London Park School Mayfair and London Park School Sixth Review 2026: Central London scale, small-school feel

This is an independent, co-educational 11 to 18 school in Mayfair with a linked Sixth Form in Victoria, built around the idea that smaller cohorts can still access big-city opportunity. The Mayfair site sits inside a Grade I listed townhouse with significant surviving 18th-century features, so the setting is unusually distinctive for a modern senior school.

Academically, GCSE outcomes sit above England average overall, placing the school in the top quarter of schools in England on a FindMySchool ranking for GCSEs, while A-level outcomes are closer to the middle of the pack nationally. For families who want London at close range, and a school that puts a premium on knowing pupils well, the proposition is clear. Leadership is also in a transition phase, with a new head announced to take up post in September 2026.

The Mayfair building is a major part of the school’s identity. It is presented as Coventry House in its historic narrative, later becoming a club setting, and it retains details such as ornate ceilings, chandeliers, marble pillars and ornate cornicing. The result is a learning environment that feels materially different from purpose-built school architecture, and that difference can be motivating for students who respond well to a strong sense of place.

Day-to-day culture is framed around a defined set of values, namely collaboration, creativity, courage and compassion, and these are treated as operational rather than decorative. The latest inspection describes a structured approach to ensuring pupils understand these values, supported through curriculum and staff expectations. It also references an “empowerment” curriculum used to embed the values through practical application, including peer mentoring and charity work.

A second cultural strand is flexibility. Alongside the full-time senior school and Sixth Form, the group runs a hybrid model, and the inspection commentary makes clear that safeguarding and academic processes have been adapted to support pupils who learn mainly online for most of the week. That broader context matters even for families choosing the full-time route, because it signals a school group that is used to tailoring timetables and support structures to individual needs rather than insisting on one uniform approach.

Leadership continuity and change are both visible right now. Dr Adrian Rainbow is described by the school as having joined as Head in January 2023. A published announcement in December 2025 states that Mrs Heidi Armstrong has been appointed as the new Head of the Mayfair school and the Sixth Form, with the formal start date set for September 2026. Families looking for long-run stability should factor that transition into their decision-making and use visits to probe what will remain consistent and what will evolve.

At GCSE, the school’s most recent performance indicators point to above-average outcomes. The average Attainment 8 score is 55.1, and the average EBACC APS score is 5.03, with 33.3% achieving grades 5 and above in the EBACC measure.

Rankings tell the clearest high-level story for parents. Ranked 825th in England and 12th in Westminster for GCSE outcomes, the school sits above England average, placing it comfortably within the top 25% of schools in England on this FindMySchool ranking (based on official data).

At A-level, outcomes are more mixed. The A* rate is 2.63%, with A* to B at 47.37%. On the FindMySchool A-level ranking, the school is ranked 1,562nd in England and 18th in Westminster. That performance sits in line with the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile).

The practical implication is that the GCSE profile looks like a relative strength compared with national peers, while Sixth Form outcomes sit closer to typical national performance. For many families, that still works well if the fit and support model are the drivers, and if students are choosing A-level pathways that suit them.

Parents comparing several schools across Westminster and neighbouring boroughs can use FindMySchool’s Local Hub pages to view GCSE and A-level indicators side-by-side using the Comparison Tool, which helps keep judgement anchored to the same measures across each shortlist.

Curriculum design emphasises breadth at GCSE. The school states that students typically study eight to ten GCSEs, with a core of compulsory subjects and additional options chosen on top. This structure suits students who want a balanced programme while still holding room for personal strengths, particularly if they are aiming to keep Sixth Form routes open.

Inspection evidence points to consistently planned lessons and clear direction from teachers on how pupils should improve their work, which supports good progress. It also highlights staff training around recognising and supporting pupils’ needs, and adapting teaching accordingly. These are meaningful indicators for parents who care about day-to-day classroom experience rather than only outcomes.

The Sixth Form teaching model is explicitly small-group. The school describes typical class sizes as unusually small, with groups often in the 3 to 8 range, and a more seminar-like relationship between teacher and student. That can be a strong fit for students who learn best through discussion and close feedback, or who need confidence-building before high-stakes assessment.

Published destination statistics are not available for this school, and the school’s public pages do not consistently present a single quantified destination breakdown for leavers. What can be said, with evidence, is that the Sixth Form careers and guidance offer is described as structured and individualised. The latest inspection explicitly references individualised support within the careers programme for sixth form students, aimed at helping them decide what to do after school.

For younger pupils, the same inspection material suggests careers and subject-choice guidance is helpful but not always consistent in giving pupils all the information they need, and it recommends strengthening how pupil voice and needs are taken into account in planning and delivery of careers advice for younger pupils. That is a useful point for families to explore, especially those thinking long-term about GCSE choices and pathways into Sixth Form.

In practical terms, the “next step” conversation here is not only about university. It is also about choosing a coherent pathway across Year 10, Year 11 and Sixth Form, and ensuring students develop independence without being left to self-manage too early. The Sixth Form describes dedicated spaces for independent study and for futures-focused work, which signals an environment designed to support that transition.

Admissions are direct, with main entry points at Year 7 (11+) and Year 9 (13+). The school describes Year 7 as a two-form entry, with a further intake point at Year 9, plus occasional places where availability allows.

The admissions process is designed to be low on conventional entrance exams and higher on real-world indicators of readiness. For Year 7 and Year 9 entry, the school uses a Discovery Day format, described as experiential and problem-solving, with a focus on creative thinking, collaboration and working style, alongside existing data and a confidential reference from the current school.

