Lancashire / Lancashire 11+
Glen Road, Rossendale, BB4 7BJ
Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School
1
A selective co-educational grammar school in Rossendale, Lancashire, serving ages 11-18 with a sixth form and around 1,056 pupils on roll.
At a glance
At a glance
A selective co-educational grammar school in Rossendale, Lancashire, serving ages 11-18 with a sixth form and around 1,056 pupils on roll. Families looking at Rossendale, Lancashire will usually see Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School as a selective option for boys and girls aged 11-18, with sixth form continuing the academic journey on the same site. Current published roll and admissions data point to around 1,056 pupils on roll and 180 Year 7 places.
For parents thinking about the 11+, the admissions picture is one of the clearest differentiators here. The current route includes GL Assessment, with 180 places available in Year 7 and demand that currently looks very high by grammar-school standards. Catchment or distance rules still matter at allocation stage, so this is the kind of school where families need to read the admissions policy carefully rather than rely on headline scores alone.
On current official measures, the school offers a clear academic profile for parents to weigh up. Recent official performance measures show Progress 8 at 0.36 and Attainment 8 at 72. 96.6% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and maths in the latest stored GCSE figures. In the sixth form, 31.2% of entries were awarded AAB or better at A level.
Published school information highlights facilities such as Library, Performing arts spaces. The wider offer currently includes Drama, Sport. For many parents, the presence of a sixth form is part of the attraction, because it gives able pupils the option to stay in a familiar academic setting through to A level. Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School is likely to appeal most to families who want strong academic expectations but also need the practical details, culture, and selective route to line up sensibly.
Latest 2024/25 KS4 measures compared with Lancashire and England.
Recent published Attainment 8 scores compared with Lancashire and England.
Children must meet the required standard in the entrance examination before they can be considered. If BRGS is oversubscribed, it then works through the published Area 1 and Area 2 feeder-primary groups, staff priority, siblings, and other ranked applicants.
No home-address catchment map is published, but separate priority applies to children attending the named Area 1 and Area 2 feeder primary schools. If ranked applicants remain tied after those priorities, straight-line distance from the permanent home address breaks the tie, followed by random allocation if needed.
Looked-after and previously looked-after children who meet the required standard
This includes children who were in state care outside England and were adopted after leaving care.
Area 1 feeder primary pupils ranked by entrance mark
Children attending an Area 1 primary school are ranked by overall entrance mark, with sibling priority operating within the group.
Area 2 feeder primary pupils ranked by entrance mark
Children attending an Area 2 primary school are ranked by overall entrance mark, again with sibling priority inside the group.
Children of staff and then siblings already on roll
After the feeder-primary groups, BRGS gives priority to eligible children of staff and then to siblings in Years 7 to 11.
All other children ranked by entrance mark
If the score ranking is still tied after the area priorities have been applied, straight-line distance from the permanent home address to the school is used, followed by random allocation if needed.
A GL Assessment route applies, with three papers covering verbal reasoning, mathematics, and English. Children first need to meet the required standard, and the published feeder-area and oversubscription rules then decide how available places are allocated.
Paper 1
VR
Paper 1
Verbal reasoning paper.
Paper 2
Maths
Paper 2
Mathematics paper.
Paper 3
English
Paper 3
English paper.
English, Maths and Verbal reasoning are included in the published format.
Non-verbal reasoning, Science and Creative writing are not listed in the current published format.
English
Maths
Verbal reasoning
Verbal reasoning paper.
Non-verbal reasoning
Science
Creative writing
Registration opens
Late April 2026
Entrance examination
September 2026
CAF deadline
31 October 2026
National offer day
1 March 2027
Read the admission arrangements
Use the determined admission arrangements and allocation documents to understand the feeder-area priorities, score ranking, and waiting-list rules.
Open admission arrangementsRegister when the form opens
Year 7 registration for 2027 entry is expected to open in late April 2026.
Open admissions pageSit the entrance examination
For 2027 entry, the entrance examination will be held in September 2026 and will cover verbal reasoning, maths, and English.
