Our Vision
The West London Free School aims to be one of the best schools in the country, renowned for academic excellence, high standards of behaviour and a wide choice of after-school clubs in music and sport, providing all children with a Classical Liberal education, irrespective of their background.
Our Ethos : A Classical Liberal Education
By a Classical Liberal education, we mean a rigorous and extensive knowledge rich education that draws its material and methods from the best and most important work in both the humanities and the sciences. The aim of such an education is to prepare children to fully participate in conversations and debates about contemporary issues, as well as the universal questions that have been troubling humankind throughout history. We want pupils to leave our school with the confidence that comes from possessing a treasure trove of essential knowledge, as well as a deep and lasting respect for reason, evidence, civility, honesty, kindness and the value of hard work and self-discipline.
Core Values
Our core values, which we share with pupils at every opportunity, are:
Kindness
Hard Work
High Standards
Key Characteristics
- High aspirations, with a firm emphasis on academic achievement
- A drive to excel in all that we do
- A knowledge rich curriculum, including Latin for all
- A comprehensive intake
- A commitment to civility, honesty, kindness, toleration, civic participation and self-discipline
- Teachers who are experts in their subjects, passionate about sharing that knowledge and committed to the school
- High standards of behaviour
- Outstanding pastoral care, with every pupil known to the staff by name
- A competitive atmosphere, particularly when it comes to sport
- A high EBacc success rate
- A strong, academic sixth form with bespoke student support
- Active parental and community involvement
- A broad range of after-school clubs and activities
- A specialism in music, with 10% of pupils selected for musical aptitude
- A vibrant house system
Further Reading
Below is a list of some books which have influenced the philosophy and approach to teaching at our school.
- Christodoulou, D., Seven myths about education (Routledge, 2014)
- Hirsch, E. D., Cultural literacy: what every American needs to know (Random House, 1988)
- Hirsch, E. D., The Schools We Need: And Why We Don't Have Them (Anchor, 1999)
- Lemov, D., Teach Like a Champion 2.0 (Jossey-Bass, 2015)
- Peal, R., Progressively Worse: the burden of bad ideas in British schools (Civitas, 2014)
- Roediger, H. L., (et al), Make it stick: the science of successful learning (Harvard, 2014)
- Willingham, D. T., Why don’t children like school? (Jossey Bass, 2010)
7 Principles of a West London Free School Lesson
To read the '7 Principles of a West London Free School lesson', please click here.
Safeguarding and Child Protection
The school places great emphasis on ensuring the safety of our pupils. Our safeguarding and child protection policies and procedures are stringent and staff receive regular training to ensure consistency of standards and approach. Our pastoral team provides support and counselling, and this service is available to all pupils. Ensuring the safety and well-being of our pupils is of the utmost importance to our school.
