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Own admissions authority

Clitheroe Royal Grammar School 11+ Preparation

A co-educational grammar school in the Ribble Valley and its own admissions authority, part of no consortium. It already uses the FSCE test, which puts it a year ahead of Trafford and makes it the closest working example of the exam Trafford families are heading towards.

The school in brief

Type
Co-educational, selective
Year 7 places
180 placesConfirmed as the pupil admission number for both 2026 and 2027 entry, with a six-form entry.
Recent applicants
The number of applicants is not yet confirmed for publication here. Check Clitheroe Royal’s admissions page for the current figure.
Entrance test
Set by the school itself. A score from another school's test cannot be used here.

A long-established grammar school drawing from Clitheroe, the Ribble Valley and a wide surrounding area including Blackburn, Burnley and Pendle. Its intake of 180 comes from more than forty primary schools, which makes for an unusually mixed cohort by primary background.

Qualifying score

The qualifying score for 2027 entry is not yet confirmed for publication here. Check Clitheroe Royal’s admissions page for the current figure.

Treat it as a threshold, not a target. Reaching it makes your child eligible; it does not secure a place. Clitheroe Royal is oversubscribed, so qualified children are then ranked by the criteria below, in which where you live does most of the work.

Catchment and how places are allocated

The catchment definition is not yet confirmed for publication here. Check Clitheroe Royal’s admissions page for the current figure.

The order of oversubscription criteria is not yet confirmed for publication here. Check Clitheroe Royal’s admissions page for the current figure.

How Clitheroe Royal compares

Clitheroe Royal is not comparable to the Trafford schools on geography, and families rarely apply to both. What makes it relevant to a Trafford family is the exam: Clitheroe has already run FSCE admissions rounds while Trafford has not. Its published paper structure, two age-weighted papers covering English and maths with one multiple choice and one short written answer, is the clearest picture available of what the Trafford test will look like. For families in the Ribble Valley, the comparison that matters is not with Trafford but between Clitheroe's immediate and wider catchment tiers, which decide most applications.

Key dates

Entry September 2027

For children currently in Year 6.

Registration opens
Reported opening date; confirm against the school's admissions handbook.
Registration closes
12 noon, Friday 4 September 2026
Test date
Saturday 26 September 2026
Results
Not yet published.
Common Application Form deadline
31 October 2026

Children currently in Year 6 sit the test in September 2026 for entry in September 2027. Dates shown as not yet published are ones no school has released, not ones we have failed to look up.

Preparing for Clitheroe Royal

Clitheroe Royal sets its own test, so preparation here does not transfer from another school's entrance exam. We measure before we teach. A free diagnostic assessment maps your child against the Key Stage 2 curriculum objective by objective, so sessions target gaps we have evidence for.

For the exam itself, read the FSCE exam page, since Clitheroe Royal already uses this format.

Is Clitheroe Royal realistic for your child?

A free diagnostic assessment shows you exactly which Key Stage 2 objectives are secure and which are not, so you can decide with evidence rather than hope.

Book a free assessment Or download the parent guide

The assessment is free. You get a written report showing exactly where your child stands, and you’re welcome to use it to work on things at home, whether or not you book tuition. See a sample report.

Clitheroe Royal 11+: common questions

Does Clitheroe Royal already use the FSCE exam?
Yes. Clitheroe Royal is ahead of the Trafford Consortium here and has already run admissions rounds using FSCE. For a Trafford family wanting to see how an FSCE round actually works in practice, this is the nearest example.
What is the Clitheroe Royal entrance exam like?
Two age-weighted papers assessing English and mathematics up to and including the Year 5 programme of study. Paper 1 is multiple choice and Paper 2 asks for short written answers. Age weighting adjusts for how old a child is on the day of the test.
How many places are there and how competitive is it?
The pupil admission number is 180, with a six-form entry in Year 7. The school is oversubscribed, so clearing the qualifying standard does not secure a place; catchment tier and the school's oversubscription criteria then decide the outcome.
Do I need to register with the school as well as applying through the council?
Yes, and this catches families out every year. Registering your child for the entrance test with the school is separate from expressing your secondary school preferences on your local authority Common Application Form. You must do both. The test registration closes well before the Common Application Form deadline of 31 October.
What is the catchment area for Clitheroe Royal?
The school operates immediate and wider catchment tiers, set out in its admissions handbook rather than on the main admissions page. If you live in Blackburn or the surrounding towns you may well fall outside the immediate tier, which materially affects your priority. Read the handbook definitions before assuming you are in range.
Is Clitheroe Royal part of a consortium?
No. It runs its own admissions entirely, so its test, its registration and its criteria are separate from any other school. A score from another school's entrance test cannot be used here.
When is the Clitheroe Royal entrance exam?
For September 2027 entry the test is on Saturday 26 September 2026, with registration closing at 12 noon on Friday 4 September 2026. Confirm both against the school's admissions page, as dates shift year to year.
Is Clitheroe Royal co-educational?
Yes, it takes both boys and girls into Year 7 and through to sixth form.

Admissions details on this page were last checked against the school’s own published policy on .Arrangements change: always confirm directly with the school.