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School profile Verified 11 September 2026

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire 11+

Ripon Grammar School

Clotherholme Road, Ripon, HG4 2DG

A selective co-educational grammar school in Ripon, North Yorkshire, serving ages 11-18 with a sixth form and around 942 pupils on roll.

Grammar school Co-ed Community school Ages 11-18 Sixth form GL Assessment
UK rank
UK Rank #100
Year 7 places
117
Competition ?
Moderate
Ofsted ?
Good
11+ route
GL Assessment
Compare Official website Map

On this page

At a glance

Key facts

GCSE rank
UK Rank #100
Sector
Grammar school
Admissions
Mixed
Assessment
GL Assessment
Places in Year 7
117
Competition ?
Moderate
Catchment
You can apply from any area, but living in the published local area gives priority for some or all places.
Ofsted ?
Good

Overview

Ripon Grammar School is a rare selective state boarding grammar, serving day pupils and boarders from its Clotherholme Road site. It is co-educational, has about 940 pupils, and offers boarding from Year 7 through two houses: Johnson House for girls and School House for boys, each with capacity for 50 boarders.

The school is academically selective at Year 7, Year 9 and sixth form, with North Yorkshire managing admissions for Years 7 to 11 and the school managing sixth-form entry directly. Its curriculum is academic, and the sixth form is a major part of the school's identity: around 300 students, just over 20 subjects, EPQ availability, a Plus One Programme, and the option in some cases to take four A levels.

RGS gives the boarding and sixth-form experience real texture. The official site describes a purpose-built Sixth Form Centre, specialist facilities, sport, music, drama, student leadership, enrichment and an Organ Scholarship linked with Ripon Cathedral. Boarding is weekly or termly, with boarding fees but no tuition fees.

Year 7 has 117 places, including 14 reserved for boarders, and selection uses verbal skills plus non-verbal reasoning and mathematics. Oversubscription rules include looked-after priority, siblings, staff-child priority and distance. Published measures show Ofsted Good, Progress 8 around +0.72, 97.6% grade 5+ in English and maths, and 35.5% AAB or better at A level.

Key points
Assessment route
GL Assessment across a 2-stage process, covering Verbal reasoning, Non-verbal reasoning, Maths and English.
Places and demand
117 places in Year 7 and Moderate
Catchment
You can apply from any area, but living in the published local area gives priority for some or all places.
Results
97.6% grade 5+ in English and maths and 70.9 Attainment 8
Sixth form
Sixth form available with 35.5% AAB or better and 57% in higher education.

GCSE benchmark

Latest 2024/25 KS4 measures compared with North Yorkshire and England.

School Local authority England
GCSE benchmark comparison Latest GCSE benchmark measures for Ripon Grammar School, North Yorkshire, and England. 0 50 100 Att. 8 5+ E&M EBacc APS EBacc %
Attainment 8
70.9
Grade 5+ English and maths
97.6%
EBacc APS
6.52
EBacc entry
69%

Attainment 8 trend

Recent published Attainment 8 scores compared with North Yorkshire and England.

School Local authority England
Attainment 8 trend line Attainment 8 over time for Ripon Grammar School, North Yorkshire, and England. 80 66.7 53.3 40 21/22 22/23 23/24 24/25

Destinations

Latest 2024/25 Year 11 destination mix compared with North Yorkshire and England.

Education Apprenticeships Employment Other / unknown
Destinations stacked bar comparison Year 11 destinations for Ripon Grammar School, North Yorkshire, and England across education, apprenticeships, employment, and other or unknown destinations. 0 50 100 School Local auth. England

School details
Sector
Grammar school
School type
Community school
Application
Local authority CAF
Gender
Mixed
Age range
11-18
Headteacher
Mr Jonathan Webb
Pupil roll
942 pupils
Sixth form
Yes
Boarding
Boarding school
FSM ?
4%
EAL ?
7.5%
EHCP ?
0.4%

Facilities

Library

Extracurriculars

Drama

Ethnicity

Pupil ethnicity

Whole-school roll of 942 pupils; 931 had a recorded ethnic group.

White 78.8% Asian 10.6% Mixed 6.8% Black 1.6% Other 1.1% Unclassified 1.2%

Location and contact

Address

Address
Clotherholme Road, Ripon, North Yorkshire
Postcode
HG4 2DG
Area
North Yorkshire
Exam area
North Yorkshire 11+

School leadership

Headteacher
Mr Jonathan Webb

School contact

School email
admin@ripongrammar.com
School phone
01765602647

Admissions contact

Admissions team
Admissions
Admissions contact
Mrs Drummond
Admissions email
admissions@ripongrammar.com
Admissions phone
01765 602647
Open in Map Open school website

Admissions
Year 7 places
117 places (2027 entry)
Applications listed
218 applications (2025 entry)
First preferences
147 first preferences (2025 entry)
Competition ?
Moderate
Who can apply
You can apply from any area, but living in the published local area gives priority for some or all places.
Pass mark note
The qualifying cut-off is set from the highest-scoring 28% of the Year 6 cohort living in the Ripon area. Recent cut-off marks were 203 for 2026 entry, 196 for 2025 and 195 for 2024.

Qualified day-place applications are prioritised by looked-after status, social or medical need, catchment area, staff children, then out-of-catchment applicants, with sibling and distance tie-breaks.

Oversubscription and eligibility

  1. 1

    Required academic standard

    Day-place applicants must meet the required standard in the entrance test before oversubscription priorities are applied.

