A selective co-educational grammar school in Clitheroe, Lancashire, serving ages 11-18 with a sixth form and around 1,475 pupils on roll.
Clitheroe Royal Grammar School
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At a glance
Clitheroe Royal Grammar School is a co-educational selective grammar school in the Ribble Valley, with a history dating to 1554. It is unusual in having a clear two-site identity: the 11 to 16 main school is associated with the Chatburn Road site, while the sixth form uses the historic York Street site close to the centre of Clitheroe. With around 1,475 pupils on roll and a very large sixth form, CRGS has the scale of a regional academic centre as well as the feel of a long-established Lancashire grammar.
The sixth form is one of the clearest expressions of the school's academic character. CRGS publishes a broad A-level curriculum including sciences, humanities, languages, arts, technology, social sciences, Computer Science, Classical Civilisation and Further Mathematics. Students are normally able to begin with four A-level choices before refining their programme, and the wider study programme includes Skills and Choices, guidance, work experience, EPQ and Core Maths opportunities. The school frames this as a route into independent, critical and curious learning rather than simply a list of subjects.
The wider school-life offer is visible through drama, clubs and societies, leadership roles, peer mentoring and a sixth-form community that draws students from across the Ribble Valley and surrounding towns. Recent school-published results also give useful texture: in 2025, CRGS reported 46% of GCSE entries at grades 8 to 9, and at A level noted first-choice university offers, Oxbridge places, and medicine, dentistry and veterinary destinations. Those details support the school's public claim to be one of the region's strongest A-level centres.
For Year 7, the published admission number is 180. The 2027 entry route has moved to two age-weighted FSCE papers in English and mathematics, with one multiple-choice paper and one short-written-answer paper; there is no non-verbal reasoning paper in this format. Children must reach the required standard, then the oversubscription rules rank applicants through looked-after priority, immediate and wider catchment categories, Pupil Premium categories, out-of-catchment categories, score ranking and distance tie-breaks. The official performance record lists an Outstanding Ofsted judgement from November 2022, +0.55 Progress 8, 99.3% grade 5+ in English and maths, and 19% AAB or better at A level.
Creative writing is tested in this school's current 11+ assessment.
A weak creative writing piece can leave a child short of qualification. 11 Plus Writing Coach helps families build steadier practice and clearer feedback.
From our 11 Plus Writing Coach site
Latest 2024/25 KS4 measures compared with Lancashire and England.
Recent published Attainment 8 scores compared with Lancashire and England.
Latest 2024/25 Year 11 destination mix compared with Lancashire and England.
January 2025 school census
Whole-school roll of 1,475 pupils; 1,468 had a recorded ethnic group.
| Recorded group | Share | Category | Pupils |
|---|---|---|---|
| White British | 62.3% | White | 919 |
| Pakistani | 20.8% | Asian | 307 |
| Indian | 5.2% | Asian | 76 |
| White and Asian | 3.1% | Mixed | 46 |
| Chinese | 1.8% | Asian | 26 |
| Any other mixed background | 1.6% | Mixed | 23 |
| Any other Asian background | 1.1% | Asian | 16 |
| White and Black African | 0.9% | Mixed | 13 |
| Any other White background | 0.8% | White | 12 |
| Bangladeshi | 0.8% | Asian | 12 |
| African | 0.6% | Black | 9 |
| Unclassified | 0.5% | Unclassified | 7 |
| Any other ethnic group | 0.3% | Other | 5 |
| White and Black Caribbean | 0.1% | Mixed | 2 |
| Any other Black background | 0.1% | Black | 1 |
| Irish | 0.1% | White | 1 |
The entrance route has moved to FSCE for September 2027 entry. The determined policy, admissions handbook, and familiarisation guides are available from the admissions page.
Immediate and wider catchment areas are set out in the determined policy appendices. Within each catchment band, applicants are ranked by entrance-test score, with distance used only to separate tied scores.
Looked after and previously looked after children
Priority first goes to looked after children, previously looked after children, and children who appear to have been in state care outside England and ceased to be so because of adoption or a related order.
Immediate catchment with pupil premium
Qualified children living in the immediate catchment area who are entitled to Pupil Premium are prioritised next.
