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Belfast Boys' Model School

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Ballysillan Road, Belfast, BT14 6RB

Non-selective · Boys · Controlled

Pupils
1,133
Year 8
194
Council
Belfast

Open events

Your chances

against these criteria.

How it chooses when it has more applicants than places, in order:

  1. Boy whose brother attends the school (brother must be stated on the Transfer Application).
  2. Boy whose sister attends Belfast Model School for Girls (must be stated on the Transfer Application).
  3. Boy who is the first in the family to transfer to a secondary (non-grammar) school.
  4. Applicants for whom the school is the closest controlled school, by straight-line distance from home.
  5. If places remain after criteria 1 to 4, applicants living closest to the main entrance (straight-line distance).
  6. Final tie-break: boys selected by a fixed order of the initial letter of surname.

The school's criteria

Getting in

Usually has spare places

Everyone who put it first was offered a place in 2026/27 (141 children).

Applications per place (all preferences): 0.8 in 2024/25, 0.9 in 2025/26, 0.8 in 2026/27.

Results for its intake

Expected about 48%, got 59.9% (5+ GCSEs A* to C with English and maths, 2024/25).

0%50%100%0%40%80%Pupils on free school meals
Each dot is a non-selective school with 30 or more Year 12 pupils. The dashed line is what schools usually get at each free school meals level.

School life

  • Sport: Football source
  • Sixth form with about 10 A-level subjects source

Who applied

Applications by the preference families gave the school, and children admitted
YearPlacesPut it 1st2nd3rd or laterAdmitted
2024/25200148127167
2025/26190161108179
2026/2719014140145

In 2026/27, 141 of the 141 children who put it first got a place here.

Each child counts once, at the preference their family gave this school. Figures at the end of the admissions procedure, from the Education Authority's analysis of preferences.

Pupils (October 2025)

Free school meals
53.1%
Special educational needs
368 pupils (141 with a statement)
Has Years 13 and 14
Yes
Area
Urban

Religious background of pupilsProtestant 77.7%, Catholic 1.3%, other or none 21%

Exam results (2024/25)

5+ GCSEs A* to C, with English and maths
59.9%
5+ GCSEs A* to C
85.9%
3+ A-levels A* to C
81.4%
2+ A-levels A* to E
98.3%
Year 12 pupils counted
142
A-level pupils counted
59

Source: Department of Education, SAER 2024/25, Open Government Licence.

Admissions

From the school's admissions criteria for September 2026.

Year 8 places: 190 (whole school: 1,045)

Applications and admissions in recent years
YearPlacesApplications (all preferences)Admitted
2023/24200200196
2024/25200178172
2025/26190194194

Applications count every family that named the school at any preference, not only first preferences.

School's note: *The Total Admissions for year 2025/2026 includes all Year 8 children admitted to the school including those who have a statement of special educational needs and/or may be attending SPiMS. (SPiMS = Specialist Provision in Mainstream School).

Does not use transfer test results in its admissions criteria.

Sources

DENI reference 1210022

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