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Friends' School Lisburn: Year 8 entry

6 Magheralave Road, Lisburn, BT28 3BH

Facts checked 19 October 2026By ExamKind Editorial TeamSchool website

Some details are being re-checked

We check every fact against the official source on a schedule, and some details on this page are due their next check (last verified 19 October 2026). We'll update the page if anything has changed. How we check facts

Can we apply, and what did it take?

For September 2027 entry

  • How places are decided

    By test score, in rank order

    No minimum score stated; applicants taken in rank order of 3-mark score groups.

    Checked, source: Friends' School Lisburn, checked

  • Year 8 places

    140

    2026 entry, Published Admission Number ()

    Checked, source: Friends' School Lisburn, checked

  • Last distance offered

    Not publishedWe have no checked figure for how far offers reached.

Your next deadlines

  1. Next: Re-mark requests close

    in about 15 weeks

    Only if you want the test papers marked again

  2. Coming up: Appeal deadline

    in about 30 weeks

How far offers reached

Can we get in?

How places are given

Northern Ireland grammar schools give Year 8 places using their own admissions criteria, often in order of transfer test result. Friends' School Lisburn's criteria are under Admission rules on this page.

Qualifying is not the same as being offered a place.

Reaching the school's standard means your child can be considered. If more children qualify than there are places, the school gives places using its admission rules, in order. The figures below show how far those rules reached in past years. They are history, not a prediction: they change every year with who applies.

Checked, source: Department for Education (GOV.UK), checked

Most Northern Ireland schools do not publish how far places reached. Read the school's admissions criteria to see how it ranks applicants, and what transfer test results mean.

At a glance

Friends' School Lisburn in brief

tap a value for its source

Year 8 places
140Year 8 placesChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Friends' School Lisburn.The source says: Admissions No: 140View the official source2026 entry
The (PAN): how many children the school plans to admit.
Entrance test
SEAG Entrance Assessment (the NI transfer test)
The test children sit to be considered.

Key dates

Dates for September 2027 entry

For children in P7 in 2026/27.

Add to my calendar

SEAG (Schools' Entrance Assessment Group)

3 earlier steps, all doneShow

  1. Done: Test registration opens

  2. Done: Test registration closes

  3. Done: Admission cards sent for the test

  1. Next: Test day

  2. Coming up: Transfer test, paper 1

  3. Coming up: Transfer test, paper 2

  4. Coming up: Results

  5. Coming up: Re-mark requests open

  6. Coming up: Re-mark requests close

    in about 15 weeks

    Only if you want the test papers marked again

  7. Coming up: Appeal deadline

    in about 30 weeks

    Source: nidirect (NI Government), checked

  8. Not published yet: Transfer application deadline (to the Education Authority)

    Not yet published, checked 17 Oct 2026

  9. Not published yet: School place outcomes

    Not yet published, checked 9 Oct 2026

Year 5 now? Dates for September 2028 entryNone of these dates are published yet.

  1. Not published yet: Test day

    Not yet published, checked 9 Oct 2026

  2. Not published yet: Results

    Not yet published, checked 9 Oct 2026

  3. Not published yet: Appeal deadline

    Not yet published, checked 9 Oct 2026

  4. Not published yet: Transfer application deadline (to the Education Authority)

    Not yet published, checked 9 Oct 2026

Notes on these dates

Last year's timetable gives a feel for the pace. For September 2026 entry: Post-primary Transfer Application (Education Authority, www.eani.org.uk/admissions); for Sept 2026 entry it opened 27 January 2026 at 12 noon with punctual closing date 19 February 2026 at 12 noon; SEAG score notification and any SP/SC form uploaded with the application.Friends' School Lisburn: Application route (2026)Checked 9 Oct 2026 against Friends' School Lisburn.The source says: The application procedure opens on 27 January 2026 at 12 noon and an application submitted by the closing date of 19 February 2026 at 12 noon will be treated as a punctual application.View the official source Lateness mattered too: Applications after 12 noon on 19 February 2026 and up to 4pm on 24 February 2026 are late; punctual applications are considered before late ones.Friends' School Lisburn: Late applicationsChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Friends' School Lisburn.The source says: During the admissions procedure when applying the criteria, punctual applications will be considered before late applications. ... An application received after 12 noon on 19 February 2026 and up to 4pm on 24 February 2026 will be treated as a late application.View the official source

How places are given

6 admission rules, in order, for 2026 entry

If more children qualify than there are places, Friends' School Lisburn gives places using these rules (its ), in this order (the 2026 rules; the rules for 2027 entry are not published yet).

