Scholarships

The wide-ranging benefits of chess are well established. We have a popular and vibrant chess programme at Brentwood School all students can be part of.

Key aims:

• Compete online and across the board in a range of team and individual competitions to help our
  players and teams thrive and have fun on the county, national and international stage.
• Encourage as many students as possible to take part in different aspects of our chess programme. This promotes relevant areas of the Brentwood Learner Profile, such as Resilience, Reflection and Communication.
• Support the development of junior chess in Brentwood, Essex and beyond.

Brentwood School is one of the UK’s leading chess schools in terms of the number of players, national success and the ambition of our chess programme. Our success at national level and work supporting and developing junior chess in Essex over a number of years was recognised with a British Chess Educational Trust award in 2025.

Brentwood School organise and host a variety of chess tournaments and events. In 2025/2026 these included one-day tournaments for adults and juniors, school competitions on behalf of the English Chess Federation and a She Plays To Win afternoon for girls. We have a number of chess clubs and separate coaching sessions – led by our Director of Chess, International Master Richard Pert, and Brentwood’s Head of Chess Robin Slade – open to all students, irrespective of age and playing level.

All those interested in applying for a Chess Scholarship will be required to complete the Chess Scholarship application form before the deadline of 1st November 2026.

We are looking for our chess scholars to be strong players–some applicants will be at county and
national standard. But equally to act as chess ambassadors inside and out of school. Any student
can apply for a chess Scholarship regardless of their level of play. It is a worthwhile and fun process
regardless of the outcome.

Every applicant will be invited to play in an online Chess Scholarship Tournament at www.lichess.org (the site Brentwood School uses for online chess) in early December 2026. As part of the process, every applicant will get their own permanent student account on the site. From this tournament, a shortlist of 6-8 candidates will be produced.

The successful shortlisted candidates will be invited to Brentwood School to play in a tournament and explore chess ideas together on a Saturday morning in January 2027 to decide the final Scholarship awardees.

All those interested in applying for a Chess Scholarship will be required to complete the Chess
Scholarship application before the deadline of 6th November 2026.

Prospective Chess 16+ Scholarship students should apply online with a short chess CV. This should
include details of over-the-board tournament performances, English Chess Federation ratings, online chess activity, and any coaching or arbiting experience (including user names on Lichess and/or chess.com).

The successful shortlisted candidates will be invited to Brentwood School to play some chess and explore chess ideas together on a Saturday afternoon in January 2027, to decide the final Scholarship awardees.

At Brentwood, we are proud to have a thriving Dance Department offering not only academic study of Dance but also a wide array of co-curricular Dance opportunities for all ages and abilities.

Dance is taught throughout the Senior School and at every level, students have the opportunity to perform in Informal Showcases, Dance Shows and Musicals. Dance Academy classes are also available for all age groups.

During Years 7 and 8, students enjoy an average of one lesson per fortnight, which rises to three a fortnight in Year 9. Students participate in a wide variety of dance activities in solo, paired and group settings. In addition to intensive dance training, this programme provides students with a robust learning environment and cross-disciplinary education, enabling students to develop socially whilst promoting creativity, fitness and wellbeing.

As students become performers, they will also develop their confidence, self-esteem and collaboration skills. As they move further up the School, they will also train in a broad range of contemporary dance practices and gain an insight into dance histories and contexts. Recently, Brentwood students have been accepted by prestigious Dance institutions such as Tring Park School for Performing Arts, ArtsEd, Central School of Ballet and Performers College. We also have students who are excelling at National level and winning championship titles in Ballroom and Tap, where they’re up against some of the best dancers in the country.

Each year, the Performing Arts Department stages a Lower School Performing Arts Showcase and the Dance Department choreographs productions at Sixth Form, Middle School and Junior School levels, affording every child a chance to participate as they proceed through the School. Recent productions have, as always, been very varied and have included Les Misérables, Chicago, FAME, Sister Act, West Side Story and Peter Pan.

At Brentwood, we are extremely fortunate in having three dance spaces ideally suited to a range of productions, including three fully equipped dance studios, extensive classroom rehearsal space, IT facilities, a proscenium arch stage in the Memorial Hall and the Wessex Auditorium.

All those interested in applying for a Dance Scholarship Award will be required to complete the Dance Scholarship application form before the deadline of 1st November 2026 for 11+ and 6th November 2026 for 16+.

All applicants (11+ & 16+) must also submit a video submission before the deadline. Your submission should include evidence of solo and group performances.

Any enquiries should be made to the Head of Dance, Mrs Michelle Carabache, who will be pleased to speak to parents to answer questions about our Dance facilities.

Successful short-listed applicants will take part in group and individual exercises/ performances.

The 16+ Assessment will be held in December 2026 and will include an interview.

Successful short-listed applicants will be asked to perform two solo dance pieces in two contrasting styles. Membership of a significant Dance programme is expected (ENB, RAD, Summer programmes at Laban, Performers, Birds, Masters, etc.).

Drama is taught throughout the Senior School and at every level, students have the opportunity to be a part of at least two of the thirty-plus shows we stage a year, which includes plays, showcases and musicals. LAMDA classes are also available for all age groups and are taught throughout the School week. We visit the theatre four to five times a term, with all age groups.

