Academic preparation for entrance to St Paul's

Places at St Paul's at 11+ are highly sought after and the entrance procedure will therefore always be competitive. The school's purpose is to provide an education suited to girls of outstanding intellectual potential and in selecting candidates, we take great care to gather as much information as we can on which to base a sound judgement. We want girls to be happy and thrive once they arrive here.
We know that our candidates will have been prepared for entry in a variety of ways and we take this into account. Some will have had more direct practice in exam style questions and in interview techniques than others. We ask parents to make a full declaration of any additional coaching or help received by their daughter during the application process.

Our purpose is to identify potential and in doing so to be fair. Therefore, we strive to ensure that no part of our entrance procedure favours candidates who have had extra specific preparation or disadvantages those who have not. Private coaching, which many parents feel will be helpful to their daughter, can put extra pressure on girls and in our experience is often counter-productive. Girls who aspire to come to St Paul's should prepare by being diligent at school, reading widely and continuing to pursue their other interests.

We have sample papers in English, maths and comprehension which are designed to reward aptitude and knowledge rather than coached learning.