Are you thinking about applying to Bacup & Rawtenstall Grammar School? Find out everything you need to know about the entry process and how to prepare for the 11+ exam.
Key information for Bacup & Rawtenstall Grammar School
How to apply to Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School
Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School (BRGS) is selective. This means your child will need to take the entrance exam to be eligible for a place in Year 7.
You must register your child for the exam in advance. Registration opens in April/May 2026 and closes at 12 noon on Wednesday 14th September 2026. Applications received after this deadline will not be accepted.
If your child may need access arrangements on the day of the exam, register as early as possible — ideally before June 2026. GL Assessment requires time to process requests for modified papers, and these may not be available if you register late. Access arrangement applications will not be accepted after 12 noon on 14th September 2026.
The entrance exam will take place on Saturday 26th September 2026. You'll receive details about the test location, time, and what your child needs to bring before the exam.
Results will be sent to parents in mid-October 2026. If your child meets the qualifying standard, you can apply for a place by naming BRGS on your common application form. This must be submitted to your local authority by Saturday 31st October 2026.
Important note: passing the exam doesn't guarantee your child will be allocated a place. BRGS is often oversubscribed with children who meet the qualifying standard. After the 31st October deadline, the school uses admissions criteria to allocate places. We've outlined this process below.
What will my child be tested on?
The BRGS entrance exam is made up of three papers, all provided by GL Assessment:
English
Maths
Verbal reasoning
All questions are multiple-choice. Your child will have a separate answer sheet to mark their answers, which is then marked electronically.
Each paper lasts approximately 45–50 minutes, with a break between papers.
English tests reading comprehension, grammar, punctuation and vocabulary.
Maths covers Key Stage 2 content up to the start of Year 6, including times tables, the four operations, fractions, decimals and percentages, ratio, and area and measurement.
Verbal reasoning assesses your child's ability to solve problems using words, letters and numbers — for example, spotting patterns in sequences or identifying words with similar meanings.
Your child's marks are age-standardised, which means younger children are not disadvantaged. All standardised scores are then placed in rank order from highest to lowest, and BRGS sets a qualifying score based on this ranking.
Is your child ready for the 11+?
See where they stand in minutes. Atom’s free 11+ baseline tests give you an instant breakdown of their strengths and gaps. Know exactly what to focus on next and start preparing with direction, not uncertainty.
How are places allocated at Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School?
In mid-October, you'll receive your child's results. These will confirm whether your child has met the qualifying standard for admission.
If your child meets the qualifying standard, you must name BRGS as a preferred school on your common application form to be considered. This must be submitted to your home local authority by 31st October.
Places are allocated in a particular order. This is known as 'Oversubscription Criteria' and is specific to each school you apply to. Details are available in the school's admissions policy.
Does Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School have a catchment area?
BRGS does have a catchment area. The school prioritises children currently attending local primary schools. These are split into two priority areas, with Area 1 given higher priority than Area 2.
Area 1 primary schools include:
Alder Grange, Bacup; Constable Lee St Paul's CE Primary; Fearns Community Sports College; Hardman's Business & Technology; Helmshore Primary; Irwell Vale Primary; Lumb St Paul's CE Primary; Newchurch CE Primary; Rawtenstall CE Primary; Rockwood Academy; Sharneyford Primary; St Anne's Edgeside CE; St James the Less RC Primary; St Joseph's RC Primary, Stacksteads; St Mary's CE Primary, Rawtenstall; St Mary's RC Primary, Bacup; St Peter's RC Primary, Newchurch; St Saviour's Community Primary, Bacup
Area 2 primary schools include:
St Bartholomew's CE Primary, Whitworth; St James CE Primary, Haslingden; St John's Stonefold CE Primary, Accrington; St John with St Michael CE Primary, Shawforth; St Mary's RC Primary, Haslingden; St Veronica's RC Primary, Helmshore
Children who do not attend one of these primary schools will be considered after those in Areas 1 and 2, provided they meet the qualifying standard.
If you don't live close to the school, it's important to think about how your child will get there every day. How long will the journey take? What transport options are available? Will they be travelling independently or with support?
A longer or more complex journey can affect your child's daily routine, including how much time they have for homework, rest, and after-school activities.
It's a good idea to think about how manageable the school run will be and whether it will work for your family day to day.
How can I help my child prepare for the test?
The BRGS entrance exam can feel like a big milestone, but preparation doesn't have to be overwhelming. Here's how you can help your child prepare for test day.
Stay on track with a clear plan
One of the hardest parts of 11+ preparation is knowing what to focus on, when, and how to make steady progress without it taking over family life.
A clear, structured plan helps your child feel less overwhelmed and more in control. It ensures they build skills in the right order, cover everything they need, and avoid last-minute cramming.
Atom's exam plan makes this easier. Enter your child's target schools and exam dates, and we'll create a personalised weekly plan tailored to the topics they'll be tested on. It shows them what to work on and when, adapts as they improve, and helps them build progress in a calm, manageable way — little and often.
That means less guesswork for you, less stress for them, and a clearer path all the way to exam day.
Build smart exam technique
As your child's knowledge grows, practice tests can help them feel more comfortable with the real exam format.
Atom's 11+ practice papers are exact replicas of real 11+ exams. They're also unlimited — you can download the same paper again and again, and your child will get new questions each time. This helps them practise without repeating the same content.
We've made marking easy for you, too. Simply photograph your child's answer sheets and upload them to Atom. The papers are marked instantly, showing your child's standardised age score, where they're doing well, and what they should focus on next. You'll also learn how they compare to other children applying to the same school.
Encourage regular reading
Strong reading skills play a big role in 11+ preparation.
Encourage your child to read every day, even for just 10–15 minutes. The key is variety. Mix fiction and non-fiction, different genres, and a range of authors. This helps them become more confident in understanding tone, purpose and meaning across different texts.
Over time, regular reading will broaden their vocabulary, improve comprehension and inference, and build confidence in tackling unseen texts. And just as importantly, it can help them enjoy reading — not just see it as exam preparation.
Looking for inspiration? Atom's recommended reading lists have suggestions spanning fiction and non-fiction for Years 3–6.
Celebrate progress, not just scores
When you're supporting your child through 11+ preparation, what really matters is knowing they're moving in the right direction — not just how they scored on a single test.
Atom's progress tracking gives you a clear, simple picture of how your child is doing in each topic and the direction they're moving in. You can see where they're on track, where they might need more practice, and spot progress as it happens.
That makes it easier to give meaningful encouragement, keep motivation steady, and focus on what matters most: consistent improvement, not just one-off results.
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Take control of your child’s 11+ preparation.
Not sure if your child is on track for the grammar school 11+? You don’t need to guess what to cover or whether they’re ready. Atom shows you exactly what to practise each week and how they’re performing, so you can stay ahead of the process without the stress.
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