Founded in 1904 as one of the first purpose-built schools for girls, St Paul’s Girls' School embraces both tradition and innovation. The emphasis on liberal learning established by the first High Mistress, Frances Gray, finds expression today in an academically adventurous curriculum, which encourages intellectual freedom, discovery, and the joy of scholarship. School life is underpinned by the kindest and most individual of pastoral care and a strong commitment to partnerships and diversity, with a generous and growing bursary programme.
Admissions. The main ages of admission are 11 and 16. There are currently 808 students on roll. The school is committed to making an SPGS education available to the brightest students whatever their means and has an active fundraising campaign dedicated to raising funds to double the number of students on a bursary in the next 10 years. Admissions Registrar: Mrs Katie Smith.
Bursaries
Currently 78 students are in receipt of a financial award, which equates to 10% of student roll, with the ambition to double this over 10 years.
Junior Bursaries (11+) to a value of up to full fee remission, based on proven financial need and subject to annual review, are available. Candidates must be successful in the 11+ entrance examination. The number of junior bursaries available each year will vary.
Senior Bursaries (16+) to a value of up to full fee remission, based on proven financial need and subject to annual review, are available for candidates who have been successful in the Senior School entrance examination and are currently in their final GCSE year at another school.
Scholarships
Junior Music Scholarships (11+) to the value of lessons in two instruments/voice, currently worth £1,800 per annum, tenable for five years when scholars will be able to apply for a 16+ scholarship in Y11 for their final two years at SPGS. Music exhibitions may also be awarded following auditions at the discretion of the Director of Music. They are based on the value of lessons in one instrument/voice, currently worth £900 per annum and tenable for five years.
Senior Music Scholarships (16+) to the value of lessons in two instruments/voice, currently worth £1,800 per annum, tenable for two years (choral awards up to the value of one lesson in voice may be available). External candidates must be successful in the Senior School entrance examination.
Senior Art Scholarships (16+) of the value of £250 per annum are offered to up to two internal and two external candidates who are currently in their final GCSE year and who, if applying from another school, have previously been successful in the Senior School entrance examination. Candidates take part in a workshop and are required to submit a portfolio.
Senior Drama Scholarships (16+) of the value of £250 per annum are awarded based on an audition, workshop and interview with our Director of Drama and other drama staff to candidates who show outstanding potential as an actor or director. Please note that scholarship candidates will often study drama at A Level; however, those able to demonstrate a significant commitment to co-curricular drama will also be considered. Drama exhibitions of the value of £50 per annum are also awarded following an audition, workshop and interview with the Director of Drama.
Fees per term (2023-2024). £9,982, including lunches and personal accident insurance, and excluding textbooks. The fees per term for new entrants entering at 16+ are £10,732.
Registration & Examination Fee: £250.
Sixth Form. The Senior School is housed in our wonderful Garden Building, opened in 2018. Students have a large and comfy common room, kitchen, group working space and quiet study room at their disposal. Tutor groups are small, enabling first-class pastoral support. Students are further supported by the Senior School team, and they are guided through the university application process. One of the highlights is the weekly lecture by invited speakers.
Results and Destinations. SPGS is committed to providing an outstanding academic education within a highly encouraging environment. Students regularly achieve exceptional results (53% A* at A Level or Pre-U equivalent and 80.5% at GCSE in 2023), but the school aims to teach far beyond the prescribed curriculum, endowing students with a lifelong love of learning and the necessary tools of scholarship and enterprise. Our teaching places emphasis on creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship, while our broad and progressive curriculum is rich in opportunities to learn about new technologies, preparing students to navigate an increasingly interconnected world with ease. Students take GCSE and IGCSE examinations in Y11; alternative school directed courses in art, history of art, computer science, creative technology, drama and music are also offered for this age group. Senior students are offered 23 subjects at A Level and are prepared for university entrance by a personal higher education coordinator and an academic advisor. Students go on to study at major universities in the UK and USA, with over a third going to Oxford or Cambridge annually.
Pastoral Care. Pastoral care is also central to our ethos as evidenced by our Wellbeing Centre, five-days-a-week counselling provision and sympathetic medical staff. Students learn and thrive in a happy and supportive environment. Everyone, from Year 7 upwards, is placed in a small tutor group of approximately 14 students to ensure the delivery of targeted and empathetic pastoral care. Strong systems of support mean students always have somewhere to turn when they need a listening ear, from peer supporters to form captains and our Head of School team. The pastoral curriculum aims to introduce students to a diverse range of perspectives and demonstrates the importance of kindness, inclusion and individuality, empowering them to make a difference in the world beyond school.
Co-curriculum. There is a great depth and variety of opportunities beyond the classroom. Many of the 100+ clubs and societies on offer are run by students for students, and new ones are created every year to reflect passion and demand. Students are given leadership opportunities and an environment in which to experiment, innovate and push boundaries. The creative and performing arts flourish at SPGS. Composer of The Planets, Gustav Holst, was Director of Music at the school for over thirty years and his legacy continues. Since its foundation, music has been a particularly strong feature with well over half the student body taking instrumental lessons; there are also multiple orchestras, choirs and ensembles on offer. Art and design benefit from studio and workshop facilities and there are several major exhibitions of students’ work. Drama enjoys a purpose-built theatre and a drama studio, and any student can direct her own production. The school offers the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. Volunteering is also an important feature of wider school life, with students spending time at food rescue and redistribution centres, local primary schools and residential care homes.
