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Blackwater Integrated College

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12 Old Belfast Road, Downpatrick, BT30 6SG

Non-selective · Mixed · Integrated

Pupils
286
Year 8
56
Council
Newry, Mourne and Down

Your chances

against these criteria.

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

  1. Applicants with a brother, sister, half-brother or half-sister enrolled in the College.
  2. Applicants who are the first child in the family to transfer from primary education (or first to reach transfer age after arrival).
  3. Applicants transferring from a controlled integrated or grant-maintained integrated primary school.
  4. Applicants from a mixed religious relationship (one parent Catholic and one Protestant, or one parent of another religion outside the main traditions).
  5. Other applicants: if still oversubscribed, surname initial letter in a randomised published order, then random selection.

The school's criteria

Getting in

Usually has spare places

Everyone who put it first was offered a place in 2026/27 (31 children).

Applications per place (all preferences): 0.5 in 2024/25, 0.4 in 2025/26, 0.4 in 2026/27.

Results for its intake

Expected about 58%, got 46.5% (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.

Who applied

Applications by the preference families gave the school, and children admitted
YearPlacesPut it 1st2nd3rd or laterAdmitted
2024/2580381342
2025/2680243532
2026/2780310132

In 2026/27, 31 of the 31 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
36%
Special educational needs
132 pupils (99 with a statement)
Has Years 13 and 14
No
Area
Urban

Religious background of pupilsProtestant 30.4%, Catholic 38.5%, other or none 31.1%

Exam results (2024/25)

5+ GCSEs A* to C, with English and maths
46.5%
5+ GCSEs A* to C
76.7%
3+ A-levels A* to C
none
2+ A-levels A* to E
none
Year 12 pupils counted
43
A-level pupils counted
0

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

Admissions

From the school's admissions criteria for September 2026.

Year 8 places: 80 (whole school: 400)

Applications and admissions in recent years
YearPlacesApplications (all preferences)Admitted
2023/24806363
2024/25806363
2025/26805656

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

School's note: *Total Admissions for the years above 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 4260309

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