Bales College positions itself as a compact, urban independent school where small teaching groups and close academic tracking shape day-to-day life. It serves students from Year 7 through Year 13, with the school registered for ages 11 to 20 and a published capacity of 123.
Leadership is relatively new. Dr Benjamin Moore is listed as Headteacher / Principal on the government register, and the school describes Ben Moore as becoming Head of School in July 2024.
The school’s modern identity is linked to its origins as a sixth form tutorial college. The proprietor, William Moore, founded the school on the current site in 1972, with the provision later extended down into younger year groups.
A small roll changes the social dynamics in ways that can be either reassuring or constraining, depending on the student. In a setting of this size, teachers typically know students quickly, and day-to-day expectations can be reinforced consistently because there are fewer moving parts. That can suit students who have found larger settings impersonal, or who benefit from more immediate adult attention.
The published curriculum and monitoring approach emphasise structured oversight. Alongside subject-specialist teaching, the school describes regular assessments and the use of established baseline and progress measures (MidYIS, Yellis, and ALIS) linked to the Durham University CEM approach, with termly reporting and scheduled parents’ evenings. The practical implication for families is that academic progress is intended to be tracked tightly, and intervention should be relatively quick when a student slips behind.
A defining feature in recent official reporting is the school’s focus on putting right specific weaknesses. In the ISI progress monitoring inspection of December 2024, the school met all the Standards checked. That matters because it followed an earlier inspection period in 2024 when compliance weaknesses, including safeguarding oversight and careers guidance, were highlighted. For parents, this combination points to a school that has been under regulatory scrutiny and has had to formalise systems, rather than relying on informal practice.
The school also presents a set of stated values, referenced in the monitoring report, built around respect, humour, energy and perseverance. In practice, values only become meaningful when they show up in routines. Here, the most tangible indicators sit in the safeguarding structure, the personal, social, health and economic programme, and the way careers guidance is organised for older students, all of which are explicitly discussed in the most recent official monitoring.
This is a secondary and post-16 provider, so the clearest indicators are GCSE and A-level outcomes, plus the school’s relative position in England.
Ranked 3,852nd in England and 20th in Westminster for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data).
The school’s GCSE rank sits in a band that indicates performance below England average, by this measure.
The Attainment 8 score is 22.6.
For families, the key practical point is that the published results profile does not place the school among the strongest performers in England on headline measures. That does not automatically mean a student will not thrive academically here. It does mean that parents should interrogate fit, support, and subject-level strength, rather than assuming the broader exam profile will do the heavy lifting.
Ranked 2,382nd in England and 21st in Westminster for A-level outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data).
2.04% of A-level grades were A*.
20.41% of grades were A* to B.
The implication is similar. Students aiming for highly selective pathways may need a particularly strong personal work ethic and clear subject alignment, and families should ask targeted questions about how teaching groups are formed, how independent study is supervised, and how subject expertise is secured for smaller-entry courses.
A useful lens is the school’s own description of academic structure: a full National Curriculum coverage in Years 7 to 9, followed by GCSE courses based on Edexcel specifications, with a combination of GCSE and IGCSE routes. That model can work well for students who want a conventional academic framework but in smaller groups, especially if they have previously found larger classes distracting.
England ranks and key metrics (where available)
A-Level A*-B
20.41%
% of students achieving grades A*-B
GCSE 9–7
—
% of students achieving grades 9-7
Teaching is framed around subject specialism and frequent assessment. The school describes weekly homework set by subject on a rotating calendar, recorded and monitored through an online learning portal. The practical implication is that organisation and follow-through are part of the learning model; students who respond well to routine, clear deadlines and regular checking may find this stabilising.
The published list of taught subjects includes core academic disciplines alongside languages and creative options. On the lower school academic page, subjects listed include Art and Design, Biology, Business, Chemistry, Computer Science, Economics, English Literature, French, German, Spanish, Geography, History, Mathematics, Physics, PE and PSHE. The breadth here is relevant for a small school because it signals intent to offer a mainstream academic diet, even if not every subject runs at the same depth every year.
One of the more distinctive recent curriculum points is the emphasis on technological education. The December 2024 monitoring report describes curriculum work that includes areas such as energy transfer, computer coding and robot building, reinforced through a computer club and year-group workshops. This matters for two reasons. First, it shows a specific curriculum gap being addressed in a concrete way. Second, it gives families something observable to ask about, such as what equipment is used, how work is assessed, and whether students produce sustained projects or shorter workshops.
