Search for a private sixth form college in London and you quickly hit a problem: there are too many, clustered in too few postcodes, charging fees that range from roughly £6,500 to £12,800 a term for the same three A-levels. Kensington alone holds several of the best-known names. The decision is rarely "London or not London"; it is which corner of London, and what you are actually paying for.
This is a practical map of the capital's private sixth form landscape, drawn from the colleges listed in our London directory. It covers where the colleges sit, what the fee spread reflects, how published results compare, and the questions worth asking before you book a single visit.
Why London Concentrates the Market
Private sixth form colleges, as distinct from independent senior schools with a sixth form, are a fairly specialist category. They take students at 16, often run small-group or tutorial teaching, and many specialise in A-level retakes, late transfers, and intensive university preparation. That model needs a dense, mobile, fee-paying population within commuting distance. London supplies it more than anywhere else in the country.
The result is a market split across three broad zones, each with a different character.
| Zone | Typical areas | What it tends to offer |
|---|---|---|
| Central London | South Kensington, Kensington, Mayfair, City of London | The oldest names, tutorial and small-group teaching, the highest fees |
| West London | Ealing, Kensal Green | Lower fees, day-focused, strong local intake |
| North London | Hampstead | Mid-range fees, leafy setting, day and some boarding |
You can browse each zone directly: Central London, West London, and North London.
Kensington and South Kensington: the Cluster Everyone Searches For
If you only knew London private sixth forms by reputation, you would assume they were all in Kensington. The search data backs the instinct: "private sixth form Kensington" is one of the most-searched terms for this category. The reason is history. Several of the capital's longest-running tutorial colleges set up here decades ago and never left.
Three examples from our directory illustrate the area:
- Westminster Tutors on Old Brompton Road, South Kensington, founded in 1934 and one of London's oldest. It teaches one-to-one or in groups of two to three, posted 80% A*-B in 2024, and sends 77% of leavers to Russell Group universities. Day fees are around £12,800 a term.
- Ashbourne College in Kensington, founded in 1981, offering over 25 A-levels with 52% A*-A in 2024 and day fees around £12,650 a term.
- MPW London in South Kensington, part of a long-established group founded in 1973, with day fees around £11,966 a term and boarding available.
The Kensington premium is real. You are paying for location, very small classes, and an established admissions network into competitive universities. Whether that premium is worth it depends entirely on the student. A confident, self-directed teenager may not need one-to-one teaching at £12,000-plus a term. A student who stalled in a class of thirty often does.
Mayfair and the City: Smaller, Specialist Names
Beyond Kensington, Central London holds a handful of smaller colleges with distinct identities.
- Albemarle Independent College in Mayfair, founded in 1997, posted a notably high 88% A*-B in 2024 with day fees around £10,800 a term.
- David Game College in the City of London, founded in 1974, with day fees around £8,333 a term, 62% A*-B in 2024, and boarding available.
These are worth a look precisely because they are less famous. A smaller cohort can mean more attention per student, and the fee step down from the Kensington names is significant: roughly £2,000 to £4,500 less per term at David Game than at the South Kensington tutorial colleges.
West and North London: the Lower-Fee Options
The fee spread across London is wider than most parents expect. Move out from the centre and the numbers change materially.
- Ealing Independent College in West London, founded in 1992, with day fees around £6,500 a term, the lowest of the London colleges in our directory.
- Bales College in Kensal Green, West London, founded in 1966, with day fees around £6,900 a term and boarding available.
- LSI Independent College in Hampstead, North London, founded in 1965, with day fees around £8,358 a term and 51% of leavers going to Russell Group universities.
The cheapest London option in our directory costs roughly half the most expensive per term. That gap does not map neatly onto quality; it reflects location, class-size model, and how much of the cost is tutorial teaching versus conventional small classes. A West London day college at £6,500 a term and a South Kensington tutorial college at £12,800 a term are solving different problems.
How the Fees Actually Compare
Because most London colleges quote per term, the headline figures hide the real annual commitment. The chart below shows approximate day fees per term across the directory, so you can see the spread at a glance.
