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St Malachy's College: Year 8 entry

36 Antrim Road, Belfast, BT15 2AE

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 band stated; criteria run from Band 1 through Band 6 and then 'G Other pupils'.

    Checked, source: St Malachy's College, checked

  • Year 8 places

    170

    2026 entry, Published Admission Number ()

    Checked, source: St Malachy's College, 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 Malachy's College'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Most Northern Ireland schools do not publish how far places reached.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 Malachy's College in brief

tap a value for its source

Pupils
boysPupilsChecked 9 Oct 2026 against St Malachy's College.The source says: Boys’ GrammarView the official source
Who the school admits.
Year 8 places
170Year 8 placesChecked 9 Oct 2026 against St Malachy's College.The source says: Admission No: 170View 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

The EA will confirm the 2027 closing date. As a guide, the 2026 deadline was noon on Thursday 19 February 2026Northern Ireland 2026 entry: Transfer application deadlineChecked 9 Oct 2026 against nidirect (NI Government).The source says: The Post Primary online application procedure closes at 12.00 noon on Thursday 19 February 2026.View the official source.

How places are given

14 admission rules, in order, for 2026 entry

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

  1. 1

    A: Band 1 (or comparable ability under Special Circumstances/Provision)

    The policy's own words
    A Pupils who have been awarded a Band 1 Grade in the SEAG Entrance Assessment
  2. 2

    B: Band 2 (or comparable)

    The policy's own words
    B Pupils who have been awarded a Band 2 Grade in the SEAG Entrance Assessment
  3. 3

    C: Band 3 (or comparable)

    The policy's own words
    C Pupils who have been awarded a Band 3 Grade in the SEAG Entrance Assessment
  4. 4

    D: Band 4 (or comparable)

    The policy's own words
    D Pupils who have been awarded a Band 4 Grade in the SEAG Entrance Assessment
  5. 5

    E: Band 5 (or comparable)

    The policy's own words
    E Pupils who have been awarded a Band 5 Grade in the SEAG Entrance Assessment
  6. 6

    F: Band 6 (or comparable)

    The policy's own words
    F Pupils who have been awarded a Band 6 Grade in the SEAG Entrance Assessment
  7. 7

    G: Other pupils

    The policy's own words
    G Other pupils.
  8. 8

    (a) Sibling of present or past pupil

    The policy's own words
    a) applicants who are siblings of present or past pupils enrolled in St. Malachy’s College
  9. 9

    (b) Eldest boy of the family or only child

    The policy's own words
    b) applicants who, at the date of their application, are the eldest boy of the family eligible to transfer to St Malachy’s College, or are the only child of the family
  10. 10

    (c) Child Looked After

    The policy's own words
    c) applicants who are a Child Looked After.
  11. 11

    (d) Entitled to Free School Meals

    The policy's own words
    d) a pupil who is entitled to Free School Meals at the date of application
  12. 12

    (e) From a listed contributory primary school

    The policy's own words
    e) | pupils from the following contributory Primary Schools (not listed in order of preference); |
  13. 13

    (f) Randomly determined alphabetical order of surname initial

    The policy's own words
    f) In the event of oversubscription at the last criterion, selection for all places remaining in this category will be on basis of an alphabetical order which has been determined randomly
  14. 14

    (g) Age, oldest first

    The policy's own words
    g) Should there be over-subscription at the last criterion then other applicants will be selected on the basis of age with the oldest being selected first

Source: St Malachy's College, checked

More detail from our guide

These are the rules in the college's "Admissions Criteria for entry September 2026St Malachy's College: Document title (2026)Checked 9 Oct 2026 against St Malachy's College.The source says: ADMISSIONS CRITERIA FOR ENTRY OF PUPILS TO FORM 1 (YEAR 8) IN SEPTEMBER 2026View the official source", so they are last year's. For September 2027 entry the college's criteria are St Malachy's College: Criteria published (2027)Not yet published by St Malachy's College; last checked 9 Oct 2026.The source says: Year 8 Admissions Criteria - 25/26View the official source. Look for them over the winter, ahead of the transfer application, and read them closely, because governors are free to revise the rules each year.

