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St Dominic's Grammar School, Belfast: Year 8 entry

Falls Road, Belfast BT12 6AE

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

    Criteria list Bands One to Six in order; no minimum band or score is stated.

    Checked, source: St Dominic's High School, checked

  • Year 8 places

    141

    2025 entry, Published Admission Number ()

    Checked, source: St Dominic's High School, 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. St Dominic's Grammar 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.

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Most Northern Ireland schools do not publish how far places reached.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

St Dominic's Grammar School in brief

tap a value for its source

Pupils
girlsPupilsChecked 9 Oct 2026 against St Dominic's High School.The source says: School Type: Catholic Girls’ Voluntary Grammar SchoolView the official source
Who the school admits.
Year 8 places
141Year 8 placesChecked 9 Oct 2026 against St Dominic's High School.The source says: Admission No: 141View the official source2025 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, the school's Year 8 page set out its own timetable: 2026 transfer key dates on the Year 8 admissions page: criteria published 10 Dec 2025; SC/SP guidance and forms from 1 Dec (uploaded via the EA portal, not to schools); EA portal open 27 Jan 2026 12 noon to 19 Feb 2026 12 noon.St Dominic's Grammar School: Transfer application adviceChecked 9 Oct 2026 against St Dominic's High School.The source says: Special Circumstances and Special Provisions guidelines for Parents/Guardians and relevant forms available here from Monday 1st December (please note that these should not be submitted to individual schools but uploaded via the EA portal) ... EA portal will be open from Tuesday 27th January 2026 at 12 noon until 12 noon on Thursday 19th February 2026.View the official source We could not find the September 2026 criteria document itself on the site.

How places are given

13 admission rules, in order, for 2025 entry

If more children qualify than there are places, St Dominic's Grammar School gives places using these rules (its ), in this order (the 2025 rules; the rules for 2027 entry are not published yet).

  1. 1

    Band One (or accepted SC/SP claims judged of comparable ability).

    The policy's own words
    1. Applicants awarded a BAND ONE in the SEAG Entrance Assessment
  2. 2

    Band Two (or comparable SC/SP).

    The policy's own words
    2. Applicants awarded a BAND TWO in the SEAG Entrance assessment
  3. 3

    Band Three (or comparable SC/SP).

    The policy's own words
    3. Applicants awarded a BAND THREE in the SEAG Entrance Assessment
  4. 4

    Band Four (or comparable SC/SP).

    The policy's own words
    4. Applicants awarded a BAND FOUR in the SEAG Entrance Assessment
  5. 5

    Band Five (or comparable SC/SP).

    The policy's own words
    5. Applicants awarded a BAND FIVE in the SEAG Entrance Assessment
  6. 6

    Band Six (or comparable SC/SP).

    The policy's own words
    6. Applicants awarded a BAND SIX in the SEAG Entrance Assessment
  7. 7

    Sub-criterion (a): sister currently or formerly at the school.

    The policy's own words
    (a) Applicants of whom a sibling (sister or half-sister or stepsister or legally adopted/foster sister or half-sister) is currently or formerly was a pupil enrolled in the school.
  8. 8

    Sub-criterion (b): sister (e.g. twin) qualifying in the current admissions year.

    The policy's own words
    (b) Applicants of whom a sibling as defined in (a) above qualified for admission under Criteria 1-6 for entry into St Dominic’s (e.g., a twin) in the current admissions year (2025-26).
  9. 9

    Sub-criterion (c): eldest girl of the family (includes only children).

    The policy's own words
    (c) Applicants who are the eldest girl of the family
  10. 10

    Sub-criterion (d): Child Looked After.

    The policy's own words
    (d) Applicants who are a Child Looked After
  11. 11

    Sub-criterion (e): entitled to free school meals.

    The policy's own words
    (e) Applicants who are entitled to Free Schools Meals*
  12. 12

    Within an oversubscribed sub-criterion: Total Standardised Age Score (TSAS) rank order.

    The policy's own words
    applicants within that sub-criterion will be selected by rank order of the total standardised age score (TSAS)
  13. 13

    Equal TSAS for the last place(s): shortest radial distance from the school entrance gate on the Falls Road.

    The policy's own words
    the award of place(s) shall be granted to the applicants who ordinarily reside within the shortest radial distance as the crow flies from the school

Source: St Dominic's High School, checked

More detail from our guide

Please read this first. The most recent criteria on the school's website are its Admissions Criteria for entry September 2025St Dominic's Grammar School: Document title (2025)Checked 9 Oct 2026 against St Dominic's High School.The source says: Admissions Criteria for entry September 2025View the official source. That is two years before the intake your child is applying for. The September 2027 criteria are St Dominic's Grammar School: Criteria published (2027)Not yet published by St Dominic's High School; last checked 9 Oct 2026.The source says: Admission Criteria will be published by the Education Authority and on our website on Wednesday 10th December 2025. ... View Admissions Criteria hereView the official source, and governors can change the rules each year. Use the summary below to understand the shape, then check the new document.