Two practical points follow from this spread. First, always confirm what the fee covers: some colleges quote per subject, some bundle in mentoring and study skills, and a few add registration or assessment charges. Second, multiply by three terms before comparing with an annual figure quoted elsewhere. Westminster Tutors, for example, quotes roughly £38,400 a year for three A-levels.
Results: Read Them Carefully
A-level results are the headline most parents reach for, and the most easily misread. A 50% A*-A figure at a non-selective college that takes students of all abilities is a very different achievement from the same figure at a college that only admits students with strong GCSEs.
Before comparing the percentages, check three things:
- Admissions policy. Non-selective colleges, such as Westminster Tutors, accept a wider range of starting points, so raw grades understate the value added.
- Cohort size. A high A*-A percentage from a cohort of fifteen is more volatile year to year than the same figure from a cohort of two hundred.
- The independent inspection. Published Independent Schools Inspectorate and Ofsted reports tell you about teaching and pastoral quality, not just the exam table. They are free and worth more than any prospectus.
For an objective comparison of grades across colleges, the government's school and college performance data is the most reliable single source.
How to Build a London Shortlist
The capital's choice is wide enough to be paralysing. A simple sequence cuts it down.
- Fix the commute first. A college a student dreads travelling to every day is the wrong college, however good its results. Decide which zone is realistically reachable before looking at anything else.
- Set a fee ceiling and stick to it. The £6,500 to £12,800 per term spread means London genuinely has options at different budgets. Rule out what you cannot sustain for two years.
- Match the teaching model to the student. Tutorial and one-to-one teaching suits students who need close attention or are retaking. Conventional small classes suit confident, self-directed students who do not need the most intensive model.
- Read two inspection reports per college. Look for consistency across years on teaching and pastoral care, not just a single strong headline.
- Visit before deciding. Open days reveal atmosphere and fit that no prospectus can. Our guide to what to look for on sixth form open days covers the questions worth asking.
For subject planning alongside the location decision, our guide to A-level subject choices universities want and the Russell Group's Informed Choices tool are the two resources to read. If a student is applying for competitive courses, note that UCAS sets a 15 October deadline for Oxbridge, medicine, dentistry, and veterinary science, which shapes how early the application work has to start.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where are most private sixth form colleges in London?
The largest cluster is in and around Kensington and South Kensington, where several of the capital's oldest tutorial colleges are based. Mayfair and the City of London hold smaller specialist colleges, while West London (Ealing, Kensal Green) and North London (Hampstead) offer further options, often at lower fees.
How much do private sixth form colleges in London cost?
Day fees in our London directory range from roughly £6,500 a term at Ealing Independent College to around £12,800 a term at Westminster Tutors. Most colleges quote per term, so multiply by three for the annual figure, and always confirm what the fee includes before comparing.
Are the most expensive London colleges the best?
Not necessarily. The fee premium in Kensington and South Kensington largely reflects location and intensive one-to-one or very small-group teaching. A confident, self-directed student may achieve just as well at a lower-fee college with conventional small classes. Match the teaching model to the student rather than to the price.
Do London private sixth form colleges offer boarding?
Some do. MPW London, David Game College, and Bales College list boarding among the directory colleges, while others such as Westminster Tutors, Ashbourne College, and Ealing Independent College are day-only. If you need boarding, filter for it early, as it narrows the field considerably.
How do I compare A-level results between London colleges fairly?
Check the admissions policy first: a non-selective college's raw grades understate the value it adds. Then look at cohort size, since small cohorts produce more volatile percentages, and read the Independent Schools Inspectorate or Ofsted report alongside the government performance data rather than relying on a single headline figure.
London gives families more private sixth form choice than anywhere else in the UK, and the spread in fees, teaching models, and results is wide enough that the right college for one student is the wrong one for another. Start with the London directory to see the colleges by area, use our comparison tool to line up fees and results side by side, and get in touch if you would like help narrowing your shortlist.
Jonny Rowse
Education Editor