- Grammar school for boys and girls
- Northern Ireland 11+
Rainey Endowed School: Year 8 entry
79 Rainey Street, Magherafelt, Co Londonderry, BT45 5DB
Facts checked 19 October 2026By ExamKind Editorial TeamSchool website
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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; rank order until 100 places filled.
Checked, source: Rainey Endowed School, checkedYear 8 places
100
2026 entry, Published Admission Number ()Opens a short explanationPANPublished Admission NumberThe number of places a school offers in its first year group, for example Year 7. The admission authority sets it each year in the school’s admission policy.
Checked, source: Rainey Endowed School, checked- Not publishedWe have no checked figure for how far offers reached.
Last distance offered
Your next deadlines
Next: Re-mark requests close
in about 15 weeks
Only if you want the test papers marked again
Coming up: Appeal deadline
in about 30 weeks
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. Rainey Endowed School'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.
Most Northern Ireland schools do not publish how far places reached.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
Rainey Endowed School in brief
tap a value for its source
- Year 8 places
- 100Year 8 placesChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Rainey Endowed School.The source says:
The agreed Admissions Number for entry to Year 8 in September 2026 at the School is 100 (subject to DE approval).
View the official source2026 entry - The (PAN): how many children the school plans to admit.
- Pupils
- co-educationalPupilsChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Rainey Endowed School.The source says:
We are a naturally integrated,non-denominational, co-educational Voluntary Grammar School
View the official source - Who the school admits.
- 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.
SEAG (Schools' Entrance Assessment Group)
3 earlier steps, all doneShow
Done: Test registration opens
Done: Test registration closes
Done: Admission cards sent for the test
Next: Test day
Coming up: Transfer test, paper 1
Coming up: Transfer test, paper 2
Coming up: Results
Coming up: Re-mark requests open
Coming up: Re-mark requests close
in about 15 weeks
Only if you want the test papers marked again
Not published yet: Transfer application deadline (to the Education Authority)
Not yet published, checked 17 Oct 2026
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.
Not published yet: Test day
Not yet published, checked 9 Oct 2026
Not published yet: Results
Not yet published, checked 9 Oct 2026
Not published yet: Appeal deadline
Not yet published, checked 9 Oct 2026
Not published yet: Transfer application deadline (to the Education Authority)
Not yet published, checked 9 Oct 2026
Notes on these dates
For 2026 entry, Rainey drew a firm line on timing: After 12 noon Thursday 19 February 2026 up to 4pm Tuesday 24 February 2026 = late; later applications not considered until after the Transfer procedure closes on Saturday 9 May 2026.Rainey Endowed School: Late applicationsChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Rainey Endowed School.The source says: An application received after 12 noon on Thursday, 19 February 2026 and up to 4pm on Tuesday, 24
February 2026 will be treated as a late application. Applications received after this time and date will not be
treated be considered until after the closure of the Transfer procedure on Saturday 9 May 2026.
View the official source
How places are given
7 admission rules, in order, for 2026 entry
If more children qualify than there are places, Rainey Endowed School gives places using these rules (its Opens a short explanationoversubscription criteriaThe rules a school uses, in order, to decide who gets a place when more children apply than there are places. For example: children in care first, then brothers and sisters of pupils, then distance from home.), in this order (the 2026 rules; the rules for 2027 entry are not published yet).
- 1
NI residents before non-residents
The policy's own words
children resident in Northern Ireland at the time of their proposed admission to the School will be selected before any child not so resident
- 2
Rank order of Schools’ Entrance Assessment Group ()Opens a short explanationSEAGSchools’ Entrance Assessment GroupThe not-for-profit group that runs the transfer test for selective schools in Northern Ireland. Children in Primary 7 (P7) sit two papers, English (or Irish) and maths, set and marked by GL Assessment. Total Standardised Age Score (TSAS) (incl. SC/SP equivalents) up to 100
The policy's own words
Preferences will be given, based on the order of SEAG Total Standardised Age Score in rank order
