For parents and guardians: Please verify all school data — cut-off scores, applicant numbers and competition ratios — against official sources (school websites, local authority admissions data) before making any decisions. The figures on this page are researched but not guaranteed and change each admissions cycle.
Complete 2025/26 11+ Guide to Grammar Schools in Lancashire & Cumbria
Lancashire & Cumbria is home to 4 fully selective grammar schools and 1 partially selective school. This guide covers every school — admissions criteria, competition data, cut-off scores, GCSE results, and specific prep advice — so you can make an informed decision.
How the Lancashire & Cumbria 11+ works
Each school runs its own entrance examination. Clitheroe Royal Grammar (2026 entry) used GL Assessment: Maths, English & Verbal Reasoning. From 2027 entry CRGS switches to FSCE (English & Maths only). Lancaster Royal Grammar uses GL Assessment: Verbal Reasoning, Maths & English (no NVR). Lancaster Girls' Grammar uses FSCE: two papers in English & Maths. Bacup & Rawtenstall uses GL Assessment: Verbal Reasoning, Maths & English. Hutton C of E Grammar School is non-selective. All Lancashire grammar exams are typically held on the same Saturday in late September of Year 6.
Important: each school uses a different exam provider and format. GL Assessment papers are multiple-choice; FSCE papers combine multiple-choice and short written answers. Progress 8 is not published for 2024-25 or 2025-26 (COVID KS2 data gap); the most recent published P8 scores are from 2023-24. Hutton Grammar retains the "Grammar" name by tradition but has been non-selective since the 1970s — entry is via standard Lancashire co-ordinated admissions.
Key dates
Who can apply?
Children born between 1 September 2014 and 31 August 2015 are eligible to sit the September 2025 tests for Year 7 entry in September 2026.
Clitheroe Royal Grammar: all children may apply; priority in oversubscription is given to pupils living in the immediate catchment (Ribble Valley civil parishes) and then the wider Lancashire catchment area.
Lancaster Royal Grammar: priority is given to boys living within the Administrative City of Lancaster boundary; all qualifying boys from this area are offered places; out-of-city applicants considered only after all city residents are accommodated.
Lancaster Girls' Grammar: priority is given to girls living in the City of Lancaster; Pupil Premium girls within and outside Lancaster are prioritised above non-Pupil-Premium applicants in their respective geographic bands.
Bacup & Rawtenstall Grammar: priority is given to pupils attending Area 1 primary schools (Rossendale Valley), then Area 2 primary schools (Haslingden, Whitworth and surrounding areas), then all other qualifying applicants.
Hutton C of E Grammar School: non-selective; applications via Lancashire County Council co-ordinated scheme. Priority: LAC/PLAC, children eligible for Pupil Premium, Church of England faith applicants (with supplementary form), siblings, proximity.
Admissions process
Register directly with each grammar school. CRGS and LGGS registration opens in June of Year 5; LRGS in spring. BRGS registration opens late April/early May. Each school has its own online registration form separate from the Local Authority application.
All four Lancashire grammar school 11+ exams take place on the same Saturday in late September of Year 6 (27 September 2025 for 2026 entry). Results are sent to parents in mid-October (LRGS by 8 October 2025). A child who qualifies at more than one school cannot sit the same paper twice — each school's test is separate.
Submit the CAF to your home Local Authority (Lancashire County Council if resident in Lancashire, or your own LA if outside Lancashire) by 31 October listing grammar school(s) as preferences. Both the school registration and the CAF must be completed — failure to submit either will result in an incomplete application.
Lancashire County Council issues offers on National Offer Day (2 March 2026). Pupils are offered a place at their highest-preference school for which they qualify and which has available places. Over-subscribed grammar schools then apply their published admissions criteria to determine who receives offers.
School Directory
Disclaimer: Data from official school admissions policies (crgs.org.uk, lrgs.org.uk, lggs.org.uk, brgs.org.uk, huttongrammar.org), Lancashire County Council published admissions policies (lancashire.gov.uk), Ofsted (reports.ofsted.gov.uk), DfE Compare School Performance (compare.education.gov.uk), Sunday Times Parent Power 2024 (kidify.co.uk/blog/top-schools-in-northwest-england-manchester). P8/A8 figures from 2023-24 DfE tables (most recent year P8 was published). Progress 8 is not calculable for 2024-25 or 2025-26. Verify all dates and figures at individual school and LA websites before acting. April 2026. Always verify figures on the school or local authority website before making decisions — data changes each admissions cycle. Last updated: 2026-04-19. We aim to refresh this guide every year after new DfE data is published (typically June/July).