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The Wallace High School: Year 8 entry

12A Clonevin Park, Lisburn, BT28 3AD

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; places by SEA Total Standardised Age Score (TSAS) rank order and a 40-child pool by rank order.

    Checked, source: Wallace High School, checked

  • Year 8 places

    170

    2026 entry, Published Admission Number ()

    Checked, source: Wallace 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. The Wallace High 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Most Northern Ireland schools do not publish how far places reached.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

The Wallace High School in brief

tap a value for its source

Year 8 places
170Year 8 placesChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Wallace High School.The source says: Admissions No: | 170View the official source2026 entry
The (PAN): how many children the school plans to admit.
Pupils
co-educationalPupilsChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Wallace High School.The source says: The Wallace High School (“the School”) is a co-educational, non-denominational Voluntary Grammar SchoolView 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.

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 has not yet set the 2027 deadline. Last year it 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, and Wallace looked at every on-time form before any late one.

How places are given

10 admission rules, in order, for 2026 entry

If more children qualify than there are places, The Wallace High School 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: first 150 of 170 places by SEA TSAS rank order (including Special Circumstances/Provisions cases); ties at 150th place all admitted up to admissions number, using non-academic criteria if needed.

    The policy's own words
    1. The first 150 places from the admissions total of 170 will be allocated to those children who have applied and provided a SEA TSAS
  2. 2

    Criterion 2: a pool of 40 further children identified by SEA TSAS rank order; remaining places allocated from the pool by non-academic criteria a-f in order (ties at 40th all join the pool).

    The policy's own words
    2. Following the allocation of places as described above (1), a limited pool of 40 children* will be identified from the remaining applicants
  3. 3

    2(a) Attending the School's Preparatory Department.

    The policy's own words
    a) Children who are attending the Preparatory Department of the School.
  4. 4

    2(b) Child of the family enrolled in the School on the date of transfer.

    The policy's own words
    b) Children who have a child of the family enrolled in the School on the date of transfer.
  5. 5

    2(c) Twin or triplet sibling already admitted.

    The policy's own words
    c) Children whose twin or triplet sibling(s) has (have) already been admitted to the School.
  6. 6

    2(d) From a listed primary school AND eldest child, first in family to transfer to mainstream school, or only child.

    The policy's own words
    d) Children who are transferring from primary schools from which the School has received pupils within the last five years (see accompanying list) and who are the elder/eldest children*
  7. 7

    2(e) Other children from a listed primary school.

    The policy's own words
    e) Other children who are transferring from primary schools from which the School has received pupils within the last five years (see accompanying list).
  8. 8

    2(f) Entitled to free school meals.

    The policy's own words
    f) Children entitled to free school meals at the time of application.
  9. 9

    3(a) If still oversubscribed after 2f: SEA TSAS, higher first.

    The policy's own words
    a) The SEA TSAS, those achieving higher scores being allocated places before those achieving lower scores.
  10. 10

    3(b) Random computer-generated tie-breaker for the final place (Excel random number, higher preferred).

    The policy's own words
    b) If more than one applicant is eligible for the final place, a random computer generated tie-breaker will be used.

Source: Wallace High School, checked

More detail from our guide

Read this first. The rules below come from Wallace's "Admissions criteria for entry September 2026The Wallace High School: Document title (2026)Checked 9 Oct 2026 against Wallace High School.The source says: Admissions criteria for entry September 2026View the official source". They are last year's rules. The criteria for September 2027 entry are The Wallace High School: Criteria published (2027)Not yet published by Wallace High School; last checked 9 Oct 2026.The source says: Admissions Criteria 2026View the official source at the time of writing. SEAG explains the timing: Schools publish their criteria for Year 8 September 2027 entry during the 2026-27 school year, before the transfer application process begins.Northern Ireland: Criteria publication timingChecked 9 Oct 2026 against SEAG (Schools' Entrance Assessment Group).The source says: Each Board of Governors has a responsibility to publish its Admissions Criteria for Year 8 September 2027 Entry. These Criteria are published in the 2026-27 school year before Parents/Guardians begin the Post Primary Transfer Application Process.View the official source Rules can change from one year to the next, so check the new document when it appears.