  2. 2

    Looked-after and previously looked-after children

    Qualified children in care and previously in care are prioritised first.

  3. 3

    Social or medical need

    Qualified applicants with exceptional social or medical reasons are prioritised after looked-after priority.

  4. 4

    Catchment area

    Qualified applicants living in the catchment area are prioritised before staff children and out-of-catchment applicants.

  5. 5

    Staff children

    Qualified children of staff are considered after catchment applicants.

  6. 6

    Outside catchment

    Qualified applicants outside the catchment area are considered after the higher priority groups.

Exam and test format

The GL Assessment 11+ entrance test format

Selection uses GL Assessment-style papers across verbal, non-verbal, English and mathematics skills, with age-standardised scores used for the Ripon selective route.

Assessment route
GL Assessment
Papers and stages
2 papers
Format
Multiple-choice papers
Age standardisation
Published as age-standardised

Official exam resources

Past papers and practice materials

No released past entrance-test papers are currently verified here. The resources below are labelled by type.

Yorkshire test guide

Papers and rounds

  1. Paper 1

    English, Verbal reasoning

    Verbal skills test

    GL Assessment verbal skills paper covering English comprehension, spelling, grammar and verbal reasoning.

  2. Paper 2

    Non-verbal reasoning, Maths

    Non-verbal reasoning and mathematics test

    GL Assessment paper covering non-verbal reasoning and mathematics.

What the test includes

English, Maths, Verbal reasoning and Non-verbal reasoning are included in the published format.

Science is not listed in the current published format.

Included

  • English

  • Maths

  • Verbal reasoning

    GL Assessment verbal skills paper covering English comprehension, spelling, grammar and verbal reasoning.

  • Non-verbal reasoning

    GL Assessment paper covering non-verbal reasoning and mathematics.

Not listed

  • Science

Application

Key dates

Get date reminders
Find open days and plan a visit

  1. Registration opens

    30 April 2026

    Past

  2. Registration closes

    30 June 2026

    Past

  3. Test invitations

    week of 25 August 2026

  4. Entrance test

    12 September 2026

    Past

  5. Results

    Mid-October 2026, no later than 16 October

  6. Late tests

    April, June and August 2027

    Late-test dates apply only to agreed late or exceptional cases.

How to apply

  1. 1

    Register for the entrance test

    Complete the North Yorkshire online entrance-test registration by 30 June 2026.

    View selective schools guidance
  2. 2

    Watch for the test invitation

    Entrance-test invitations are expected during the week of 25 August 2026.

    Register for selection tests
  3. 3

    Sit the September test

    The test is scheduled for a Saturday during term time in September 2026, with the exact date still to be confirmed.

    View test dates
  4. 4

    Submit the common application form

    Include Ripon Grammar on the home local authority common application form for Year 7 entry.

    Apply for a school place

Results

Inspection
View report
Good

Latest inspection: 26 January 2023

Quality of education
Good
Behaviour and attitudes
Good
Personal development
Outstanding
Leadership and management
Good
Sixth form provision
Outstanding

Quick summary

  • Overall effectiveness: Ripon Grammar was rated Good overall, with Outstanding judgements for personal development and sixth form. The report describes high academic outcomes, strong school pride and extensive clubs, while noting that a small number of pupils were not encouraged equally to reach their best.
  • Quality of education: Leaders had built an ambitious curriculum with strong subject teaching and effective assessment. Pupils use precise vocabulary and learn challenging content, with the breadth of key stages 3 and 4 building towards very high GCSE and A-level outcomes.
  • Behaviour and attitudes: Behaviour around school and in classrooms was mostly very good, reflecting strong relationships. Pupils were polite to visitors, felt safe, and said bullying was not an issue; they also trusted staff to respond properly if any bullying occurred.
  • Personal development: Pupils benefit from a broad set of clubs and societies across science, the arts, humanities and sport. The report highlights ambition for pupils as future citizens, with many keen to take up the wider opportunities available to them.
  • Leadership and management: Leaders were ambitious for both academic success and wider development, and safeguarding concerns were logged and acted on promptly with external agencies where needed. The main reservation was that not every pupil received the same push to achieve highly.
  • Sixth form provision: The sixth form was judged Outstanding. Students are challenged to aim high through demanding teaching and the additional plus one programme, which supports ambitious post-18 destinations and helps students develop intellectual curiosity in advanced study.

Similar schools and comparisons

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Shortlist comparisons

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Explore this school in context

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Related pages and guides

Guides and related reading

Related guides are still being added.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What assessment types does Ripon Grammar School use?

Ripon Grammar School currently uses GL Assessment.

How do I apply to Ripon Grammar School?

1. Register for the entrance test: Complete the North Yorkshire online entrance-test registration by 30 June 2026. 2. Watch for the test invitation: Entrance-test invitations are expected during the week of 25 August 2026. 3. Sit the September test: The test is scheduled for a Saturday during term time in September 2026, with the exact date still to be confirmed. 4. Submit the common application form: Include Ripon Grammar on the home local authority common application form for Year 7 entry.

When are the key dates for Ripon Grammar School?

Registration opens: 30 April 2026. Registration closes: 30 June 2026. Test invitations: week of 25 August 2026. Entrance test: 12 September 2026. Results: Mid-October 2026, no later than 16 October. Late tests: April, June and August 2027

What does the latest inspection picture look like for Ripon Grammar School?

Ripon Grammar School is currently rated Good following the latest published inspection dated 26 January 2023.