ANTRIM GRAMMAR SCHOOL

10 Steeple Road

Antrim BT41 1AF

Telephone: Antrim (028) 9446 4091

E-Mail:info@antrimgrammar.antrim.ni.sch.uk

Website: www.antrimgrammar.org

Principal: Mrs J Lendrum, BA(Hons), MEd, PQH(NI)

Chairman of the Board of Governors: Roger McCune, MBE

Controlled Grammar School  (Co-educational)

Age Range of pupils:         11-18

Admissions No:                     112

Enrolment No:                       740

Open Event

An Open Event for P7 pupils and their parents/guardians will be held virtually.

The Prospectus is available electronically on our School website.

Entrance Assessment Results

Antrim Grammar School will consider the result of a pupil’s performance in either the AQE Entrance Assessment and/or the GL Entrance Assessment. On the Transfer Application, it is the responsibility of parents/guardians to provide details of the Candidate Number(s) issued to their child by AQE and/or GL Assessment and the result(s) awarded (hereinafter ‘result(s)’ refers to Standardised Age Score for AQE and Cohort Percentile for GL). Parents/Guardians should attach the original AQE and/or GL result form(s) indicating their child’s AQE/GL result (or both where a child has sat both AQE and GL Entrance Assessments) to the Transfer Application.

Special Circumstances and/or Special Provisions

If you are making a claim for your child to be considered under Special Circumstances and/or Special Provisions, please note that you are required to provide documentation, as described in the Admissions Criteria below, and attach it to the Transfer Application. It is the responsibility of parents/guardians to ensure that all relevant information to an application for Special Circumstances and/or Special Provisions is included on the appropriate claim form for AQE and/or GL Assessment and attached to the Transfer Application. All such material will assist the Admissions Committee in determining if Special Circumstances and/or Special Provisions apply. Claims for consideration for a child under Special Circumstances and/or Special Provisions will be examined and decided upon before the application of any of the Admissions Criteria. Parents/Guardians who wish to apply to the School under Special Circumstances and/or Special Provisions should complete Form SC22 obtainable from AQE or the School and attach it to the Transfer Application with appropriate supporting documentation.

Parents/Guardians should note that they will be required to produce documents verifying information pertinent to the School’s Admissions Criteria. If the documents are not attached with the Transfer Application, as detailed below, they will be requested during the admissions procedure. A place in Antrim Grammar School is subject to receipt of specified verifying documentation.

ADMISSIONS CRITERIA FOR ENTRY INTO YEAR 8

Respective functions of the Board of Governors and Principal in relation to Admissions to the School

Antrim Grammar School is a co-educational, non-denominational controlled grammar school with an Enrolment Number of 740 and an Admissions Number of 112.

In the event of the School being oversubscribed the Board of Governors has approved the Admissions Criteria described below and has delegated the task of applying these criteria to the Admissions Committee. Decisions in respect of “Special Circumstances” and/or “Special Provisions” are taken by the Admissions Committee to whom decision-making powers have been delegated by the full Board of Governors of the School. Further reference, therefore, to the Board of Governors may imply the Admissions Committee.

Admissions Criteria for Entry of Pupils to Year 8 September 2022

When considering which children should be selected for admission, the Board of Governors will only take into account information which is stated on and attached to the Transfer Application. Parents/Guardians should therefore ensure that all information pertaining to their child and relevant to the School’s Admissions Criteria is stated on the Transfer Application and attached at the time of the application.

The Admissions Committee will not use as a criterion the position of preference given to the School by the applicant on the Transfer Form; for example, a child who has chosen Antrim Grammar School as a second or subsequent preference school will be considered in the same manner as a child who has chosen the School as their first preference.

If the number of applications is greater than the Admissions Number determined by the Department of Education, the following criteria (to include sub-criteria) shall be applied in the order listed below until the point where the Admissions Number is reached.

If there are fewer applicants complying with a particular criterion or sub-criterion than there are places available or remaining, those applicants complying with that criterion or sub-criterion will be admitted and the next criterion or sub-criterion will be applied to the remaining applicants.

