[1][2] 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.

Its production of Sweeney Todd in the summer of 2015 enjoyed a short, sell-out run at the Bush Theatre.

[4] The school was formally opened by Mayor of London Boris Johnson in September 2011 and is currently home to 600 pupils.

[7] Dame Sally Coates, ex-principal of Burlington Danes Academy, looked after the school, alongside David Stanton, while a permanent head was chosen.

In April 2021, Ben McLaughlin and Robert Peal became joint headteachers The school was inspected by Ofsted in 2013 and 2017 and judged to be good.

[12] In 2013 the West London Free School Primary was opened, starting with two Reception classes of 30 pupils each.

[18] In addition to criticism of the free school concept generally, the West London Free School was criticised in The Guardian for planning to make its permanent site Palingswick House in Hammersmith, a building then occupied by a number of community groups.

[20] In response, Toby Young pointed out that Palingswick House was listed for disposal by Hammersmith and Fulham Borough Council long before the West London Free School came into existence and, had the school not subsequently bought it, it would likely have been sold off to a property developer and possibly demolished.