“St Paul’s opened up the world for me.”
“When we applied for a bursary at St Paul’s Girls’ School, we had no idea that our daughter would be awarded one. It started with a 16+ entrance exam followed by an interview for our daughter with the Admissions Officer. We then applied for a bursary. The process started with an email from the Bursar’s office requesting the necessary documents and financial statements. It was really straightforward to provide and submit all the paperwork. After that was received by the school, we were then visited at home by the School Bursar and the Head of Sixth Form to discuss our situation. We were guided throughout the process in a respectful way that made us feel comfortable, as we had never done this before and giving out personal information can be daunting. All that aside, the impact of being awarded a bursary has been life-changing for our daughter. She has been given so many amazing opportunities and experiences that we are so grateful for. We would never have been able to finance our daughter’s place at St Paul’s Girls’ School without the bursary. For her to be awarded it meant that she could get the best education possible, something that has always been very important to us.”
“It was a shock to my family when I lost my job three years into my daughter’s education at St Paul’s. I initially contacted the Bursar to see if I could delay paying fees whilst I was searching for new work and it was only after a very sympathetic conversation with Ms Ng, the Bursar’s PA, that I found out I was eligible for a hardship bursary. There are not enough words to describe the relief that followed. In an ideal world, before I retire, I will earn enough to donate back to the bursary programme to help a future Paulina. The added bonus to St Paul’s bursary programme is having the [former] Bursar and his PA understand what it is like to be working class and the struggle with affording private education. Time and time again, Ms Ng spoke to me without any condescension and checked in on a termly basis to see if my daughter needed any additional support as well as how my job search was going. The humility and empathy she demonstrated to me over the years made it easy to pick up the phone and ask for more help.”
“I was initially against applying to St Paul’s Girls’ School as my wife and I did not want our daughter to be labelled the poor one from a council estate. In our neighbourhood, many told me don’t go to SPGS because it was all rich girls who are chauffeur-driven to the school gates. That is 100% false. My daughter was extremely shy before she joined and now has made so many friends, involved with the school community and is proud to be a bursary student. She has become so confident because of the opportunities that St Paul’s has given her. It all started with a bursary award.”
“Without a bursary, my daughter could not receive an education at St Paul’s. She will be the first in our family to go to university and to become somebody who will hopefully give back to others. It is not easy asking for help because of the fear of being called a charity case but not once did the school ever make my family feel second rate to those who can afford fees.”
The aim of the bursary programme is to make a St Paul’s education affordable and accessible through the provision of needs-based financial support. A bursary is a means-tested award and is determined by the family’s financial situation. Each bursary is considered on a case-by-case basis and will take into account income, realisable assets and other relevant factors. The level of assistance provided depends on individual circumstances and varies from partial bursaries to full bursaries, where the maximum value awarded is the full published fees. Bursaries are offered for students joining us at both 11+ and 16+, although the number of bursaries available each year is at the discretion of the school and will vary.
An offer of a bursary is subject to the school’s Bursary Conditions of Award (please see below). We require parents to complete a financial assessment form each year and we may adjust the value of the award if the family’s income or assets change. Families are required to inform the school immediately should there be any changes to financial income during a school year. Subject to there being no change in circumstances, the bursary will continue throughout the student’s time at the school.
Parents are welcome to contact the Business Directorate at anytime to discuss a possible application: bursar@spgs.org
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Any student who meets the school’s academic and residence requirements but whose parents are unable to afford a full fee-paying place would be eligible for a bursary.
Each application is assessed on a case-by-case basis. In addition to household income we consider equity in property, other assets, savings and alternate sources of income in order to understand each applicant’s individual financial circumstances and the level of fee support that may be required. Any mitigating circumstances in a household which may impact on a family’s ability to afford full fees will also be considered.
Normally students will have attended a maintained school, but we may occasionally make exceptions depending on the situation. To qualify for a bursary, the total household income threshold is £150k (gross), meaning that parents earning a combined total above this amount are unlikely to be considered. Where parents are separated, we may request for separate financial assessments to determine affordability of school fees.
An offer of a bursary is subject to the school’s Bursary Conditions of Award (please see below). We require parents to complete a financial assessment form each year and we may adjust the value of the award if the family’s income or assets change. Families are required to inform the school immediately should there be any changes to financial income during a school year. Subject to there being no change in circumstances, the bursary will continue throughout the student’s time at the school.
Parents are welcome to contact the Business Directorate at anytime to discuss a possible application:
020 7605 4881
bursar@spgs.org -
The procedures and important dates for entry into both the MIV and VII (Y7 and Y12) for September 2027 are outlined below.
11+
Step 1: If you wish to apply for a bursary for the MIV (Y7), please indicate this on the application form. The deadline for the application for September 2027 entry is 9am Friday 6 November 2026.
Step 2: In mid-December, you will be provided with a bursary application form, which will take into account income, capital resources and other means held. Information on the required documentation will be provided, along with the form. The deadline for submission of the application form will be early January 2027.
Step 3: Bursary applications are reviewed once examinations and interview have taken place. You may receive a home visit by the Bursar and a senior member of our academic team to discuss the application in more detail. Home visits will take place at the end of January or early February 2027.
