St Paul's Girls' School is a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

day school A day school — as opposed to a boarding school — is an educational institution where children are given instruction during the day, after which the students return to their homes. A day school has full-day programs when compared to a regular s ...

for girls, aged 11 to 18, located in Brook Green,

Hammersmith Hammersmith is a district of West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. It ...

, in west London, England. The school is included in The Schools Index as one of the world's 150 best private schools and among top 30 UK senior schools. In 2025 SPGS was named the London Independent School of the Year for Academic Excellence and the Independent School of the Year by Academic Excellence by the Sunday Times Newspaper (Parent's Power

History

St Paul's Girls' School was founded by the

Worshipful Company of Mercers The Mercers' Company, or the Worshipful Company of Mercers, is a livery company of the City of London in the Great Twelve City Livery Companies, and ranks first in the order of precedence of the Companies. Mercer comes from the Latin for merch ...

in 1904, using part of the endowment of the foundation set up by John Colet, to create a girls' school to complement the boys' school he had founded in the sixteenth century. The governors hold proprietorial responsibility, and some are representatives of the Universities of

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

and

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. The buildings for the school were designed by the architect Gerald Horsley, son of the painter

John Callcott Horsley John Callcott Horsley (29 January 1817 – 18 October 1903) was a British academic Painting, painter of genre painting, genre and historical scenes, illustrator, and designer of the first Christmas card. He was a member of the artist's colony ...

and one of the founder members of the Art Workers Guild. The school has had several distinguished directors of music, most notably

Gustav Holst Gustav Theodore Holst (born Gustavus Theodore von Holst; 21 September 1874 – 25 May 1934) was an English composer, arranger and teacher. Best known for his orchestral suite ''The Planets'', he composed many other works across a range ...

(1905–34) and Herbert Howells (1936–62). Holst composed his '' St Paul's'' and '' Brook Green'' suites for the pupils at the school. Holst also composed what is arguably his best known work, " The Planets", while teaching at St Paul's. John Linton Gardner held a part-time position as director of music at the school.

Exam results

St Paul's girls regularly perform extremely well in the

GCSE The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is an academic qualification in a range of subjects taken in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, having been introduced in September 1986 and its first exams taken in 1988. State schools ...

s and

A Levels The A-level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational a ...

. In 2014, 99.3% of GCSEs were graded at A*s or As with 93.6% graded at A* alone. This was the highest ever A* percentage achieved by the school and in the country. In 2016, the school achieved the highest A Level results in its history with 60.0% of entries achieving an A* grade and 93.8% of entries achieving A* or A grades. In 2023, 80.5% of GCSE entries were awarded a 9 grade and 94% of entries gained an 8 or 9 (which are equivalent to the old A* grade). This is the eleventh consecutive year that the proportion of A* equivalent grades has exceeded 90%. In the 2023 A level and Pre-U results, 53% of entries attained an A* grade (or the Pre-U equivalent D1 or D2). 87.04% of entries achieved an A* or A grade and 97.1% a B grade or higher (or the Pre-U equivalent of M1 or M2).

Music

was director of music at the school from 1905 to 1934 when he died, including the period he composed his

orchestral suite A suite, in Western classical music, is an ordered set of instrumental or orchestral/concert band pieces. It originated in the late 14th century as a pairing of dance tunes; and grew in scope so that by the early 17th century it comprised up to f ...

s, including '' St Paul's Suite'' and '' The Planets''. He was succeeded by Herbert Howells before John Gardner followed in the 1960s. Gardner wrote many memorable pieces for the school, including his popular Christmas carols '' Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day'' and ''The Holly and the Ivy''. Hilary Davan Wetton was director of music from 1979 to 1994. In 1988 a CD with ''Children's favorite songs'' was released on the label Spectrum records.

Drama

The school's main theatre, where most school productions are staged, is named after alumna

Celia Johnson Dame Celia Elizabeth Johnson (18 December 1908 – 26 April 1982) was an English actress, whose career included stage, television and film. She is especially known for her roles in the films ''In Which We Serve'' (1942), ''This Happy Breed ...

. Other productions are staged in the drama studio which is a smaller space.

