St Paul’s School
Lonsdale Road, London, SW13 9JT, United Kingdom
St Paul’s School
Lonsdale Road, London, SW13 9JT, United Kingdom
St Paul’s School Overview
You have probably heard of St Paul’s. If not, the key points are it is located on a bank of the Thames in West London, is a single sex boys’ school, and it regularly achieves the very highest exam results in the whole country. The Junior school starts at age 7+, and the senior school at age 13+.
What is St Paul’s like?
A school this prestigious and in demand is quite naturally very selective on academics, and the senior school will receive hundreds of 13+ applications for just 70 or 80 available places (around 100 move up automatically from the Junior School.) The vast majority of boys are day students and, with only around 40 beds to go around the full, weekly, and flexi boarders, to say it is a challenge to win a bed at St Paul’s is something of an understatement.
The assumption of being a St Paul’s boy (aka a Pauline!) is that you are academically extremely capable, and likely in the top 1 or 2 percent nationally. This high baseline allows every pupil to balance their academic commitments with whatever other interests they might have, be it scholarly, creative or sporting.
Is it a good school?
St Paul’s is always amongst the top schools in the country for GCSE and A-level results. So academic achievement is a given.
Aside from academics, it aims to develop a global understanding and sense of responsibility in its boys. It encourages free-thinking and eclectic interests in its pupils and, as an organisation, aims to enrol as many academically able boys as it can, regardless of their financial or social backgrounds.
Essentially, this is a school for extremely capable boys who are ready to push themselves further.
Is it hard to get into St Paul’s?
Yes, this is a school for extremely capable boys who are ready to push themselves further.
Given the Junior School students automatically progress into the Senior School, the smart parent would aim for 7+ entrance (which is still very competitive.) By the time 11+ or 13+ registration comes around, things have got even more competitive.
Usually 20 or fewer places are offered to external 6th form candidates so, as when applying to the handful of boarding spaces, you would be well-advised to have back-up options in place.
What is boarding at St Paul’s like?
Currently small and functional. A max of 40 beds available for full (mainly international) boarders and a handful of weekly/flexi boarders who live more locally.
Curriculum and exam results
St Paul’s offers the English curriculum of GCSEs and A-levels. As you would expect with a school of this academic level, boys are widely engaged and supported to explore subjects of interest well above and beyond the curriculum offered.
Exam results for both A-level and GCSE are just phenomenal but, when you understand the filtering process the school goes to in order to enrol the top global talent, the academic achievement does not really come as a surprise.
What are the fees?
Day fees at St Paul’s are around £27k and, whilst this is above the national average, it is not particularly steep for a central-London school with some of the highest exam results around. Similarly, maximum boarding fees of £40k are not exorbitant in the wider context. Put simply, they could get away with charging a lot more if they wanted to!
Can I apply for a scholarship?
Well, academic scholarships are honorary, so won’t lighten your financial load. Fortunately, the school’s priority is to share its wealth by helping capable boys enrol regardless of their family’s ability to meet the fees. So if you need financial support, a bursary is the way to go, with the school’s commitment sometimes even covering 100% of fees.
Just keep in mind that your son first has to be academically gifted enough to be offered a place.
How do you apply for St Paul’s?
Age 7+ or 8+
You ideally need to register early in Year 1 for 7+ (Year 3) entrance, and early Year 2 for 8+ (Year 4) entrance.
The first part of assessment is tests in Maths, English and reasoning, and successful candidates are invited back for a group assessment involving maths and English lessons, and a problem-solving task as part of a team.
N.B: You can only register for one of the 11+ or 13+ entrance points.
Age 11+
For 11+, you should submit registration a year before entrance, before sitting the ISEB online pre-test in December. The school will then filter applicants before inviting successful pupils for the school’s own exams in January. The final stage is attending the school for interview with offers finally being made in February.
Age 13+
You need to register 3 years prior to entrance. So for September 2026 entrance, you need to register by September 2023 (when your son is in Year 6.)
Similar to 11+, candidates are whittled down at each stage, starting with the ISEB pre-test, then entrance tests, then interview.
Firm offers are made and need to be accepted in Year 7. Reserve list offers are reviewed in early Year 8 (though you may have needed to accept one of your back-up options by then.)
Age 16+ (sixth form)
You’ll need a “blow your socks off” set of school reports for the past 2 years, a plethora of extra curricular achievements, and some way to illustrate your exemplary character. Each year, around twenty places are up for grabs amongst hundreds of candidates.
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