How to get into St Paul’s Junior School at 8+

Introduction

St Paul’s Juniors is the junior division of St Paul’s School. Boys attend St Paul’s Juniors from 7-13 and then St Paul’s from 13-18. It is an independent academically selective school in West London.

Students can enter St Paul’s Juniors via entry at 7+, 8+ and then St Paul’s at 11+, 13+ and 16+.

At 8+, 18 boys are admitted into the Upper First Year.

Before you apply

St Paul’s offers an annual open morning. At the time of writing, the next one was Saturday 3rd November 2018 and is an opportunity to meet the staff, Head and current pupils. There will be also be a chance to hear from the Head of St Paul’s Juniors and other members of staff will be present. Further information on open mornings is available on the website:

https://www.stpaulsschool.org.uk/admissions/open-days

In addition to the Open mornings, St Paul’s offer small group tours during term time for prospective parents which you can book on by emailing:

spjschoolsec@stpaulsschool.org.uk.

Registration

Boys may be registered for St Paul’s from the October that they are in Year 3. In order to be qualified for entry at 8+, a boy’s 8th birthday must fall on or before August 31st in the year of entry. Registration closes early October the year before entry. If a child misses the registration deadline, they would still be able to register for the 8+. To register, parents of prospective students must complete the online registration form located on the admissions part of their website. As part of this process, a copy of the child’s birth certificate must be uploaded as well as an online registration fee of £175.

Application

After completing the online registration form on the website, applicants will receive an examination entry form sent either in the May in the year preceding entry, or else immediately after registration if parents apply after this point. The form specifies the date for this to be returned. Following this, the examination entry information letter will be sent in November. Following the assessments, the offer letter, acceptance form and request for deposit of £2700 will be sent to successful applicants shortly after the interviews.

Assessment(s)

The assessment process will be a written exam. The content of this exam will be a test in English, Mathematics and Reasoning. The reasoning tests are weighted according to age. There are no sample papers available, however, the school do offer a suggested reading list:

https://www.stpaulsschool.org.uk/assets/img/banners/Reading-list-for-2018-7-Candidates.pdf

There is also a Maths curriculum:

https://www.stpaulsschool.org.uk/assets/img/banners/Maths-syllabus-for-7-2018-candidates.pdf

At this point, boys successful at this stage will be invited back for an informal interview stage, which involves a short interview, and group assessment tasks. At this stage as well, parents will have the opportunity to meet with the Head of St Paul’s Juniors. This should take place within 2 weeks of the written test stage. Following this stage, successful applicants will be made an offer. Prior to acceptance, a reference will be requested from the current boys headteacher.The interviews take place within 2 weeks of the written tests so all boys should know the results within a fortnight.

Destination schools

Boys are accepted to St Paul’s Juniors on the understanding that St Paul’s will be their first choice of senior school. Boys who remain at St Paul’s Junior for the duration will automatically be registered for the transfer to St Paul’s at 13+.