Grammar Schools in Northern Ireland

Grammar schools are academically-oriented secondary schools, one among the three types of schools forming the Tripartite System. This is the first nationwide system of state-funded secondary education in England and Wales, created under the 1944 Education Act and was later echoed by the Education (Northern Ireland) Act 1947.

Grammar schools are government-funded, but the children who pass their entrance exams can only secure a seat here.

Sullivan Upper School:

Grammar schools are quite different from modern secondary schools as they take students’ admissions based on academic achievement, whereas a secondary modern may not. These are non-fee-paying schools.

St Patrick’s Grammar School:

Grammar schools were intended to teach an academic curriculum to the most intellectually able, 25 per cent of the school population, as selected by the 11 plus examination.

Grammar schools are highly selective with high standards. For this reason, you will find many grammar schools at the top of the national school league tables.

Grammar Schools in Northern Ireland

Grammar School’s Selection process:

The schools select their pupils through an examination known as the “11-plus”. The typical grammar school test age is considered to be 11, hence the name eleven plus.

If your child is longing to get into a Grammar School, it’s necessary to know the prerequisites regarding the desired school entrance exams. To enrol your child into any Grammar School, they should take the entrance exam termed as 11+ Exam, conducted by CEM / GL boards.

The exam boards, namely, conduct the 11 plus exams.

GL assessment 11+ – previously known as NFER.
CEM 11+ – developed by the Centre for Evaluation & Monitoring at Durham University.

Please go through the article CEM Vs GL to know more about these boards, their exam pattern and style etc. https://www.11plusehelp.co.uk/blog/2017/04/07/cem-vs-csse-vs-gl-assessment/.

List of UK Grammar Schools

They also provide economic funding to those students who qualified for the 11 plus test. This made secondary education after 14 free for those potentially able students with weaker economic backgrounds.

Grammar Schools Registration and Exam dates:

Grammar Schools Registration and Exam Dates

11PluseHelp.co.uk paves your child’s path to ace the 11+ Exams and helps to enrol in their desired Independent / Grammar schools.

Your child can have unlimited online practice on 11 Plus subjects –11+ Maths, 11+ English,11+ Verbal Reasoning. 11+ online practice tests record time, marks, and preserves history, weakness report per test, explanations for all questions and other useful tips.