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Movilla High School

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Donaghadee Road, Newtownards, BT23 7HA

Non-selective · Mixed · Controlled

Pupils
640
Year 8
128
Council
Ards and North Down

Your chances

against these criteria.

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

  1. Pupils with a child of the family already attending the school.
  2. Pupils who place Movilla High School as either first or second preference.
  3. Pupils transferring from the school's traditional contributory primary schools, in the ranked order listed.
  4. All other pupils.
  5. Tie-breaker stage 1: surname initial letter, using the randomly devised letter order in the policy.
  6. Tie-breaker stage 2: preference to pupils who are youngest, per Birth Certificate.

The school's criteria

Getting in

Usually has spare places

Everyone who put it first was offered a place in 2026/27 (40 children).

Applications per place (all preferences): 0.6 in 2024/25, 0.5 in 2025/26, 0.5 in 2026/27.

Results for its intake

Expected about 54%, got 29.3% (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
2024/251204911767
2025/261204310760
2026/2712040121365

In 2026/27, 40 of the 40 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
43.6%
Special educational needs
322 pupils (198 with a statement)
Has Years 13 and 14
No
Area
Urban

Religious background of pupilsProtestant 66.4%, Catholic 4.8%, other or none 28.7%

Exam results (2024/25)

5+ GCSEs A* to C, with English and maths
29.3%
5+ GCSEs A* to C
70.7%
3+ A-levels A* to C
none
2+ A-levels A* to E
none
Year 12 pupils counted
75
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: 120 (whole school: 600)

Applications and admissions in recent years
YearPlacesApplications (all preferences)Admitted
2023/24120133131
2024/25120110106
2025/2612067128

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 4210012

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