Sport

Rowing

The school has an active

rowing Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically a ...

club called the St Paul's Girls' School Boat Club which is based on the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, s ...

. The club is affiliated to British Rowing (boat code SPG) and has produced four British champion crews at the 1992 British Rowing Championships, 2002 British Rowing Championships, 2003 British Rowing Championships and 2011 British Rowing Championships.

High Mistresses

The headmistress of St Paul's Girls' School is known as the High Mistress. * Frances Ralph Grey (d.1935), High Mistress 1903–1927 * Ethel Strudwick (1880–1954), High Mistress 1927–1948, daughter of the

Pre-Raphaelite The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (PRB), later known as the Pre-Raphaelites, was a group of English painters, poets, and art critics, founded in 1848 by William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, William Michael Rossetti, ...

painter John Melhuish Strudwick *Margaret Osborn (1906–1985), High Mistress 1948–1963 * Alison Munro (1914–2008), High Mistress 1964–1974 * Heather Brigstocke, Baroness Brigstocke (1929–2004), High Mistress 1974–1989 *Helen Elizabeth Webber Williams (born 1938), High Mistress 1989–1992 *Janet Gough (born 1940), High Mistress 1993–1998 *Elizabeth Mary Diggory (1945–2007), High Mistress 1998–2006 *Clarissa Mary Farr (born 1958), High Mistress 2006–2017 *Sarah Fletcher, High Mistress 2017–present

Alumnae

Alumnae of the school, known as "Old Paulinas", include:

Arts

* Gillian Ayres – artist *

Mischa Barton Mischa Anne Marsden Barton (born 24 January 1986) is a British-American film, television, and stage actress. She began her career on the stage, appearing in Tony Kushner's '' Slavs!'' and took the lead in James Lapine's '' Twelve Dreams'' at ...

– actress * Nicola Beauman – publisher, founder of Persephone Books * Helen Binyon – artist *

Lesley Blanch Lesley Blanch (6 June 19047 May 2007) was a British writer and traveller. She is best known for '' The Wilder Shores of Love'', about Isabel Burton (who married the Arabist and explorer Richard), Jane Digby el-Mezrab (Lady Ellenborough, the so ...

– author * Justin Blanco White – architect * Celia Brayfield – author * Sophie Hunter – theatre and opera director *

Brigid Brophy Brigid Antonia Brophy (married name Brigid Levey, later Lady Levey; 12 June 19297 August 1995), was an English author, literary critic and polemicist. She was an influential campaigner who agitated for many types of social reform, including ...

– dramatist * Lucy Briers – actress * Margaret Calvert – graphic artist * Miranda Carter – biographer *

Edie Campbell Edith Blanche Campbell (born 25 September 1990) is an English model. In 2016, she made her second appearance on the cover of British Vogue. She has been a model for Chanel, Burberry and Hermès and is also an accomplished horse rider. Career C ...

– model * Cecilia Chancellor – model * Joan Cross – singer * Emma Darwin – author * Monica Dickens – author * Suzi Digby – conductor and musician * Flora Fraser – author * Justine Frischmann – retired musician and artist *

Gluck (Hannah Gluckstein) (born Hannah Gluckstein; 13 August 1895 – 10 January 1978) was a List of British painters, British painter, who rejected any forename or English honorifics, honorific (such as "Miss" or "Mr"), also using the names Peter and Hig. Gluck joi ...

– artist * Francesca Gonshaw – actress * Imogen Holst – musician * Sarah Hobson – travel writer *

Ursula Howells Ursula Howells (17 September 1922 – 16 October 2005) was an English actress whose elegant presence kept her much in demand for roles in film and television. Life and career Howells was born in London, the daughter of composer Herbert Howells, ...

– actress *

Rachel Johnson Rachel Sabiha Johnson (born 3 September 1965) is a British journalist, television presenter, and author who has appeared frequently on political discussion panels, including ''The Pledge (British TV programme), The Pledge'' on Sky News and BBC ...

