West London Free School

The West London Free School is an English free school for girls and boys aged 11 to 18. It was co-founded by Toby Young and opened in 2011.It is located in Hammersmith in west London and was the first free school of its type in England to sign a Funding Agreement with the Secretary of State for Education.The West London Free School offers children a classical liberal education and is a music specialist school, with more than half the pupils learning a musical instrument. The school says it expects "every pupil to study a core of academically rigorous subjects, regardless of background or ability, but with plenty of art, music, drama and sport thrown in". Its production of Sweeney Todd in the summer of 2015 enjoyed a short, sell-out run at the Bush Theatre. On its website it states that it is a school "with high expectations, strong discipline and an academically rigorous curriculum, but which is open to all, regardless of income, ability or faith".HistoryThe school was formally opened by Mayor of London Boris Johnson in September 2011 and is currently home to 600 pupils. It received over 1,000 applicants for its last 120 places, making it one of the most oversubscribed taxpayer-funded schools in England.The school's first headteacher was Thomas Packer, who served in post from September 2011 to January 2013, before becoming Education Director of the charitable trust that set up the school. Sam Naismith, a former England hockey coach, was then Headteacher from January 2013 until May 2014. Dame Sally Coates, ex-principal of Burlington Danes Academy, looked after the school while a permanent head was chosen. Hywel Jones was appointed as headteacher from September 2014. Jones was formerly an assistant headteacher at St. Mary's Catholic School in Bishop’s Stortford.