Best sixth forms in London: A 2026 guide for students and parents

London's post-16 landscape isn't one thing. It's at least four, and they operate under different rules. School sixth forms sit at the top of 11 to 18 schools. Standalone 16 to 19 selective free schools (KCLMS, Harris Westminster, LAE Tottenham, LAE Stratford) run academically demanding programmes and select on GCSE performance. Sixth form colleges (SFCs) offer A-Levels at scale to a wider ability range. FE colleges specialise in vocational and applied general routes alongside A-Levels.

That's why "best sixth form in London" isn't a single ranking: different institutions serve different students, use different admissions criteria and are inspected under different frameworks. This guide groups providers by type. For each one, check the latest A-Level figures (average point score per entry, %A*-A and %A*-B) on the DfE's Compare school and college performance service.

Scope: 32 London boroughs plus the City of London. Excludes M25 commuter schools and out-of-London SFCs like Hills Road (Cambridge) and Peter Symonds (Winchester), despite their national reputation.

School sixth forms are the most familiar route. Students staying on at their existing 11 to 18 school apply internally; some schools set a slightly lower GCSE threshold for internal students than for external applicants. External applicants apply directly to each school in autumn Year 11.

Standalone 16 to 19 selective free schools (KCLMS, Harris Westminster, LAE Tottenham, LAE Stratford) are relatively new and academically highly selective. They require a strong set of GCSEs and use contextual admissions to widen access for pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Sixth form colleges (SFCs) admit at 16 and run large timetables. Woodhouse in Barnet is a well-known selective sixth form college.

FE colleges (Newham College, Capital City College Group) run A-Levels alongside a wider vocational and applied general offer, and are worth considering for students combining A-Levels with a specific vocational route.

For a general primer, see what is sixth form and sixth form vs college.

These are four of London's best-known state-funded, academically selective 16 to 19 institutions, joined by Newham Collegiate Sixth Form (NCS), a selective 16 to 19 academy in East London with a strong Oxbridge record. They admit on GCSE performance with contextual admissions layered on for pupils from underrepresented backgrounds. Application windows are typically autumn Year 11, with conditional offers made on predicted grades and confirmed against actual GCSEs in August.

KCLMS is a specialist state 16 to 19 free school on Kennington Road, Lambeth, opened in 2014 by King's College London. All students take A-level Maths and Further Maths plus Physics in Year 12, with a fourth subject (Computer Science or Economics from 2026). In Year 13 they complete either Physics or Computer Science alongside the two maths A-levels. The school reports high proportions of A*-A grades in these subjects (see the KCLMS website for the latest figures).

Admissions use a maths-only entrance test (based on KS3 maths) followed by an interview. Contextual admissions widen access for pupils from schools that historically send few students to competitive mathematical courses. Consult the KCLMS admissions page for current GCSE requirements.

Harris Westminster is a state 16 to 19 free school on Tothill Street, opened in 2014 in partnership with Westminster School. Broad A-Level offer, with shared teaching and enrichment sessions run jointly with Westminster.

Admissions use a GCSE threshold combined with a written assessment, interview and contextual variance. Well-documented Oxbridge and Russell Group progression record. Consult the current admissions page for GCSE requirements year on year.

LAE Tottenham is a state 16 to 19 free school on the High Road by White Hart Lane, N17, opened in 2017. Highgate School is its education sponsor and Tottenham Hotspur its business sponsor, with partner schools including Harrow, NLCS and Mill Hill. It runs a broad A-Level offer with a strong emphasis on university progression. Competitive GCSE threshold, contextual admissions central to the mission. Check the current admissions page for subject-specific requirements.

LAE Stratford is a state 16 to 19 free school in Stratford, E15, opened in 2012, with partner schools Brighton College, Caterham, Eton and Forest. Pastoral and academic tutoring is modelled on partner schools. Competitive GCSE threshold with contextual variance plus a written application. Both LAE sites have a well-established Oxbridge and Russell Group progression record.

NCS is a selective state 16 to 19 academy in East Ham, Newham, part of the City of London Academies Trust, admitting on GCSE performance with a well-documented Oxbridge and Russell Group progression record among East London state providers.

Many of London's highest-attaining state school sixth forms are attached to grammar schools. They admit their own Year 11s and, at some, a small number of external applicants each year subject to GCSE grade thresholds set by the school.

The Latymer School is a state grammar in Edmonton, N9. Sixth form takes internal continuers from Year 11 plus a small external cohort by GCSE threshold. Broad A-Level offer with strong sciences, humanities and languages.

Queen Elizabeth's is a state boys' grammar in Barnet, EN5, with a strong record of A-Level results and Oxbridge progression. Boys-only sixth form, admitting internal Year 11s and a modest external cohort by GCSE threshold.