If there are more applicants complying with a particular criterion or sub-criterion than there are places available or remaining, those applicants complying with that criterion or sub-criterion will go forward to be considered under the next criterion or sub-criterion and those not complying with that criterion or sub-criterion will be eliminated.

Criteria

1 Children resident in Northern Ireland at the time of their proposed admission will be selected for admission to the School before any child not so resident.

The child’s Birth Certificate and proof of address should be attached to the Transfer Application. Proof of address – any TWO of the following recent (within the past 6 months) documents with sensitive information redacted: Bank/Building Society Statement; Utility Bill (e.g. Electricity, Gas, TV Licence, Landline Telephone); Addressed Payslip; Letter awarding Child Benefit to the child or another letter relating to this benefit; Mortgage Statement; Land and Property Services Rates Demand; Financial Statement such as ISA, Pension or Endowment; Current Driving Licence; Rental Agreement. (See Note 1)

2. The School will consider applications from children who have taken the entrance assessment(s) anywhere in Northern Ireland provided by the Association for Quality Education (AQE) and/or GL Assessment (GL), subject only to the consideration of those children claiming “Special Provisions”, as defined below. Consideration will also be given to those children claiming, “Special Circumstances”, as defined below, in respect of medical or other problems which may have affected performance in the AQE and/or GL Entrance Assessment(s). The Board of Governors will use the result(s) as awarded by AQE and/or GL to allocate pupils to a Band. Children will be allocated to a Band in the order stated below. All children allocated to Band I will be admitted before those allocated to Band II, Band II before Band III and so forth. There is no requirement that a child should sit both the AQE and GL Entrance Assessments. However, in the case of a child who sits both AQE and GL Entrance Assessments, the School will consider whichever result places the child in the higher Band.

On the Transfer Application, it is the responsibility of parents/guardians to provide details of the Candidate Number issued to their child by AQE and/or GL and the result(s) awarded. Parents/Guardians should attach the original AQE and/or GL result(s) form(s) indicating their child’s AQE and/or GL result(s) to the Transfer Application. (See Note 1)

AQE will provide parents/guardians with an age adjusted Standardised Score for each child who has taken AQE Assessments in Northern Ireland in 2021. The School will use this Standardised Score as set out in the table below, and allocate pupils to a Band accordingly.

AQE Standardised Score

Band I           106 or above

Band II          103 – 105

Band III          99 – 102

Band IV         94 – 98

Band V          88 – 93

Band VI        87 or below

GL will provide the result of the Entrance Assessment to parents/guardians as a Standardised Age Score, a Grade and a Cohort Percentile. The School will use the Cohort Percentile to allocate pupils to a Band as outlined below.

GL Cohort Percentile

Band I         60 or above

Band II        50 - 59

Band III      40 - 49

Band IV      30 - 39

Band V       20 - 29

Band VI     19 or below

3. In the event of there being more children within any of the above Bands than places available, or should any further places remain to be filled, the criteria outlined below will apply in the order stated:

(i) Child who, at the date of their Transfer Application has a sibling, defined as another ‘child of the family’1 in relation to parties of a marriage or parties living together in the same household, currently enrolled at the School. State Name(s) and Registration Class(es) on the Transfer Application. (See Note 1)

(ii) Child who, at the date of their Transfer Application, is the eldest/only2 ‘child of the family’1 to be eligible to transfer to the School

Parents/Guardians must attach with the Transfer Application a letter on headed notepaper to verify that their child is the eldest or only child. This must be a letter from a person who is not a family member of the child and who has known the child for at least one year; letters of verification will be accepted from a Primary School Principal, Elected Public Representative, GP, Solicitor or member of the Clergy (See Note 1).

