Is St Pauls really worth it?

[CocoC]

DS has an offer from St Pauls.
We have just moved to the UK, and are not used to this system, so we are just shocked at how high the fees are (and dubious at the fact the school is single sex, in today's world).
At the same time, we want to do what is best for him , as he is very bright and does not particularly enjoy school right now as he is bored most of the time, which feels a real shame.
So, my question is - is an education at St Pauls really worth it? I am not so swayed by the sporting side of things, as quite frankly for the price of the fees, am happy to drive him around to various after school sports clubs.
And is the quality of the teaching, and the academic side of things really better than what you would get at a school like Latymers (which has, to me, the advantage of being co-ed)? Both schools are very local to us, so distance is not an issue.

Depends what you want, some people would love the old boys network side of it and many would chose the school based on that alone. Personally I agree with a previous poster and thinking of members of our current government as examples of this is enough to put me off. But then I don’t pay for private school, my son is doing amazingly well in our local secondary school. It’s one of 60 super schools in the UK and it runs its own Oxbridge programme, something I suspect he will be interested in, though he’s put off by the thought of the university being full of old boys network type students. So I’m sure he will look at other uni’s too.

I have a question on St Pauls too - is it really that hard to get into. I am actually wondering if it is a sort of urban myth now amongst the stressed middle class London parents. My son is in one of the younger years and I am amazed at the number of people who have several (all) of their sons there, considering there is no sibling policy... at a time when the fees are extortionate, and with Hammersmith Bridge being shut which makes it a nightmare to get to, I am actually wondering if it is not fairly achievable, as long as you have a reasonably bright (but not necessarily super-bright) child - certainly my son's friends are very much within the normal band of intelligence..... But they keep up this myth of being ultra competitive and impossible to get into to keep their desirability up, and so when people get a place they are so flattered they are much more likely to take it up.
Any thoughts??

I don't think "reasonably" bright does it, certainly at 11+ imho, but it might be different at other entry points.
ds has 11+ offers and scholarships from KCS and Hampton, but no interview at SPS. Only one in his year got an interview (and offer) of 4 applicants, and that offer boy is the brightest in the year of small prep school.
I know of two boys who joined at 7+ and would class as very bright a few years on.

I know a boy this year that has been offered Hampton and St Paul's, but not KCS. It depends on a lot of factors including how they are feeling on the day and whether the papers play to their strengths. I think you have to be very bright to get into any of these schools when you consider how many families live in London that can afford private school fees,