  1. 1

    Criterion 1: applicants admitted by score Group (Total Standardised Age Score (TSAS) in rank order, grouped in ranges of 3 marks), Group 1 first, then Group 2, and so on

    The policy's own words
    1. Preference will be given to those in Group 1 before Group 2, Group 2 before Group 3, Group 3 before Group 4, and so on.
  2. 2

    Criterion 2(a), within the oversubscribed group: children of Members or Attenders of the Religious Society of Friends

    The policy's own words
    a) applicants who are children of Members or Attenders of the Religious Society of Friends ;
  3. 3

    Criterion 2(b): pupils enrolled in Friends' Preparatory Department from 1 September 2025

    The policy's own words
    b) applicants enrolled in the Preparatory Department of Friends' School Lisburn from 1 September 2025;
  4. 4

    Criterion 2(c): brother or sister in Years 8-14 at the date of transfer (incl. twin/triplet already admitted)

    The policy's own words
    c) applicants who have a brother or sister enrolled in Years 8-14 at Friends' School Lisburn at the date of
  5. 5

    Criterion 2(d): transferring from a primary school that has contributed pupils in the last 5 years (listed)

    The policy's own words
    d) applicants who are transferring from schools which have contributed pupils to Friends’ School Lisburn
  6. 6

    Criterion 2(e): all other applicants

    The policy's own words
    e) applicants to whom (a) to (d) above do not apply.

Source: Friends' School Lisburn, checked

More detail from our guide

The rules below are from the school's Admissions criteria for entry September 2026Friends' School Lisburn: Document title (2026)Checked 9 Oct 2026 against Friends' School Lisburn.The source says: Admissions criteria for entry September 2026View the official source. That makes them last year's criteria. Friends' has not yet released its rules for September 2027 entry, and governors can revise them, so read the new document when it appears.

Score groups first

Imagine every applicant's TSAS sorted from highest to lowest, then cut into small slices. The school's wording: Total Standardised Age Scores placed in rank order and grouped in ranges of 3 marks; Group 1 before Group 2 and so on; in the group where applicants exceed places, sub-criteria (a)-(e) decide.Friends' School Lisburn: Selection metric (2026)Checked 9 Oct 2026 against Friends' School Lisburn.The source says: The Total Standardised Age Scores of all applicants in the SEAG Entrance Assessment will be placed in rank order and grouped within ranges of 3 marks. Higher scores will precede lower scores. [...] 1. Preference will be given to those in Group 1 before Group 2, Group 2 before Group 3, Group 3 before Group 4, and so on.View the official source

Whole groups are admitted from the top down. Only one group, the one where applicants outnumber the places left, goes through the sub-criteria. Everyone above it is in on score; everyone below it is not reached.

Inside the group where places run out

For 2026 entry the order was: (1) Children of Members or Attenders of the Religious Society of Friends. (2) Enrolled in Friends' School Lisburn Preparatory Department from 1 September 2025. (3) Brother or sister in Years 8-14 at the date of transfer. (4) From a primary school that contributed pupils in the last 5 years. (5) All other applicants. (6) Applied within each of (a)-(e): FSME-entitled applicants preferred over others meeting the same criterion. (7) Computerised random selection where a criterion has more pupils than places.Friends' School Lisburn: Tie breakers (2026)Checked 9 Oct 2026 against Friends' School Lisburn.The source says: Under each of these criteria, applicants who are entitled to Free School Meals will be given preference over others who meet this criterion. If, following the application of the above sub-criteria in order, there comes a point where there are more pupils who meet a particular criterion than there are places available then the Board of Governors shall decide which of these pupils are to be admitted on the basis of computerised random selection.View the official source

