WENTWORTH COLLEGE

Inspection of Wentworth College 6-10 Brentmead Place, London NW11 9LH

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Inspection dates: 9 to 11 September 2025

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

The quality of education Outstanding Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Outstanding Sixth-form provision Outstanding Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

Does the school meet the independent school standards?

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ well-being is at the centre of everything that the school does. This is illustrated by the high standards that pupils achieve and in their excellent attitudes to learning. Many pupils arrive with significant gaps in their learning. Whatever their starting points, the school builds pupils’ achievements extremely successfully. The tailor-made curriculum gives them the skills and confidence for later life.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are highly supportive of the school’s all-embracing ethos. They noted that the school adapts to their needs rather than them having to adapt to the school’s. Pupils are fulsome in their praise for the school and the positive impact it has on their learning and well-being. They said, ‘you can be yourself here’. This sense of belonging is embedded in all that the school does, from the highly respectful culture and very positive relationships to the carefully crafted curriculum and opportunities for enrichment.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Behaviour is impeccable. Pupils are clear that this is the result of the way the school successfully develops their personal skills. Pupils’ attendance improves hugely once they start at the school. Their social and emotional development is interwoven seamlessly with their academic achievement. Pupils are highly motivated and contribute strongly to the school’s optimistic and affirmative culture.

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better?

Whatever their background or starting points, pupils are exceptionally well prepared for the next stage of their lives. The school’s high expectations for pupils’ behaviour, personal development and academic progress help to ensure that behaviour is very positive and everyone achieves particularly well.

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better?

Staff have a thorough knowledge of pupils’ social, emotional and academic needs. Regardless of their role, staff know what makes their pupils tick, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Expert support provided by specialist staff ensures that needs and personal issues are tackled quickly and successfully. This allows the school to match the curriculum accurately to pupils’ individual needs and experiences. Pupils’ understanding is checked carefully and frequently to ensure that they are learning effectively. Where necessary, adjustments are made to boost learning or to provide personal support. As a result, pupils gain the personal, emotional and academic skills that they need for the future.

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better?

The focus on both high-quality learning and developing strong, respectful relationships are keys to the school’s success. This helps to ensure that pupils with SEND are extremely well supported and achieve their potential. Their individual needs are identified accurately when they begin school. This informs the way staff continually adapt their teaching, taking account of their understanding of both pupils’ knowledge and their emotional learning. Gaps in knowledge are quickly 9 to 11 September 2025 addressed, helping pupils to keep up with their work. Pupils in Year 11 and the sixth form build their confidence quickly and become highly motivated learners.

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better?

The curriculum is designed carefully to ensure that it is both accessible to pupils and ambitious in its scope. It meets the requirements of the independent school standards. Most pupils start in Year 11 and study GCSE courses based on their previous experiences and wishes. They achieve very highly in their chosen GCSE examinations. The same is true for post-16 students, who achieve impressive results at A level. Pupils receive clear guidance about the careers that they can follow when they leave. This ensures that pupils move to education, training or employment after school. Many post-16 students go on to university.

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better?

The school places considerable emphasis on ensuring that pupils have the fundamental skills for later life. A focus on reading for pleasure and to access the curriculum means that all pupils can read with a suitable degree of accuracy and confidence when they leave school. Similarly, pupils gain suitable mathematical skills.

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better?

The school is especially successful in creating a highly positive school environment in which all are valued and able to learn well. This helps to ensure that pupils can take full advantage of the range of opportunities the school provides. Pupils have a very strong understanding of the fundamental British values and uphold these with zeal. For example, they debate controversial issues with a high degree of respect and tolerance for different views. Pupils’ strong moral code holds them in good stead for the future. So, too, does the range of enrichment activities provided by the school. From debating and producing a student newspaper, to visits to local places of worship, the formal curriculum is extended very well.

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better?

The proprietor challenges the school effectively and works closely with staff to ensure that it meets all the independent school standards in full. This includes the requirements of schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010. Staff workload and support for their well-being are woven into the fabric of the school. Ongoing professional development and training help to ensure that staff are able to update their expertise and develop new skills. This adds to the school’s ability to support all pupils, including those with SEND.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection. 9 to 11 September 2025 The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school. 9 to 11 September 2025

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School details

Unique reference number 131288 DfE registration number 302/6109

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School details

Inspection number 10391725 Type of school Other independent school

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School details

Gender of pupils in the sixth form Mixed

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form

Email address enquiries@wentworthcollege.co.uk

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form

Date of previous inspection 11 to 13 October 2022 9 to 11 September 2025

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Information about this school

 Wentworth College is an independent secondary day school for boys and girls between the ages of 14 and 19.  The school occupies three adjoining private houses at 6-10 Brentmead Place, London NW11 9LH. The school’s previous standard inspection was in October 2022 where its overall effectiveness was judged as good.  The school does not use any alternative provision

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors carried out this inspection under section 109(1) and (2) of the Education and Skills Act 2008. The purpose of the inspection is to advise the Secretary of State for Education about the school’s suitability for continued registration as an independent school.

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Information about this inspection

Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.

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Information about this inspection

The school meets the independent school standards. These are the requirements set out in the schedule to the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, mathematics, art and politics. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers and, where possible, spoke to pupils about their learning and looked at samples of their work.  Inspectors also looked at curriculum plans and spoke to leaders about other subjects and activities.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, senior leaders, staff and pupils.  The lead inspector met online with the proprietor.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive

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Information about this inspection

culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors checked the school’s compliance with the independent school standards.  Inspectors considered responses to Ofsted’s Parent View survey, including written comments. 9 to 11 September 2025

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Inspection team

Brian Oppenheim, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Robert Grice His Majesty’s Inspector 9 to 11 September 2025 to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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