The American School in London (ASL) is a private, independent school in St John's Wood, London, England, for students from kindergarten through high school.
The American School in London is amongst the U.K.’s most expensive day schools, with tuition fees set at £40,900 for Grades 9-12.[2] it has a strong track record of Ivy League and top American and Oxbridge placements.[3]
The school was given an "Outstanding" score upon inspection by Ofsted in 2023.[4]
History
The school was established in 1951 by journalist Stephen Eckard. Eckard, an American national, was employed by the BBC at the time.[5] It was first situated in Eckard's home, and was a school primarily for 13 students. The school's colours, orange and black, are inspired by Eckard's alma mater, Princeton University. Prior to that, the school's official colours were red and black. The newly-founded school soon added three teachers and moved to a space in London's Chelsea neighbourhood. The school's first graduation took place in 1960.[5]
Visitors to the school have included U.S. Presidents Harry Truman, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama during their visits to London.[6] At a visit to The American School In London, President Obama made a short speech in which he talked about the US-UK relationship and the importance of children as the future.[7]
A 2018 Ofsted inspection report rated ASL as "outstanding" in all fields inspected.[9]
In 2021, The Head of the School Robin Appleby announced her resignation as the school had been accused of indoctrinating its pupils in critical race theory.[10][11][12] Following a December 2021 inspection, the school was downgraded two ratings by Ofsted to "requires improvement". Ofsted had inspected the school following media reports of political indoctrination. While the school was found to give "strong importance to equality and inclusion", the report continued "Sometimes, however, teaching places much more weight on the school’s approach to social justice than on learning subject-specific knowledge and skills". Reporting on the teaching of humanities in the lower school, Ofsted found that pupils "spend much time repeatedly considering identity (including analysing their own characteristics) rather than learning, for example, geographical knowledge".
In a follow up inspection in October 2022, Ofsted determined that following changes the school once again met all independent school standards. [10]
In January 2024, the school announced it had received an "Outstanding" score from Ofsted upon inspection.[4]
Current and former heads
Stephen Eckard, founder, head of school 1951–1971
Jack Harrison, head of school 1971–1986
William E. Harris, head of school 1986–1991
William Greenham, interim head of school 1991–1992