(iii) Child who attends a Primary School which is a recognised Feeder School to Antrim Grammar School. A recognised Feeder School is one from which any pupils (including statemented children) have transferred to Antrim Grammar School in the most recent 3 years, excluding 2021. Feeder Schools will be ranked in accordance with the actual number of pupils sent in the most recent 3 years, excluding 2021.The rank order will be used so that those primary schools sending higher numbers of pupils to Antrim Grammar School will have precedence. (See Note 2)

(iv) Child who resides in the named catchment area of the School. This is defined as the Antrim/Newtownabbey Borough Council area - https://www.gov.uk/find-local-council

The child’s proof of address should be attached to the Transfer Application. Proof of address – any TWO of the following recent (within the past 6 months) documents with sensitive information redacted: Bank/Building Society Statement; Utility Bill (e.g. Electricity, Gas, TV Licence, Landline Telephone); Addressed Payslip; Letter awarding Child Benefit to the child or another letter relating to this benefit; Mortgage Statement; Land and Property Services Rates Demand; Financial Statement such as ISA, Pension or Endowment; Current Driving Licence; Rental Agreement. (See Note 1)

(v) Children will be ranked for acceptance on the basis of a computer-based process which will make use of the data as entered on the Transfer Application. The process is carried out by means of a computer program which, for each child, generates a ranking number using the details from the Transfer Application as the seed for a random number generator. The ranking number generated, for any given child, is dependent only on the child’s data (as entered on the Transfer Application) and is not affected by the details of any other child. Although the process is repeatable, and the results may therefore be subsequently verified, it is not possible to predict, in advance of running the program, what the result will be for any given set of details. Children with the lowest ranking numbers will be given places up to the number of places available.

1‘Child of the Family’ - Child of the family covers: a child born to a married couple or to a couple in a civil partnership; a child born to a co-habiting couple; a child born to a single parent; a child of either/any of those people by a previous marriage, civil partnership or relationship; a child living with a couple who has been treated as a “child of the family” whether there is a marriage or a civil partnership or not; a child living with an individual, who has been treated as a “child of the family”; an adopted or fostered child; a situation where for example an orphaned cousin is being brought up with a family or individual.

2Eldest child will include:

• twins (or other multiples), who will be treated as joint eldest

• children where all elder children have completed their post-primary education

• children who have moved to reside within Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council area, in the current academic year, and so are the eldest child eligible to attend Antrim Grammar School

• children where the eldest child was statemented or attended a special school, or where a family has relocated to Northern Ireland.

Special Circumstances and Special Provisions - General Information (see Note 1)

The purpose of a claim for Special Circumstances and/or Special Provisions is so that a child can be assigned a score and hence placed into the appropriate Band equivalent to that which the child would have obtained in the AQE and/or GL Entrance Assessment(s) under normal conditions.

Consideration of a claim for Special Circumstances and/or Special Provisions consists of two parts: the first requires the consideration of whether there is sufficient evidence to permit a child to be considered as having Special Circumstances or attracting Special Provisions, or both. If a child is permitted to be considered as having Special Circumstances or as attracting Special Provisions or both, the second part of the consideration requires an educational judgement to be made on the totality of the material presented to the School so that a score can be awarded which can be placed into the appropriate Band equivalent to that which the child would have obtained in the AQE and/or GL assessment(s) under normal conditions.

It is for parents/guardians to present all such material as they consider will assist the School in performing both parts of the consideration described above. All such material should be attached to the Transfer Application. It should be noted by parents/guardians that both parts of the consideration referred to involve an exercise in judgement and not precise calculation.

Where the problem is a medical one of short-term duration which affected the child only at the time of the AQE and/or GL Entrance Assessment(s), the School will give greater weight to evidence that the child was examined by a medical practitioner in relation to the illness at the time of the assessment(s).

Where the problem is of a non-medical nature the parents should append appropriate evidence.

Educational Evidence to be provided in support of a claim for Special Circumstances and/or Special Provisions

In reaching the educational judgement needed to award the score that the child would have obtained in the AQE and/or GL assessment(s) under normal circumstances, the Admissions Committee will consider any material presented by parents/guardians (attached to the Transfer Application) in support of the application. This material may include any or all of the following:

(i) The result awarded by AQE in the assessments (if the child sits two or three AQE assessments) or the raw score provided by AQE (where only one assessment was taken because of the child’s illness; self-isolation or other unforeseen circumstances); or the result awarded by GL due to a child sitting the GL Assessment or the GL Supplementary Assessment.

(ii) The results for the child of any standardised tests conducted in Year 5, Year 6 and Year 7 and the results in any end of year tests, conducted in Years 5 and 6, in English and Mathematics.