During Years 7 and 8, students enjoy a lesson a week, which rises to three a fortnight in Year 9. Students participate in a wide variety of activities in solo, paired and group settings. They are encouraged to grow in confidence, work effectively as part of a group and to acquire a range of fundamental theatrical skills. Many of our Year 9 students select to continue this subject at GCSE. Those who opt for this popular course will devise their own drama performance, develop a portfolio about it, perform a section from a scripted play and sit a written exam on a text they have studied as well as a piece of live theatre they have seen.

Our Sixth Form A Level and IB Diploma students also gain outstanding results and often choose to continue studying the subject (singly or in combination with another subject such as English) at university level. Recently, a number of our students have been accepted by the National Youth Theatre (for which we run an audition day in school) as well as prestigious Drama schools such as The Guildford School of Acting and E15, as well as Oxford University to read English, and we have a number of Oxbridge candidates currently heavily involved with the subject.

Each year, the Drama Department stages five major productions at Sixth Form, Middle School and Junior School levels, affording every child a chance to participate as they proceed through the School. Recent productions have, as always, been very varied and have included Company, Legally Blonde, West Side Story, Guys and Dolls, Arabian Nights, Our Country’s Good, Wendy and Peter Pan, Our Generation, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Harry Potter and The Cursed Child, and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Each year, our Year 10 students perform as part of the Coram Shakespeare Schools Festival. We feel that we are the leading Arts school in the region, and this is evidenced by not only the quality of our output, but by the quantity of students who contribute to our extensive programme.

All those interested in applying for a Drama Scholarship Award will be required to complete the Drama Scholarship application form before the deadline of 1st November 2026 for 11+ and 6th November 2026 for 16+. All applicants (11+ & 16+) must also submit a video submission before the deadline.

Successful short-listed 11+ applicants will be invited to perform an individual monologue and take part in group exercises as part of the Scholarship Workshop.

Successful short-listed 16+ applicants will take part in a Scholarship Workshop, which includes an interview and monologue.

Brentwood School is proud of its reputation as one of the leading music departments in the UK, sustained by six full-time music staff and supported by over twenty-five visiting music teachers specialising in a wide range of instruments and disciplines.

As a Steinway School, our students are able to learn and perform on some of the best instruments in the world, and the department also boasts access to multiple organs, period keyboards and a wide range of orchestral and percussion instruments. Many musicians also enjoy our ongoing partnership with the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, received expert coaching through their Junior Department, and our links with the cathedrals of both Brentwood and Chelmsford, as well as a variety of London institutions, afford pupils the opportunity for high-level music making on a public stage.

Furthermore, we are proud to offer a Specialist Music Programme for advanced students considering a career in the performing arts, providing an additional bespoke pathway of coaching, public recital opportunities, and musicianship training. This, along with the Brentwood International Music Competition launched in 2025, signals our ongoing commitment to music education and excellence and a devotion to providing our students with the skills, knowledge, and artistry to thrive both at and beyond Brentwood.

Students who are involved with the Music Department can expect to partake in many of the 70+ concerts, recitals, and events offered each year, from solo performances to large-scale ensemble and co-curricular celebrations across a myriad of styles and genres. There are more than 10 choral, close harmony, orchestral, chamber, jazz, and big band ensembles that rehearse each week and perform throughout the year, working towards events that range from the Brentwood School Big Band’s residency at the Chelmsford Music Festival, involvement as singers or instrumentalists in our two annual musical productions, joint evensongs with the choirs of King’s College London and Clare College Cambridge, annual large-scale choral-orchestral performances of works by composers such as Mozart, Dvořák, Fauré, Duruflé, and Britten, and an annual international tour. The latter has seen our students perform recently in prestigious venues such as Salzburg Cathedral, the Piazza del Campo in Siena, and involvement in concerts across Prague, Bavaria, Slovenia, France, Belgium, and the UK.

All those interested in applying for a Music Scholarship Award will be required to complete the application form by the closing date of 1st November 2026.

On the application form, we will expect to see evidence of attainment no lower than Grade
4 on the candidate’s principal instrument, with attached references from instrumental or vocal teachers as appropriate. We will also be interested to read about other instruments played, or any singing and/or theory exams taken.

All those interested in applying for a Music Scholarship Award will be required to complete the application form by the closing date of 6th November 2026.

On the application form, we will expect to see evidence of attainment no lower than Grade 8 on at least one instrument, with attached references from instrumental or vocal teachers as appropriate. We will also be interested to read about other instruments played, or any singing and/or theory exams taken. We also expect to see an experienced performer who has a wealth of experience performing in multiple settings. Although being at such a standard is advised, it is not the defining aspect of the application process. Rather, we are looking for young musicians with potential, a love for music, and a willingness to contribute to and further the successes of our thriving department.

All Year 7 candidates who have reached the required standard will be invited to take part in individual auditions in early January 2027, where they bring their instrument(s). Refreshments will be provided.

Sixth Form shortlisted candidates will be invited to take part in individual auditions in early December 2026, where they bring their instrument(s).