Bacup & Rawtenstall Grammar School 11+ guide

About Bacup & Rawtenstall Grammar School

Bacup & Rawtenstall Grammar School (BRGS) is a mixed selective academy serving the communities of the Rossendale Valley. It traces its history back to Newchurch Grammar School which was founded in 1703.

The school has a track record of exceptional outcomes, with a long list of notable former pupils including sportspeople and actors. With a culture of high expectations and an enriching curriculum, BRGS aims to nurture and inspire tomorrow's leaders.

How to apply to Bacup & Rawtenstall Grammar School

Bacup & Rawtenstall Grammar School is a selective state school. This means that your child will need to take the 11 plus exam to be eligible for a place in Year 7.

Registration for the BRGS 11 plus closes on Friday 13th September 2025. Your child will take the exam on Saturday 27th September and you’ll receive their results in mid-October.

To apply to Bacup & Rawtenstall Grammar School, you’ll need to name the school as one of your preferred schools on the secondary school common application form. This will be available on your home council website from early September and must be submitted by 31st October 2025.

Remember – passing the 11 plus doesn’t guarantee that your child will be allocated a place at your preferred school. Many grammar schools are often oversubscribed with qualified children. Schools and their admissions authorities work through admissions criteria to prioritise children for places. We’ve included the admissions criteria for BRGS below.

How does place allocation work at Bacup & Rawtenstall Grammar School?

Your child’s marks in the 11 plus are age-standardised to ensure that younger children aren’t disadvantaged. All children’s standardised scores are then placed in rank order from highest to lowest. BRGS will then set a qualifying score based on this ranked list.

If the number of children who achieve the qualifying score exceeds 180, BRGS applies oversubscription criteria. Children are prioritised for places in the following order:

1. Looked after or previously looked after children

2. Children attending Area 1 primary schools, ranked in order of overall entrance exam mark.

3. Children attending Area 2 primary schools, ranked in order of overall entrance exam mark.

4. Children of staff employed at BRGS for 2 or more years.

5. All other children ranked in order of overall entrance exam mark.

Area 1 primary schools

• Balladen Primary, Rawtenstall

• Britannia Community Primary, Bacup

• St. Paul’s CE Primary, Rawtenstall

• Crawshawbooth Primary, Crawshawbooth

• Holy Trinity CE Primary, Stacksteads

• Newchurch CE Primary, Newchurch

• Northern Primary, Bacup

• Sharneyford Primary, Bacup

• St. Anne’s Edgeside CE, Waterfoot

• St. James the Less RC Primary, Rawtenstall

• 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

• Thorn Primary, Bacup

• Water Primary, Rossendale

• Waterfoot Primary, Waterfoot

Area 2 primary schools

• Broadway Primary, Haslingden

• Edenfield CE, Edenfield

• Haslingden Primary, Haslingden

• Helmshore Primary, Helmshore

• Our Lady & St Anselm’s RC Primary, Whitworth

• St. Batholomew’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

• Stubbins Primary, Stubbins

• Tonacliffe Primary, Whitworth