West London Free School

The West London Free School is one of the country's pioneering free schools, renowned for academic excellence, high standards of behaviour and a wide choice of co-curricular clubs. Since our foundation in 2011, we have provided all children with a rigorous, knowledge-rich education irrespective of their background. We believe that knowledge is a good in and of itself, empowering pupils to understand and take an interest in the world around them. The education we offer is not just a preparation for work, but a preparation for life. As such, we value the knowledge of our teachers, and the passion for their subject that they bring to the classroom.

Outcomes

We offer a challenging curriculum, with a supportive environment, underpinned by fantastic teachers. Through this combination, pupils at the West London Free School excel. In 2024:

• A-level: 52% of entries were graded A* to A, and 83% were graded A* to B.
• GCSE: 51% of entries were graded 9 to 7, and 90% were graded 9 to 4. Our Progress 8 was 0.96, and our Attainment 8 Grade was 6.4, placing us in the top 1% of comprehensive schools in the country.
• The Sunday Times Schools Guide named us ‘London Comprehensive School of the year’.

Staff experience

At the West London Free School, we aim to build a culture of sustainable success. We have a stable body of staff who feel supported and fulfilled.

• Senior leaders are highly visible and approachable.
• We have clear, evidence-informed, pragmatic approaches to teaching and learning, as summarised in our Seven Principles of a WLFS Lesson (see here).
• Workload is closely monitored throughout the school year, and systems are refined to be as efficient and hassle free, so that teachers can spend as much time as possible focusing on the core component of their job: teaching.
• Paperwork and form-filling is kept to an absolute minimum.
• The pastoral team take responsibility for ensuring all teachers can teach without disruption. School rules are non-negotiable, and poor behaviour is met by escalating sanctions.
• Our staff surveys have regularly shown staff morale and other indicators of professional satisfaction at the WLFS to be significantly higher than national benchmarks.

Co-curricular

As well as a knowledge rich education, the WLFS runs an extensive co-curricular programme that encourages children to develop outside the classroom. The school specialises in music and offers a range of sporting opportunities as well as general interest clubs. All staff are encouraged to share their co-curricular enthusiasm by committing one hour a week to running a school club.