South Kensington Tube to Old Brompton Road takes about five minutes on foot. From the same exit, Ashbourne College on Old Court Place is a twelve minute walk north, and MPW London on Queen's Gate is six minutes the other way. Three of the most-searched private sixth form colleges in the country sit inside a square barely a kilometre across, and a steady volume of search traffic for "private sixth form Kensington", "sixth form college Kensington", and "a level college Kensington" lands on this site every month looking for a clean comparison.
This is that comparison. It covers what each Kensington college is actually like, how the fees and results line up, and which student profile each one is best suited to. The aim is to make a half day of college visits in SW7 and W8 land more clearly than reading three glossy prospectuses in a row.
Why Kensington Concentrates the Market
Private sixth form colleges, in the strict sense, are tutorial or small-group colleges that take students at sixteen. They are not independent senior schools with a sixth form attached. That category has clustered in Kensington and South Kensington for a simple reason: the first colleges set up here in the 1930s, the model worked, and successive generations followed. By the 1980s a recognisable local industry existed, and it has barely moved postcode since.
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea is also extremely well connected. South Kensington Tube serves the Piccadilly, District, and Circle lines; High Street Kensington and Gloucester Road add more. The TfL tube map shows how short the commute is from most of west and south west London. For a student travelling daily, that matters more than parents often realise.
The three Kensington colleges in our directory share a model, a postcode cluster, and a Russell Group ambition, but they are not interchangeable. The differences are in teaching style, subject breadth, and price.
At a Glance
| College | Address area | Founded | Day fees per term | 2024 results headline | Boarding |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Westminster Tutors | Old Brompton Road, South Kensington (SW7) | 1934 | £12,800 | 80% A*-B, 77% to Russell Group | No |
| Ashbourne College | Old Court Place, Kensington (W8) | 1981 | £12,650 | 52% A*-A, Ofsted Outstanding | No |
| MPW London | Queen's Gate, South Kensington (SW7) | 1973 | £11,966 | Around two thirds to Russell Group | Yes |
The fees are within roughly £850 a term of each other. Over three terms that is £2,500 a year, which is meaningful, but it is not the spread you see across London as a whole. The Kensington cluster is in the upper band of the market deliberately. If a lower fee is the priority, West London and North London are where the materially cheaper options sit.
Westminster Tutors: the Oldest and the Smallest
Westminster Tutors on Old Brompton Road, five minutes from South Kensington Tube, was founded in 1934 and is one of the longest-running tutorial colleges in the country. The model is closer to private tuition than a school. Most teaching is one-to-one or in groups of two to three. There is no large cohort, no class of thirty, no year group photo. The whole college is small enough that staff know every student by name.
The 2024 results are striking. 80% of all A-Level grades were A* to B, and 77% of leavers went to Russell Group universities. Those are non-selective figures: the college takes students of a wider range of starting points than its results suggest, which is part of why the value added is significant.
Fees are at the top of the local range, around £12,800 a term for day study, or roughly £38,400 a year for three A-Levels. There is no boarding. Westminster Tutors suits a particular profile: students who need very close attention, students recovering from a difficult patch at a larger school, and confident students aiming at Oxbridge, medicine, or law who want the tutorial model. It is less obviously the right fit for a self-directed student who would thrive in a conventional class of fifteen.
Ashbourne College: Breadth and an Ofsted Outstanding
Ashbourne College on Old Court Place, in the heart of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, was founded in 1981. It is larger than Westminster Tutors but still small by mainstream standards. The headline pull is breadth: Ashbourne offers more than twenty-five A-Level subjects, including Art and Design, Photography, Politics, and Economics alongside the sciences and humanities. If a student wants an unusual combination, this is the Kensington college most likely to deliver it without a timetable clash.
The 2024 results were 52% A*-A across all grades, and the college has held an Ofsted Outstanding judgement across recent inspection cycles. Day fees are around £12,650 a term, marginally below Westminster Tutors. There is no boarding, but as part of central London the lettings market around the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea gives international students plenty of nearby options.