Under the September 2025 criteria:

  • Who came first: Preference to pupils with a SEAG outcome (or one assigned under special circumstances/provisions); places allocated by SEAG Band One to Band Six in order.St Dominic's Grammar School: Academic selection (2025)Checked 9 Oct 2026 against St Dominic's High School.The source says: St Dominic’s Grammar School will give preference to those pupils for whom an outcome relating to the SEAG Entrance Assessment method has been assigned by GL/SEAG or assigned by the Board of Governors pursuant to the special circumstances/special provisions procedures.View the official source No minimum band or score was set.
  • Living in Northern Ireland: girls resident here were selected ahead of those who were not. The order of preference on your form was not used.
  • Within the band where places ran out, a set of family and welfare tests was applied in turn: a sister at the school now or in the past; a sister, such as a twin, applying the same year; the eldest girl; a child looked after; and free school meals.
  • Then score: inside whichever of those groups had too many girls, places went in TSAS order.
  • Last resort: Shortest radial distance as the crow flies from the school entrance gate on the Falls Road to the home, measured with www.freemaptools.com.St Dominic's Grammar School: Final tie break (2025)Checked 9 Oct 2026 against St Dominic's High School.The source says: the award of place(s) shall be granted to the applicants who ordinarily reside within the shortest radial distance as the crow flies from the school as measured from the school entrance gate on the Falls Road, Belfast to the applicant’s home using the following website – www.freemaptools.comView the official source

Who counts as a sister: A sister, half-sister, stepsister or legally adopted/foster sister currently or formerly enrolled (a); or such a sibling (e.g. a twin) qualifying for entry in the same admissions year (b). Verifying letter required.St Dominic's Grammar School: Sibling criterion (2025)Checked 9 Oct 2026 against St Dominic's High School.The source says: (a) Applicants of whom a sibling (sister or half-sister or stepsister or legally adopted/foster sister or half-sister) is currently or formerly was a pupil enrolled in the school.View the official source

The eldest-girl rule is wider than it sounds: Eldest girl of the family eligible to transfer to mainstream secondary school; covers only children; twins/multiples joint eldest; a girl whose older sister did not gain entry (did not sit / did not achieve the grade) is considered with first/oldest girls.St Dominic's Grammar School: Eldest child criterion (2025)Checked 9 Oct 2026 against St Dominic's High School.The source says: (c) Applicants who are the eldest girl of the family (“of the family” will be defined in accordance with Department of Education guidance) eligible to transfer to mainstream secondary school. This criterion covers ‘only’ children. Twins or other multiples will be treated as joint eldest.View the official source

FSME was a sub-criterion, not a quota: no (No reserved quota; FSME is the fifth sub-criterion.)St Dominic's Grammar School: Fsme places (2025)Checked 9 Oct 2026 against St Dominic's High School.The source says: (e) Applicants who are entitled to Free Schools Meals*View the official source.

Special circumstances. Form SC with documentary evidence uploaded with the Transfer Application on the EA portal; verified KS2 CAT4/PTE/PTM results; three-stage process, Stage 3 may award a mark up to the top of the confidence band (Special Circumstances Protocol available on request).St Dominic's Grammar School: Special circumstances (2025)Checked 9 Oct 2026 against St Dominic's High School.The source says: Documentary evidence must be submitted with the Transfer Application and Form SC on the Education Authority’s online Portal - EA Post Primary Applications. Consideration of a claim for Special Circumstances consists of three stages.View the official source

Girls without a SEAG outcome: Special Provisions (Form SP, uploaded with the Transfer Application) for applicants educated more than half outside NI, transferring from outside NI, or unable to sit / with an estimated outcome for serious medical or other reasons; the school may arrange a Special Provisions Assessment and then sets an equivalent Band and TSAS.St Dominic's Grammar School: Applicants without result (2025)Checked 9 Oct 2026 against St Dominic's High School.The source says: The Board of Governors will assess each applicant’s claim for Special Provisions and may contact the parent to arrange further assessment of the child by a suitably qualified person or body approved by the College. This will be known as the Special Provisions Assessment. The Admissions Committee will then determine, based on the information available, an appropriate Band and TSAS equivalent for the applicant.View the official source

After the main round: Sept 2025 criteria: vacancies after 10 May 2025 filled by re-applying the criteria to refused, new and updated applications; list in place until 30 June 2026; names added automatically.St Dominic's Grammar School: Waiting listChecked 9 Oct 2026 against St Dominic's High School.The source says: Should a vacancy arise after 10 May 2025 all applications for admission to Year 8 that were initially refused, new applications and applications where new information has been provided will be treated equally and the published criteria applied. This waiting list will be in place until 30 June 2026.View the official source Those dates belong to the old cycle; the new criteria will give new ones.

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

St Dominic's uses the outcome of the SEAG Entrance Assessment. In its latest criteria the band came first. Every girl in Band 1 was considered before any girl in Band 2, and so on down to Band 6. The exact Total Standardised Age Score mattered only inside the band where places ran short.

Under the September 2025 criteria, parents gave both the band and the score: Online Transfer Application via the Education Authority portal (EA Post Primary Applications), entering the SEAG Band and TSAS and uploading the statement of resultsSt Dominic's Grammar School: Application route (2025)Checked 9 Oct 2026 against St Dominic's High School.The source says: Parents/Guardians must enter the applicant’s Band and Total Standardised Age Score (TSAS) from the SEAG Entrance Assessment and upload a copy of the applicant’s statement of results with the Transfer Application.View the official source.

In 2025 it was also one of the SEAG centres for the Irish-language papers (listed in the table above). For how bands are set, read results explained, and for the bigger picture our SEAG transfer test guide.

How the Northern Ireland test works

Open days

Next: Open Day, Sat 16 Jan 2027

  1. Done: Open Day 2025 (passed)

    9.00 am – 1pm

  2. Coming up: Open Day

Source: St Dominic's High 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.

Your application moves down your list of preferences if St Dominic's cannot offer a place. If you think the school got its own criteria wrong for your daughter, you can appeal 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.

An appeal tribunal can only find in your favour on these grounds: 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. It works from the information the school had at the time, so details such as a sister at the school or FSME need to be on the original form. Here, the band, the family sub-criteria and the distance measure are the points most worth checking.

For 2027 entry the 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. Last year's 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

7 sources, each kept as an archived copy

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