Girls need to meet high academic standards to win a place at St Paul's. The education we offer is designed to stretch and develop the best young minds in London, so it's important that we identify the girls who will most enjoy and benefit from it, regardless of their previous schooling and whatever their background.

We look for intellectual potential rather than girls who have been well-coached and use the following process to identify them:

• Online cognitive testing (year 7 only)
• Report from the candidate's current school
• Exams covering English, maths and comprehension (for year 7 candidates) or their AS/A-level choices (for year 12 candidates)
• An interview that reveals something of the girl's personality and interests (for year 12 candidates this also covers their subject choices)

We shortlist candidates for interview based on their exam results.

A range of bursaries and scholarships is available for the talented and those who need financial support. Currently, 8 per cent of our girls receive bursaries, a figure we aim to increase to 20 per cent.