Thinking about applying to Lancaster Royal Grammar School? Find out everything you need to know about admissions in 2025–2026 and how to prepare your child for success in the 11 plus entrance exam.

Key information for Lancaster Royal Grammar School

• Address: Lancaster Royal Grammar, East Road, Lancaster, LA1 3EF
• Number of pupils: approx 1,250
• Admissions contact: [email protected]
• Number of places in Year 7: 164 day places and 12 boarding places
• 11+ exam: Lancashire 11 plus
• Catchment area: yes

Dates for your diary

• Saturday 21st June 2025: Lancaster Royal Grammar School open morning
• Monday 8th September 2025: deadline to register for LRGS 11+ entrance exam
• Saturday 27th September 2025: LRGS 11+ entrance exam
• Wednesday 8th October 2025: parents receive exam results
• Friday 31st October 2025: national deadline to apply for secondary school places
• Monday 2nd March 2026: national secondary school offers day

About Lancaster Royal Grammar School

Founded in the 13th century, Lancaster Royal Grammar School is a selective boys' day school as well as a successful state boarding school.

Rated outstanding by Ofsted, the school's academic results are consistently strong. Pupils are encouraged to take part in an extensive co-curricular programme. Many activities are supported by the school’s annual fund and some operate alongside Lancaster Girls’ Grammar School.

Lancaster Royal Grammar School prides itself on being a quality, affordable alternative to the independent sector. Their boarding fees are only a third of the average cost of private boarding schools.

How to apply to Lancaster Royal Grammar School

Lancaster Royal 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 Lancaster Royal Grammar School 11 plus closes on Monday 8th September 2025. Your child will take the exam on Saturday 27th September 2025 and you’ll receive their results on Wednesday 8th October 2025.

To apply to Lancaster Royal Grammar School, you’ll need to name it 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 Friday 31st October 2025.

What subjects are on the 11 plus?

Lancaster Royal Grammar School uses the same 11 plus exam as three other grammar schools in Lancashire. The exam consists of three test papers provided by GL Assessment:

• English
• Maths
• Verbal reasoning

All of the questions in the Lancashire 11 plus are multiple-choice. Your child will have separate answer sheets which they will use to mark their answers. These are marked electronically.

How does place allocation work at Lancaster Royal 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. Lancaster Royal Grammar School will then set a qualifying score based on this ranked list.

If the number of children who achieve the qualifying score exceeds the amount of places (164 day boys and 12 boarders), Lancaster Royal Grammar School applies oversubscription criteria. Children are prioritised for places in the following order:

1. Looked after or previously looked after children who achieve the minimum level or above in the entrance exam, or up to 5% below the minimum level
2. Children who live in the school's priority catchment area, are eligible for pupil premium, and achieve the minimum level or above in the entrance exam, or up to 5% below the minimum level
3. Children who live in the priority catchment area and achieve the minimum level or above in the entrance exam
4. Children who live in the school's residual catchment area, who are eligible for pupil premium, and achieve the minimum level or above in the entrance exam, or up to 5% below the minimum level
5. Children who live in the residual catchment area, are the sons of permanent LRGS staff (employed for at least two years), and achieve the minimum level or above in the entrance exam
6. Children who live outside the residual catchment area and achieve the minimum level or above in the entrance exam

Within each category, pupils are prioritised for a place in order of their test score.

Children who would like to apply for a boarding place will be prioritised in this order:

1. Looked after and previously looked after children.
2. Children of members of the UK Armed Forces.
3. Children with a demonstrable boarding need.

Lancaster Royal Grammar School catchment area

For day places, Lancaster Royal Grammar School prioritises applicants who live within the city of Lancaster. A map of all included districts can be found in the school’s admissions policy.

Atom’s top tips for 11 plus preparation

The 11 plus is designed to select the most academically able children in the local area. Here are our top tips to help you and your child feel confident for exam day!

Bitesize learning

It’s important to build a good knowledge base before the 11 plus. Using a ‘little and often’ approach when learning is key – our brains encode new information more effectively when dealing with smaller ‘chunks’ of information. For children aged 10–11, child psychologists recommend regular study sessions of 20–30 minutes.

Atom Home makes learning a more enjoyable process for your child. They'll explore exciting worlds full of interactive questions, earning coins to spend in the Atom shop. Atom adapts to your child, showing them questions at just the right level of difficulty to keep them motivated.

Read widely

11 plus exams test your child’s ability to analyse and interpret written information. Regular reading is a great way to help your child build these skills.

Encourage them to read books from different genres and by a diverse range of authors. Increasing the variety of your child’s reading will help them understand different styles, tones and purposes. Meanwhile, reading a little every day will help widen their vocabulary, sharpen their analytical thinking, and enhance their imagination.

Refine exam technique

When your child feels confident with the topics they’ve learnt in Year 5, they’ll be ready to put their knowledge to the test.

Practice tests can help your child develop problem-solving skills and build confidence working under test conditions. They’re also a great way to consolidate learning and highlight knowledge gaps for further improvement.

With Atom Home, you'll unlock online mock tests and printable practice papers for the Lancashire 11 plus. Enjoy automatic marking and progress tracking with the online tests, and help your child get familiar with the real exam experience with printable practice papers.

Celebrate progress

Setting regular, achievable goals and celebrating your child’s progress – no matter how big or small – will help keep their motivation high.

Make sure to encourage a growth mindset. This means celebrating effort, as well as achievement! When your child makes mistakes or struggles to understand a particular topic, help them understand that they’ll improve through practice. Regular praise will help your child improve their resilience when tackling new and challenging topics.