(iii) Comparative information from the Primary School, including the results, without names, for other children in the child’s Year 7 class of any standardised tests conducted in Year 5, Year 6 and Year 7 and the results in any end of year tests, conducted in Years 5 and 6, in English and Mathematics and where available, the respective AQE and/or GL results awarded.

(iv) Any other relevant material.

Parents/Guardians are free to provide any other educational evidence for consideration by the Admissions Committee by attaching it to the Transfer Application and Form SC22. The Admissions Committee will consider all evidence provided in exercising its judgement to award a score to the child, and hence place them into the appropriate Band.

It is the responsibility of parents/guardians to provide the educational evidence. Where such information is unavailable, for good reason, the Governors reserve the right to make a decision based on the information available and may use historical and comparative data collected from other schools.

It should be noted that in all cases independent evidence will carry greater weight.

Special Circumstances (see Note 1)

The School has academic performance as its second criterion, subject only to the consideration of medical or other problems which may have affected performance in the AQE and/or GL assessment(s) and which are supported by appropriate documentary evidence of a medical or other appropriate nature. These ‘medical or other problems’ are commonly referred to as ‘Special Circumstances'.

Please note:

• if a claim for the consideration of Special Circumstances is made in respect of matters for which Special Access Arrangements were granted for a child, the School will take into account the fact that the child was granted Special Access Arrangements for those matters.

Parents/Guardians who wish to apply to the School under Special Circumstances should complete the relevant Form SC22, stating the precise reason(s) why they believe the child should be considered for Special Circumstances and attach it with appropriate evidence to the Transfer Application.

The Admissions Committee will consider each application for Special Circumstances. Where a Special Circumstances claim is upheld, the Admissions Committee will determine, based on the information available, an appropriate score which will be placed into the appropriate Band for the child. Such children will then be considered with all other children who have received an AQE and/or GL result and the Admissions Criteria applied.

Details of Medical or Other Problems

Where it is claimed that a child’s performance in the AQE and/or GL Assessment(s) has been affected by a medical or other problem, it is the responsibility of parents/guardians to set out in the Form SC22 precise details of the problem and attach evidence with the Transfer Application to corroborate its existence.

Where the problem is a medical one of short-term duration which affected the child only at the time of the AQE and/or GL assessment(s), parents/guardians should be aware that the School will attach greater weight to evidence indicating that the child was examined by a medical practitioner in relation to the illness at the time of the assessment(s). For children who have tested positive for Covid-19, documentary evidence such as a positive PCR test should be attached to the Transfer Application.

Where the problem is of a non-medical nature parents/guardians should set out in the Form SC22 precise details of the problem and attach appropriate evidence with the Transfer Application.

It should be noted that in all cases independent evidence will carry greater weight.

Special Provisions (See Note 1)

Special Provisions will apply for:

(a) children whose parents/guardians wish them to transfer from schools outside Northern Ireland

or

(b) children who have received more than half their primary education outside Northern Ireland

or

(c) children, entered for the AQE and/or GL Assessment(s), who because of unforeseen and serious medical or other problems, which are supported by appropriate independent documentary evidence, were unable to participate in any of the assessments. (This includes absence for all three AQE Assessments and/or absence for both the GL Assessment and GL Supplementary Assessment due to the child having Covid-19 or the need for the child to self-isolate for all AQE and/or GL assessments due to COVID-19). It is the responsibility of parents/guardians to support this with appropriate documentary evidence proving the child is unable to participate in any of the assessments. Parents/Guardians must provide details of the Candidate Number(s) issued to their child by AQE and/or GL Assessment on the Transfer Application and Form SC22.

It is expected that all those seeking admission should sit the AQE and/or GL Entrance Assessment(s), with the exception of those children who take up residence in Northern Ireland after 24 September 2021.

Parents/Guardians who wish to apply to the School under Special Provisions should contact the School as soon as possible. In addition, they should complete the Form SC22, stating the precise reason why they believe the child is eligible for consideration under Special Provisions and attach it with appropriate independent documentary evidence to the Transfer Application. For children who have tested positive for Covid-19 documentary evidence such as a positive PCR test should be attached with the Transfer Application.