The sixth form picture is also shaped by the careers and next-steps model. The monitoring report describes structured, up-to-date careers guidance, including an external adviser for older students and guidance on university or apprenticeship applications. For students who need help translating academic effort into realistic pathways, that infrastructure can be an important part of the offer.
For many parents, the key question is destination outcomes rather than marketing claims. The school’s published material highlights university exposure through visits and talks, while the dataset provides a small-cohort destinations snapshot.
For the 2023/24 cohort (15 students), 40% progressed to university and 7% moved into employment. (The remaining proportion is recorded in other categories that are not detailed here.) This is a small cohort, so individual choices can move the percentage noticeably from year to year.
The website also describes repeated exposure to higher education and academic settings through trips and talks, including visits to universities and talks at organisations such as the London School of Economics and the Royal Geographical Society. The implication is that older students are expected to build familiarity with post-18 options, and that cultural capital, knowing what universities and careers environments feel like, is treated as part of preparation.
In the absence of published institution-by-institution destination counts, parents should ask for the practical detail that signals real sixth form support. Examples include how personal statements are coached, how subject teachers support super-curricular reading, and whether mock interviews and admissions tests are supported for competitive courses.
Admissions are described as flexible and conversational, which fits a school that considers multiple entry points. The school says it is willing to discuss applicants’ situations at any time during the year. The process described includes an informal interview, review of the last two academic years of school reports, and completion of an application form and related documents.
For Year 7, the school describes admissions tests in mathematics, English and verbal reasoning. For sixth form, GCSE grades are considered for offers. Separately, the school also states that standard entry points are at Years 7, 9 or 12, while also considering other year groups depending on circumstances.
Rather than a single fixed open day cycle, the school’s open days page indicates that individual tours can be booked for entry into year groups in 2025 and beyond, which suggests a more rolling approach to visits.
For families, this style of admissions has a clear advantage. It can reduce the sense of a single high-stakes deadline and can suit students who need a carefully timed move between schools. The trade-off is that parents need to be proactive about clarifying practicalities: how quickly places fill in the most popular year groups, how academic support is allocated for mid-year joiners, and what transition support looks like for students arriving from a different exam board or overseas system.
If you are shortlisting multiple London schools with different entry routes, FindMySchool’s Comparison Tool is useful for keeping GCSE and A-level context consistent while you compare support models, subject availability, and admissions expectations.
Pastoral quality is hard to judge from distance, so the most reliable signals are in safeguarding governance, communication systems, and the way students are guided through relationships education and online safety.
The December 2024 monitoring report describes a safeguarding structure led by a designated safeguarding leader within the senior management team, with staff training at induction and regular updates. It also describes prompt liaison with external agencies when needed, plus routine oversight of filtering and monitoring of internet use, supported by daily reports to identify inappropriate activity quickly.
Relationships and sex education is also described as structured, with topics that include consent and preparation for greater independence for older students. The practical implication for parents is that wellbeing is being treated as a system with defined roles, training, records and oversight, not simply a matter of informal staff availability.
For students with additional needs, the school’s SEN page describes small class sizes, learning support assistants supplementing teaching in class, and working with families and local authorities to meet Education, Health and Care Plan requirements where relevant. This may suit families seeking a smaller setting without giving up mainstream academic routes, although parents should still ask how support is delivered in practice, for example whether students receive specialist tuition, in-class scaffolding, or a combination.
In a small school, enrichment can look different. Instead of large-scale house competitions or extensive teams, the more telling question is whether activities are deliberate, regular and connected to what students need socially and academically.
The school describes strong access to external sports provision, including use of the nearby Moberly sports centre. It references facilities there including a gymnasium, two swimming pools, two indoor basketball courts and eight badminton courts, with Years 7 to 9 receiving more than three hours of sport there each week, including swimming, football, basketball or netball, and badminton. The implication is that sport is built around reliable access to professional facilities rather than relying solely on a large on-site campus.
Trips are a prominent feature and provide a clearer sense of texture. The school lists trips in 2024 to 25 including talks at the London School of Economics and the Royal Geographical Society, visits to universities, the Yayoi Kusama exhibition, the French Institute, a theatre trip linked to “A Curious Incident”, and visits to the British Museum, the Science Museum, the Paradox Museum, the Globe Theatre, the Tower of London and the National Gallery. It also references particle physics lectures at the Rutherford Institute, the New Scientist festival, and a visit to Tottenham Hotspur, plus a summer activities week and an annual trip to Spain as a recurring feature.
