A selective co-educational grammar school in Rossendale, Lancashire, serving ages 11-18 with a sixth form and around 1,056 pupils on roll.
Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School
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At a glance
Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School is a co-educational selective grammar school on Glen Road in Rossendale, with roots reaching back to 1701. The school now forms part of Star Academies and serves ages 11 to 18, so the sixth form sits within the same academic community as the lower school. BRGS is not a county-wide grammar in feel: its admissions material describes it as a designated grammar school primarily for children from Bacup, Rawtenstall and surrounding primary-school areas, which gives the school a strongly local Rossendale identity.
Academically, BRGS combines a traditional grammar-school core with the breadth expected of a modern 11 to 18 academy. The school publishes curriculum pages across the subject range, and its public values language puts emphasis on excellence, leadership, community and respect. Sixth-form applicants are directed into a subject-led research and open-evening process, while the main school curriculum is presented through departmental pages rather than a generic prospectus, giving families useful detail on how subjects build from Key Stage 3 onwards.
Daily school life has a practical rather than glossy character. The facilities record points to library and performing-arts spaces, with drama and sport among the visible co-curricular routes. The school also uses its website actively for admissions events, sixth-form transition and performance-table information, so the profile is best read as a local grammar with a substantial sixth form and a broad enough school-life offer to support pupils across seven years.
Year 7 admission is selective, with a published admission number of 180. For 2027 entry the entrance examination covers verbal reasoning, mathematics and English through GL Assessment papers; children first need to meet the required standard, then the oversubscription rules apply. Those rules give priority to looked-after and previously looked-after children who qualify, then work through Area 1 and Area 2 feeder-primary groups, staff and sibling priority, and remaining candidates ranked by entrance mark. Published measures show +0.36 Progress 8, 99.4% grade 5+ in English and maths, and 31.2% AAB or better at A level.
Latest 2024/25 KS4 measures compared with Lancashire and England.
Recent published Attainment 8 scores compared with Lancashire and England.
January 2025 school census
Whole-school roll of 1,056 pupils; 1,050 had a recorded ethnic group.
| Recorded group | Share | Category | Pupils |
|---|---|---|---|
| White British | 59.2% | White | 625 |
| Pakistani | 17.9% | Asian | 189 |
| Bangladeshi | 3.5% | Asian | 37 |
| Any other mixed background | 3.4% | Mixed | 36 |
| Any other Asian background | 2.7% | Asian | 28 |
| Chinese | 2.6% | Asian | 27 |
| Any other White background | 2.3% | White | 24 |
| White and Asian | 2.2% | Mixed | 23 |
| African | 1.8% | Black | 19 |
| Indian | 1.4% | Asian | 15 |
| Any other ethnic group | 1.1% | Other | 12 |
| White and Black Caribbean | 0.7% | Mixed | 7 |
| Unclassified | 0.6% | Unclassified | 6 |
| White and Black African | 0.5% | Mixed | 5 |
| Any other Black background | 0.2% | Black | 2 |
| Traveller of Irish heritage | 0.1% | White | 1 |
Children must meet the required standard in the entrance examination before they can be considered. If there are more qualified applicants than places, the 2027 policy works through looked-after priority, Area 1 and Area 2 feeder-primary groups with sibling priority, staff priority, a separate sibling category, and then remaining applicants ranked by entrance mark.
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, with sibling priority
Children attending an Area 1 primary school are ranked by overall entrance mark, with priority in this group for siblings in Years 7 to 11 at the time of application and offer.
Area 2 feeder primary pupils ranked by entrance mark, with sibling priority
Children attending an Area 2 primary school are ranked by overall entrance mark, with priority in this group for siblings in Years 7 to 11 at the time of application and offer.
Children of staff
Children of staff qualify where the published staff-employment condition is met at the time of application and offer.
Siblings already on roll in Years 7 to 11
Sibling priority applies where the sibling is in Years 7 to 11 at the time of application and offer and is living in the same family unit at the same address.
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
Verbal reasoning
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 and Science are not listed in the current published format.
English
Maths
Verbal reasoning
Verbal reasoning paper.
Non-verbal reasoning
Science
Entrance exam registration opens
Open now
Applications for the 2027-entry entrance examination are open; an exact opening date is not published.
Entrance exam registration closes
14 September 2026
Registration closes at 12 noon.
Entrance examination
26 September 2026
Entrance exam results issued
Before 31 October 2026
Families are told whether the required standard has been met before the Common Application Form deadline.
Common Application Form 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 for the entrance exam
Registration for the 2027-entry entrance examination is open and closes at 12 noon on 14 September 2026.
Open admissions pageSit the entrance examination
For 2027 entry, the entrance examination is on Saturday 26 September 2026 and covers 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 | 98.7% | 91.8% |
Latest inspection: Awaiting confirmation
Use the latest Ofsted report for subjudgement detail.
Local rivals appear first, followed by nearby alternatives where the journey and admissions route are still comparable.
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
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Best Grammar Schools in Lancashire
Compare 4 Lancashire grammar schools for 2026: GCSE ranking table, Ofsted, 11+ admissions, catchment or distance rules, competition, and school profiles.
Best Grammar Schools in the UK
Explore the best grammar schools in the UK with a national ranking that can be filtered by county, school type, and Ofsted before moving into local admissions detail.
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 for the entrance exam: Registration for the 2027-entry entrance examination is open and closes at 12 noon on 14 September 2026. 3. Sit the entrance examination: For 2027 entry, the entrance examination is on Saturday 26 September 2026 and covers verbal reasoning, maths, and English. 4. Submit the Lancashire CAF: Name BRGS on your local authority secondary application by 31 October 2026.
Entrance exam registration opens: Open now. Entrance exam registration closes: 14 September 2026. Entrance examination: 26 September 2026. Entrance exam results issued: Before 31 October 2026. Common Application Form deadline: 31 October 2026. National Offer Day: 1 March 2027
Check the latest Ofsted record for current inspection detail.