Community Partnerships. Partnerships play a key role at the school, and we aim to give everyone opportunities to work with students and staff from other schools. Projects include a music mentoring scheme, The Jupiter Project, primary reading schemes and a primary homework club, as well as a primary schools enrichment summer programme, alongside STEM courses for Years 10–13 from local secondary schools. We are founder members of the West London Partnership, which connects 11 schools from the state and maintained sectors in joint projects. We ensure that all our activities are open to others whenever possible, from our HE support and careers days to talks and lectures. Over 250 Paulinas and more than 500 students from other schools take part every year.
Sport. There are extensive sporting facilities on site and sport is played with verve and distinction. Facilities are some of the best offered by a central London school and include a 50 m swimming pool, four outdoor netball courts, two lacrosse pitches, an athletics track including field events, and five tennis courts. At our Sports Hall and Pavilion, we also house three dance and fitness studios and a multi-gym. SPGS prides itself on delivering a broad, balanced and exciting curriculum, offering a wide range of traditional and varied sporting opportunities, and aiming for every student to strive to discover a sport they love and in which they can achieve. The three main sports are lacrosse, netball and rowing, but students are able to take part in extracurricular clubs to broaden their participation. Fixtures are played throughout the year, ensuring every student who wants the opportunity is able.
Alumnae. SPGS is proud to have a supportive global network of over 7,000 alumnae, supported by a dedicated team in the school’s Development Office. They remain connected to each other and the school in a myriad of ways, including through an exclusive alumnae networking platform, bulletins, publications and frequent events. As a vital part of the community, alumnae assist in supporting students with mentoring, careers and university guidance.
Charitable status. St Paul’s Girls’ School is a Registered Charity, number 1119613, and a Company Limited by Guarantee, registered in England, number 6142007 and is governed by its Memorandum and Articles of Association. It exists to promote the education of girls in Greater London. The sole member of the charitable company is the Mercers’ Company.
Governors & Staff:
Governors:
Chair: Mr Simon Wathen, LLB Bristol
Deputy Chair: Mrs Zeina Bain, MA Oxford
Ms Justine Archer, BSc Edinburgh
Ms Lisa Barclay, MA Cambridge, MBA London
Ms Mairi Brewis, MA Oxford
Mr Nicholas Buxton, BSc Bristol
Mr Tim Haywood, BSc Edinburgh, MBA Cranfield
Mrs Clare Hebbes, MEng MICE
Mrs Geeta Khehar, LLB Leicester
Mrs Gillian Low, MA Oxford
Mr Geoffrey Matthews, MA Cambridge
Ms Leah Morris, BA Glamorgan
Ms Joy Reymond BSc, MA, MBA USA and Australia
Professor Jane Ridley, DPhil Oxford
High Mistress: Mrs Sarah Fletcher, MA Oxford
Senior Deputy Head, Director of Studies: Mr Andrew Ellams, MA Oxford
Deputy Head, Director of Pastoral Care: Mrs Lizzie Beesley, MA Oxford
Deputy Head, Director of Partnerships: Ms Simone Benn, BMus RAM
Deputy Head, Director of Innovation: Mr Giles Bennett, BA Middlesex, BSc Open, MSc Oxford, MIMA, FCCT
Deputy Head, Director of Co-Curriculum: Mr Fred Hitchcock, BA Bristol
Deputy Head, Director of Senior School: Mr Rupert Try, MA, MSt Oxford
Deputy Head, Director of Strategic Development: Mr Ellis Whitcomb, BSc Birmingham, PGCert Cambridge
Director of Safeguarding and Inclusion: Ms Coco Stevenson, MA London
Bursar: Mrs Sarah Teasdale, BSc London, FCA
Director of Operations: Mrs Barbara Sussex, BA, MPhil Birmingham
Heads of Department:
Art: Mr Matthew Bunning, BA Cambridge
Biology: Miss Harriet Newhouse, BSc Durham, PGCE Oxford
Chemistry: Dr Emma Dell, MChem Oxford, PhD Columbia
Classics: Dr Matthew McCullagh, BA, MPhil, PhD Cambridge
Computer Science and Creative Technologies: Ms Melissa Bustamante-Jenke, BSc, PGCE London
Drama: Miss Isabel Foley, BA, MA London
Economics: Mr Nicholas Hazell, BA Leeds, PGCE Brighton
English: Dr Joanna Bratten, BA Steubenville, OH, MLitt, PhD St Andrews
Geography: Ms Lucy Costello, BA Liverpool
History: Mrs Kate Snook, MA St Andrews, MPhil Cambridge
History of Art: Ms Kate Evans, BA London
Mathematics: Dr Damon Vosper Singleton, MMath Oxford, PhD London
Modern Languages (acting): Miss Marjorie Delage, BA Limoges
Music: Mr Joseph McHardy, BMus Edinburgh
Physical Education: Miss Jessica Basch, BA, MA St Davids, PA
Physics (acting): Mr Gary Davies, BSc Nottingham, MSc Cambridge, PhD London