On a sweep of the Thames in Barnes, St Paul’s School is one of the oldest and most celebrated schools in the country. Whether you’re weighing up secondary options or just curious, here are five things to know.
1. It was founded in 1509, with help from Erasmus
John Colet, Dean of St Paul’s Cathedral, founded the school in 1509 to educate boys “from all nations and countries indifferently”. The great Renaissance scholar Erasmus advised Colet on the original plans and even wrote textbooks for the school. It began beside the cathedral and moved several times, surviving the Plague and the Great Fire of London, before settling on its current riverside site in 1968. Pupils are still known as Paulines.
2. Its alumni list reads like a history book
Old Paulines include the poet John Milton, the diarist Samuel Pepys, the astronomer Edmond Halley, the Duke of Marlborough and Field Marshal Montgomery. More recent former pupils range from Professor Robert Winston to broadcaster Nicholas Parsons.
3. The campus is remarkable for London
The school and its junior school, St Paul’s Juniors, share 45 acres of green space on the banks of the river. Facilities include a boat club, a theatre with a dedicated drama centre, an art gallery, a concert hall, an engineering workshop, an award-winning science building and extensive playing fields, all on one site.
4. Life beyond the classroom is huge
Boys can choose from around 100 societies, clubs and activities, from pottery and cookery to an AI society, plus some 20 sports. The school encourages pupils to venture beyond the syllabus, and academic results are outstanding: in 2025, 98.2% of A-level grades were A* to B.
5. It’s for boys aged 7 to 18, with several ways in
St Paul’s is a boys’ school, mainly for day pupils, with a small number of weekly and full boarders from 13. Boys can join at 7+, 11+, 13+ and 16+, with 13+ the main entry point for the senior school. Entry is by assessment and interview, and scholarships and means-tested bursaries are available.
Find out more
St Paul’s School, Lonsdale Road, Barnes, London SW13 9JT. Telephone 020 8748 9162. Visit stpaulsschool.org.uk for admissions, open events and fees.