SEAGReady

St Colman's College - Newry

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46 Armagh Road, Newry, BT35 6PP

Grammar · Boys · Voluntary · SEAG member

Pupils
905
Year 8
131
Council
Newry, Mourne and Down

Open events

Your chances

against these criteria.

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

  1. Boys awarded SEAG Band 1 (or accepted Special Circumstances/Provision claims of comparable ability).
  2. Boys awarded SEAG Band 2 (or accepted Special Circumstances/Provision claims of comparable ability).
  3. Boys awarded SEAG Band 3 (or accepted Special Circumstances/Provision claims of comparable ability).
  4. Boys awarded SEAG Band 4 (or accepted Special Circumstances/Provision claims of comparable ability).
  5. Boys awarded SEAG Band 5 (or accepted Special Circumstances/Provision claims of comparable ability).
  6. Boys awarded SEAG Band 6 (or accepted Special Circumstances/Provision claims of comparable ability).
  7. All other boys who have applied to the college.
  8. Within an oversubscribed band or category, applicants ranked by preference for the college (first, second, third, fourth or lower).
  9. Boys with a parent or guardian who is permanent staff of the college.
  10. Boys with another child of the family enrolled in the college or selected for the coming year.
  11. Boys with another child of the family previously enrolled in the college.
  12. First boy of the family to transfer to secondary education (eldest boy of the family).
  13. Boys entitled to Free School Meals at the date of application.
  14. Final tie-break by computer-generated random ranking number based on the applicant's name.

The school's criteria

Getting in

16 of the 141 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: the lowest band admitted was Band 4 (GL assessment). source

For September 2026 entry, 153 applications were considered for 125 places. Places ran out at criterion 4: First-preference applicants in the oversubscribed GL Band 4 category filled the final places. EA statement

Applications per place (all preferences): 1 in 2024/25, 1.2 in 2025/26, 1.2 in 2026/27.

Results for its intake

Expected about 95%, got 89.1% (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

  • Asks for a voluntary contribution source

Who applied

Applications by the preference families gave the school, and children admitted
YearPlacesPut it 1st2nd3rd or laterAdmitted
2024/2512512072125
2025/26125125192125
2026/27125141110125

In 2026/27, 125 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
9.4%
Special educational needs
71 pupils (20 with a statement)
Has Years 13 and 14
Yes
Area
Urban

Religious background of pupilsProtestant 0.7%, Catholic 96.2%, other or none 3.1%

Exam results (2024/25)

5+ GCSEs A* to C, with English and maths
89.1%
5+ GCSEs A* to C
91.3%
3+ A-levels A* to C
85.2%
2+ A-levels A* to E
100%
Year 12 pupils counted
138
A-level pupils counted
108

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

Admissions

From the school's admissions criteria for September 2026.

Year 8 places: 125 (whole school: 860)

Applications and admissions in recent years
YearPlacesApplications (all preferences)Admitted
2023/24125159133
2024/25125128125
2025/26*125152131

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.

Sources

DENI reference 5420062

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