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Our History

We have come to where we are today through a history of high standards and innovation which dates back to the early days of our first school, Brooke Weston Academy (formerly known as Brooke City Technology College). Brooke Weston Academy was opened in 1991 with the support of our founding sponsors, the de Capell Brooke family and the Weston family (see more details here).

Our founding school is regularly amongst the highest performers in the GCSE league tables. It has a proven track record and has educated tens of thousands of students who have gone on to lead fulfilling and rewarding lives.

The Brooke Weston Academy’s original objective of providing high quality educational experiences which result in outstanding achievement and personal development is at the heart of the Trust’s work today and has laid the foundations for where we are now.

Recognising Brooke Weston Academy’s success, the decision was made to support other schools and expand the ideals and ethos that had made such a positive impact on Brooke Weston Academy.

In 2008, under the guidance of Sir Peter Simpson, we opened Corby Business Academy, a large secondary school in Corby with a special educational needs unit. The following year, Kettering Science Academy became part of our family of schools, and we oversaw a £30m rebuild which has made the school one of the best equipped and impressive in the area.

In 2012, we opened Corby Technical School, an outstanding free school, and became a sponsor for Thomas Clarkson AcademyGretton Primary School and Beanfield Primary School. Our family grew further in 2013 with Peckover Primary School and Oakley Vale Primary joining our Trust.

Since 2013, we have upgraded our existing schools by extending our buildings, opening preschool facilities and developing a state-of-the-art sixth form centre. Having been a part of the Brooke Weston Trust since 2013, The Compass Primary Academy (formerly Kettering Science Academy Primary) opened its doors under its new name in September 2016. In October 2023, we welcomed Thrapston Primary School to the Trust family, a vibrant village school at the heart of the community. Our next major project is the development of a new Free School in Wisbech, offering places from Year 7 to 11, which was awarded to us by the Department for Education in 2020.

In parallel to our family of schools, Brooke Weston Academy also operates a Teaching School Hub – the Hub works in collaboration with Brooke Weston Trust schools and hundreds of others in the region to invest in their workforce to grow, recruit, develop and retain the very best teachers, support staff and leaders, and ultimately achieve the best educational provision for students.

We are extremely proud of our journey and of our students and staff, and grateful to all of our stakeholders, our governors, parents, Directors and members of the local community, amongst others who have been part of our journey. We are excited about how the Brooke Weston Trust will develop further and grow in the future.