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 / St Malachy’s College
St Malachy’s College: SEAG score and admissions criteria
This page shows exactly how St Malachy’s College 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
- 170 places. Boys are admitted by Band: all Band 1 before any Band 2, and so on; Special Circumstances and Special Provision cases are banded on evidence.
- Within an oversubscribed Band: siblings of present or past pupils → eldest boy or only child → Child Looked After → Free School Meals entitlement → pupils of around 77 named contributory primary schools → a published randomised alphabet of surnames → oldest first.
- Voluntary contribution: £100 per year.
Several criteria operate inside each Band at this school, including Free School Meals entitlement and a published randomised surname order. For any Band, the within-Band criteria decide places once the school is oversubscribed in that Band.
Recent admissions history
| Entry year | Places | Applications (all prefs) | Admitted |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023/24 | 170 | 227 | 180* |
| 2024/25 | 170 | 213 | 176* |
| 2025/26 | 170 | 180 | 177* |
*Includes EA special-needs placements, appeals and exceptional-circumstances admissions, as stated by the school.
Worth asking at the open day
Is my son’s primary on the contributory schools list? · Which Band did the last admitted boys come from in recent years?
Source — School-published · September 2026 entry · Verified 11 July 2026
Year 8 admissions criteria (September 2026) → · 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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