Ashbourne tends to suit students who want subject breadth, a recognisable college environment with year groups and form tutors, and the confidence of an Outstanding inspection report. It is the most "school-like" of the three Kensington colleges, in the best sense.
MPW London: Subject Range, Boarding, and Flexibility
MPW London on Queen's Gate, six minutes from South Kensington Tube, was founded in 1973 and is part of a long-established group with colleges in Cambridge and Birmingham. It is the largest of the three Kensington colleges by both student numbers and subject range. MPW lists over forty-five A-Level subjects and runs one-year, eighteen-month, and two-year programmes, including retake routes.
Day fees are around £11,966 a term, the lowest of the three Kensington colleges in our directory but still well into the upper band nationally. MPW is the only one of the three that offers boarding, which matters for international students and for families based outside commuting distance from London. Facilities are wider than at the smaller two: seven science laboratories, creative arts studios, three libraries, and a sports hall on site.
Around two thirds of leavers go to Russell Group universities. MPW suits students who want subject choice, a flexible programme length, the ability to retake one A-Level alongside two new ones, or boarding accommodation as part of the offer. Students looking for the smallest possible cohort are better served by Westminster Tutors; students who want a single Outstanding badge are better served by Ashbourne.
How They Compare: Teaching Model
The teaching model is the single biggest practical difference between the three.
| College | Teaching style | Typical class size |
|---|---|---|
| Westminster Tutors | Tutorial: one-to-one and pairs | 1 to 3 |
| Ashbourne College | Small-group teaching | Around 8 to 10 |
| MPW London | Small-group teaching, Oxbridge-style | Around 6 to 10 |
A confident, self-motivated student often achieves just as well in a small group of eight as in a one-to-one tutorial, at materially lower cost per contact hour. A student who has stalled in a class of thirty, has anxiety around speaking up, or is recovering from a difficult GCSE year, often does best in the tutorial model. The choice between Westminster Tutors and the other two is more about teaching style than badge.
How They Compare: Results
Headline results in Kensington look strong everywhere, but they are not directly comparable without context.
- Admissions selectivity. Ashbourne admits at the higher end of the GCSE range; Westminster Tutors and MPW take a broader spread. A 52% A*-A figure at Ashbourne and a 77% Russell Group figure at Westminster Tutors are not measuring the same thing. The right way to compare is to look at value added against entry grades, not the raw percentage.
- Cohort size. All three colleges have small enough cohorts that year-to-year results can swing. A single strong or weak cohort moves the percentage noticeably.
- Inspection reports. Read the Independent Schools Inspectorate reports for Ashbourne and Westminster Tutors and the Ofsted reports for any state-inspected provision alongside the headline numbers. The DfE's school and college performance tables are the cleanest source for objective grade data.
How They Compare: Student Fit
A pragmatic way to choose between the three.
- Pick Westminster Tutors if the student needs the smallest possible group, the closest possible academic supervision, or is aiming at Oxbridge, medicine, or law from a non-traditional starting point.
- Pick Ashbourne College if the student wants subject breadth, the confidence of an Outstanding Ofsted, and a more conventional college environment with year groups and tutors.
- Pick MPW London if the student wants the widest subject choice, a flexible programme length (one year, eighteen months, two years), the option to retake, or boarding accommodation.
None of the three is the wrong answer for a serious student. The wrong answer is to choose by reputation alone without matching the teaching model to the student.
Visiting in Late May and June 2026
The summer term is the practical window for visiting. GCSE exams typically finish in late June, and most colleges hold open events or individual tours through May, June, and July. For 2026, the priority weeks are:
- Late May and early June. Final open events before the GCSE peak. Best for students applying for September 2027 entry.
- Late June and early July. Best for current Year 11 students who want to confirm a shortlist before GCSE results day on 21 August.
- The week after results day. All three Kensington colleges historically run results day enrolment for students switching from state schools or other independents. Phone first.
Our guide to what to look for at sixth form open days lists the questions worth asking on each visit. The most useful of them is also the simplest: ask to see a recent results breakdown by subject, not just the headline percentage.
