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St Paul's Girls' School

Founded in 1904 in Hammersmith and consistently ranked among Britain's top girls' schools, SPGS combines fierce academic rigour with creative depth — and its three-stage 11+ is one of London's most demanding.
Exam board
ISEB
Entry
Year 7
Founded
1904
Year 7 places
110
St Paul's Girls' School logo

St Paul's Girls' School

SMA Difficulty
Expert
Location: Brook Green, Hammersmith, West London
School type: Independent
Admissions test: ISEB
Free 11+ Baseline Assessment
LOCATION & GETTING THERE

Where St Paul's Girls' School sits — and how to reach it

● Schools● Trains● Buses● School coaches
LOCATION
St Paul's Girls' School
Brook Green, London, W6 7BS
Other selective schools nearby, closest first — useful if you are considering more than one.
Godolphin and Latymer School
Hammersmith, London · 0.9 km away
View guide →
Latymer Upper School
Hammersmith, London · 1.4 km away
View guide →
Queen's Gate School
South Kensington, London · 2.7 km away
View guide →
St Paul's School
Barnes, SW London · 2.9 km away
View guide →
Nearest railway and Underground stations, with the lines that serve them. Distances are straight-line from the school.
Hammersmith (Dist&Picc Line)
0.5 km from the school — London Underground: District and Piccadilly lines
Barons Court
0.5 km from the school — London Underground: District and Piccadilly lines
Hammersmith (H&C Line)
0.5 km from the school — London Underground: Hammersmith & City and Circle lines
Brook Green (Stop H)
0.1 km from the school — routes 9, N9, 27, N27, 306
Latymer Court (Stop G)
0.1 km from the school — routes 9, N9, 27, N27, 306, 702, London Line
Brook Green (Stop F)
0.1 km from the school — routes 9, N9, 27, N27, 306
Latymer Court (Stop X)
0.1 km from the school — routes 9, N9, 27, N27, 306
Bus stops closest to the school, with the routes that serve them. Distances are straight-line from the school.
Hammersmith (Dist&Picc Line)
0.5 km from the school — London Underground: District and Piccadilly lines
Barons Court
0.5 km from the school — London Underground: District and Piccadilly lines
Hammersmith (H&C Line)
0.5 km from the school — London Underground: Hammersmith & City and Circle lines
Brook Green (Stop H)
0.1 km from the school — routes 9, N9, 27, N27, 306
Latymer Court (Stop G)
0.1 km from the school — routes 9, N9, 27, N27, 306, 702, London Line
Brook Green (Stop F)
0.1 km from the school — routes 9, N9, 27, N27, 306
Latymer Court (Stop X)
0.1 km from the school — routes 9, N9, 27, N27, 306
Coach services run by the school itself, where they exist.
Hammersmith (Dist&Picc Line)
0.5 km from the school — London Underground: District and Piccadilly lines
Barons Court
0.5 km from the school — London Underground: District and Piccadilly lines
Hammersmith (H&C Line)
0.5 km from the school — London Underground: Hammersmith & City and Circle lines
Brook Green (Stop H)
0.1 km from the school — routes 9, N9, 27, N27, 306
Latymer Court (Stop G)
0.1 km from the school — routes 9, N9, 27, N27, 306, 702, London Line
Brook Green (Stop F)
0.1 km from the school — routes 9, N9, 27, N27, 306
Latymer Court (Stop X)
0.1 km from the school — routes 9, N9, 27, N27, 306
Private coach services are run by local operators — confirm routes and seats directly each September.
ON THIS PAGE
OVERVIEW

How the test is structured

Admission at 11+ is a three-stage process. Stage One requires all applicants to sit the ISEB Common Pre-Test — a computer-adaptive assessment in verbal reasoning, maths and non-verbal reasoning — taken either at SPGS in November or at an approved ISEB centre. Stage Two invites successful girls to sit SPGS's own bespoke written papers in Mathematics, English and Comprehension at the school in December. The Mathematics paper is structured in three timed sections of 25 minutes each, moving from consolidation questions through problem solving to challenging multi-part novel problems.

Stage Three is an interview for shortlisted candidates in January, conducted by a senior member of staff and lasting approximately 20 minutes, assessing creativity and independent thinking. Around 110 girls are admitted each year. Registration closes in early November; a non-refundable fee of £265 applies.