– journalist and editor * Jane M. Joseph – musician and composer * Amy Key Clarke – poet and author * Marghanita Laski – author * Nicola LeFanu – composer * Amanda Levete – architect * Alice Lowe – actress/author * Jessica Mann – author * Yvonne Mitchell – actress/author *

Emily Mortimer Emily Kathleen Anne Mortimer (born 6 October 1971) is a British and American actress and filmmaker. She began acting in stage productions and has since appeared in several film and television roles. In 2003, she won an Independent Spirit Award ...

– actress * Lucy Moss - playwright/director * Santha Rama Rau – author * Joely Richardson – actress * Natasha Richardson – actress * Georgina Rylance – actress * Katherine Shonfield – architect *

Dodie Smith Dorothy Gladys "Dodie" Smith (3 May 1896 – 24 November 1990) was an English novelist and playwright. She is best known for writing '' I Capture the Castle'' (1948) and the children's novel '' The Hundred and One Dalmatians'' (1956). Other work ...

– playwright * Catherine Storr – author * Imogen Stubbs – actress *

Emma Tennant Emma Christina Tennant FRSL (20 October 1937 – 21 January 2017) was an English novelist and editor of Scottish extraction, known for a post-modern approach to her fiction, often imbued with fantasy or magic. Several of her novels give a femi ...

– author * Angela Thirkell – author * Mary Treadgold – author * Salley Vickers – author * Samantha Weinberg – author *

Rachel Weisz Rachel Hannah Weisz (; born 7 March 1970) is an English actress. Known for her roles in independent films and blockbusters, she has received List of awards and nominations received by Rachel Weisz, several awards, including an Academy Award, ...

– actress * Antonia White – author

Business

* Isabel dos Santos – wealthiest woman in Africa as of 2020 * Grace Beverley – founder of Tala and Shreddy

Culinary arts

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

Education

* Eleanora Carus-Wilson – economic historian * Sheila Forbes – former principal,

St Hilda's College, Oxford St Hilda's College (full name = Principal and Council of St. Hilda's College, Oxford) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. The college is named after the Anglo-Saxon saint Hilda of Whitby and was founded in 1893 as a ...

* Henrietta Harrison – professor of Modern Chinese Studies,

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

Jessica Rawson Dame Jessica Mary Rawson, (born 20 January 1943) is an English art historian, curator and sinologist, specialising in Chinese art. She is also an academic administrator. After many years at the British Museum, she was Warden (head) of Merton C ...

– warden,

Merton College, Oxford Merton College (in full: The House or College of Scholars of Merton in the University of Oxford) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the 126 ...

* Barbara Reynolds – scholar *

Joan Robinson Joan Violet Robinson ( Maurice; 31 October 1903 – 5 August 1983) was a British economist known for her wide-ranging contributions to economic theory. One of the most prominent economists of the century, Robinson incarnated the "Cambridge Sc ...

– economist

Humanitarianism

* Myrtle Solomon – pacifist and former chair War Resisters' International * Ruth Wyner – homeless charity director

Law

* Sonia Proudman – High Court Judge

Journalism and media

* Emily Buchanan – BBC World Affairs correspondent * Clemency Burton-Hill – broadcaster and author *

– model and socialite * Victoria Coren Mitchell – presenter, poker player * Daisy Donovan – TV presenter * Stephanie Flanders – BBC Economics editor * Amelia Gentleman – journalist * Bridget Harrison – journalist * Bronwen Maddox – senior journalist at '

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

' newspaper * Veronica Pedrosa – Al Jazeera English correspondent * Sophie Raworth – news reader * Susanna Reid – news presenter * Anne Scott-James – journalist and editor * Alexandra Shulman – editor-in-chief, Vogue 1992–2017 * Carol Thatcher – journalist * Erica Wagner – author, critic, and literary editor of ''

'' * Eirene White, Baroness White – journalist and Labour politician * Petronella Wyatt – journalist

Politics

* Jane Bonham Carter – Liberal Democrat peer * Vicky Ford, Conservative MP and formerly MEP *

Harriet Harman Harriet Ruth Harman, Baroness Harman, (born 30 July 1950), is a British politician and solicitor who served as Deputy Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Deputy Leader of the Labour Party and Chair of the Labour Party (UK), Chair of the Labour Pa ...

