Academic Life – Age 13 – 18

St Paul’s School enjoys an outstanding academic tradition, which fosters a culture of scholarship, creativity and enquiry.

Our teachers are experts in and passionate about their subjects, and they teach the assessed syllabi with depth and rigour, but equally venture well beyond the assessed syllabus.

Pupils follow a curriculum to IGCSE/GCSE and then to A Levels. We believe that both GCSE and IGCSE offers breadth and good curriculum content, and that of all the 16+ examination options, A Levels provide the greatest flexibility and choice for both students and teachers. An Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) is also an option at 16+, offering an incredible opportunity to develop a scholarly approach to academic work, studying a bespoke subject to great depth, with one-on-one tutorial support from a dedicated member of staff.

We are proud of our pupils’ outstanding results in these exams, but the real academic strength of St Paul’s is that discussion in the classroom is not constrained by the examined curriculum. Examination success is important, but for gifted boys it should be a by-product of their broader intellectual development.

St Paul’s regularly topped the league tables published each August before we co-founded a movement among leading schools to withhold publication of our GCSE and A Level results at that time of the year. We believe that league tables are too narrow a measure of a school’s educational provision. The School publishes its results each year once all re-marks are known. Our results, and the all-round education we provide, are such that pupils go on to study at top universities in the UK and North America.

How to apply

A step-by-step guide to our admissions process, from registration through to assessments and scholarships and bursaries.

Find out more

Wellbeing and Pastoral Care

At the heart of our education is the understanding that children flourish when they feel safe, respected and cared for.

Find out more

Find out more