Applying to Saint Ambrose College for September 2028? This guide covers the Saint Ambrose College Entrance Examination, the qualifying score, how the 140 Year 7 places are allocated and the key dates for September 2028 entry.
Number of places in Year 7: 140 (2027-entry figure — Saint Ambrose College confirms each year's admission number in its determined arrangements, published the spring before entry.)
Qualifying score: A total age-standardised score of 320 in the Entrance Examination, for 2027 entry. Reaching it doesn't guarantee a place.
11+ test: Saint Ambrose College Entrance Examination (three multiple-choice papers: verbal reasoning, maths and English)
Source: Saint Ambrose College Admissions Policy 2027 (determined). Last checked October 2026.
Key dates for September 2028 entry
Saint Ambrose College confirms its exact dates in the spring before each cycle. The windows below follow the 2027-entry timetable: registration ran from 21 April 2026 to 6 July 2026 (midday), the test took place on Friday 18 September 2026 and results were due by 23 October 2026. We'll update this page as soon as the school publishes its 2028-entry dates.
Key dates for Saint Ambrose College 11+ entry in September 2028, with expected windows where the school has not yet confirmed exact dates.
Date
What happens
Mid to late April 2027
Online registration expected to open
Early July 2027
Registration expected to close, at midday
Mid-September 2027
Entrance Examination expected (on a Friday for 2027 entry)
Late October 2027
Entrance Examination outcomes expected
Sunday 31 October 2027
Deadline to apply for secondary school places through your home local authority. This date falls on a Sunday.
Wednesday 1 March 2028
National offer day for secondary school places
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Saint Ambrose College is selective, so your child needs to sit the 11+ test to be considered for a place.
Parents register online with the College for its Entrance Examination. For 2027 entry the online application opened in April and closed at midday in early July.
Once you have your child's result, you apply by naming Saint Ambrose College on your common application form, which goes to your home local authority. For September 2028 entry the deadline is Sunday 31 October 2027. As it falls on a Sunday, you may find it easier to submit your form in the days before.
Reaching the qualifying score makes your child eligible, but it doesn't guarantee a place. If more qualifying children apply than there are places, the school uses its oversubscription criteria, set out further down this page.
What will my child be tested on?
Saint Ambrose College sets its own Entrance Examination. It is not part of the Trafford Grammar Schools Consortium, so the consortium's move to the FSCE test from 2028 entry doesn't apply here.
Your child sits three multiple-choice papers. The verbal reasoning paper (50 minutes) is provided by GL Assessment. The maths and English papers (35 minutes each) are prepared by the College, and there are no sample or past papers for them.
The maths paper covers Key Stage 2 maths up to and including the Year 5 programme of study. The English paper includes a comprehension and other English elements. There is no creative writing.
The College hasn't announced any change to the test for 2028 entry.
The table below shows what each paper covers.
The Saint Ambrose College Entrance Examination papers for September 2028 entry: length and content of each paper.
Paper
Length
What it covers
Verbal reasoning
50 minutes
Multiple choice, provided by GL Assessment
Maths
35 minutes
Multiple choice, prepared by the College; KS2 maths up to the end of Year 5
English
35 minutes
Multiple choice, prepared by the College; comprehension and other English elements, no creative writing
How are places allocated at Saint Ambrose College?
If more children reach the qualifying standard than there are 140 Year 7 places, Saint Ambrose College offers places in the order below. This order comes from the school's admissions policy for 2027 entry. The school sets its 2028-entry policy separately, and we'll update this table if anything changes.
Saint Ambrose College oversubscription criteria in priority order, from the 2027 entry admissions policy.
Priority
Who it covers
First
Boys with an education, health and care plan (EHCP) naming the school who have passed the Entrance Examination
1
Baptised Catholic boys who are looked after or previously looked after
2
Baptised Catholic boys with a brother at the school when they join
3
Baptised Catholic boys whose home postcode is in a Nominated Local Pastoral Area
4
Other baptised Catholic boys
5
Other looked after and previously looked after boys
6
Catechumens and members of an Eastern Christian Church
7
Baptised Christian boys with a brother at the school
8
Boys who practise in other Christian denominations, supported by a minister's reference
9
Other boys with a brother at the school when they join
10
All other boys
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Every applicant must first reach the qualifying score. If a category has more applicants than places, boys receiving Pupil Premium are offered places first, followed by boys who live closest to the school.
Does Saint Ambrose College have a catchment area?
Saint Ambrose College's Nominated Local Pastoral Areas cover all WA14, WA15, M31 and M33 postcodes (Saint Ambrose Deanery, Diocese of Shrewsbury) and all M16, M21, M32 and M41 postcodes (Saint Ambrose Barlow Deanery, Diocese of Salford). These matter for Catholic applicants in category 3.
Distance is measured in a straight line using co-ordinates from Trafford's Local Land and Property Gazetteer. If two boys live the same distance away, the boy with the higher Entrance Examination score is offered the place first. If the scores are also tied, a random draw decides.
If you don't live close to the school, it's worth thinking 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 Saint Ambrose College 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 built to match the format, timing and question styles 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 (SAS), 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
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.
