St Philip's School, London
St Philip's School is an independent school for boys aged 4 to 13 in London. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in March 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2025)
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
St Philip's School in detail
St Philip's School in its own words
In its own words: "St Philip's is a small Catholic school. It is well-known for creating an atmosphere that is warm, welcoming and supportive, and we aim for every pupil to feel a valued member of the school community and to have a sense of being personally cared for by our teaching staff."
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, cricket, tennis, gymnastics, cross-country, judo, drama, orchestra, chess and Lego.
Vision and values (school website)Clubs (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other independent schools to St Philip's School are Falkner House (0.1 miles); Mander Portman Woodward School (0.2 miles); Wetherby School, Kensington (0.2 miles); and Glendower Preparatory School (0.2 miles, selective).
Falkner HouseMander Portman Woodward SchoolWetherby School, KensingtonGlendower Preparatory School
What parents say
56 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about St Philip's School (as of September 2025): 96% would recommend the school, 100% say their child is happy there and 71% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child is happy at the school (100%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (71%).
Who goes there
In 2026, 12 pupils (15.2%) received SEN support and 0 (0%) had an education, health and care plan.
Getting there
The nearest Underground station is Gloucester Road Underground Station, about 160 metres away (roughly a 2-minute walk).
22 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Gloucester Road, 150 metres away.
Sources: Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport)
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Safeguarding: effective
Independent school standards
Met all the independent school standards.
- Part 1: quality of educationMet
- Part 2: pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural developmentMet
- Part 3: welfare, health and safetyMet
- Part 4: suitability of staff and proprietorsMet
- Part 5: premises and accommodationMet
- Part 6: information for parentsMet
- Part 7: handling of complaintsMet
- Part 8: leadership and managementMet
Source: Ofsted, non-association independent schools inspections and outcomes (Open Government Licence)
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's March 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
St Philip's provides an exceptionally warm and supportive environment where boys feel like part of a family and thrive academically. The school excels at teaching reading through expert phonics and daily support, and has developed an ambitious curriculum that goes beyond national expectations. Pupils achieve highly and are exceptionally well prepared for their next stage of education, with outstanding behaviour and attitudes across the school.
Key Strengths
- Excellent curriculum that exceeds national expectations with carefully sequenced knowledge across all subjects -
- Outstanding early years provision with strong focus on language, number, physical and emotional development -
- Exceptional reading culture with expert phonics teaching and daily one-to-one support for younger pupils -
- Teachers with excellent subject knowledge who check understanding carefully and provide clear feedback -
- Highly positive school ethos with outstanding behaviour and attitudes, where pupils feel safe and happy
Areas for Improvement
- Staff wellbeing and workload concerns not adequately addressed, with poor communication affecting staff morale and the ability to listen to staff concerns -
- Governors lack clear oversight of key aspects of school work and do not provide sufficient support and challenge -
- Some areas for improvement from the previous inspection have not been fully addressed
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with strong systems in place that put pupils' interests first and create an open, positive culture around safeguarding.
Extracurricular Activities
Debating, video game design, backgammon, acrobatics, touch typing, games (two afternoons a week), swimming, school fixtures against other schools, school play, house competitions (poetry recitals, music recitals, Latin declamations, singing), school choir (Schola), trips to Buckingham Palace, the Barbican and Olympic Park, charity fundraising
St Philip's School is a Catholic preparatory school for boys aged 4-13 in Kensington and Chelsea that has been judged as Good overall with Outstanding quality of education. Pupils thrive in a warm, welcoming environment where they achieve highly across all curriculum areas and are exceptionally well prepared for senior school.
At a Glance
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
56 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby independent schools
Keep up with St Philip's School
Getting There
Tube / Metro / Tram
Bus Stops
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 222
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 40
- Children hurt
- 13
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 222 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 40 serious and 182 slight.
13 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 9 on foot, 2 on a bicycle and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise.
38 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Kensington and Chelsea is 204.5 (the median across 74 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
72%
Available places
79 pupils
110 places
31 spare places
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - London
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for London
Across Kensington and Chelsea council
Places available
1,110
Applications
602
Got 1st preference
66.8%
Got preferred school
92.7%
All secondary applications across Kensington and Chelsea council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(7)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
12
SEN Support
0
EHC Plans
15.2%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
No need-level breakdown available
Pupil Demographics
Key Indicators
79
Total Pupils
79
Boys
0
Girls
2026 academic year
Questions parents ask about St Philip's School
What is St Philip's School's Ofsted rating?
St Philip's School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in March 2025.
Does St Philip's School meet the independent school standards?
At its most recent standard inspection, in March 2025, St Philip's School met all the independent school standards.
How many pupils go to St Philip's School?
St Philip's School has around 79 pupils on roll.
How do I apply to St Philip's School?
St Philip's School is an independent school and runs its own admissions rather than going through the local authority. Contact the school directly for entry requirements, assessment dates, fees and any bursaries.
How many road collisions happen near St Philip's School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 222 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 40 serious and 182 slight. 13 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 9 on foot, 2 on a bicycle and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise. 38 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Kensington and Chelsea is 204.5 (the median across 74 schools, same distance and years).
Where is St Philip's School?
St Philip's School is at 6 Wetherby Place, London, SW7 4NE.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)