The Admissions Committee of the Board of Governors will consider the application for Special Provisions. Where Special Provisions are accepted, the Admissions Committee will determine, on the basis of the information available, the appropriate score for the child and place it into the appropriate Band and the Admissions Criteria applied.

NOTE TO PARENTS/GUARDIANS

It is the responsibility of parents/guardians to ensure that the Transfer Application is completed in full and that all relevant information is attached with the Transfer Application.

If the Board of Governors becomes aware of any irregularity in the details attached or included on the Transfer Application, it reserves the right to reject the application made on behalf of the child for admission to the School.

Admissions to Year 8 following completion of the Transfer Procedure

Should the Board of Governors determine that a child who has arrived in Northern Ireland after the Transfer Process has been concluded is suitable for admission, and the School’s Admissions Number has been reached, it can seek approval from the Department of Education to admit the applicant through the allocation of an additional place.

Parents/Guardians who wish to have their child considered for admission in the event of a place arising after the Transfer Procedure concludes at the end of May should write to the Principal stating this. An acknowledgement will be issued. If any place(s) subsequently become available and there are more children than places available, then decisions will be made on application of the Year 8 Admissions Criteria to those children seeking admission at the time the place(s) becomes available. The Year 8 waiting list will be in place until 30th June 2023.

Note 1: Verification of Information.

Those making applications should note that the information contained within an application that qualifies the child for admission will be verified. The Board of Governors therefore reserves the right to require such supplementary evidence as it may determine to support or verify information on any Transfer Application. Those making applications should also note the provision of false information or incorrect information, or the failure to provide verifying documents according to the required deadline, may result in either withdrawal of a place or the inability of the School to offer a place.

Note 2: Feeder Primary Schools

The schools listed below are the primary schools which sent pupils (including statemented pupils) to Antrim Grammar School ranked in accordance with the actual number of pupils sent in the most recent 3 years, excluding 2021, so that a pupil from the school named at paragraph 3. (iii).1 will be admitted before a pupil from the school named at paragraph 3. (iii).2, and so on.

