St Paul’s Prep School Prospectus UNIQUELY ST PAUL’S
Entry at Year 3 and Year 7
stpaulsschool.org.uk
ST PAUL’S PREP SCHOOL
PROSPECTUS
Welcome from the Head Thank you for considering St Paul’s Prep School for your son. I am incredibly proud of our pupils and the educational opportunities that we provide for them. We are experts in educating academically able boys and giving them the support, stimulation and enrichment that they need to thrive, both within the classroom and through our wide-ranging co-curricular programme. The purpose of this prospectus is, therefore, to open a window into the Prep School experience; I hope this conveys our love of wonder and adventure. The boys who join the School each year have tremendous academic potential. It is our role to nurture their curiosity, promote scholarly rigour and encourage critical thinking. We also provide a wide range of opportunities to help them find their passions outside the classroom, with thriving music, drama, art and sports departments, as well as a large range of co-curricular clubs. From their first years with us, pupils take part in on-site Forest School sessions and regular off-site field trips, both in the UK and across the globe, to broaden their horizons and to bring to life the theory they have practised in the classroom. It is hugely important to us that the boys grow to become empathetic global citizens with a great commitment towards being a force for good in the world.
to give of themselves in voluntary and charity work from a young age, with opportunities for working with and fundraising for local organisations woven into classroom work and the co-curricular programme. Throughout their time at St Paul’s Prep School the boys are actively encouraged to take on positions of leadership and to share their thoughts, ideas and feelings on all aspects of school life; we want them to feel empowered and keen to help shape the School’s future. I hope that you will feel inspired by our educational philosophy and invite you to visit the School site, not only to gain a sense of the warm, dynamic atmosphere but also to appreciate the outstanding facilities available to boys at St Paul’s Prep School and St Paul’s School.
At St Paul’s Prep School, we seek to provide a holistic education for the pupils in our care, ensuring they have the resources and teaching to excel academically and in co-curricular pursuits, but also the guidance to develop into well-rounded young adults. Three pillars of scholarship, opportunity and character underpin all that we do here and inform our key character traits: respect, kindness, humility, integrity and resilience. Our pupils learn to observe, demonstrate and appreciate these values through daily recognition and celebration. Further to this, our curriculum reinforces the ethical and spiritual framework upon which our community life is built, whilst our established programme of collaboration with St Paul’s Girls’ School means that pupils in Years 7 and 8 enjoy regular interaction with their peers at SPGS through academic initiatives, societies, trips and social events. We believe that this approach provides the ‘best of both worlds’: learning in an environment carefully tailored to allow talented young boys to flourish, whilst ensuring they meet girls not only in social situations but also through learning together in the classroom or co-curricular environment. The boys also learn
The past year has been an exciting time for the School. The construction of the two stunning new Prep School buildings, which have become the central hub of the boys’ learning, was completed in late 2025, and we were delighted to move into our new home in January 2026. You will see photos of the new buildings later in this prospectus, which I hope do justice to this unique space. Already, we enjoy the expanse of a 45-acre site, conveniently situated in London, and share facilities with our Senior School. Boys, therefore, have access to spaces not usually available in a prep school and are also familiar with the Senior School site and enjoy opportunities for interaction with senior pupils and teaching staff. The transition between St Paul’s Prep School and St Paul’s School is carefully managed to ensure that the boys have the preparation, confidence and independence to excel in the senior school environment. I hope that you will be able to visit our beautiful campus here in Barnes soon and I very much look forward to meeting you. Oliver Snowball Head
Scholarship Academic planning is guided by the National Curriculum but pupils are routinely taught subjects in deeper and broader depth than national guidelines stipulate.
8.20am
Registration
8.35am
Assembly
9.00am – 9.35am
Period 1
9.40am – 10.15am
Period 2
Around 15 pupils receive academic scholarships each year to our senior school, St Paul’s.
10.15am – 10.35am
Break time
10.40am – 11.15am
Period 3
11.15am – 11.55am
Period 4
11.55am – 1.15pm
Lunch
1.20pm
Registration
1.25pm – 2.00pm
Period 5
2.00pm – 2.35pm
Period 6
2.35pm – 2.40pm
Break time
2.40pm – 3.15pm
Period 7
3.15pm – 3.50pm
Period 8
3.50pm – 4.00pm
Form Time
4.00pm
Dismissal
Prep School Paulines enjoy regular success in the Junior Mathematical Olympiad; the Townsend Warner History Prize; the Royal Geographical Society’s Young Geographer of the Year; and the Bebras Computational Thinking competition, amongst other national academic contests.
