United Kingdom · London
St Paul’s School in Barnes educates boys aged 7–18. Most attend as day pupils; a small boarding community admits from Year 9. The published 2026–27 fees distinguish day, boarding and new Year 12 entrants, with deposits required separately.
St Paul’s School is a selective boys’ day and boarding school at Lonsdale Road, Barnes, London SW13 9JT. Its junior section serves Years 3–8 and its senior section Years 9–13.
The January 2025 Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) report recorded 1,516 pupils aged 7–18, including 41 boarders. These are dated inspection figures, not a current roll. Most boys are day pupils.
The school is separate from St Paul’s Girls’ School at Brook Green. Their locations, admissions and daily arrangements differ, although a family fee-remission provision can apply across the schools.
Consider St Paul’s for selective boys’ education leading to GCSEs and A-levels, with a London day-school setting and a small boarding option. The school says a limited number of boarding places may be available from Year 9; there is no boarding below Year 9.
For a prospective boarder, discuss the type of accommodation and available nights alongside admission to the school. Overseas families should consult the international-applicant guidance about their specific circumstances.
For day pupils, test the Barnes journey before applying. For all applicants, identify the entry year early: the published 13+ registration information concerns September 2029, not an immediate start.
The campus is on Lonsdale Road in Barnes. School House sits on the banks of the Thames: common room, pool table, movie night, structured prep. West House, refurbished and opened in September 2021, is the flexi-boarding house — own rooms and a common room overlooking the river, meals with the full boarders, prep in the Kayton Library.
Ask to see an ordinary Year 10 classroom and a boarding corridor, not only the river. Time the commute from the flat you will actually rent. The school publishes a bus service page; confirm routes there, not from a forum.
The junior and senior sections cover different entry stages.
Prep (Years 3–8). The junior section lives on the same charitable trust. Entrance is at 7+, 8+ and 11+. The fees page prices Lower First to Upper Third (Years 3–8) as one senior-prep band. The inspectorate noted a junior curriculum that runs from Greek to engineering, and said continuity between junior and senior sections is planned.
Senior (Years 9–13). Fourth Form to Upper Eighth. The inspectorate said older pupils choose from a wide range of GCSE and A-level subjects, with further mathematics and the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ), an independently researched project, as additional options. Teaching, they wrote, fosters enquiry; pupils achieve highly at GCSE and A-level compared with national averages. That is one January visit, not a forecast for your child.
Most boys go home. The 41 boarders in January 2025 lived in two houses on the main site.
School House is the full- and weekly-boarding community — mainly senior boys. Weekly boarding is Sunday evening to Friday afternoon. The school also offers flexi-boarding, space permitting, when parents are away.
West House offers flexible boarding for one to four nights a week, subject to availability. This may help with a long commute, a parent’s absence or early and late activities. Pupils eat with full boarders and complete supervised homework in the Kayton Library. Request current nightly charges from boarding admissions; older flyers may no longer apply.
Inspectors described supportive boarding provision and effective communication between boarding and academic staff. In January 2025 they recorded 232 pupils with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND), a very small number with an Education, Health and Care plan, and 62 learning English as an additional language. These counts do not establish the support available for a new applicant; discuss individual needs before applying.
13+ (Year 9): the published registration information concerns September 2029 entry. The registration fee is £240 including VAT, non-refundable. Follow the 13+ registration instructions for the selection stages and dates for that intake.
7+ / 8+ and 11+ into the prep have their own registration and exam fees on the same fees table. 16+ uses a £75 exam fee, then £150 including VAT plus the deposit on acceptance.
Bursaries — the school calls them Founder’s Awards — are means-tested and require a place on academic merit. The school says funds exist at all entry points. Request the current income and asset criteria.
All termly figures below are inclusive of VAT, as the school’s table labels them. Confirm the live fees page before you budget. Fees are payable by Direct Debit on the first day of each term.
| Pupil type | Per term (2026/27) |
|---|---|
| Prep, Years 3–8 | £10,221 |
| Senior, Years 9–13 | £12,666 |
| New joiners into Year 12 | £12,905 |
| Boarding (including tuition) | £19,181 |
| Boarding for new Year 12 joiners (including tuition) | £19,420 |
The basic fee covers tuition, games, loan books, stationery, libraries, medical inspection, careers aptitude tests, certain publications, and lunch, which all boys are required to attend. In the senior school, some books that become the boy’s own and public-examination fees are extra. Instrumental lessons are paid to visiting teachers — £38.84 per 35-minute lesson for 2026/27, reviewed annually and possibly rising in September 2027.
Registration and deposits
| Charge | Amount |
|---|---|
| 7+ / 8+ and 13+ registration (incl. VAT, non-refundable) | £240 |
| 11+ and 16+ exam fee (non-refundable) | £75 |
| 11+ / 16+ acceptance administration (incl. VAT; deposit charged separately) | £150 |
| Acceptance deposit (all listed entry points) | £3,300 |
| Additional deposit — normal residence outside the UK, or any boarder | £2,500 |
The £3,300 deposit is returnable when the boy leaves, on the school’s Standard Terms. For 13+, it can also return if he fails to keep the required academic progress and conduct before joining. For 16+, it can return if he fails to reach the required GCSE standard. The extra £2,500 sits in general funds until he leaves and is credited without interest to the final bill.
A fee reduction may apply when three or more children from one family attend St Paul’s School, its Prep or St Paul’s Girls’ School. Apply in writing to the Finance Director. The reduction starts in the term after the application. It is not retrospective.
For a new 13+ day pupil, three standard Senior terms total £37,998. Adding the £240 registration fee and £3,300 deposit gives £41,538 in first-year cash payments, before extras or any additional overseas deposit. This calculation uses 2026–27 rates and is not a quotation for 2029 entry. The deposit is subject to the return terms above, rather than being extra tuition.
The January 2025 visit found all five Standards met: leadership and governance; education, training and recreation; physical and mental health and emotional wellbeing; social and economic education and contribution to society; and safeguarding.
Inspectors named the extra-curricular programme a significant strength. They wrote that the dynamic provision encourages new friendships and builds confidence, and that pupils achieve extremely well, including in national competitions. The school’s own inspections page quotes that language.
The recommended improvement concerned personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE) in the Senior School. Inspectors found the programme suitable overall, including its relationships and sex education (RSE), but said teaching did not consistently engage pupils’ interests. Ask what has changed since January 2025.
They also wrote that pupils demonstrate respect and humility in line with five core values — respect, kindness, humility, integrity and resilience — and that the school is a welcoming and respectful community.
Visit the intended year group and ask how Senior PSHE teaching has changed since the 2025 inspection. Overseas families should resolve admission requirements and the additional deposit before paying a registration fee.
Official pages and documents we read. If a figure matters to your budget or your application, open the link and confirm it is still current.
Friendly orientation, not an application. Dates, fees, and programme details move. Confirm everything with the school.
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5 minStart with your child’s needs and the schools you can realistically access. A boys’, girls’, or co-educational label does not tell you enough about teaching, friendships, support, or daily life.
8 minStart with the child and a realistic weekly timetable. Then confirm who provides care, which nights are covered, and what happens when plans change.
7 minStart with the qualification your child would actually receive. Then check its subjects, language demands, and recognition in the countries where they may study next.