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St Mary's Grammar School, Magherafelt: Year 8 entry

3 Castledawson Road, Magherafelt, BT45 6BE

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

  • Score to qualify

    Not published yet

    SEAG Entrance Assessment (the NI transfer test)

  • Year 8 places

    Not published yet

  • 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. Mary'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Most Northern Ireland schools do not publish how far places reached.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. Mary's Grammar School in brief

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

How places are given

Admission rules and catchment
Admission rules not checked yetWe add the school's rules from its determined admission policy.
More detail from our guide

There is a September 2026 criteria document on the St Mary's website. The site blocked our archive tool from keeping a copy, and we only publish what we have checked, so the details stay off this page for now. You can open the document yourself from the Year 8 admissions page. Bear in mind it covers last year's intake. The rules for September 2027 have not been posted, and schools in SEAG publish them during this school year, ahead of the transfer application.

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 Mary's states its position for this year plainly: For admission in 2027 the school has signed up to SEAG and will use SEAG results as part of its admissions criteria; SEAG registration opened Monday 18 May 2026 and closed Friday 18 September 2026.St. Mary's Grammar School: Seag statement2027Checked 9 Oct 2026 against St Mary's Grammar School Magherafelt.The source says: Admission to St. Mary's in 2027 As part of our academic selection we have signed up to SEAG and will use the results of that assessment as part of our admissions criteria. Registration will open on Monday 18 May 2026 and will close on Friday 18 September 2026.View the official source

So the window to register has gone. If your child is registered, the Saturdays to keep free are 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 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. St Mary's is itself a place where children can sit the test. It was also one of the centres used for the Irish-language papers in 2025, which matters for families coming from Irish-medium primary schools.

Because the school's criteria were out of reach, we cannot yet say whether St Mary's ranks by TSAS, by band, or by a mix of both. Our SEAG transfer test guide explains the papers, and results explained covers both kinds of outcome.

How the Northern Ireland test works

Open days

Not published yet

No open day for families applying in 2027 had been announced when we checked. The school website is the place to look.

If you are refused a place

Reviews, appeals and the waiting list

General information, not legal advice.

This is general information, not legal advice.

Should St Mary's be unable to offer a place, the Education Authority moves your child's application down your list. Parents may also appeal to an independent tribunal that the EA sets up, and whose decision is final. The 2027 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.

Official documents and sources

4 sources, each kept as an archived copy

ExamKind is independent. We are not connected with St. Mary'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