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Cambridge House Grammar School

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1 Cambridge Avenue, Ballymena, BT42 2EH

Grammar · Mixed · Controlled · SEAG member

Pupils
913
Year 8
142
Council
Mid and East Antrim

Your chances

against these criteria.

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

  1. Children resident in Northern Ireland at proposed admission are selected before children not so resident (stated before the numbered criteria).
  2. Children ranked by SEAG TSAS score, highest first, in strict rank order up to the admissions number (140).
  3. Applications for first preference are selected before second preference, and so on.
  4. Pupils with a sibling enrolled in the school for the 2025-2026 academic year.
  5. Pupils who are the eldest child of the family (including an only child) eligible to transfer to post-primary; twins are joint eldest.
  6. Tie-break: older child, by date of birth on the birth certificate or Adopted Children's Register.
  7. Final tie-break: surname placed in a randomised letter order (then first forename if surnames match).

The school's criteria

Getting in

16 of the 138 children who put it first were not offered a place in 2026/27.

Places depend mostly on the SEAG score, so how many apply says little on its own.

For September 2026 entry, 168 applications were considered for 140 places. Places ran out at criterion 2: Order of preference, sibling and eldest-or-only-child sub-criteria were applied to determine place 140. EA statement

Applications per place (all preferences): 1.2 in 2024/25, 1.2 in 2025/26, 1.2 in 2026/27.

Results for its intake

Expected about 93%, got 91.3% (5+ GCSEs A* to C with English and maths, 2024/25).

0%50%100%0%20%40%Pupils on free school meals
Each dot is a grammar school with 30 or more Year 12 pupils. The dashed line is what schools usually get at each free school meals level.

School life

  • School day 9am to 3.20pm source

Who applied

Applications by the preference families gave the school, and children admitted
YearPlacesPut it 1st2nd3rd or laterAdmitted
2024/251401432110140
2025/26140149185140
2026/271401382010140

In 2026/27, 122 of the 138 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
11.4%
Special educational needs
30 pupils (17 with a statement)
Has Years 13 and 14
Yes
Area
Urban

Religious background of pupilsProtestant 78%, Catholic 2.8%, other or none 19.2%

Exam results (2024/25)

5+ GCSEs A* to C, with English and maths
91.3%
5+ GCSEs A* to C
96.4%
3+ A-levels A* to C
60.9%
2+ A-levels A* to E
98.9%
Year 12 pupils counted
138
A-level pupils counted
87

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

Admissions

From the school's admissions criteria for September 2026.

Year 8 places: 140 (whole school: 900)

Applications and admissions in recent years
YearPlacesApplications (all preferences)Admitted
2023/24140161140
2024/25140171140
2025/26140174142

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)

Uses transfer test results in its admissions criteria.

Open event: Open morning Saturday 17 January 2026, 09:15 to 1.00pm

Sources

DENI reference 3410297

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