- 3
Identical SAS at the margin: 3.1 sibling/child of the family currently enrolled
The policy's own words
3.1 Children who have a sibling or other children of the family* currently enrolled at the School;
- 4
3.2 child of the family previously enrolled for 2+ years
The policy's own words
3.2 Children who had a child of the family* previously enrolled at the School for 2 or more years;
- 5
3.3 eldest or only child
The policy's own words
3.3 Children who are the eldest child or only child of the family*;
- 6
3.4 enrolled in a listed contributing primary school
The policy's own words
3.4 Children who are enrolled in one of the contributing Primary Schools listed at Section 5below.
- 7
3.5 computerised random selection, higher numbers first
The policy's own words
3.5 If children are still tied after the application of Admissions Criteria 3.1 – 3.5 above
Source: Rainey Endowed School, checked
More detail from our guide
Everything in this section comes from Rainey's Admissions Criteria for entry September 2026 - ADMISSIONS CRITERIA FOR ENTRY INTO YEAR 8Rainey Endowed School: Document title (2026)Checked 9 Oct 2026 against Rainey Endowed School.The source says: Admissions Criteria for entry September 2026
ADMISSIONS CRITERIA FOR ENTRY INTO YEAR 8
View the official source. That is last year's document. The September 2027 criteria are Rainey Endowed School: Criteria published (2027)Not yet published by Rainey Endowed School; last checked 9 Oct 2026.The source says: Admissions-Critera-3420058_ADM-Rainey-Endowed-Grammar-School-2026.pdf
View the official source. They may be worded differently or change, so read them when they appear.
Is it purely by score?
Very nearly. Children living in Northern Ireland came first. After that, places went by score: Places given in rank order of SEAG Total Standardised Age Score (including equivalents after Special Circumstances/Provision) up to 100.Rainey Endowed School: Academic selection (2026)Checked 9 Oct 2026 against Rainey Endowed School.The source says: Preferences will be given, based on the order of SEAG Total Standardised Age Score in rank order until all places have
been filled up to the school’s admission numbers of 100 pupils (subject to DE approval).
View the official source There was no pass mark. The school did not use your order of preference, and it set no quota by background or religion.
What if children tie on the same score?
Only then did the other criteria apply, in this order:
- a brother, sister or other child of the family at Rainey now;
- a child of the family who was at Rainey in the past, for a set minimum period;
- the eldest or only child in the family;
- a child at one of Rainey's listed contributing primary schools;
- and finally, a random number given to each child by computer, with higher numbers going first.
| Tie-break detail (September 2026 entry) | |
|---|---|
| Current and former family members | 3.1 a sibling or other children of the family currently enrolled; 3.2 a child of the family previously enrolled at the School for 2 or more years ('child of the family' per DE Circular 2025/12)Rainey Endowed School: Sibling criterion (2026)Checked 9 Oct 2026 against Rainey Endowed School.The source says: 3.1 Children who have a sibling or other children of the family* currently enrolled at the School; 3.2 Children who had a child of the family* previously enrolled at the School for 2 or more years;View the official source |
| Eldest child | 3.3 eldest child or only child of the familyRainey Endowed School: Eldest child criterion (2026)Checked 9 Oct 2026 against Rainey Endowed School.The source says: 3.3 Children who are the eldest child or only child of the family*;View the official source |