Band by band

Applicants are admitted in order of SEAG Band Grade (Band 1 to Band 6, then 'Other pupils'); only applicants with a Band Grade (or one assigned via Special Circumstances/Special Provision) are considered initially.St Malachy's College: Academic selection (2026)Checked 9 Oct 2026 against St Malachy's College.The source says: St Malachy’s College will initially consider only those applicants who have taken the SEAG Entrance Assessment and who have been awarded a Band Grade or assigned a Band Grade pursuant to the application of the Special Circumstance or Special Provision procedures and will admit pupils based on the Band Grade achieved in the assessment or otherwise awarded.View the official source

When there are more boys in a band than places

Inside a band with more applicants than places, the college applied subsidiary criteria (a) to (g), one after another. Here is the full 2026 order, bands first: (1) A: Band 1 (or comparable ability under Special Circumstances/Provision). (2) B: Band 2 (or comparable). (3) C: Band 3 (or comparable). (4) D: Band 4 (or comparable). (5) E: Band 5 (or comparable). (6) F: Band 6 (or comparable). (7) G: Other pupils. (8) (a) Sibling of present or past pupil. (9) (b) Eldest boy of the family or only child. (10) (c) Child Looked After. (11) (d) Entitled to Free School Meals. (12) (e) From a listed contributory primary school. (13) (f) Randomly determined alphabetical order of surname initial. (14) (g) Age, oldest first.St Malachy's College: Oversubscription criteria (2026)Checked 9 Oct 2026 against St Malachy's College.The source says: In order to determine which pupils will be accepted into Year 8, the following criteria will be applied in the order set down:View the official source

A closer look at the ones families ask about:

  • Brothers. Siblings of present or past pupils enrolled in St. Malachy's College (names and dates of attendance required).St Malachy's College: Sibling criterion (2026)Checked 9 Oct 2026 against St Malachy's College.The source says: a) applicants who are siblings of present or past pupils enrolled in St. Malachy’s College (names and dates of attendance required);View the official source A brother who has already left still counts.
  • Eldest boy or only child. Subsidiary criterion (b): eldest boy of the family eligible to transfer, or only child of the family; twins/multiples treated as joint eldest; Certificate of Verification required.St Malachy's College: Eldest child criterion (2026)Checked 9 Oct 2026 against St Malachy's College.The source says: b) applicants who, at the date of their application, are the eldest boy of the family eligible to transfer to St Malachy’s College, or are the only child of the family (“of the family” will be defined in accordance with Department of Education guidance). Twins or other multiples will be treated as joint eldest.View the official source
  • Free school meals. There is no quota of places. Entitlement is one of the subsidiary criteria, after brothers, eldest boys and children looked after.
  • Contributory primary schools. The college publishes a long list. Most are Belfast primary schools, with others in Newtownabbey, Lisburn, Antrim and nearby towns. Being on the list helps only once the earlier criteria are used up.
  • The final steps. The surname letter order was drawn at random. If boys still tied after that, age decided: Age: oldest selected first, by date of birth on the birth certificate presented at SEAG registration (after a randomly ordered alphabetical surname criterion).St Malachy's College: Final tie break (2026)Checked 9 Oct 2026 against St Malachy's College.The source says: g) Should there be over-subscription at the last criterion then other applicants will be selected on the basis of age with the oldest being selected first, established by date of birth as entered on a birth certificate presented at registration for the SEAG Entrance Assessment.View the official source

Boys living in Northern Ireland were selected before those living outside it. The college also notes: Preference position on the transfer form is not used as a criterion.St Malachy's College: Transfer application adviceChecked 9 Oct 2026 against St Malachy's College.The source says: The Board of Governors will not use as a criterion the position of preference given to the College on the Transfer Form i.e. an applicant who has chosen St Malachy’s College in any position on the Online Transfer Form/Application or its equivalent will be considered equally with those who have put the College first.View the official source

Special circumstances and boys without a band

If something outside your son's control affected him on a test day, you can make a special circumstances claim. For 2026 entry: Form SC with verifiable documentary evidence attached to the Online Transfer Form/Application and forwarded via the Education Authority by 12 noon Thursday 19 February 2026; Board may assign a Band Grade using the College's Protocol, considering KS2 CAT4 and/or PTE/PTM results verified by the primary principal.St Malachy's College: Special circumstances (2026)Checked 9 Oct 2026 against St Malachy's College.The source says: Any parent/guardian/carer claiming Special Circumstances must submit Form SC together with verifiable documentary evidence which corroborates the Special Circumstances claim, and all documentation must be attached to the Online Transfer Form/Application or its equivalent.View the official source