Rank and Feeder School Name

3.(iii) 1       Antrim Primary School

3.(iii) 2       St Comgall’s Primary School

3.(iii) 3        Loanends Primary School

3.(iii) 4       Templepatrick Primary School

3.(iii) 5=      Round Tower Integrated Primary School

3.(iii) 5=      St Joseph’s Primary School, Crumlin

3.(iii) 7=      Ballycraigy Primary School

3.(iii) 7=      Crumlin Integrated Primary School

3.(iii) 9         Greystone Primary School

3.(iii) 10       St Joseph’s Primary School, Antrim

3.(iii) 11        Randalstown Central Primary School

3.(iii) 12        Creavery Primary School

3.(iii) 13        Mossgrove Primary School

3.(iii) 14=     McKinney Primary School

3.(iii) 14=     Parkhall Primary School

3.(iii) 14=     Six Mile Integrated Primary School

3.(iii) 17=     Ashgrove Primary School

3.(iii) 17=      Ballyhenry Primary School

3.(iii) 17=      Groggan Primary School

3.(iii) 17=      Parkgate Primary School

3.(iii) 21=      Glengormley Integrated Primary School

3.(iii) 21=      Kells and Connor Primary School

3.(iii) 23=      Doagh Primary School

3.(iii) 23=      St Bernard’s Primary School

3.(iii) 25=      Ballinderry Primary School

3.(iii) 25=      Ballymacrickett Primary School

3.(iii) 25=      Carnmoney Primary School

3.(iii) 25=      Straidhavern Primary School

3.(iii) 25=      The Thompson Primary School

3.(iii) 30=      Braidside Primary School

3.(iii) 30=      Ballymacward Primary School

3.(iii) 30=      Euston Street Primary School

3.(iii) 30=      Hazelwood Integrated Primary School

3.(iii) 30=      Hythehill Primary School

3.(iii) 30=      King’s Park Primary School

3.(iii) 30=      Longstone Primary School

3.(iii) 30=      Maghaberry Primary School

3.(iii) 30=      Maine Integrated Primary School

3.(iii) 30=      Mallusk Integrated Primary School

3.(iii) 30=      Mossley Primary School

3.(iii) 30=      New Row Primary School

3.(iii) 30=      Oakfield Primary School

3.(iii) 30=      St Brigid’s Primary School

3.(iii) 30=      St Mary’s on the Hill Primary School

3.(iii) 30=      St Patrick’s Primary School

3.(iii) 30=      Seaview Primary School

3.(iii) 30=      Sheuchan Primary School

3.(iii) 30=      Whitehead Primary School

3.(iii) 30=      Woods Primary School

When considering which children should be selected for admission, the Board of Governors will only take into account information which is detailed on or attached to the Transfer Application. Parents/Guardians should therefore ensure that all information pertaining to their child and relevant to the School’s Admissions Criteria is stated on the Transfer Application or attached to it.

Year 8 Applications and Admissions

Year  2019/20

Admissions No.      136

Total Applications All Preferences   197

Total Admissions       137

Year  2020/21

Admissions No.      136

Total Applications All Preferences   170

Total Admissions       136

Year  2021/22

Admissions No.      136

Total Applications All Preferences   276

Total Admissions       136

This table does not include children who were admitted to the School with a statement of Special Educational Needs.

Details in relation to scores/grades accepted are available in the School Prospectus.

ADMISSION TO YEAR 9-12

INTRODUCTION

Antrim Grammar School (the School) is a co-educational, inter-denominational school with an Enrolment Number of 740.

The Board of Governors has approved the criteria described below and has delegated the task of applying these criteria to the Principal. Further reference, therefore, to the Board of Governors may imply the Admissions Sub Committee or the Principal.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

Applications should be made, in writing, to the School using Annex B form as appropriate. All those seeking Admission will be required to sit a Cognitive Ability Test and to provide the most recent academic reports from their present school.

Following receipt of an application, the School will advise parents as to the next steps to be taken and will notify them, within ten working days of the applicant sitting the admissions test, of any decision to admit the child or otherwise. It should be noted that those who have made an application, but have failed to obtain a place in the School, will be placed on a reserve list until June following their application, at which time their application is deemed to have lapsed.

ADMISSIONS CRITERIA TO BE APPLIED TO ALL APPLICATIONS

In the event that a place becomes available, all applications on the reserve list will be considered.

Applications will only be considered if places are available within the School Enrolment Number of 740. The maximum number of places per year, other than in exceptional circumstances, is 115 places, subject to an overall enrolment number of 740. Applications to Years 11 and 12 are also conditional upon places being available within classes to support the child’s subject choices. Applications to Year 12 will not normally be considered.

The following criteria will be applied progressively in the order set down below:-

1. Applicants who have sat a Cognitive Ability Test, as directed by Antrim Grammar School, and been awarded a mean SAS score in Quantitative and Verbal greater than or equal to 105 and whose most recent reports from their present school (and previous schools, if applicable) satisfy the Principal on past school record and achievement, including attendance, behaviour and punctuality. (A satisfactory attendance rate would be 95% or higher). In the case of applicants whose attendance may have been affected by clearly documented medical or other problems, the Principal is empowered, in exceptional circumstances, to consider this. Each case will be carefully assessed by the Principal and will necessarily take into account appropriate documentary evidence, medical or otherwise. In such a case the decision of the Principal will be final;

2. Applicants will be rank ordered based on their Cognitive Ability Test, specifically their mean SAS score in Quantitative and Verbal greater than 105;

3. Applicants who have become resident in the Antrim and Newtownabbey Council area within three months of the date of consideration of their application will be considered before other children;

4. If after all the criteria above have been exhausted it becomes necessary to make a final selection, priority will be given to an applicant whose home is closer to the School. Distance will be measured in a straight line using an Ordnance Survey web distance measurement tool from the pupil’s home to the front entrance of the School.

ADMISSIONS FOLLOWING 1st SEPTEMBER of any academic year

Should the Board of Governors determine that an applicant who has moved into the Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council area after the Admissions process has been concluded, and for whom a suitable curriculum can be provided with existing resources, is suitable for admission, and that our Enrolment Number has been reached, it will seek approval from the Department of Education to admit the child through allocation of an additional place.