| Contributing primary schools | 3.4 children enrolled in one of the 76 contributing Primary Schools listed in Section 5 (unranked list). Named schools: Ampertaine, Anahorish, Antrim Primary School, Ballylifford, Ballynease, Ballytrea, Bellaghy, Bunscoil Naomh Brid, Carhill Integrated, Carlane, Castledawson, Churchtown, Coagh, Cookstown, Creggan, Crossroads, Derrychrin, Diamond, Donaghey, Drumahoe, Duneane, Gaelscoil an Tseanchai, Gaelscoil Eoghain, Garvagh, Gorran, Groggan, Holy Family, Holy Trinity, Kilrea, Knockloughrim, Knocknagin, Lissan, Maghera, Magherafelt, Maine Integrated, Millquarter, Moneymore, Moneynick, Mount St Michael’s, New Row, Orritor, Phoenix Integrated, Portglenone, Randalstown Central, Rathenraw Integrated, Roundtower Integrated, Sacred Heart, Rock, St Brigid’s Mayogall, St Canice’s Feeny, St Columb’s Desertmartin, St Columba’s Kilrea, St Columba’s Straw, St Eoghan’s, St John Bosco, St John’s Swatragh, St Joseph’s Antrim, St Joseph’s Killeenan, St Malachy’s Drumullan, St Mary’s Bellaghy, St Mary’s Draperstown, St Mary’s Glenview, St Mary’s Greenlough, St Mary’s Portglenone, St Oliver Plunkett’s Toome, St Patrick’s Glen, St Patrick’s Loup, St Patrick’s Moneymore, St Patrick’s Mullinahoe, St Paul’s Ahoghill, St Peter’s Moortown, St Trea’s, Spires Integrated, Stewartstown, Tobermore, Windmill Integrated, WoodsRainey Endowed School: Feeder criterion (2026)Checked 9 Oct 2026 against Rainey Endowed School.The source says: 3.4 Children who are enrolled in one of the contributing Primary Schools listed at Section 5below. [...] The following is a list of contributing Primary Schools to be used in the Admissions Criterion 3.5 above:View the official source |
| Final step | Computerised random selection: each child given an electronically generated random number; ranked with higher numbers having preference.Rainey Endowed School: Final tie break (2026)Checked 9 Oct 2026 against Rainey Endowed School.The source says: then priority will be determined amongst them by a method of computerised random selection. Each child to be considered at this stage will be allocated an electronically generated random number; the children will then be ranked in order of the random number, with higher numbers having preference.View the official source |
Does the primary school matter?
Only a little. Rainey's contributing primary list is long and is not ranked, and it comes late in the tie-break order. It is not a way in by itself. A child from a listed school with a lower score would not be placed above a child with a higher score from elsewhere.
What about illness on test day?
Claims go to the school through the transfer application, not to SEAG. At Rainey for 2026 entry: Form SC (in 'Claiming Special Circumstances - A Guide for Parents and Guardians' on the school website) with independent, verifiable evidence uploaded to the EA Connect Portal (27 January 2026 12 noon - 19 February 2026 12 noon); EA forwards to the school; Admissions Sub Committee determines any adjustment to the score.Rainey Endowed School: Special circumstances (2026)Checked 9 Oct 2026 against Rainey Endowed School.The source says: Registration of a claim for Special Circumstances should be submitted to the Education Authority using the
Special Circumstances Form – Form SC, contained in ‘Claiming Special Circumstances – A Guide for Parents
and Guardians’ which is available from the Rainey Endowed School website.
View the official source
Children who could not sit the test, or whose schooling was mainly outside Northern Ireland, could ask for special provision instead: Special Provision for children with more than half their primary education outside NI (more than 3 years 3 months between 1 September 2019 and 28 February 2026), transferring from outside NI, or unable to take SEAG / with an estimated outcome; Form SP returned to EA by 12 noon 19 February 2026. NI residents selected before non-residents. Otherwise not stated.Rainey Endowed School: Applicants without result (2026)Checked 9 Oct 2026 against Rainey Endowed School.The source says: Special Provision will be made by the Admissions Sub-Committee for children:
• Who have received more than half of their primary education outside Northern Ireland, based on the time
from the start of Primary 1 – 1 September 2019 to 28 February 2026, i.e. more than 3 years and 3 months.
View the official source
Is there a waiting list?
Yes, but you have to ask to join it. Parents must write to the Principal to join; vacancies after 1 September 2026 allocated by the criteria among these applications; list in place until 30 June 2027.Rainey Endowed School: Waiting listChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Rainey Endowed School.The source says: Parents who wish to have their child considered for admission to the School, in the event of a place becoming available
in Year 8, should write to the Principal clearly stating this request.
View the official source
How many apply?