Step 4: If your child is offered a place, you will be notified at the same time as to whether she will receive a bursary, and for what amount (provisional). You will be notified at the same time as to whether her bursary application has been successful and the amount award. You will be asked to complete an annual income assessment form in May 2027 to confirm the value of the bursary for the academic year 2027-28.
16+
Step 1: If you wish to apply for a bursary for the VII (Y12), please indicate this on the application form. The deadline for the application for September 2026 entry is 9am Friday 25 September 2026.
Step 2: In mid-October, you will be provided with a bursary application form, which will take into account income, capital resources and other means held. Information on the required documentation will be provided, along with the form. The deadline for submission of the application form is mid-November 2026.
Step 3: Bursary applications are reviewed once examinations and interview have taken place. You may receive a home visit by the Bursar and a senior member of our academic team to discuss the application in more detail. Home visits will take place in late November 2026.
Step 4: If your child is offered a place, you will be notified at the same time as to whether she will receive a bursary, and for what amount (provisional). You will be notified at the same time as to whether her bursary application has been successful and the amount award. You will be asked to complete an annual income assessment form in May 2027 to confirm the value of the bursary for the academic year 2027-28.
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Where a student receives full tuition fee assistance 100%, the bursary award will also include the following:
- a one off grant of £500 on entry to the school to assist with initial costs [this includes a £400 sports kit contribution for MIV entrants]
- one extra co-curricular tuition in music, LAMDA tuition or a PE activity
- £500 per academic year for school trips and visits
- the cost of travel to and from school if using the school bus or, TFL public transport
- £225 per year for textbooks, a school laptop award and full cover of any public examination costs.
Where a student receives tuition fee assistance from 75% to 95%, the bursary award will also include the following:
- one extra co-curricular tuition in music, LAMDA tuition or a PE activity
- £500 per academic year for school trips and visits
- the cost of travel to and from school if TFL public transportthe cost of the school bus charges matching
- the level of the bursary award
- A school laptop grant matching the level of the bursary award
- £225 per year for textbooks and full cover of any public examination costs.
Please note this is reviewed annually and subject to change.
Where a student receives tuition fee assistance below 75%, the bursary award will also include the following:
- an allowance of £225 per year for textbooks
- A school laptop grant matching the level of the award
- Full cover of any public examination costs.
Additional support may be available for visits and trip where we recognise the educational value to the student.
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We may award a bursary to an existing student if the family has suffered unexpected financial difficulties and parents are no longer able to pay fees in full. These bursaries are to avoid a student’s education being interrupted at a critical stage and, wherever possible, are awarded so that the student can complete a particular phase of study (for example, students who have already embarked on their GCSE course). These awards are usually to provide short-term assistance; there is no guarantee that if a bursary is awarded during a student’s GCSE course it will be continued to enable her to take A levels at the school. Post-entry bursaries are not usually awarded for students in their first three years at St Paul’s unless there are exceptional circumstances, such as the death or sudden incapacitating illness of a parent.
To hear from current and previous bursary recipients about what a SPGS bursary has meant to them, please visit our bursary testimonials page.
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There is no minimum income. Please do watch the application process video for further information.
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No, we award from 5% of the overall fee upwards.
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Yes, awards can be augmented according to individual needs.
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No, absolutely not. We assess every case individually and having a house does not prevent a bursary being awarded. However, in the case of owning several additional properties, this will most likely mean you are not eligible for a bursary. Please contact Debbie Ng for further guidance if this applies to you.
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No, and we recognise that those applying for a bursary place might not have had the educational privileges of some of their peers. We are looking for natural potential, in the interview and the exam.
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The home visit is not part of the selection process but is a means of assessing whether the home environment is suitable for the student to study and whether the school may need to consider supplying laptops, printers, etc., to help the student with doing homework. Each home visit is carried out by the Bursar and relevant Head of Year.
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In Years 7-11 students tend to wear the school P.E. kit, so everybody looks the same. (The school provides a sports kit grant for 100% bursary award holders in the MIV only.) Otherwise, students tend to wear comfortable, casual clothes, practical for a day’s work – you can wear anything!
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An annual trip allowance is awarded to holders of 75% and above. We are fortunate to have a reserve of money, albeit limited, which can be given to bursary students for exciting projects in which they would like to participate. The contact to ask for extra funding is Debbie Ng.
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Yes, please watch the videos by our current students, which make this inclusion really clear. As for parents, parents’ evenings are pretty informal and just like other schools’, with lots of queueing! We are currently looking at ways of getting bursary parents more involved: inviting them for tours and social events, as well as ensuring that they feel comfortable when interacting with all aspects of St Paul’s. By putting them in touch with parents who speak the same language this ensures greater familiarity with the school’s systems and ethos.
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We have school buses to north London and south west London, and forms in Year 7 are organised, in part, according to location, so that students from the same area can travel together. For the first weeks, we will pair older students with new students, so that they can ask questions on the way to and from school and help themselves to integrate in this manner too.
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In short, no. There are very few members of staff who have that financial information but, overall, it is not a confidential system and we want to celebrate our bursary students, not hide them away! If you win an award, you should be proud of yourself and your achievement! You have as much right to be at St Paul’s as anyone else and that should be celebrated and we would encourage you and your parents to be open about your status.
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It is currently about 11% but we are seeking to increase that to 20% in as short as time as possible.
