Lancashire 11+: four grammar schools, four separate tests

The schools share a test day but not a test. As Clitheroe's handbook notes, all four Lancashire grammar schools normally test on the same day, but not all use the same testsSource for Clitheroe Royal Grammar School: Same day as other lancashire grammarsClitheroe Royal Grammar School: Same day as other lancashire grammarsCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Clitheroe Royal Grammar School.The source says: Please note that all four Grammar Schools in Lancashire normally hold their entrance tests on the same day. However, not all Grammar Schools in Lancashire will do the same entrance tests.View the official source. That matters if you are weighing up more than one school, because a child can normally sit only one of them.

GL Assessment or FSCE? The two GL schools test verbal reasoning as well as English and maths. The two FSCE schools test English and maths only. At Lancaster Girls', the test covers English and maths, based only on the Key Stage 2 national curriculum taught up to the end of Year 5, with multiple-choice and written answers; the school says this aims to remove any need for tutoringSource for Lancaster Girls' Grammar School: Test content2027Lancaster Girls' Grammar School: Test content2027CloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Lancaster Girls' Grammar School.The source says: In focussing solely on areas of the KS2 National Curriculum that have been taught up to the end of Year 5, the Test aims to remove any need for tutoring.View the official source. Clitheroe changed provider recently: its 2027 handbook names FSCE, while earlier handbooks named GL Assessment (three multiple-choice tests: maths, English and verbal reasoning) for 2025 and 2026 entrySource for Clitheroe Royal Grammar School: Previous test providerClitheroe Royal Grammar School: Previous test providerCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Clitheroe Royal Grammar School.The source says: Candidates will be required to take three tests which all consist of multiple-choice questions. ... All of the tests are set by GL Assessment and are copyright.View the official source. For more on each provider, see our guides to FSCE tests and GL Assessment tests.

None of the four publishes a fixed pass mark in advance. Lancaster Royal's trustees and Clitheroe's admissions committee each set a standard after the test, from that year's results. Children who reach it are eligible; the school then fills its places in priority order, and within each group by test score.

Places are tight. These are the latest published figures (for September 2026 entry):

Compare these with the number of places in the table above. Past figures are a guide, not a promise.

The schools treat disadvantaged children differently, so check the one you are interested in:

• Lancaster Royal: Category 2 (priority catchment = City of Lancaster) and category 4 (residual catchment) give Pupil Premium applicants priority and accept scores up to and including 5% below the minimum level. No PP priority for applicants outside the residual catchment area (category 7).Source for Lancaster Royal Grammar School: Pp priority (2027)Lancaster Royal Grammar School: Pp priority (2027)CloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Lancaster Royal Grammar School.The source says: For the purposes of these oversubscription criteria, children eligible for the Service Pupil Premium will be considered to meet the definition of Pupil Premium, referring to children who have registered for free school meals at any time in the six years prior to the test registration deadline.View the official source
• Lancaster Girls': Criterion 2: City of Lancaster residents eligible for Pupil Premium (second after looked-after children). Criterion 5: Pupil Premium applicants living outside the City of Lancaster (after City residents and staff children). Both accept scores up to 5% below the pass mark.Source for Lancaster Girls' Grammar School: Pp priority (2027)Lancaster Girls' Grammar School: Pp priority (2027)CloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Lancashire County Council.The source says: Applicants whose home address is located in the city of Lancaster at the time of application who are eligible for pupil premium and who achieved the pass mark or who score up to and including the 5 % below the pass mark or who have achieved the MAECView the official source
• Clitheroe Royal: Within each residence tier (immediate catchment, wider catchment, outside catchment) Pupil Premium candidates who reached the required standard are placed before other candidates (criteria 2, 4, 6). No reserved number of places and no lower score.Source for Clitheroe Royal Grammar School: Pp priority (2027)Clitheroe Royal Grammar School: Pp priority (2027)CloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Clitheroe Royal Grammar School.The source says: Candidates whose permanent residence is within the immediate catchment area and who qualify for Pupil Premium* funding at the time of registering to take the Entrance Examination.View the official source
• Bacup and Rawtenstall: its admission rules sit in a document we have not been able to check yet.

Pupil premium here means a child who has had free school meals at some point in the last six years, or who is looked after. If that applies to your child, tell the school when you register and send the evidence it asks for.

General information, not legal advice.

None of the four schools re-marks papers. If your child is refused a place, you can appeal to an independent panel. Lancashire County Council runs the appeals timetable: the deadline for 2027 entry is 14 April 2027Source for Lancashire 2027 entry: Appeal deadlineLancashire 2027 entry: Appeal deadlineCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Lancashire County Council.The source says: Wednesday 14 April 2027 | Appeal deadline for Lancashire schools.View the official source, and Appeals lodged by the deadline are heard by an independent panel by 17 June 2027Source for Lancashire: Appeal hearings2027Lancashire: Appeal hearings2027CloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Lancashire County Council.The source says: Thursday 17 June 2027 Appeals for Lancashire schools submitted by the deadline heard by an independent appeal panelView the official source. Clitheroe asks families to use its own appeal form; the others point to the council's online form. Most appeals for oversubscribed grammar schools do not succeed, which is another reason to keep a second choice you are happy with.