Welcome from the Head
Thank you for considering St Paul’s Juniors 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 SPJ 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.
At St Paul’s Juniors, 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 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 SPJ, 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 Juniors and St Paul’s School.
The next few years will undoubtedly be an exciting time for the school. The construction of the two stunning buildings which will become the central hubs of the boys’ learning is underway and we look to move into our new home during the 2025-2026 academic year. You will see an artist’s impressions later in this prospectus, which I hope do justice to the unique space we have planned. 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 Juniors 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.
Around 15 pupils receive academic scholarships each year to our senior school, St Paul’s.
Junior Paulines enjoy regular success in the Junior Mathematical Olympiad; the Townsend Warner History Prize; the National Geographical Society’s Young Geographer of the Year; and the Bebras Computational Thinking competition, amongst other national academic contests.
PupilsatStPaul’sJuniorsenjoya wide-rangingcurriculum.Thetimetable includesLatin,Classics,Computing, EngineeringandForestSchool,taught bysubjectspecialists.
8.20am Registration 8.35am Assembly 9.00am – 9.35am Period 1 9.40am – 10.15am Period 2 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 As well as a chance to eat a nutritious meal,talkandplaywithfriends,a largerangeofclubstakeplaceat lunchtime,rangingfromLEGOtorock choir,andfromEngineeringtofootball.
periodMorningbreakisafun20-minute setasideforpupilstoenjoymorningsomefreshair,playtimeanda snack.
Our New Home
The new home of St Paul’s Juniors, set to be completed during the 2025-26 academic year, will provide a modern, spacious and inspiring setting reflective of the forwardthinking and sector-leading education that we provide. We will continue to enjoy a shared campus with our senior school, St Paul’s, and all the benefits this brings. We look forward to sharing updates with parents as the new buildings take shape, but we hope that these artist’s impressions provide an insight into the exciting future of life at St Paul’s Juniors.
Wider School Life at a Glance
45-acre
riverside campus
1 Forest School area
11 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
3
world-class arts facilities including a concert hall and theatre complex
State-of-the-art Health and Performance Centre
5+
drama productions take place each year, alongside a wide range of weekly drama clubs, activities and competitions
390 11 2
sport fixtures are organised each year (rugby: 200, football: 150 and cricket: 140)
3
4
Houses – Oak, Ash, Thorn and Beech. The House system encourages camaraderie between year groups and healthy competition throughout the school year
or more Art exhibitions of pupils’ work are held each year or more gala or informal concerts are held each term
1
world-class Engineering and Technology suite
or more sports are offered in co-curricular sessions or competitive fixtures, including swimming, athletics, cross-country, badminton, water polo, basketball, squash, skiing and fencing
The Admissions Process
7+ ADMISSION
(approximately 50 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.
Registration is open from February when a boy is in Year 1 and closes in September the year before entry.
Registered candidates will be invited to sit tests in English, Mathematics and Reasoning. These take place in the November preceding September entry.
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 Juniors.
A reference will be requested from the Head of a boy’s current school.
Places are offered following the interview process in December.
8+ ADMISSION
(approximately 18 boys admitted each year)
For entry at 8+, a boy’s eighth birthday must fall on or before 31 August in his year of entry.
Registration is open from February when a boy is in Year 2 and closes in September the year before entry.
Registered candidates will be invited to sit tests in English, Mathematics and Reasoning. These take place in the January preceding September entry.
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 Juniors.
A reference will be requested from the Head of a boy’s current school.
Places are offered following the interview process in mid January.
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 with St Paul's School is open from April when a boy is in Year 5, until the beginning of November, when he is in Year 6.
Parents must also register their son for the ISEB pre-test by the end of October when their son is in Year 6.
ISEB online common pre-test should be taken at the pupil’s current school in the Autumn Term. Those who cannot sit the test at their school may take the test at St Paul’s School at a date in December 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 in Mathematics and English. These will be held at the start of January.
A reference will be requested from the Head of a boy’s current school.
Pupils who have performed well in the written assessments will be contacted in January and invited to St Paul's 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 Juniors 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)
St Paul’s takes great pride in being able to offer financial assistance to the families of talented boys who otherwise could not afford private education.
Each year there are funds available for free and subsidised places at all entry points, with a focus on 11+ and 16+ to reflect the natural state school entry points. As with all other entrants, pupils hoping to benefit from a bursary must gain a place at the school on academic merit. During the assessment process, parents will be asked to complete a financial assessment form designed to establish the level of financial support available.
Only individuals whose family home is in the UK, where at least one parent resides, and where both parents and candidate are not subject to immigration control, may be considered for a bursary.
Founder’s Awards are means-tested and therefore require a formal assessment of parental finances.
Each award is reassessed on an annual basis, taking into consideration any financial changes to a family’s situation.
My son is now in the Fifth Form at St Paul’s. He entered St Paul’s Juniors 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
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 Juniors 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 Character and PSHE curriculums have been developed to deliver key messages around physical and mental
health support, knowledge of the world around us and our natural environment, 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 fun initiatives such as the school’s own 3x3 challenge, and take part in fundraising events, including the popular annual Christmas Fayre.
How to find us
Our pupils join us from destinations within the M25 and slightly further afield. Most pupils at St Paul’s Juniors are brought to school by their parents but some make their own way by bus, tube or bicycle.
We are fortunate to enjoy a central location:
Hammersmith Underground Station: 20-minute walk
Barnes Bridge National Rail Station: 20-minute walk or 5-minute bus journey
Barnes National Rail Station: 5-minute bus journey
Served by a number of public bus service routes
School bus service serving North, West and South West London, and Surrey
Junior School Bus Routes
SPJ07 SPJ10
SPJ08 SPJ11
SPJ09
SPJ14
Warwick Avenue
Hyde Park Place
Notting Hill Station Holland Park
Hammersmith
Earl’s Court
Gloucester Road
Knightsbridge
Pimlico
Lambeth/ Vauxhall Belgravia
Sloane Square
Royal Brompton Hosp.
Chelsea & Westminster Hosp.
Fulham Broadway
Parsons Green Putney
Coombe Hill
Wimbledon High Street
Edge Hill/ The Ridgeway
Cambridge Road
WIMBLEDON
BUSHY PARK
FULHAM
BARNES
SOUTH HAMPSTEAD
HAMPSTEAD HEATH
BELSIZE PARK
HYDE PARK
CHELSEA
East Finchley Station
ST PAUL’S JUNIORS
West Hampstead Station
Golders Green Finchley Road
Swiss Cottage
St John’s Wood Station
Maida Vale
Hendon Way
Putney Heath
Wimbledon Common War Memorial
We look forward to hearing from you.
Admissions 7and8plusentry@stpaulsschool.org.uk 11plusentry@stpaulsschool.org.uk admissions@stpaulsschool.org.uk
General enquiries spjreceptionist@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