Sullivan Upper School: SEAG score and admissions criteria

Allocation pattern

Partial academic pathway

The school fills part of its intake through an academic pathway that uses SEAG scores, and the rest through non-academic criteria. Check how many places sit in each pathway before relying on either.

How places were allocated for September 2026

1. 150 places. The first 120 are allocated in strict rank order of Total Standardised Age Score (TSAS), highest to lowest.
2. The remaining 30 places are filled from a pool: the next applicants by score, down to roughly the 165th-highest score (about 45 applicants), are placed in a pool and then ranked not by score but by the criteria below.
3. Pool order: entitlement to Free School Meals → transferring from Sullivan Upper Preparatory → a sibling currently enrolled → transferring from one of 3 named primary schools → transferring from one of 13 named primary schools → resident in the BT18 (Holywood) postal district.
4. Remaining ties within the pool: highest TSAS → home nearest the school’s front entrance → a computer-based process using applicants’ names.
5. A capital fee of £140 per year applies.

For 2026 entry the school reported 189 applications for 150 places: the 120th score-ranked place fell on a SEAG score of 217, and the pool reached down to a score of 201 (the 165th place), as stated by the school.

Worth asking at the open day

Which pool criterion did the last places fall on last year? · What score did the 120th place fall on this year?