Wetherby Pembridge

As part of a £1.3 billion regeneration of the West London cultural and entertainment district of Olympia, the Alpha Plus Group are delighted to announce that, in September 2025, they will be opening Wetherby Arts School, a new 60,000 square feet educational space for children aged 11-18, specialising in the performing arts. 

Like other Alpha Plus schools, Wetherby Arts will offer the Gold Standard in education.  In addition to traditional subjects and without compromising on academic rigour, the timetable at Wetherby Arts will have a special focus on visual, creative and performing arts.  The overarching aim is to provide an innovative curriculum that is industry-focused and designed to develop creative thinkers who have an innovative and entrepreneurial mindset.  The school will also have a strong co-curricular programme and devote an extended lunchtime to students’ activities outside the curriculum.

With a broad range of arts-based GCSE options, including the core subjects of English, Maths, Science, Technology, Languages and the Humanities, students will be expected to take at least 9 GCSEs.  They will then transition to A Levels which, alongside vocational qualifications, will enable them to access a broad range of university destinations, in the UK and abroad.  They will leave Wetherby Arts fully equipped with the technical skills required to thrive in the burgeoning creative industries. 

Occupying the space across 10 Beaconsfield Terrace and Emberton House, Wetherby Arts School will feature high tech facilities, including classrooms enabled for hybrid teaching and learning, allowing students to attend lessons on site or remotely at the same time. Students will also have the use of a bespoke 9,000 sq ft theatre with a capacity of 200 seats.  Furthermore, with Olympia set to become a world-class visitor destination, Wetherby Arts students will be able to take full advantage of the Olympia development, tapping into the facilities and collaborations available with the arts businesses and an extended day will operate to enable full participation in arts, with community arts projects running in the evening.

The Alpha Plus Group will also be working in partnership with the world-renowned BRIT school to introduce its unique Community Arts Practice qualification into their curriculum. Students train in areas such as theatre in education, teaching, facilitation, movement, singing and acting and learn how to use the arts to explore a range of social topics; the course is practical, and students will work extensively with the local community as part of their studies.

In addition, the BRIT School will use the new teaching and performance spaces of Wetherby Arts to run their BRIT Kids community classes every Saturday and Alpha Plus will be providing funding for some children to attend these classes free of charge.