St Paul's School

Entry points and who can apply

St Paul's is a boys' school in Barnes. Most boys from outside join at one of two points, both decided in Year 6. Registration for the current round closed on Friday 16 October 2026, so this guide is mainly for families applying next year.

The round that has just closed was for boys born between 1 September 2015 and 31 August 2016, who are in Year 6 now. Next year's round is for boys now in Year 5. The school's admissions policy says boys must have reached the relevant age by 31 August in the year of entry.

• 11+ (Year 7, St Paul's Prep School). For boys at state primaries and at independent schools that end at Year 6. About 36 boys join at this point. They spend two years at the Prep School, then move up to St Paul's in Year 9. Registration for September 2028 entry opens in April 2027.
• 13+ (Year 9, St Paul's School). For boys at prep schools that run to Year 8. About half of the 198 boys in Year 9 come from schools other than St Paul's Prep. Your son is still assessed in Year 6, not Year 8. Registration for September 2030 entry opens in April 2027.

You must choose one route: boys cannot sit both 11+ and 13+. The one exception is for boys who move to a St Paul's School Group prep school for Years 7 and 8. For boys from state primaries, the school calls 11+ "the most appropriate entry point".

The 11+ exam fee is £75 and the 13+ registration fee is £240, neither refundable. The admissions policy says the fee is waived for families receiving Universal Credit.

The assessment: what your son will sit

Both routes have three stages: the ISEB Pre-Test, then the school's own English and Maths papers, then an interview. Your son only moves to each stage if he does well enough in the one before.

Stage one: the ISEB Pre-Test

The school describes this as a standardised measure of ability and attainment, taken online in the autumn of Year 6. It covers verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning, English and maths. It is adaptive and multiple choice, and takes about two and a half hours in all. Your son can sit it at his own school, if it is an ISEB centre, or at St Paul's. You register with ISEB yourself. For next year's round, the school says ISEB registration opens from July 2027. At 13+, the school also asks your son's Head for a report at this stage.

Stage two: the school's written papers

The school's selection page gives the 13+ maths paper as 75 minutes. Its maths guidance says 70 minutes, including five minutes' reading time. Check nearer the time.

The school does not release past papers. It publishes an 11+ syllabus, and guidance with sample questions for both 13+ papers. Use them to see the format and, for 11+ maths, which topics are left out.

What this means in practice

• The 11+ maths syllabus is precise. It lists what will be tested and, for most topics, what will not. It also says candidates must be able to explain their methods.
• The 13+ English paper is an argument, not a story. Writing quality and argument count equally. The school says your son will not be judged on which side he takes.

Interview and the decision

11+

Boys who do well in the written papers meet senior staff and the Head. At the same time, parents meet the Head. The admissions policy also mentions a group assessment. For this year's round, the written papers are on Wednesday 9 December 2026 and interviews on 14, 15, 18 and 19 January 2027. Offers go out on Friday 12 February 2027, and the acceptance deadline is midday on Tuesday 2 March 2027.

To accept an 11+ place you pay £150 (including VAT) and a £3,300 deposit. The deposit also covers the senior school. Prep School fees for 2026/27 are £10,221 a term, including VAT.

13+

Interviews are on a Saturday in late January or early February; this year, 30 January and 6 February 2027. The school says they explore numeracy, critical analysis of source material and co-curricular interests, along with a general conversation. Results come by the end of February, with one of three outcomes:

1. An offer, to be accepted by March of Year 7 with a £3,300 deposit. Senior school fees for 2026/27 are £12,666 a term, including VAT. It depends on continued good progress and conduct, and an unreserved reference from your son's Head in Year 8.
2. An invitation to the Year 8 assessment: English and Maths papers in September of Year 8, then interviews in early October.
3. No offer.

Common Entrance is not used to select. It can be a condition of an offer: for a boy not at a prep school following the curriculum St Paul's sets, the school gives the example of needing at least 70% in set Common Entrance subjects.

Help with fees: bursaries and scholarships

Bursaries, called Founder's Awards, are means-tested and can cover up to 100% of fees. The school says they also fund "uniform and games kit, textbooks and exam fees", and items such as trips, school transport and music lessons, at the same percentage as the fee award. The school's bursary page says families with a gross household income of up to £144,000 and net assets of up to £1.6 million may be eligible. Below £78,000, an award of up to 100% may be possible, depending on assets. The school says these figures are indicative only.

Tick the bursary box when you register. The school assesses your finances only once your son has progressed: at 11+ around the written papers, and at 13+ in the spring of Year 7. You must have lived within 20km of the school for at least a year. Awards are reviewed every year, and the school may make a home visit. Bursary families pay a reduced deposit of £200, or none on a 100% award; the school's FAQ page gives £500, so check with the Head of Bursaries.

Academic scholarships are honorary, worth £60 a year; boys who have accepted a 13+ place can sit the exams in the May before they join. Music awards at 11+ and 13+ include free instrumental tuition. There are also Gissing Sports Awards at 11+ and an art scholarship worth £500 a year at 13+.

How to prepare

The school's 11+ syllabus hopes a boy's learning before the exams will be "enriched rather than accelerated".

1. Get used to on-screen tests. The Pre-Test comes first, is online and adaptive, and can only be sat once.
2. Secure Year 5 and 6 maths without a calculator. Focus on written methods, quick recall and multi-step word problems. Ask him to explain each answer aloud.
3. Read ambitious books and talk about them. The school's 13+ English guidance says vocabulary is not something a boy can improve much in the run-up to an exam.
4. For 11+, practise 35-minute writing tasks. Vary the form: a story one week, a letter or speech the next.
5. For 13+, practise planning an argument. Plan a "Discuss" question for ten minutes, then write three or four paragraphs towards a clear conclusion. The school warns against made-up statistics, invented quotations and clichés.
6. Keep up his interests. The 13+ interview covers co-curricular interests, and at 11+ the school looks for "commitment to extra-curricular activities".

Akiru makes prep packs one school at a time. Join the waitlist on this page and we'll email you when there's a St Paul's School pack.