In the mid 1980’s the then steward of The Great Oakley Estate, Hugh de Capell Brooke, late father of current steward Alexander de Capell Brooke, began to explore the possibility of bringing a new school to Corby.  This was driven by a passion for good, state funded education and the huge positive effect it can have not only on children, but local communities.

After a number of years of work The Brooke City Technology College opened in 1991 and then with the support of the Weston family, in particular Garry Weston, it became The Brooke Weston City Technology College.  Today that same school is known as The Brooke Weston Academy.

The partnership between the de Capell Brooke and Weston families gave birth to The Brooke Weston Trust, an educational charity which now educates more than 10,000 students each year in all areas of education from the ages of 3-18 years.  All of the schools within the Trust are rated by OFSTED as outstanding or good, and many have been opened by various Prime Ministers over the years.   The latest school within the Trust, a primary school in the market town of Thrapston, opened in October 2023, and in 2025 a new school for 600 pupils in the town of Wisbech will open its doors