Allocation pattern
Band priority
SEAG scores are grouped into bands. Every child in Band 1 is considered before any child in Band 2, and so on. Within an oversubscribed band, published tie-break criteria — not the score — decide who gets a place.
SEAG admissions guide / All 63 schools / Rathmore Grammar School
Rathmore Grammar School: SEAG score and admissions criteria
This page shows exactly how Rathmore Grammar School used SEAG results to allocate Year 8 places,
taken from the school’s own published admissions criteria. It is one of the
63 school evidence cards in our SEAG admissions guide.
How places were allocated for September 2026
- 180 places. Pupils are admitted by Band: all Band 1 applicants are considered before any Band 2, and so on through the Bands until places are filled.
- Within each Band the order is: a child of the family currently or previously enrolled → a child of a permanent member of staff → the eldest (or only) child of the family to achieve that Band, Certificate of Verification required → all other applicants.
- Within the eldest-child group and the all-other-applicants group, if oversubscribed, applicants are ranked by combined Standardised Age Score (TSAS), highest first, up to the admissions number.
- Ties for the last place: entitlement to Free School Meals → a computer-based process using applicants’ names.
- No capital fee; a voluntary contribution (currently £120 per year) is requested.
Band comes first: a lower-scoring Band 1 applicant is placed ahead of a higher-scoring Band 2 applicant. The ‘eldest child’ criterion is defined precisely and needs a Certificate of Verification — read the definition before assuming it applies.
Recent admissions history
| Entry year | Places | Applications (all prefs) | Admitted |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023/24 | 180 | 258 | 181* |
| 2024/25 | 180 | 266 | 181* |
| 2025/26 | 180 | 213 | 185** |
*Includes pupils admitted via the Exceptional Circumstances Body or Admissions Appeals Tribunal. **2025/26 also includes a pupil with a Statement of Special Educational Needs, as stated by the school.
Worth asking at the open day
How far down the Bands did admissions reach last year? · How many places went to the eldest-child criterion?
Source — School-published · September 2026 entry · Verified 9 July 2026
Admissions Criteria 2026 (PDF) → · School website →
These figures describe past cycles. Always read the school’s current published
criteria in full before listing it — criteria can change year to year.
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