– Labour MP, former Acting Leader of the Labour Party, former Leader of the Opposition and former Cabinet minister * Susan Kramer – former Liberal Democrat MP * Mavis Tate – Conservative MP and women's rights campaigner *

Anne-Marie Trevelyan Anne-Marie Belinda Trevelyan (née Beaton; born 6 April 1969) is a British politician who served as Minister of State for Foreign Affairs (United Kingdom), Minister of State for Indo-Pacific under Rishi Sunak between October 2022 to July 2024. ...

, Conservative MP * Jo Valentine, Baroness Valentine – member of the British House of Lords * Eirene White, Baroness White – Labour

Minister of State Minister of state is a designation for a government minister, with varying meanings in different jurisdictions. In a number of European countries, the title is given as an honorific conferring a higher rank, often bestowed upon senior minister ...

then

life peer In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. Life peers are appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister. With the exception of the D ...

Shirley Williams Shirley Vivian Teresa Brittain Williams, Baroness Williams of Crosby (''née'' Catlin; 27 July 1930 – 12 April 2021) was a British politician and academic. Originally a Labour Party (UK), Labour Party Member of Parliament (MP), she served in ...

– former Labour Education Secretary and co-founder of the

Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties Form ...

Science

* Kate Bingham – venture capitalist * Ruth Bowden – anatomist * Caroline Deys – doctor *

Rosalind Franklin Rosalind Elsie Franklin (25 July 192016 April 1958) was a British chemist and X-ray crystallographer. Her work was central to the understanding of the molecular structures of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), RNA (ribonucleic acid), viruses, coal ...

– scientist, research led to discovery of the structure of DNA * Jean Ginsburg – physiologist, endocrinologist *

Christine Hamill Christine Mary Hamill (24 July 1923 – 24 March 1956) was an English mathematician who specialised in group theory and finite geometry. Education Hamill was one of the four children of English physiologist Philip Hamill. She attended St Pa ...

– mathematician *

Kathleen Kenyon Dame Kathleen Mary Kenyon, (5 January 1906 – 24 August 1978) was a British archaeologist of Neolithic culture in the Fertile Crescent. She led excavations of Tell es-Sultan, the site of ancient Jericho, from 1952 to 1958, and has been called ...

– archaeologist * Irene Manton – botanist * Sidnie Manton – entomologist * Onora O'Neill – philosopher *

Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin (born Cecilia Helena Payne; – ) was a British-born American astronomer and astrophysicist. Her work on the cosmic makeup of the universe and the nature of variable stars was foundational to modern astrophysics. She ...

– astronomer * Catherine Peckham – doctor and scientist * Joan Beauchamp Procter – zoologist, herpetologist

Sport

* Kitty Godfree – tennis player * Lara Prior-Palmer – equestrian * Cecilia Robinson – cricket * Zoe de Toledo – rowing

Notable former staff

Margaret Cole Dame Margaret Isabel Cole ( Postgate; 6 May 1893 – 7 May 1980) was an English socialist politician, writer and poet. She wrote several detective stories jointly with her husband, G. D. H. Cole. She went on to hold important posts in London ...

– socialist politician, former

Classics Classics, also classical studies or Ancient Greek and Roman studies, is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, ''classics'' traditionally refers to the study of Ancient Greek literature, Ancient Greek and Roman literature and ...

teacher *

– composer, pioneer of music education for girls * Nicola LeFanu – director of music during the 1970s * Clara Taylor – chemist and science teacher, 1913-1921

Controversy

The school was in the news in November 2017 with allegations of sexual abuse between the 1970s and 1990s. One teacher resigned on 22 November 2017 amidst these allegations.

References

Tatler ''Tatler'' (stylised in all caps) is a British magazine published by Condé Nast Publications. It focuses on fashion and lifestyle, as well as coverage of high society and politics. It is targeted towards the British upper and upper-middle c ...

'' Schools Guide {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Paul's Girls' School Private girls' schools in London Educational institutions established in 1904 Private schools in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham Member schools of the Girls' Schools Association History of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham 1904 establishments in England

History

Exam results

Music

Drama

Sport

Rowing

High Mistresses

Alumnae

Arts

Business

Culinary arts

Education

Humanitarianism

Law

Journalism and media

Politics

Science

Sport

Notable former staff

Controversy

References

External links