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St Paul's Girls' School
St Paul's Girls' School logo.png
St Paul's Girls' School in London W6, spring 2013 (1).JPG
Address
Brook Green

London
,
W6 7BS

England
Information
Type Private day school
Established 1904
Founder Worshipful Company of Mercers
Local authority Hammersmith and Fulham
Department for Education URN 100366 Tables
Chairman of Governors Simon Wathen
High Mistress Sarah Fletcher
Gender Girls
Age 10 to 19
Enrolment 808 As of 2023
Capacity 825 As of 2023
Alumnae Old Paulinas

St Paul's Girls' School is a private day school for girls. It is for students aged 11 to 18. The school is located in Brook Green, Hammersmith, in west London, England.

St Paul's Girls' School is known as one of the best private schools in the world. It is listed among the top 150 private schools globally. In 2025, it was named the London Independent School of the Year for Academic Excellence. The Sunday Times Newspaper also called it the Independent School of the Year.

School History

GUSTAV HOLST - St Paul's Girls' School Brook Green London W6 7BS
One of the main buildings of the school

St Paul's Girls' School was started in 1904. It was founded by the Worshipful Company of Mercers. This group used money from a fund set up by John Colet. He had founded a boys' school in the 1500s. The new girls' school was created to go along with the boys' school.

The school buildings were designed by an architect named Gerald Horsley. He was one of the first members of the Art Workers Guild.

The school has had some very famous music directors. These include Gustav Holst (1905–1934) and Herbert Howells (1936–1962). Holst wrote his famous St Paul's and Brook Green music pieces for the students. He also composed "The Planets" while teaching at St Paul's. This is one of his most well-known works. John Linton Gardner also worked as a music director at the school.

Amazing Exam Results

St Paul's Girls' School in London W6, spring 2013 (3)
Detail of the main school building

Students at St Paul's Girls' School always do very well in their GCSEs and A Levels. These are important exams in the UK.

In 2014, almost all GCSE grades were A*s or As (99.3%). A huge 93.6% were the top A* grade. This was the highest A* percentage the school had ever achieved. It was also the highest in the whole country that year.

In 2016, the school had its best A Level results ever. 60% of all grades were A*s. Also, 93.8% of grades were A* or A.

In 2023, 80.5% of GCSE grades were the top '9' grade. And 94% of grades were '8' or '9'. These are like the old A* grades. This was the eleventh year in a row that over 90% of grades were equivalent to A*s.

For A level and Pre-U exams in 2023, 53% of grades were A* (or the Pre-U equivalent D1 or D2). A total of 87.04% of grades were A* or A. Also, 97.1% of grades were B or higher (or the Pre-U equivalent M1 or M2).

Music at School

St Paul's Girls' School in London W6, spring 2013 (5)
Side view of school buildings

Gustav Holst was the director of music from 1905 until he passed away in 1934. During this time, he wrote his famous orchestral suites. These included St Paul's Suite and The Planets.

After Holst, Herbert Howells took over. Then John Gardner became director in the 1960s. Gardner wrote many memorable pieces for the school. These included his popular Christmas carols Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day and The Holly and the Ivy. Hilary Davan Wetton was the director of music from 1979 to 1994.

Drama Productions

The school has a main theatre where most school plays are performed. This theatre is named after a former student, Celia Johnson. There is also a smaller drama studio for other productions.

Sports Activities

Rowing

The school has a very active rowing club. It is called the St Paul's Girls' School Boat Club. The club is located on the River Thames.

The club is connected to British Rowing. Its teams have won four British champion titles. These wins happened at the 1992 British Rowing Championships, 2002 British Rowing Championships, 2003 British Rowing Championships, and 2011 British Rowing Championships.

High Mistresses (School Leaders)

The headmistress of St Paul's Girls' School is called the High Mistress. Here are some of the past leaders:

  • Frances Ralph Grey (High Mistress 1903–1927)
  • Ethel Strudwick (High Mistress 1927–1948)
  • Margaret Osborn (High Mistress 1948–1963)
  • Alison Munro (High Mistress 1964–1974)
  • Heather Brigstocke, Baroness Brigstocke (High Mistress 1974–1989)
  • Helen Elizabeth Webber Williams (High Mistress 1989–1992)
  • Janet Gough (High Mistress 1993–1998)
  • Elizabeth Mary Diggory (High Mistress 1998–2006)
  • Clarissa Mary Farr (High Mistress 2006–2017)
  • Sarah Fletcher (High Mistress 2017–present)

Famous Former Students (Alumnae)

See also: Category:People educated at St Paul's Girls' School

Former students of the school are known as "Old Paulinas". Many of them have become very successful in different fields.

Arts and Entertainment

  • Gillian Ayres – artist
  • Mischa Barton – actress
  • Nicola Beauman – publisher
  • Lesley Blanch – author
  • Celia Brayfield – author
  • Lucy Briers – actress
  • Margaret Calvert – graphic artist
  • Edie Campbell – model
  • Cecilia Chancellor – model
  • Pippa Cleary – composer and lyricist
  • Joan Cross – singer
  • Emma Darwin – author
  • Monica Dickens – author
  • Suzi Digby – conductor and musician
  • Flora Fraser – author
  • Justine Frischmann – musician and artist
  • Gluck (Hannah Gluckstein) – artist
  • Imogen Holst – musician
  • Ursula Howells – actress
  • Celia Johnson – actress
  • Rachel Johnson – journalist and editor
  • Jane M. Joseph – musician and composer
  • Marghanita Laski – author
  • Nicola LeFanu – composer
  • Amanda Levete – architect
  • Alice Lowe – actress and author
  • Jessica Mann – author
  • Yvonne Mitchell – actress and author
  • Emily Mortimer – actress
  • Lucy Moss - playwright and director
  • Joely Richardson – actress
  • Natasha Richardson – actress
  • Georgina Rylance – actress
  • Dodie Smith – playwright
  • Catherine Storr – author
  • Imogen Stubbs – actress
  • Emma Tennant – author
  • Angela Thirkell – author
  • Salley Vickers – author
  • Rachel Weisz – actress
  • Antonia White – author

Business Leaders

  • Isabel dos Santos – a wealthy businesswoman
  • Grace Beverley – founder of Tala and Shreddy companies

Food and Culinary Arts

  • Thomasina Miers – chef and founder of the Wahaca restaurant chain
  • Henrietta Lovell – founder of the Rare Tea Company

Education and Academia

Journalism and Media

  • Emily Buchanan – BBC World Affairs correspondent
  • Clemency Burton-Hill – broadcaster and author
  • Victoria Coren Mitchell – presenter and poker player
  • Daisy Donovan – TV presenter
  • Stephanie Flanders – BBC Economics editor
  • Amelia Gentleman – journalist
  • Bronwen Maddox – senior journalist at 'The Times' newspaper
  • Sophie Raworth – news reader
  • Susanna Reid – news presenter
  • Alexandra Shulman – editor-in-chief of Vogue (1992–2017)
  • Carol Thatcher – journalist
  • Erica Wagner – author and critic
  • Petronella Wyatt – journalist

Politics and Public Service

Science and Research

Sports Stars

  • Kitty Godfree – tennis player
  • Lara Prior-Palmer – equestrian (horse rider)
  • Cecilia Robinson – cricket player
  • Zoe de Toledo – rowing

Notable Former Staff

  • Margaret Cole – socialist politician, used to be a Classics teacher
  • Gustav Holst – famous composer, helped lead music education for girls
  • Nicola LeFanu – director of music in the 1970s
  • Clara Taylor – chemist and science teacher (1913-1921)
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