Henrietta Barnett is a state girls' grammar in Hampstead Garden Suburb, NW11. Girls-only sixth form, admitting internal Year 11s and a small external cohort by competitive GCSE threshold. Broad A-Level offer with a strong sciences and humanities record.

Wilson's is a state boys' grammar in Wallington, Sutton. Boys-only sixth form, admitting internal Year 11s and external applicants who meet the GCSE requirements (including grade 7 or above in chosen subjects), with a well-established sciences and mathematics offer at A-Level.

The two Tiffin schools are state grammars in Kingston upon Thames. Tiffin School is boys 11 to 18 with a co-educational sixth form (girls join at 16); Tiffin Girls' is girls 11 to 18 with a single-sex sixth form. Both admit externally at 16 by GCSE threshold.

Nonsuch is a state girls' grammar in Cheam, Sutton. Girls-only sixth form admitting internal Year 11s and external applicants by GCSE threshold. Broad A-Level offer with a strong sciences track.

St Olave's is a state boys' grammar in Orpington, Bromley. The sixth form is co-educational (girls join at 16) and admits by GCSE threshold. St Olave's has a long-standing Oxbridge and Russell Group progression record.

Newstead Wood is a state girls' grammar in Orpington, Bromley. Girls-only sixth form admitting by GCSE threshold, with a broad A-Level offer and strong sciences and humanities.

London's SFC and FE sector is smaller than in the north of England but includes some well-known providers.

Woodhouse is a state sixth form college in North Finchley, Barnet, which became a sixth form college in 1978. It is selective, requiring an average of grade 6 across a student's best eight GCSEs for a three-A-level programme, plus subject-specific grades. Strong record on A-Level breadth and university progression. Inspected under the FE and skills framework, so its Ofsted classification differs from a school sixth form.

Capital City College Group includes Westminster Kingsway College and City & Islington College. Both offer A-Levels alongside a wider vocational and applied general programme, with GCSE-level thresholds at the higher tier. Worth considering for students combining A-Levels with a specific vocational route or T-Levels.

London's independent sector at 16+ is concentrated in a small number of long-established schools. Fees at leading London day schools now often exceed £12,000 per term including VAT, with some above £17,000 at sixth form. Check each school's current published fees. Most independent schools are inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI), which since 2023 reports whether standards are met rather than giving graded judgements.

Main London day independents with sixth-form entry include Westminster School (moving to full co-education by 2030), St Paul's School (Barnes, boys), St Paul's Girls' School (Hammersmith), King's College School Wimbledon (moving to full co-education), Godolphin & Latymer (Hammersmith, girls), North London Collegiate (Edgware), Latymer Upper School (Hammersmith, co-educational), City of London School, City of London School for Girls, and Highgate School (co-educational).

Each runs its own 16+ admissions process with school-set assessments and interviews in autumn Year 11. Offers are subject to GCSE results in August. Refer to each school's own published results page for A-Level headline figures; don't rank independent and state provision in a single table, because admissions and intake selection differ fundamentally.

Most London state sixth forms open applications in autumn Year 11, with deadlines between November and January depending on the school. You apply directly to each provider, not through a shared LA form. Offers are typically conditional on predicted GCSE grades and then confirmed on results day in August, but check each provider's deadline and process. GCSE grade thresholds vary widely. Selective 16 to 19 free schools set the highest bars, typically requiring a strong set of top-band GCSEs; grammar school sixth forms set thresholds by subject; SFCs use looser thresholds by tier. Most providers publish their thresholds each cycle; the most oversubscribed set them year on year and use contextual variance for applicants from pupil-premium or postcode-context backgrounds. Don't quote a specific threshold as a fixed rule, always check the current admissions page.

For a step-by-step walkthrough of the application process, see how to apply for sixth form.

Fit matters more than headline results. Ask whether your child's target subjects are strong at the sixth form: a school with a brilliant physics record isn't the right home for a student focused on languages. Look at cohort size too: a specialist provider might have 70 per year, a large SFC thousands, and the learning environments are very different.

Ask how the sixth form treats independent study. A-Level students need more self-directed time than they had at GCSE, and a good sixth form structures that shift rather than assuming students will adapt on their own. Ask about university guidance: what proportion apply to competitive courses, what tutoring is available for Oxbridge or medical school interviews.

Commute matters more than parents often assume. A 90-minute commute each way costs your child roughly 15 hours a week. And don't overweight one ranking: A-Level results vary year on year, so look at three-year trends where you can. For post-results options, our after GCSE results day guide walks through switching between sixth form, college and resit routes.

Applications for entry in September 2027 open in autumn 2026, alongside your child's Year 11. Deadlines typically fall between November 2026 and January 2027, with selective free schools and independents at the earlier end. Assessments and interviews sit in the winter of Year 11; conditional offers arrive in spring and are confirmed on results day in August 2027.

Check each school's dates when Year 11 starts. Missing a November deadline for an oversubscribed provider often ends the application there.