NI Grammar School Admission criteria for
September 2024
Admission criteria for grammar schools in Northern Ireland for entrance in September 2024 will have changed.
The previous Transfer Tests - either the AQE or GL (PPTC) version has been replaced by the SEAG Transfer Test. Almost all grammar schools will be using the results in the SEAG Transfer Tests as one of many criteria used as part of the admissions policy for entry into year 8 (first form).
Grammar School admission criteria can vary greatly from school to school and you should make yourself aware of all the criteria details as they will determine which children will be admitted to this school in September 2024.
Make sure that you provide the school with all the information that they require as the school will use the information that you provide when making their decision about which children are admitted in September 2024.
St Columbs College Derry
St. Columb's College, Derry - a brief history.
St Columb’s College in the city of Londonderry (Derry) was opened in 1879. It was built to accommodate between 30 and 40 boarders and at the time was regarded as a large school. Today it is a very large catholic grammar school and has around 900 pupils who are all boys. The school grew extremely quickly and operated on two sites for many years. It is now located on 40 acres of prime land in the Pennyburn area of the city. The college is unique in having two former pupils who are Nobel Laureates. Seamus Heaney received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1995. In 1998 John Hume shared the Nobel Peace Prize with David Trimble. The college accepts around 220 pupils into year 8 and demand is for these places is usually high.
St Columb’s College uses the new SEAG Single Entrance Transfer Test results as part of its intake criteria into year 8.