The monitoring report adds detail that is easy for parents to test during a visit: a computer club and workshops tied to technological education, plus a sixth form extracurricular offer that includes activities such as music, drama, film studies, chess and table tennis. For students who need structured ways to build friendships, these smaller clubs can be as important as headline sports.
Fees data coming soon.
As a central London school, day-to-day logistics matter. The school is located in West London and describes itself as close to areas such as Kensal Rise, Ladbroke Grove and Kensal Green, which will be relevant for families relying on public transport.
Published information on the daily timetable and any supervised study beyond lessons is limited in the pages reviewed, so families should confirm current start and finish times, expectations for independent study, and any structured support around homework and revision when arranging a visit.
Bales College publishes fees on a per-term basis.
2025/26 tuition fees
Years 7 to 11: £6,900 per term, which the school also expresses as £20,700 per academic year.
Years 12 and 13: £6,900 per term, also expressed as £20,700 per academic year.
International tuition is listed separately at £7,200 per term.
One-off and additional charges
The fee schedule also lists an enrolment fee of £300 payable on acceptance of a place, and a deposit of £1,000 held until the end of the course of study. For sixth form, the fees document also references a registration fee structure and sets out termly payment due dates.
Extra costs are itemised in a way that helps parents plan. Examples include £1,200 for lunch for one school year, described as compulsory in Years 7 to 9, plus exam entry fees and a science lab charge of £50 per A-level science subject per term.
Scholarships and bursaries
The school states that academic scholarships may be available for outstanding academic performance, typically linked to 11+ and 13+ entry and based on entrance examinations. The admissions policy adds more detail, describing a small number of academic scholarships and indicating a fee remission range of around 5% to 50%, plus means-tested bursaries that are reassessed and require financial need to be established.
The implication is that fees should be viewed alongside financial support options, and families who would need assistance should raise that early so that expectations and timelines are clear.
Results profile versus ambitions. The school’s GCSE and A-level ranking positions sit below England average. Families with highly selective university goals should ask detailed questions about subject-level outcomes, teaching continuity, and how independent study is supervised.
Regulatory history. The school underwent significant scrutiny in 2024. The most recent monitoring in December 2024 confirmed the Standards checked were met, but parents should still ask how safeguarding oversight, careers guidance, and curriculum breadth are sustained day-to-day.
Extra costs add up. Beyond tuition, published charges include lunch for younger years, examination entry fees, and some subject-specific charges. Families should budget for these and ask what is included for trips and learning materials.
Small-school trade-offs. A small roll can mean calmer teaching groups and quicker support, but it can also limit peer-group breadth and the number of simultaneously running extracurricular options. It is worth exploring whether your child will enjoy a close-knit setting.
Bales College is best understood as a small, centrally located independent secondary and sixth form that prioritises tight academic monitoring and small-group teaching, with a clear push to formalise systems following regulatory scrutiny in 2024. It is likely to suit students who benefit from structure, frequent feedback, and a setting where staff can respond quickly to emerging needs. Families who want consistently high headline exam performance across the board should weigh the school’s results profile carefully and use a visit to test how teaching quality, support, and sixth form guidance translate into outcomes.
For families considering several London options at once, the Saved Schools feature can help you keep a shortlist organised while you compare admissions routes, costs, and sixth form support.
Bales College can suit the right student, particularly those who benefit from small teaching groups and close academic tracking. The most recent regulatory monitoring in December 2024 confirmed that the Standards checked were met, and the school describes structured monitoring and termly reporting. Families should match this support model against their child’s needs and ambitions.
Fees are published at £6,900 per term for Years 7 to 11 and £6,900 per term for Years 12 and 13, which the school also expresses as £20,700 per academic year. Additional charges include items such as lunch for younger years and examination entry fees, and the school publishes scholarship and bursary routes.
Admissions are described as available throughout the year, with an informal interview and review of the last two academic years of school reports. For Year 7, the school describes admissions tests in mathematics, English and verbal reasoning. For sixth form, GCSE grades are considered as part of the offer process.
The school describes provision for students with additional educational needs, including learning support assistants in class and coordination of support where an Education, Health and Care Plan applies. Parents should ask how support is delivered in practice, including whether help is primarily in-class, through targeted interventions, or via specialist arrangements.
The school highlights regular trips and cultural visits, alongside sport delivered through access to nearby facilities. Recent examples listed include talks at the London School of Economics and the Royal Geographical Society, museum and gallery visits, theatre trips, and science-focused events.
Get in touch with the school directly
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