British Racing School awarded ‘Outstanding’ grade by Ofsted

Following a recent inspection, the British Racing School (BRS) has been awarded the grade of ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted – the highest grade attainable.

Following the full four-day inspection in November they have become the only Grade 1 Outstanding provider of its type in the Eastern Region, and as the leading provider of training for young people entering the racing industry they are delighted to be recognised in this way.

The racing industry offers tremendous career opportunities to young people and in addition to those from traditional equine backgrounds, the BRS – based in Newmarket – runs introductory programmes for those with little or no knowledge of racing.

Grant Harris, Chief Executive of the BRS, said:

“The award of outstanding from Ofsted is nothing less than the hard working and dedicated staff here at the BRS deserve. They work tirelessly to inspire young people 365 days a year, year in year out. Hundreds of young people every year get their start in racing here at the BRS and go on to have long and successful careers”.

Nick Rust, Chief Executive of the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), said:

“The British Racing School provides excellent training and development facilities for our industry, and we are delighted that their work has been recognised with an ‘outstanding’ report from Ofsted. Congratulations to Grant and his team”.
 
The original aim of the BRS was to provide purpose built facilities to promote and encourage young people who had the potential to ride as professional jockeys.
 
Since then, the School has developed and flourished to its current position as the Centre of Excellence for training in the racing industry, providing a wide range of different courses and training.
 
As a Centre of Excellence, they aim to provide a range of training of the highest standard to meet the needs of the racing industry, and to meet the needs of their learners.
 
In 2018 they trained 185 young people and found them employment in the horseracing industry.

Most recently they have run a very successful programme for the Prince’s Trust to bring nine 16‐25 year olds from East Anglia together for a week’s taster programme in horseracing at the BRS. One graduate from this is Jasmine Evans, originally from South Wales, who, following ten weeks of training progressed to full time employment with leading Newmarket racehorse trainer, Marco Botti, and the commencement of an apprenticeship in Racehorse Care.

On hearing the news Marco Botti said:

“I’m delighted the British Racing School has been awarded Outstanding as this acknowledges the excellent work they do in preparing young people for a job in this exciting industry. Jasmine is a great example of this.”

Jasmine Evans said:

“The British Racing School has been amazing with the support and opportunity they have given me”.

The Prince’s Trust and the BRS collaborated to bring nine 16‐25 year olds from East Anglia together for a week’s taster programme in horseracing at the BRS. The young people had no previous experience of horseracing and in many cases horses.

During the week they experienced a variety of horse handling exercises and some sat on a horse for the first time. They went on trips to Newmarket’s gallops, Amy Murphy’s yard, Darley Stud and Chelmsford City racecourse. The week culminated with a best turned out competition followed by a presentation and awards ceremony. The next course will be run in February 2019.