Some details about that list:

  • Quaker families. The first sub-criterion is for children of Members or Attenders of the Religious Society of Friends. Parents give details of their Meeting on the application.
  • The Preparatory Department. The school has a Preparatory Department; pupils enrolled in it from 1 September 2025 have sub-criterion (b) priority. The home page links a separate prep site (https://www.fslprep.co.uk/).Friends' School Lisburn: Prep departmentChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Friends' School Lisburn.The source says: b) applicants enrolled in the Preparatory Department of Friends' School Lisburn from 1 September 2025;View the official source
  • Siblings. A brother or sister anywhere in the school at the date of transfer counts. So does a twin or triplet who has already been given a place.
  • Feeder primary schools. Children from primary schools that have sent pupils to Friends' in recent years come next. The full list is in the table below.
  • Free school meals. There are no set-aside places for children entitled to free school meals, but within each sub-criterion those children come before others.
  • Last resort. Computerised random selection among pupils meeting the oversubscribed criterion.Friends' School Lisburn: Final tie break (2026)Checked 9 Oct 2026 against Friends' School Lisburn.The source says: then the Board of Governors shall decide which of these pupils are to be admitted on the basis of computerised random selection.View the official source

The eldest-child question many NI schools ask does not feature here: the 2026 list had noFriends' School Lisburn: Eldest child criterion (2026)Checked 9 Oct 2026 against Friends' School Lisburn.The source says: Within that group, the remaining places will be allocated in accordance with the following sub-criteria:View the official source eldest-child rule. Where your preference sits on the form is also ignored, and children living in Northern Ireland are admitted before those who are not.

Feeder rules and named schools, September 2026 entry
From the criteriaTwo feeder-type sub-criteria: (b) pupils enrolled in the school's own Preparatory Department from 1 September 2025; (d) pupils transferring from primary schools that have contributed pupils in the last 5 years (list printed in the document). Named schools: Friends' School Lisburn Preparatory Department (sub-criterion b), Abbey, Academy, Anahilt, Ballinderry, Ballycarrickmaddy, Ballydown, Ballymacash, Ballymacrickett, Ballymacward, Bocombra, Brownlee, Cairnshill, Carr, Carrick, Christ The Redeemer, Crumlin, Downshire, Dromara, Dromore Central, Drumlins, Dunmurry, Fair Hill, Fane Street, Finaghy, Fort Hill, Friends' Prep, Greenisland, Harmony Hill, Holy Child, Holy Trinity, Killowen, King's Park, Knockmore, Lisburn Central, Maghaberry, Maralin Village, Mckinney (Dundrod), Meadowbridge, Millennium, Moira, Moneyrea, Moyallon, Our Lady Queen of Peace, Pond Park, Portadown, Riverdale, Rockport, Rowandale, Seymour Hill, St Aloysius, St Brendan's (Craigavon), St Bride's, St Colmans (Dromore), St Colmans (Lambeg), St Francis', St Joseph's (Lisburn), St Joseph's (Crumlin), St Joseph's (Carryduff), St Macnissi's, St Matthew's, St Patrick's (Magheralin), St Teresa's, Taughmonagh, Templepatrick, Tonagh, Victoria College Prep, Wallace Prep, WaringstownFriends' School Lisburn: Feeder criterion (2026)Checked 9 Oct 2026 against Friends' School Lisburn.The source says: b) applicants enrolled in the Preparatory Department of Friends' School Lisburn from 1 September 2025; ... d) applicants who are transferring from schools which have contributed pupils to Friends’ School Lisburn within the last 5 years (a list of these is below);View the official source

If your child's primary school is not on that list, they are still considered, under the "all other applicants" step.