Other immediate catchment children
Other qualified children living in the immediate catchment area are then considered.
Wider catchment with pupil premium
Qualified children in the wider catchment area who are entitled to Pupil Premium are prioritised next.
Other wider catchment children
Other qualified children living in the wider catchment area are then considered.
Outside catchment with pupil premium
Qualified out-of-catchment children in receipt of Pupil Premium are prioritised next.
The 2027 route has two age-weighted FSCE papers in English and maths. No non-verbal reasoning paper is included in this format.
Paper 1
English, Maths
Paper 1
Paper 1 is a multiple-choice paper covering English and maths up to the end of Year 5.
Paper 2
English, Maths, Writing task
Paper 2
Paper 2 uses short written-answer English and maths tasks; the FSCE handbook also describes writing task tasks within the test format.
English and Maths are included in the published format.
Verbal reasoning, Non-verbal reasoning and Science are not listed in the current published format.
English
Maths
Verbal reasoning
Non-verbal reasoning
Science
Registration opens
Monday 1 June 2026 at noon
PastOpen evening
Wednesday 1 July 2026
The handbook advertises an open evening from 5.30pm to 7.30pm.
Registration closes
Friday 4 September 2026 at noon
Entrance examination
Saturday 26 September 2026
The test is held at the Chatburn Road site.
CAF deadline
Saturday 31 October 2026
Read the policy and admissions handbook
Use the determined 2027 policy and handbook to check the 180-place intake, the immediate and wider catchment rules, and the current FSCE route.
Open admissions handbookComplete the online registration
Clitheroe Royal Grammar School opens applications at noon on 1 June 2026 and closes them at noon on 4 September 2026.
Open admissions pagePrepare for and sit the entrance test
Read the FSCE familiarisation guides and sit the entrance exam on Saturday 26 September 2026 at the Chatburn Road site.
Open familiarisation guideSubmit your Common Application Form
If you want a school place, submit the local-authority secondary application by 31 October 2026 after completing the school's own test registration.
Review admissions handbookLatest official destinations data currently covers 2022/23 study leavers.
Recent 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 | 74.9 | 74.2 | 49.4 |
| 2022/23 | 72.5 | 71.8 | 47.0 |
| 2023/24 | 72.8 | 72.1 | 46.7 |
| 2024/25 | 74.4 | 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 | B+ average (43.3 points) | 44.0 points | 37.5 points |
| 2022/23 | B- average (37.2 points) | 40.5 points | 33.7 points |
| 2023/24 | B- average (37.5 points) | 41.3 points | 34.5 points |
| 2024/25 | B- average (38.1 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 | 100% | 99.1% | 94.1% |
| 2022/23 | 99% | 98.9% | 93.9% |
| 2023/24 | 99% | 99.0% | 93.3% |
| 2024/25 | 100% | 98.7% | 91.8% |
Latest year breakdown
| In education | 97% |
|---|---|
| In apprenticeships | 1% |
| In employment | 2% |
Latest inspection: 23 November 2022
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
Similar Attainment 8 and Progress 8
Similar Attainment 8 and Progress 8
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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.
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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.
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Related guides are still being added.
FAQ
Clitheroe Royal Grammar School currently uses GL Assessment.
1. Read the policy and admissions handbook: Use the determined 2027 policy and handbook to check the 180-place intake, the immediate and wider catchment rules, and the current FSCE route. 2. Complete the online registration: Clitheroe Royal Grammar School opens applications at noon on 1 June 2026 and closes them at noon on 4 September 2026. 3. Prepare for and sit the entrance test: Read the FSCE familiarisation guides and sit the entrance exam on Saturday 26 September 2026 at the Chatburn Road site. 4. Submit your Common Application Form: If you want a school place, submit the local-authority secondary application by 31 October 2026 after completing the school's own test registration.
Registration opens: Monday 1 June 2026 at noon. Open evening: Wednesday 1 July 2026. Registration closes: Friday 4 September 2026 at noon. Entrance examination: Saturday 26 September 2026. CAF deadline: Saturday 31 October 2026
Clitheroe Royal Grammar School is currently rated Outstanding following the latest published inspection dated 23 November 2022.