The school prints its recent figures. Each entry gives the year, admissions number, total applications and total admissions, exactly as printed.
| Applications and admissions, as printed | |
|---|---|
| Recent years | {"year": "2023/2024", "admissionsNumber": 100, "totalApplications": 146, "totalAdmissions": 106}; {"year": "2024/2025", "admissionsNumber": 100, "totalApplications": 142, "totalAdmissions": 114}; {"year": "2025/2026*", "admissionsNumber": 100, "totalApplications": 100, "totalAdmissions": 103}Rainey Endowed School: Applications historyChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Rainey Endowed School.The source says: | 2023/2024 | 100 | 146 | 106 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2024/2025 | 100 | 142 | 114 | | 2025/2026* | 100 | 100 | 103 |View the official source |
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
Rainey does not run its own exam. P7 children sit the SEAG test in November at any SEAG centre, and Rainey is one of them. There are 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.
Rainey works from a single figure. Rank order of SEAG TSAS (the document also calls it the 'Combined Standardised Age Score'); tie-breakers only for identical scores at the remaining place(s).Rainey Endowed School: Selection metric (2026)Checked 9 Oct 2026 against Rainey Endowed School.The source says: Rainey Endowed School intends to use the Combined Standardised Age Score obtained by pupils who
completed the SEAG – Schools’ Entrance Assessment in English and Mathematics on 15 and 22 November
2025.
View the official source So if you see "Combined Standardised Age Score" in Rainey's papers, it means the same TSAS printed on your child's Statement of Outcomes. That score runs 138 to 282, average 200SEAG (Northern Ireland): total score range (total standardised age score)Checked 9 Oct 2026 against SEAG (Schools' Entrance Assessment Group).The source says: The Total SAS range will be 138-282 with a mean (or average) of 200.
View the official source.
When you apply, Rainey asks for a few specific details. Its 2026 instruction: Upload the name of the SEAG Assessment Centre, the Combined Standardised Age Score and a scanned copy of the SEAG Assessment Result to the EA Connect Portal.Rainey Endowed School: Transfer application adviceChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Rainey Endowed School.The source says: 1. The name of the Assessment Centre where your child sat the SEAG Assessment.
2. The Combined Standardised Age Score provided by SEAG for your child.
View the official source
There is more on the format in our SEAG transfer test guide and on scores in results explained.
Open days
All this year's events have passed
Done: Open afternoon and evening (school tours) (passed)
Tours commence at 2.45pm
Source: Rainey Endowed School, 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 Rainey cannot offer your child a place, the Education Authority moves your application on to the next school on your list. You can also lodge an appeal with 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.
The tribunal will not rethink Rainey's criteria. It asks whether they were applied properly. What it looks at: Only the evidence the board of governors had when it offered places; the tribunal does not challenge the criteria.Northern Ireland: Evidence limitChecked 9 Oct 2026 against nidirect (NI Government).The source says: The tribunal considers the evidence available to the school's board of governors when they offered school places to children. The tribunal cannot take into account any additional information that wasn't available to the board of governors when they offered places. The tribunal doesn't challenge a school's admissions criteria.
View the official source For a score-ranked school like Rainey, the usual questions are whether the right TSAS was used and, for a tie, whether a sibling, eldest-child or primary school fact was missed.
A separate route exists for rare cases: the Exceptional Circumstances Body, set up by the Department of Education, considers post-primary claims (Years 8 to 12) that a child must attend one particular school for exceptional reasons, once an ordinary application to that school has been refused. There is no deadline.Northern Ireland: EcbChecked 9 Oct 2026 against nidirect (NI Government).The source says: For post-primary admissions decisions, parents can also apply to the independent Exceptional Circumstances Body (ECB) if they believe that there are compelling reasons why their child must go to a particular post-primary school. ... There is no deadline for applications to the ECB.
View the official source. 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 school
View the official source.
The 2027 appeal deadline 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. The 2026 deadline 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.
Official documents and sources
3 sources, each kept as an archived copy
- Rainey Endowed School
PDF document · copy archived by ExamKind on 9 Oct 2026
- SEAG (Schools' Entrance Assessment Group)
Web page · copy archived by ExamKind on 9 Oct 2026
- SEAG (Schools' Entrance Assessment Group)
Web page · copy archived by ExamKind on 9 Oct 2026
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