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St Paul’s Girls’ School  圣保罗女子学校, Brook Green,
London W6 7BS
Tel: 020 7603 2288 Fax: 020 7602 9932
Website: www.spgs.org
• GIRLS, 11–18, Day
• Pupils 680, Upper sixth 100
• Termly fees £3724
• GSA
• Enquiries/application to the Registrar

What it’s like
Like its counterpart for boys, it belongs to the Christian Foundation originally provided by Dean Colet in 1509. The trustees are the Worshipful Company of Mercers. Its handsome Edwardian buildings lie in a pleasant part of Hammersmith and are outstandingly well equipped with, among other things, first-class art rooms and workshops, excellent libraries, laboratories and ICT facilities, a fine theatre and excellent music facilities. A new sixth-form centre opened in 2002. Games and sports facilities are all provided on site and include a new sports hall and fine swimming pool. Religious instruction is in accordance with the principles of the Church of England. There is a large and extremely well-qualified staff. Academically it is formidably high-powered, equally strong in arts and sciences. Considerable importance is attached to girls establishing from the outset good habits of work and learning to read and think independently. Examination results are consistently excellent; an exceptionally high proportion of leavers goes on to Oxbridge each year. Since the appointment of the school’s first director of music, Gustav Holst, music has been an important activity. There is a specially built music wing with a concert hall; the Great Hall has an organ. There are many musical groups and a high proportion of girls learn one or more instruments. A great deal of drama is done each year, including workshop productions, and the standards are high. They are equally high in a wide variety of sports and games and physical education. There are demonstrations of self-defence; numerous extra-curricular activities, clubs and societies.

School profile

Pupils & entrance
Pupils: Age range 11–18; 680 day girls.
Entrance: Main entry ages 11 and 16. Own entrance exam used.

Scholarships & bursaries Variable number of awards and scholarships, value £50–100% fees (means-tested); include art, music and sixth-form scholarships, Ogden Trust Science Award (at 16), HSBC scholarships (at 11).

Head & staff
High Mistress: Miss Elizabeth Diggory, in post from 1998. Educated at Shrewsbury High and at Westfield College, London (history) and Cambridge University (education). Previously Headmistress at Manchester High and at St Albans High School, Head of History at King Edward VI High, Birmingham. Also former President GSA, former Director of General Teaching Council for England and Wales; FRSA.
Teaching staff: 62 full time, 11 part time plus 40 music staff, full and part time.

Exam results
GCSE: In 2003, 90 in Year 11; average gained at least grade C in 9 subjects, with a GCSE score of 70 (69 over 5 years).
A-levels: 100 in Year 13. Average final point score achieved by upper sixth formers 446.

University & college entrance All 2003 sixth-form leavers went on to a degree course (43% after a gap year), 48% to Oxbridge. 10% took courses in medicine, dentistry & veterinary science, 20% in science & engineering, 58% in humanities & social sciences, 5% in arts & music, 7% in vocational subjects eg journalism, architecture, business.

Curriculum GCSE, AS and A-level.
Sixth form: Most sixth formers take 4–5 subjects at AS-level, 3–4 at A-level; general studies taught but not examined. Key skills taught one at a time and applied directly in the curriculum.
Vocational: Work experience available.
Languages: French, German, Russian and Spanish offered to GCSE and A-level; also Italian A-level. Regular exchanges.
ICT: Taught both as a discrete subject (double lesson/week in Years 7 and 9) and across the curriculum. 80 computers for pupil use (10 hours a day), all networked and with e-mail and internet access.

The arts
Music: Over 60% of pupils learn a musical instrument; instrumental exams can be taken. Some 20 musical groups including 4 orchestras, 4 choirs, jazz group, very many ensembles. Pupils regularly offered places at conservatoires or choral/instrumental scholarships at Oxbridge. Many pupils in National Youth Orchestra; school regular finalist in National Schools’ Chamber Music Competition.
Drama: Drama part of curriculum for first two years, later an option. All pupils are involved in school productions.
Art & design: On average, over half of pupils take school-directed course with GCSEs. Design, photography, printmaking, critical and historical studies also offered. 2 students on average go on to art colleges each year.

Sport & activities
Sport: Lacrosse, netball, gym, dance, swimming, athletics, volleyball, keep fit etc compulsory to 14. Optional: fencing, badminton, squash, karate, yoga, football, kickboxing, rowing. RLSS exams may be taken. Regional and country junior lacrosse representatives; London Schools athletics.
Activities: Pupils take bronze, silver and gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. Community service optional. Up to 70 clubs, eg literary, philosophy, photography, classics, politics, economics, drama, modern languages, history, geography.

School life
Uniform: No school uniform.
Houses & prefects: No competitive houses or prefects. School Council.
Religion: Attendance at religious worship compulsory. Separate Jewish and Moslem assemblies weekly; weekly celebration of Anglican communion.
Social: Joint activities with St Paul’s (brother school): concerts and plays, literary, economics, and political discussion groups, modern languages group. History of art, music, skiing and cultural trips to France, Spain, Italy, Russia and USA; regular exchanges with schools in Bonn, Barcelona, Paris, Marseilles, Moscow, Buenos Aires, St Petersburg, Sydney, Washington, New Hampshire and New York. Pupils allowed to bring own bike to school. Meals cafeteria style. School shop. No tobacco or alcohol allowed.

Discipline Pupils failing to produce homework once might expect to complete the work within the day or by the next.

Former pupils Brigid Brophy; Harriet Harman; Professor Catherine Peckham; Jessica Rawson; Natasha Richardson; Onora O’Neill; Margaret Turner Warwick; Ruth Itzhaki, Helen Alexander.