Special circumstances. If illness or another problem affected your child on a test day, Friends' wants evidence from the time. Board of Governors considers medical or other circumstances affecting performance, supported by contemporaneous documentary evidence (independent medical practitioner for medical cases) and educational evidence (e.g. PTE/PTM results Years 5-7, P7 class comparison) verified by the primary Principal; parents complete the SC Form from the school website and upload it with the Transfer Application. A Governors' panel decides whether to adjust the score/assign a Group.Friends' School Lisburn: Special circumstances (2026)Checked 9 Oct 2026 against Friends' School Lisburn.The source says: The Board of Governors will consider medical or other circumstances which may have affected a child's performance in the Entrance Assessment and which are supported by contemporaneous documentary evidence. The Board of Governors will then decide whether the score awarded in the Entrance Assessment should be adjusted. [...] Parents who wish to apply to the school under Special Circumstances must complete the SC Form obtainable from the school website, and upload it with appropriate documentary and educational evidence*, as detailed below, with the Transfer Application.View the official source

Waiting list. A waiting list of applicants refused at transfer, ordered by the admissions criteria, is used if vacancies arise within the admissions number for 2026/2027. The All Admissions page says there are no places in Years 9-11 and no waiting list is operated for those years.Friends' School Lisburn: Waiting listChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Friends' School Lisburn.The source says: A waiting list will be drawn up of those applicants who had initially been refused a place during the transfer procedure, and the admissions criteria listed above will determine the order in which applicants are placed on this list.View the official source

A note on numbers: the same 2026 document's table of earlier years shows a higher admissions number than 140Friends' School Lisburn: Admissions number (2026)Checked 9 Oct 2026 against Friends' School Lisburn.The source says: Admissions No: 140View the official source. Check the figure again when the 2027 criteria are out.

The test

SEAG Entrance Assessment (the NI transfer test)
Test
SEAG Entrance Assessment (the NI transfer test)
Test date, 2027 entry
Saturday 14 November 2026

Children who want a place at Friends' sit the shared SEAG Entrance Assessment in P7. It is two papers, English (or Irish) and mathsSEAG (Northern Ireland): the two test papersChecked 9 Oct 2026 against SEAG (Schools' Entrance Assessment Group).The source says: The SEAG Entrance Assessment consists of two Papers: Paper 1 and Paper 2. Both Papers have an identical format and are set at the same level of difficulty.View the official source, taken on Saturday 14 November 2026SEAG (Northern Ireland): Paper1Checked 9 Oct 2026 against SEAG (Schools' Entrance Assessment Group).The source says: Saturday, 14th November 2026View the official source (Paper 1) and Saturday 21 November 2026SEAG (Northern Ireland): Paper2Checked 9 Oct 2026 against SEAG (Schools' Entrance Assessment Group).The source says: Saturday, 21st November 2026View the official source (Paper 2). Friends' is a SEAG school and a test centre, though your child can sit at any centre.

What matters to Friends' is the Total Standardised Age Score (TSAS). The school does not use the band. Its 2026 criteria described the first step like this: Initially considers only pupils who took the SEAG Entrance Assessment and were awarded a score, or were assigned a Group after a Special Provisions/Special Circumstances decision; all applicants are placed in rank order of Total Standardised Age Score in groups of 3 marks.Friends' School Lisburn: Academic selection (2026)Checked 9 Oct 2026 against Friends' School Lisburn.The source says: The school will initially consider at transfer stage only those pupils who have taken the Entrance Assessment provided by the Schools’ Entrance Assessment Group (SEAG) and who have been awarded a mark in the form of a ... standardised score or have been assigned to a Group (see below) after determination of an application for Special Provisions or Special Circumstances.View the official source