What About Fees Beyond the Headline
The £11,966 to £12,800 a term spread is the day fee. It is not the whole cost. Three things to confirm with each college before applying:
- What the fee covers. Tutorial colleges often quote a single fee per subject or per term, but registration, assessment, mock exam, and individual mentoring sessions can sit outside it.
- Annualised total. Multiply by three terms. Westminster Tutors at £12,800 a term is approximately £38,400 a year; Ashbourne at £12,650 a term is approximately £37,950; MPW at £11,966 a term is approximately £35,898.
- Scholarships and bursaries. All three colleges offer some form of academic award or means-tested support. Our fees and financial aid guide walks through how these work in practice.
Compared with the West London colleges at £6,500 to £6,900 a term, Kensington is roughly twice the price for the same three A-Levels. The premium pays for location, smaller classes, and the tutorial model. Whether it pays for itself depends entirely on the student.
Where Kensington Fits in the Wider London Picture
Kensington is the most concentrated cluster, but it is not the whole London market. Mayfair, the City of London, Ealing, Kensal Green, and Hampstead all hold private sixth form colleges of their own, often at lower fees. Our London directory and the Central London page list each by area. The wider comparison of London private sixth forms covers the trade-offs between zones.
For students aiming at Oxbridge specifically, the top private sixth forms for Oxbridge preparation covers the colleges with the strongest published track records. For students considering a retake, the A-Level retakes guide explains how the Kensington colleges, particularly MPW and Westminster Tutors, approach the year.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many private sixth form colleges are in Kensington?
Three private sixth form colleges sit within Kensington and South Kensington: Westminster Tutors on Old Brompton Road (SW7), Ashbourne College on Old Court Place (W8), and MPW London on Queen's Gate (SW7). All three are within a fifteen minute walk of South Kensington Tube and offer A-Level programmes in small-group or tutorial format.
Which Kensington sixth form college has the best A-Level results?
Headline results favour Westminster Tutors (80% A*-B, 77% to Russell Group in 2024), followed by Ashbourne College (52% A*-A, Ofsted Outstanding) and MPW London (around two thirds to Russell Group). The figures are not directly comparable because each college has a different admissions profile and cohort size, so it is worth reading the inspection reports and the government performance tables alongside the headlines.
How much do Kensington private sixth form colleges cost?
Day fees range from approximately £11,966 a term at MPW London to £12,800 a term at Westminster Tutors, with Ashbourne College sitting at £12,650 a term. Across three terms, that is roughly £35,898 to £38,400 a year for three A-Levels. None of the three Kensington colleges offers boarding except MPW London.
Do Kensington private sixth form colleges accept students for A-Level retakes?
Yes. All three accept retake students. MPW London is the most retake-focused, offering dedicated one-year and eighteen-month retake programmes. Westminster Tutors takes retake students into its tutorial model, which suits students who need close attention. Ashbourne is more selective on entry but does take retake students with the right GCSE profile.
When are open days at Kensington sixth form colleges?
Open events typically run from autumn through to the summer term, with the densest cluster in May and June. After GCSE results day on 21 August, all three colleges run results day enrolment sessions for students switching from other schools. Individual tours are usually available year-round by appointment.
Is a Kensington private sixth form worth the higher fees?
It depends on the student. The Kensington premium over the cheaper West and North London colleges is roughly £5,000 to £6,000 a term, or £15,000 to £18,000 a year. What you are paying for is location, very small classes, and the tutorial model. A confident student who would thrive in a conventional class of fifteen may not need the most intensive teaching format. A student who stalled in a larger school often does. Our guide to choosing a private sixth form walks through how to match the model to the student.
Kensington is the single most concentrated location for private sixth form colleges in the UK, and the three colleges in this post differ enough in teaching model, subject breadth, and price that the right choice for one student is the wrong one for another. Start with the colleges directory, use the comparison tool to line up fees and results side by side, and get in touch if you would like help building a shortlist.
Jonny Rowse
Education Editor