Crucially, the school publishes a dated timeline for entry. For September 2027 entry to Year 7 or Year 9, the published deadlines indicate registration and application by Friday 31 October 2026 for non-assured applicants, with Discovery Days in late November and offers by early December, followed by accept/confirm decisions later in the cycle. For families using Dukes Education pathways, an assured places route is described with earlier confirmation expectations.

For Sixth Form entry, the school frames admissions as personal and straightforward, including a visit or open evening, an application, recent reports and predicted GCSE information, a confidential reference, and a meeting with the Director of Sixth Form (named on the admissions page as Mr Mountford).

Given the central London location, families often weigh commute realism as heavily as admissions mechanics. FindMySchool’s Saved Schools feature can help manage a shortlist across different travel options and backup plans.

Wellbeing support appears as a practical, staff-trained model rather than a purely aspirational statement. The inspection materials describe staff being trained to recognise and support pupils’ needs, and helping pupils regulate emotions where required. It also highlights effective liaison with external agencies, sometimes over extended periods, to help ensure pupils receive appropriate support.

Safeguarding is a particularly relevant lens in a school offering hybrid learning and a city-centre footprint. The latest inspection describes training for safeguarding leads, awareness of contextual safeguarding risks, and the implementation and review of control measures. It also reports that standards relating to safeguarding are met.

For pupils with special educational needs and disabilities, the same inspection commentary indicates that support enables access to the curriculum, including physical education and extra-curricular activities. This is not a guarantee of fit for every profile of need, but it does signal a deliberate intent to include rather than exclude, which parents should test through conversation about specific learning profiles.

Co-curricular life is positioned as broad and responsive to student interest, with clubs varying term to term. The school lists examples that include Sustainability Club, Creative Writing and Reading, Film, Mindfulness, Songwriting, and Lego Robotics and Coding, alongside sport options such as Football, Badminton, Table Tennis and Ultimate Frisbee. For a Mayfair school with limited outdoor footprint, this emphasis on variety and student-driven demand is a sensible way to widen experience without relying solely on facilities.

Sport is delivered with a group model that increases scale. The school combines with its sibling site for sports afternoons and competitions and references use of a shared sports ground at Spencer Park in Wandsworth. The implication is that students can access more conventional team-sport infrastructure without needing the Mayfair site itself to provide pitches.

Trips are treated as part of the educational offer, with the school explicitly referencing day and residential trips across museums and galleries, plus larger commitments such as a ski trip and residential opportunities in the Mediterranean and the Alps. Duke of Edinburgh is also mentioned as part of the trips and wider programme.

At Sixth Form level, the published school-life outline highlights Model United Nations and Duke of Edinburgh, with the wider offer framed around trips, outside speakers and preparation for life beyond school. This is consistent with a Sixth Form trying to bridge the move from structured schooling into higher education and adult independence.

For 2025 to 2026, the published fee for the Mayfair senior school is £11,268 per term, including VAT, and the published fee for the Sixth Form is £9,850 per term, including VAT. Fees are described as including lessons and lunch, plus compulsory trips and some clubs, with exclusions including optional trips, some clubs, public examinations and uniform.

One-off and administrative charges are clearly set out. The published registration fee is £180 (including VAT), and the acceptance deposit for the Mayfair school is £3,000, held until the student leaves and any liabilities are settled.

Financial support is presented in two streams. The school describes Principal’s Awards across academic, creative arts, sport and all-rounder categories, which may attract fee remission. Separately, admissions policy documentation indicates that bursary assistance is limited and assessed case-by-case, with possible additional bursary funding via the Dukes Foundation. Families considering affordability should ask early how awards and bursaries interact in practice for their situation.

The Mayfair site is positioned directly opposite Green Park, which has obvious day-to-day advantages for breaks, enrichment, and a sense of space in a dense part of London. The Sixth Form is presented as being only a short walk from Victoria Station, supporting a wider travel catchment for post-16 students.

Term dates are published centrally for the group, and the Mayfair term dates specify start times around 08:30 for the start of term.

Wraparound care is not presented as a standard senior-school offer on the public pages. Clubs run after school and there is a culture of staying for activities, but families needing formal before-school or late after-school supervision should confirm the current arrangements directly with admissions, especially for younger Year 7 pupils.

• Leadership transition in 2026. A new head has been announced to start in September 2026. Families joining in 2026 should ask what continuity measures are in place and what, if anything, will change in behaviour expectations, pastoral structures, and academic priorities.

• Sixth Form outcomes are more typical than GCSE outcomes. GCSE indicators sit in the top quarter nationally on this dataset’s ranking, while A-level outcomes sit around the middle of the national distribution. For some students this is not an issue, but it is worth probing how subject choices, class sizes and support translate into outcomes.

• Careers guidance consistency for younger pupils. The latest inspection recommends greater consistency in taking pupils’ views and needs into account in the planning and delivery of careers advice for younger pupils. If your child benefits from structured guidance early, ask how this is delivered in Year 8 and Year 9.

• Central London convenience comes with practical trade-offs. The setting is exceptional, but families should test how sports, outdoor time and day-to-day movement are managed, and what the rhythm of the day feels like for students who need space and routine.

London Park School Mayfair and London Park School Sixth is best understood as a small-school model with London used as the extended resource. The Mayfair setting is unusually characterful, co-curricular breadth is maintained through clubs and a group sports model, and inspection evidence supports a picture of clear planning and thoughtful pastoral support, including for pupils learning partly online.

This suits families who want a co-educational independent school in central London, value small-group teaching and individual attention, and are comfortable with a school that blends traditional setting with modern delivery options. The key judgement point is whether the Sixth Form pathway and the current leadership transition align with your child’s stage and temperament.