HISTORY & ETHOS

The school's story

St Paul's Girls' School was founded in 1904 by the Worshipful Company of Mercers, drawing on part of the endowment originally created by John Colet for the boys' school he founded in 1509. The Brook Green site in Hammersmith was selected in 1895; the original buildings were completed in 1901 and the school opened on 15 April 1904. From the very beginning SPGS set out to offer girls the same rigorous academic education that had previously been reserved for boys — an ambitious and progressive mission for Edwardian London.The school is synonymous with musical distinction: composer Gustav Holst served as Director of Music from 1905 until his death in 1934, and The Planets suite was composed in the very room where music lessons still take place today. Named London Independent School of the Year for Academic Excellence by The Sunday Times in 2025, SPGS produces alumnae who go on to lead in law, science, medicine and the arts. The school's culture of intellectual rigour and creative inquiry mirrors the principles behind Singapore mastery — understanding must be deep and demonstrable, not merely drilled.

Why the maths is genuinely hard

SPGS's bespoke Maths paper is three-tiered: the third section presents novel mathematical contexts that girls are unlikely to have encountered before, demanding genuine mathematical thinking rather than prepared technique. Show-your-working is non-negotiable; the markers reward reasoning as much as correct answers.

SMA DIFFICULTY VERDICT

Our honest take on the difficulty

The SMA Verdict

4.5

/5

Expert

St Paul's Girls' is among the most academically rigorous girls' schools in the country, and its three-stage 11+ is deliberately designed to surface intellectual potential beyond curriculum attainment. The bespoke Maths paper's third section — built on unfamiliar material — is the key differentiator: girls must reason flexibly and communicate their thinking clearly. Singapore mastery's emphasis on deep conceptual understanding, visual modelling and articulating method gives SPGS candidates a meaningful structural advantage at precisely this stage.

CATCHMENT & TOWNS

Where families come from

Hammersmith
Fulham
Chiswick
Kensington
Barnes
Putney
Richmond
Ealing
Notting Hill
Chelsea
KEY DATES

The 11+ admissions calendar

November 2026Registration deadline
November 2026Stage One: ISEB Common Pre-Test
December 2026Stage Two: bespoke written papers (Maths, English, Comprehension)
January 2027Stage Three: interviews
February 2027Offers issued
FAQ

Parents' most common questions

What is the three-stage SPGS 11+ admissions process?

Stage One is the ISEB Common Pre-Test (November), a computer-adaptive screening in reasoning and maths. Stage Two is SPGS's own bespoke written papers in Maths, English and Comprehension (December). Stage Three is a 20-minute interview for shortlisted girls (January). Offers go out in February.

What makes the SPGS Maths paper so challenging?

The paper has three 25-minute sections. The first tests consolidation of KS2 knowledge; the second tests problem solving; the third presents novel material girls are unlikely to have seen — requiring genuine reasoning under pressure. Show-your-working is mandatory throughout; the markers reward mathematical thinking, not just correct answers.

How many girls does SPGS admit at 11+?

Around 110 girls are offered places each year, making SPGS one of the larger selective independent intakes in London — though competition from a nationally and internationally mobile applicant pool means standards remain extremely high.

Does Singapore Maths preparation help for the SPGS exam?

Very directly. The third section of SPGS's Maths paper is specifically designed to present unfamiliar problems — exactly the kind Singapore mastery trains girls to handle through CPA reasoning, bar modelling and the habit of constructing logical working. Rote-drilled candidates typically struggle here; genuinely fluent mathematical thinkers thrive.

When should we register for the SPGS 11+?

Registration closes in early November of Year 6 (the year before intended entry). Families should begin preparing in earnest no later than Year 4, allowing sufficient time to build the deep conceptual fluency that SPGS's bespoke papers reward.
EXAM PAPERS

Past and sample papers

COMING SOON

We're gathering the sample and familiarisation papers St Paul's Girls' School publishes, so you can see the real thing before you prepare. If you'd like them sooner, just ask.

NEARBY SCHOOLS

Other selective schools in the area

Godolphin and Latymer School
Hammersmith, London · 0.9 km
View guide →
Latymer Upper School
Hammersmith, London · 1.4 km
View guide →
Queen's Gate School
South Kensington, London · 2.7 km
View guide →
St Paul's School
Barnes, SW London · 2.9 km
View guide →

Preparing for St Paul's Girls' School?

We teach the reasoning these papers actually reward — not test tricks. Small online groups, qualified teachers, and a Singapore Maths method built on genuine understanding.

VIDEO LESSONS

Worked questions from this school's paper

St Paul's Girls' School 11+ Multiplication Question
Watch on YouTube →
St Paul's Girls' School 11+ Maths Area Question
Watch on YouTube →
St Paul's Girls' School Algebra Question
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