuesdays, starting at the beginning of June and the festival usually takes place on the second Friday of July.

How long are the workshops and where do they take place?

The workshops run for 1-1.5 hours and are usually run at your organisation in a large studio/hall space.

How many students/clients can be involved in the project?

For school groups, we can accommodate 15-30 students for the project. The same students must take part throughout the project. For other community groups, we ask for a minimum of 8 participants.

Who runs the workshops?

Workshops will be run by a member of BRIT Staff and assisted by 10-15 BRIT students from performing arts courses. At least one member of staff from your organisation must be present throughout the workshop sessions and on the festival day.

Who is the BRIT Reach Festival aimed at?

We encourage a selection of participants who may have less access to the arts outside of their school studies and/or day-to-day life to take part in this project.

When is the best time to get in touch about taking part in this year’s BRIT Reach Festival?

Invitations for the BRIT Reach Festival are sent in January / February and places are allocated on a first come first served basis, so it’s best to get in touch in January at the latest. However, we love to hear from new organisations year-round so never hesitate to get in touch.

Can parents/carers come and watch the BRIT Reach Festival?

No, this project is only open to invited schools and organisations, not individuals. The festival day is not a public event and only invited community members can attend.

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