Some boys do not sit the SEAG test at all, for example because they have moved from outside Northern Ireland. The 2026 rule: Only applicants with a Band Grade (awarded or assigned under Special Circumstances/Special Provision) are considered initially; criterion G is 'Other pupils'. Special Provision applicants who did not sit SEAG may be assessed by a Special Provision test marked by GL and converted into a Band Grade.St Malachy's College: Applicants without result (2026)Checked 9 Oct 2026 against St Malachy's College.The source says: St Malachy’s College will initially consider only those applicants who have taken the SEAG Entrance Assessment and who have been awarded a Band Grade or assigned a Band Grade pursuant to the application of the Special Circumstance or Special Provision procedures ... G Other pupils.View the official source Timing for those claims: Special Provision claims: Form SP attached to the transfer application by 12 noon Thursday 19 February 2026; after that, directly to the College by 4pm on 24 February 2026 with the EA Transfer Section notified.St Malachy's College: Late applicationsChecked 9 Oct 2026 against St Malachy's College.The source says: This should be completed by 12 noon on Thursday 19 February 2026. After this date, claims for ... Special Provision should be made directly to St Malachy’s College by 4pm on 24 February 2026, and the relevant Education Authority Transfer Section notified.View the official source

Applying and the waiting list

You apply through the EA: Online Transfer Form/Application (Education Authority), with a copy of the SEAG statement of results attachedSt Malachy's College: Application route (2026)Checked 9 Oct 2026 against St Malachy's College.The source says: Parents/guardians/carers must state the SEAG Band Grade achieved and attach to the On-line Transfer Form/Application or its equivalent, a copy of the statement of results.View the official source. The college keeps a waiting list: After 9 May 2026, refused, new and updated applications treated equally under the published criteria; waiting list in place until 30 June 2027; names added automatically.St Malachy's College: Waiting listChecked 9 Oct 2026 against St Malachy's College.The source says: Should a vacancy arise after 9 May 2026 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 above will be applied. This waiting list will be in place until 30 June 2027.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

A P7 boy hoping to start in September 2027 takes the SEAG Entrance AssessmentSt Malachy's College: Test family by entry year (2027)Checked 9 Oct 2026 against SEAG (Schools' Entrance Assessment Group).The source says: All 63 post-primary schools in N. Ireland which include academic selection within their Year 8 admissions criteria accept the SEAG Entrance Assessment Outcomes.View the official source. St Malachy's hosts it on its own site, yet a boy who sits it at any other SEAG centre can apply on exactly the same footing.

The Statement of Outcomes gives a score (the TSAS) and a band. St Malachy's works from the band. SEAG fixes the bands by share of the year group: Band 1 = top 40%; Bands 2–5 = 10% each; Band 6 = below the 20th percentileSEAG (Northern Ireland): BandsChecked 9 Oct 2026 against SEAG (Schools' Entrance Assessment Group).The source says: Outcomes are also given as one of six Bands. [...] Band 1 60% or higher Band 2 50-59% Band 3 40-49% Band 4 30-39% Band 5 20-29% Band 6 less than 20% [...] Pupils in Band 1 will be in the top 40% of those who sat the Assessment. Bands 2-5 will each contain 10% of the total cohort.View the official source.

What this means for your son: under the 2026 rules, every Band 1 boy stood level with every other Band 1 boy. A higher TSAS inside the same band gave no extra priority. The tie-break rules below did that work.

Bands are explained step by step in results explained, and the test itself in the SEAG transfer test guide.

How the Northern Ireland test works

Open days

All this year's events have passed

  1. Done: Open Evening (passed)

    7.00 pm to 9.30 pm (address by Principal at 8.00 pm)

  2. Done: Open Evening (passed)

    7.00 pm to 9.30 pm (address by Principal at 8.00 pm)

Source: St Malachy's College, 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 St Malachy's cannot offer your son a place, the EA passes his application to your next preference. Should every school on the list be full, the EA's guidance is: 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

Who decides an appeal? A tribunal set up by the EA but independent of the college. Its decision is binding.

What can it look at? Whether the college applied its own criteria correctly to your son, using the papers the governors had at the time. It does not judge whether the band system is fair.

What does that mean here? At a band-based school, an appeal usually turns on the subsidiary steps: was a brother, eldest-boy or primary school claim recorded and applied properly?

How and by when? By 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. For 2026 entry the 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; for 2027 it 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.

Official documents and sources

4 sources, each kept as an archived copy

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