Check test detailsSubmit the Lancashire CAF
Name BRGS on your local authority secondary application by 31 October 2026.
Open Lancashire secondary applicationsRecent trend
This follows the school's published overall GCSE score across the subjects pupils take. Higher is better.
| Year | This school | Grammar schools | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | Not published | 74.2 | 49.4 |
| 2022/23 | Not published | 71.8 | 47.0 |
| 2023/24 | 72 | 72.1 | 46.7 |
| 2024/25 | 73.3 | 72.3 | 46.8 |
Recent trend
This follows the published average A-level result for the school's sixth form. Higher is better.
| Year | This school | Grammar schools | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | Not published | 44.0 points | 37.5 points |
| 2022/23 | Not published | 40.5 points | 33.7 points |
| 2023/24 | B average (38.9 points) | 41.3 points | 34.5 points |
| 2024/25 | B average (39.6 points) | 41.8 points | 35.0 points |
Recent trend
This follows the share of pupils moving into a sustained destination after Year 11, such as education, apprenticeships, or employment.
| Year | This school | Grammar schools | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | Not published | 99.1% | 94.1% |
| 2022/23 | Not published | 98.9% | 93.9% |
| 2023/24 | Not published | 99.0% | 93.3% |
| 2024/25 | Not published | 97.8% | 91.4% |
Latest inspection: Awaiting confirmation
Local rivals first, then nearby alternatives that still fit the same shortlist-building context.
Same Lancashire area and similar co-ed selective route
Same Lancashire area and similar co-ed selective route
Same wider selective region and a similar admissions route
Same wider selective region and a similar admissions route
Closest comparable alternatives with a similar academic profile, so parents can weigh local fit and results together.
Nearby option with similar Attainment 8 and Progress 8
Nearby option with similar Attainment 8 and Progress 8
Similar Attainment 8 and Progress 8
Best Grammar Schools in Lancashire
Compare the best grammar schools in Lancashire for the 2026 admissions cycle using published GCSE results, Ofsted, admissions routes, and practical local context. This page brings together the main Lancashire clusters, where catchment, competition for places, and school-specific admissions rules can vary from one area to another.
Best Grammar Schools in the UK
Explore the best grammar schools in the UK with a national ranking parents can filter by county, school type, and Ofsted. Useful for broad searches like top UK grammar schools, grammar school rankings, and 11+ school shortlists.
Best Grammar Schools by A-level Results
Explore the best grammar schools by A-level results in the UK, ranked by the published share of students achieving AAB or better at A level.
Best Grammar Schools in Lancashire
Compare the best grammar schools in Lancashire for the 2026 admissions cycle using published GCSE results, Ofsted, admissions routes, and practical local context. This page brings together the main Lancashire clusters, where catchment, competition for places, and school-specific admissions rules can vary from one area to another.
Best Grammar Schools in the UK
Explore the best grammar schools in the UK with a national ranking parents can filter by county, school type, and Ofsted. Useful for broad searches like top UK grammar schools, grammar school rankings, and 11+ school shortlists.
Best Grammar Schools by A-level Results
Explore the best grammar schools by A-level results in the UK, ranked by the published share of students achieving AAB or better at A level.
Related guides are still being added.
FAQ
Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School currently uses GL Assessment.
1. Read the admission arrangements: Use the determined admission arrangements and allocation documents to understand the feeder-area priorities, score ranking, and waiting-list rules. 2. Register when the form opens: Year 7 registration for 2027 entry is expected to open in late April 2026. 3. Sit the entrance examination: For 2027 entry, the entrance examination will be held in September 2026 and will cover verbal reasoning, maths, and English. 4. Submit the Lancashire CAF: Name BRGS on your local authority secondary application by 31 October 2026.
Registration opens: Late April 2026. Entrance examination: September 2026. CAF deadline: 31 October 2026. National offer day: 1 March 2027
The latest Ofsted inspection details for Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School are still being reviewed.