A child who did not sit the test is not simply turned away, but the route is narrow. Only pupils with a SEAG score, or assigned a Group after a Special Provisions/Special Circumstances decision, are considered initially. Special Provisions cover children transferring from outside NI, those with more than half their primary education outside NI, and those unable to sit the assessment (or who sat only one paper) for documented serious medical, personal or other problems; the school may arrange an assessment on an agreed date and a Governors' panel assigns a Group.Friends' School Lisburn: Applicants without result (2026)Checked 9 Oct 2026 against Friends' School Lisburn.The source says: It is expected that all those seeking admission should sit the SEAG Entrance Assessment, except for those pupils who take up residence in Northern Ireland after 18 September 2025. ... Where an application for Special Provisions is made for a child who was unable to sit the Entrance Assessment the ... school may choose to arrange for an assessment to be taken on an agreed date.View the official source

Results come out on Saturday 23 January 2027SEAG (Northern Ireland): OutcomesChecked 9 Oct 2026 against SEAG (Schools' Entrance Assessment Group).The source says: It is planned that SEAG results will be released on Saturday 23rd January 2027.View the official source. To understand the score report, see results explained. The wider picture is in our SEAG transfer test guide.

How the Northern Ireland test works

Open days

Next: Open Morning (Year 8 entry), Sat 9 Jan 2027

  1. Done: Open Day (passed)

    9.30 am - 12 noon

  2. Coming up: Open Morning (Year 8 entry)

    9.30am-12 noon; Principal's address at 09:30, 10:30 or 11:30

Source: Friends' School Lisburn, checked

If you are refused a place

Reviews, appeals and the waiting list

General information, not legal advice.

This is general information, not legal advice.

If Friends' cannot offer your child a place, the EA moves your application on to your next choice. And if none of your listed schools can: Parents choose from schools that still have places and are told how to appeal.Northern Ireland: No place routeChecked 9 Oct 2026 against nidirect (NI Government).The source says: If your child doesn’t get a place in any of their school preferences, you will be asked to choose from other schools that still have places. You will also be advised of how to appeal a decision about a school place.View the official source

An appeal against the school's decision is made on the AT1 form, via the EA websiteNorthern Ireland: FormChecked 9 Oct 2026 against nidirect (NI Government).The source says: To appeal a school's decision that has refused your child a place, go to the EA website where you can send the appeal form (AT1 Form).View the official source, and it is heard by an independent tribunal. The tribunal does not judge whether the criteria are fair. It asks two things: the school didn't apply, or didn't correctly apply, its admissions criteria; the school would have offered the child a place if it had applied its criteria correctlyNorthern Ireland: Uphold testsChecked 9 Oct 2026 against nidirect (NI Government).The source says: The tribunal can only uphold an appeal if: ... they find the school didn't apply or didn't apply correctly its admissions criteria ... and they find the school would have offered the child a place if it had applied its admissions criteria correctlyView the official source. Both must be true for an appeal to succeed.

The appeal deadline for 2027 entry is 4pm, Thursday 20 May 2027Northern Ireland transfer: Appeal deadlineChecked 17 Oct 2026 against nidirect (NI Government).The source says: The deadline for receipt of appeal forms against Year 8 decisions by post-primary schools is Thursday 20 May 2027, no later than 4.00 pm.View the official source. For 2026 entry it was 4pm on Thursday 21 May 2026Northern Ireland 2026 entry: Appeal deadlineChecked 9 Oct 2026 against nidirect (NI Government).The source says: The deadline for receipt of appeal forms against Year 8 decisions by post-primary schools is Thursday 21 May 2026, no later than 4.00 pm.View the official source.

Some families also ask about the Exceptional Circumstances Body. It deals only with claims that a child must attend one particular school, and it will not treat these as exceptional: type of education provided at a school; a child's academic ability; availability of transport to a schoolNorthern Ireland: Ecb not exceptionalChecked 9 Oct 2026 against nidirect (NI Government).The source says: The ECB may not find the following circumstances exceptional: ... type of education provided at a school ... a child’s academic ability ... availability of transport to a schoolView the official source.

Official documents and sources

5 sources, each kept as an archived copy

ExamKind is independent. We are not connected with Friends' School Lisburn, its council or any test provider, and nobody pays to appear on this page. How we check facts · Report an error on this page