Step 1: places in score order

First 150 of 170 places by SEA TSAS rank order; the remaining places are filled from a pool of 40 further applicants identified by SEA TSAS rank order, then non-academic criteria applied within the pool.The Wallace High School: Academic selection (2026)Checked 9 Oct 2026 against Wallace High School.The source says: For transfer to Year 8 the Admissions Committee of the Board of Governors will consider, in the first instance, those children who have taken the Schools’ Entrance Assessment (SEA) provided by the Schools’ Entrance Assessment Group (SEAG).View the official source

Children whose special circumstances claims were accepted are ranked in this list too.

Step 2: the pool

The next children in TSAS order form a pool. Within that pool, Wallace worked through its non-academic criteria in this order: For the pool of 40 after the first 150 places by score (and ties at the 150th place): (a) Preparatory Department; (b) child of the family at the school; (c) twin/triplet admitted; (d) listed primary + eldest/first/only child; (e) listed primary; (f) free school meals; higher TSAS; random.The Wallace High School: Tie breakers (2026)Checked 9 Oct 2026 against Wallace High School.The source says: All remaining available places up to the School’s admissions number will be allocated from this pool upon application of the School’s non-academic criteria which will be applied in the order in which they are set out.View the official source

In plain terms:

  • Wallace Prep. Children in the school's own preparatory department come first in the pool.
  • Brothers and sisters. A child of the family enrolled in the School on the date of transfer (criterion b); separately, twin or triplet sibling(s) already admitted (criterion c).The Wallace High School: Sibling criterion (2026)Checked 9 Oct 2026 against Wallace High School.The source says: b) Children who have a child of the family enrolled in the School on the date of transfer. c) Children whose twin or triplet sibling(s) has (have) already been admitted to the School.View the official source
  • Eldest, first or only child. Criterion (d): children from the listed primary schools who are the elder/eldest child in the family, or first in the family to transfer to a mainstream school, or an only child; eldest-child status must be verified by letter from a listed professional who has known the applicant for at least two years.The Wallace High School: Eldest child criterion (2026)Checked 9 Oct 2026 against Wallace High School.The source says: d) Children who are transferring from primary schools from which the School has received pupils within the last five years (see accompanying list) and who are the elder/eldest children* in their respective families or who are the first in the family to transfer to a mainstream school or who are the only child in their family.View the official source
  • Listed primary schools. Criteria (d) and (e) cover children from primary schools that have sent pupils to Wallace in recent years. The published list is long, and it includes Wallace Prep itself. Check whether your child's school is on it.
  • Free school meals. Wallace did not hold back a set number of places. Entitlement counted as the last of the pool criteria.
  • Last place. If the pool criteria still left a tie, a higher TSAS came first, then a random draw: Each application allocated a random number generated electronically in Microsoft Excel; ranked by random number with higher numbers having preference.The Wallace High School: Final tie break (2026)Checked 9 Oct 2026 against Wallace High School.The source says: each application to be considered at this stage is allocated a random number electronically generated within Microsoft Excel; [...] the applications are then ranked in order of the random number with higher numbers having preference.View the official source

Two more details are easy to miss: children living in Northern Ireland came before those living outside it, and Wallace did not look at where it sat in your order of preferences. The EA form is the only information the school uses here: A school uses only the information on the child's Transfer application when applying its criteria.Northern Ireland: Only form info usedChecked 9 Oct 2026 against nidirect (NI Government).The source says: When considering your child’s application, a post-primary school only uses information on your child’s Transfer application.View the official source

Special circumstances

If illness or something serious affected your child on a test day, the claim goes to the school, not to SEAG. At Wallace the 2026 process was: Complete Form SC (on the School website), with corroborating evidence and evidence of educational attainment, attached to the Transfer application; must disclose any SEAG Access Arrangements application. Two-stage process: Stage 1 eligibility, Stage 2 decides any TSAS adjustment (acceptance does not automatically change the TSAS).The Wallace High School: Special circumstances (2026)Checked 9 Oct 2026 against Wallace High School.The source says: Where it is claimed that a child’s performance in the SEA has been affected by a medical or other problem, it is the responsibility of the parents to set out in the Special Circumstances Form (Form SC) precise details of the problem, append evidence to corroborate its existence and to show the educational attainment of the child to date.View the official source