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ST PAUL’S PREP SCHOOL
PROSPECTUS
Our New Home The new home of St Paul’s Prep School provides a modern, spacious and inspiring setting reflective of the forward-thinking and sector-leading education that we offer. We continue to enjoy a shared campus with our senior school, St Paul’s, and all the benefits this brings. We hope that these photos provide an insight into the exciting Prep School facilities at St Paul’s.
ST PAUL’S PREP SCHOOL
PROSPECTUS
Wider School Life at a Glance
45-acre riverside campus
1
Forest School area
State-of-the-art
Health and Performance Centre
11
490
sport fixtures are organised each year (rugby: 200, football: 150 and cricket: 140)
rugby and football pitches, including a full-size 3G
10
tennis courts
5
cricket pitches
7
all-weather cricket nets
6
indoor sport facilities including a swimming pool
4
world-class arts facilities including a concert hall and theatre complex
3+
drama productions take place each year, alongside a wide range of weekly drama clubs, activities and competitions
5+
gala or informal concerts are held each term
4
Houses – Oak, Ash, Thorn and Beech. The House system encourages camaraderie between year groups and healthy competition throughout the school year
2+
Art exhibitions of pupils’ work are held each year
11+
1
world-class Engineering and Technology suite
sports are offered in co-curricular sessions or competitive fixtures, including swimming, athletics, crosscountry, badminton, water polo, basketball, padel, judo and fencing
ST PAUL’S PREP SCHOOL
PROSPECTUS
The Admissions Process 7+ ADMISSION (approximately 72 boys admitted each year) For entry at 7+, a boy’s seventh birthday must fall on or before 31 August in his year of entry.
11+ ADMISSION (approximately 36 boys admitted each year) For entry at 11+, a boy’s eleventh birthday must fall on or before 31 August in his year of entry.
Registration is open from February when a boy is in Year 1 and closes in September, when he is in Year 2.
Registration is open from April when a boy is in Year 5 and closes in mid-October, when he is in Year 6.
Registered candidates will be invited to sit tests in English, Mathematics and Reasoning. These take place in the November preceding September entry.
Parents must also register their son for the ISEB Pre-Test.
In the two weeks following the written tests, boys who have performed well will be invited back for a half-day group assessment, involving a Maths lesson, English lesson and group problem-solving task in groups of approximately 10 pupils.
At the same time, parents will be invited to meet the Head of St Paul’s Prep School.
The online ISEB Pre-Test should be taken at the pupil’s current school before mid-November. If this is not possible, they may take the test at St Paul’s Prep School at a date in November stipulated by St Paul’s.
Parents and schools will be informed as to the outcome of the boy’s pre-test and, if successful, they will be invited to sit written assessments at St Paul’s Prep School in Mathematics and English. These will be held in mid-December.
A reference will be requested from the Head of a boy’s current school. A reference will be requested from the Head of a boy’s current school. Places are offered following the interview process in December. Pupils who have performed well in the written assessments will be contacted in January and invited to St Paul’s Prep School for an interview.
Families will be advised in February whether their son has been offered a place.
Please note that families of boys applying for assessment in Year 6 must choose either 11+ entry (Year 7) to St Paul’s Prep School or 13+ entry (Year 9) to St Paul’s School. You may not register for both and those unsuccessful at 11+ cannot be considered for 13+ entry to St Paul’s School. Boys from state primary schools and independent schools which finish at 11 are invited to sit the 11+ examination when they are in Year 6.
Founder’s Awards (Bursaries) ASSISTANCE WITH FEES St Paul’s and St Paul’s Prep School take great pride in offering an outstanding education to talented pupils, irrespective of their family’s financial circumstances. Each year there are funds available for free and subsidised places at all entry points for families with a household income less than £150k per annum, on a ‘sliding scale’ relative to household income and assets.
My son is now in the Fifth Form at St Paul’s. He entered St Paul’s Prep School at the age of 11 from a local state primary school and has never looked back. He is very proud to be a Pauline. He has a great friendship group, enjoys the teaching approach and is thriving academically. My husband and I would not have been in a position to send him to St Paul’s were it not for the bursary and we are extremely grateful for this support.” Bursary parent
Scan the QR code to find out more about the financial support available at St Paul’s Prep School.
