Staff, students, parents and former school governors held the view that the school's underperformance was due to long-term neglect by Westminster council. During the process of Pimlico's change to an academy, the council argued that the borough's community education needs could be sufficiently served by preserving the existing community school status of Quintin Kynaston School. However, since then QK switched to a community foundation school, meaning that there were no longer any community schools in Westminster akin to the traditional inner-city comprehensive.
The staff, students, parents, and former governors believed the school's poor performance was due to Westminster council's neglect over time. During Pimlico's transition to an academy, the council argued that preserving Quintin Kynaston School as a community school would meet the borough's educational needs. Nevertheless, QK now operates as a community foundation school, leading to no traditional inner-city comprehensive schools in Westminster.