Children without a SEAG result

Must apply under Special Provisions (Form SP). Eligible categories: transferring from outside NI; more than half of primary education outside NI; unable to sit SEA or have an estimated outcome for a serious medical or demonstrably valid reason. Eligible applicants sit the School's Special Provisions Assessment, which generates an equivalent TSAS. Applications with an estimated SEA TSAS are not accepted without a Special Provisions application.The Wallace High School: Applicants without result (2026)Checked 9 Oct 2026 against Wallace High School.The source says: Parents, whose children have an estimated SEA result, must apply for Special Provisions and follow the School’s criteria accordingly (see Appendix 2). The Admissions Committee will not accept an application from a child with an estimated SEA TSAS, without an application for Special Provisions. [...] All eligible applicants will be required to complete an assessment: ‘The School’s Special Provisions Assessment’. The results of this assessment will be used to generate an equivalent TSAS for each child. Only those children who complete the assessment can be considered.View the official source

Applying and waiting lists

For 2026 entry, families applied like this: Transfer Application (EA, www.eani.org.uk/admissions) with the original SEAG Statement of Outcomes attached; opens 27 January 2026 12 noon, punctual closing date 19 February 2026 12 noon (GMT)The Wallace High School: Application route (2026)Checked 9 Oct 2026 against Wallace High School.The source says: Parents should attach the original SEAG “Statement of Outcomes” form to the application which includes the School’s Entrance Assessment Total Standardised Age Score (SEA TSAS). The Admissions Committee will be unable to consider the application if the original results form is omitted. ... The application procedure opens on 27 January 2026 at 12 noon (GMT) and an application submitted by the closing date of 19 February 2026 at 12 noon (GMT) will be treated as a punctual application.View the official source. If a place comes up later in Year 8: Year 8 vacancies filled from the original transfer list rank order.The Wallace High School: Waiting listChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Wallace High School.The source says: If a vacancy arises and is to be filled during Year 8, the next applicant on the original transfer list rank order will be contacted. This list does not transfer automatically into applications for other year groups.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

Wallace's test for September 2027 entry is the SEAG Entrance AssessmentThe Wallace High School: 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. SEAG, a not-for-profit company of the 63 NI schools that use academic selectionSEAG (Northern Ireland): BodyChecked 9 Oct 2026 against SEAG (Schools' Entrance Assessment Group).The source says: The Schools’ Entrance Assessment Group (SEAG) is a not for profit, private limited company, open to all 63 of the post-primary schools in N. Ireland which use academic selection for all or part of their Year 8 intake.View the official source, runs it. Wallace is a test centre too (yes (SEAG member school and assessment centre)The Wallace High School: Seag memberChecked 9 Oct 2026 against SEAG (Schools' Entrance Assessment Group).The source says: #### Wallace High School (Lisburn)View the official source), but a child who sits elsewhere is treated in exactly the same way.

What Wallace reads from the results is the Total Standardised Age Score (TSAS), which sits on a scale of 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. The band printed beside it played no part in the 2026 ranking, and there was no minimum score. Your child's position simply depended on how many applicants scored higher.

For the test format, see our SEAG transfer test guide. Results explained unpacks the score.

How the Northern Ireland test works

Open days

All this year's events have passed

  1. Done: Open Day (passed)

    9.00am - 12.00 midday (Principal's addresses at 9:15am and 11:00am)

Source: Wallace 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.

Families whose child misses out at Wallace are not left without options: If a school cannot offer a place, the application passes to the next preference, until a place is granted or all preferences are exhausted.Northern Ireland: Next preferenceChecked 9 Oct 2026 against nidirect (NI Government).The source says: If unsuccessful in gaining a place, your child’s application will be transferred to the next preference school listed on your application. This process continues until either a place is granted by a school or all preferences listed have been exhausted.View the official source

  • Who hears an appeal: An independent admissions appeal tribunal set up by the EA; its decisions are binding.Northern Ireland: BodyChecked 9 Oct 2026 against nidirect (NI Government).The source says: If you think that a school has not applied, or not correctly applied its admissions criteria, you have the right of appeal to an independent tribunal. These tribunals are set up by the EA and their decisions are binding.View the official source
  • The ground for appeal: The school did not apply, or did not correctly apply, its admissions criteria.Northern Ireland: GroundsChecked 9 Oct 2026 against nidirect (NI Government).The source says: You can appeal if you think the school did not apply their admissions criteria or did not apply them correctly.View the official source
  • What the tribunal 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
  • How to lodge one: 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
  • Deadline: 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 2026 entry; 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 2027.

An appeal asks whether Wallace followed its own criteria. It is not a second look at your child's TSAS: a re-mark is a separate SEAG process, with its own window (see the dates above). For a pool place, check that your form recorded every Wallace Prep, family or primary school link you could claim.

Official documents and sources

4 sources, each kept as an archived copy

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