ST PAUL’S PREP SCHOOL
PROSPECTUS
Pastoral Care, PSHE and Character Development Pupils are supported in their school life by dedicated staff and their peers. They are taught to respect themselves and others, listening and valuing the opinions and feelings of those around them. St Paul’s Prep School acts as a beacon for safeguarding within the independent sector. The four vertical Houses promote interaction and teamwork between year groups, and a buddy system operates within each House so that younger pupils have an older role model and listening ear to guide them when they join the School. If situations arise in which pupils need some additional support, form tutors, Heads of Year, senior pastoral leaders, school counsellors and nurses are on hand. Our PSHE curriculum has been developed to deliver key messages around physical and mental health,
knowledge of the natural world around us, and respect for others. Three pillars underpin the School’s ethos and are carried through to the Senior School: scholarship, opportunity and character; from these stem our key character traits: kindness, respect, humility, integrity and resilience. The character traits are celebrated and acknowledged in assemblies, newsletters and the School rewards system. From their first years at St Paul’s, pupils become involved in charity work. There are opportunities within and outside the classroom to volunteer with the School’s partner charities such as FiSH Neighbourhood Care, to raise money through initiatives such as the School’s own 3x3 challenge, and to take part in fundraising events including the annual Christmas Fayre.
How to find us Falloden Way
Our pupils join us from destinations within the M25 and slightly further afield. Most pupils at St Paul’s Prep School are brought to school by their parents but some make their own way by bus, tube or bicycle.
Golders Green
HAMPSTEAD HEATH
Hendon Way West Hampstead Station Finchley Road
We are fortunate to enjoy a central location:
BELSIZE PARK
Swiss Cottage St John’s Wood Station
Hammersmith Underground Station: 20-minute walk
SOUTH HAMPSTEAD
Maida Vale
Barnes Bridge National Rail Station: 20-minute walk or 5-minute bus journey
Warwick Avenue
Barnes National Rail Station: 5-minute bus journey
Hyde Park Place
Holland Park
Served by a number of public bus service routes
Notting Hill Station
Knightsbridge
Hammersmith
Belgravia
Gloucester Road Sloane
ST PAUL’S PREP SCHOOL
School bus service serving North, West and South West London, and Surrey
HYDE PARK
Earl’s Court
Square
CHELSEA BARNES FULHAM
Prep School Bus Routes
Fulham Broadway
Royal Brompton Hosp. Chelsea & Westminster Hosp.
SPP07 Wimbledon / Putney SPP08 East Finchley / Golders Green SPP09 Fulham / Chelsea
Putney
Parsons Green Wandsworth Park
SPP10
Notting Hill / Holland Park
SPP11
St John’s Wood / Maida Vale
SPP12
Vauxhall / Clapham / Battersea
SPP14
Knightsbridge / South Kensington
Putney Heath
Battersea
Wandsworth Town
Clapham
Wimbledon Common War Memorial BUSHY PARK
WIMBLEDON
Wimbledon High Street
Coombe Hill Edge Hill/ The Ridgeway Cambridge Road
This map is intended as an illustrative guide only and may not show every stop, please consult the timetables for full information.
Vauxhall
We look forward to hearing from you. Admissions 7plusentry@stpaulsschool.org.uk 11plusentry@stpaulsschool.org.uk admissions@stpaulsschool.org.uk General enquiries prepreceptionist@stpaulsschool.org.uk Postal address St Paul’s School, Lonsdale Road, London SW13 9JT Telephone 020 8748 3461 Website stpaulsschool.org.uk
stpaulsschool.org.uk This prospectus describes the ethos of St Paul’s School along with some additional information on entry procedures. The prospectus is not part of any agreement between the parents and the School and it should be read in conjunction with the admissions information on the website. Although believed to be accurate on 31 July 2026 some content may be subject to change. All our School policies, along with terms and conditions, can be viewed or downloaded at stpaulsschool.org.uk/about/policies St Paul’s School is a charitable company, limited by guarantee, registered in England. Registered office at Lonsdale Road, London SW13 9JT. Registered Company Number 6141973. Registered Charity Number 1119619. © St Paul’s School, 2026.