A selective co-educational grammar school in Ripon, North Yorkshire, serving ages 11-18 with a sixth form and around 942 pupils on roll.
Ripon Grammar School
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At a glance
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.
Latest 2024/25 KS4 measures compared with North Yorkshire and England.
Recent published Attainment 8 scores compared with North Yorkshire and England.
Latest 2024/25 Year 11 destination mix compared with North Yorkshire and England.
January 2025 school census
Whole-school roll of 942 pupils; 931 had a recorded ethnic group.
| Recorded group | Share | Category | Pupils |
|---|---|---|---|
| White British | 75.2% | White | 708 |
| Chinese | 5.1% | Asian | 48 |
| Indian | 4.6% | Asian | 43 |
| Any other mixed background | 4.4% | Mixed | 41 |
| Any other White background | 3.1% | White | 29 |
| White and Asian | 1.9% | Mixed | 18 |
| African | 1.5% | Black | 14 |
| Unclassified | 1.2% | Unclassified | 11 |
| Any other ethnic group | 1.1% | Other | 10 |
| Any other Asian background | 0.7% | Asian | 7 |
| Irish | 0.5% | White | 5 |
| White and Black African | 0.3% | Mixed | 3 |
| Pakistani | 0.2% | Asian | 2 |
| White and Black Caribbean | 0.2% | Mixed | 2 |
| Any other Black background | 0.1% | Black | 1 |
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.
Required academic standard
Day-place applicants must meet the required standard in the entrance test before oversubscription priorities are applied.
Looked-after and previously looked-after children
Qualified children in care and previously in care are prioritised first.
Social or medical need
Qualified applicants with exceptional social or medical reasons are prioritised after looked-after priority.
Catchment area
Qualified applicants living in the catchment area are prioritised before staff children and out-of-catchment applicants.
Staff children
Qualified children of staff are considered after catchment applicants.
Outside catchment
Qualified applicants outside the catchment area are considered after the higher priority groups.
Selection uses GL Assessment-style papers across verbal, non-verbal, English and mathematics skills, with age-standardised scores used for the Ripon selective route.
Shared exam route
Ripon Grammar School uses the shared Yorkshire route. Use these common practice resources for the route, then check the full consortium guide for the complete set and current test guidance.
View all Yorkshire practice papersPaper 1
English, Verbal reasoning
Verbal skills test
GL Assessment verbal skills paper covering English comprehension, spelling, grammar and verbal reasoning.
Paper 2
Non-verbal reasoning, Maths
Non-verbal reasoning and mathematics test
GL Assessment paper covering non-verbal reasoning and mathematics.
English, Maths, Verbal reasoning and Non-verbal reasoning are included in the published format.
Science is not listed in the current published format.
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.
Science
Registration opens
30 April 2026
PastRegistration closes
30 June 2026
Test invitations
week of 25 August 2026
Entrance test
12 September 2026
Results
by 16 October 2026
Late tests
April, June and August 2027
Late-test dates apply only to agreed late or exceptional cases.
Register for the entrance test
Complete the North Yorkshire online entrance-test registration by 30 June 2026.
View selective schools guidanceWatch for the test invitation
Entrance-test invitations are expected during the week of 25 August 2026.
Register for selection testsSit 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 datesSubmit the common application form
Include Ripon Grammar on the home local authority common application form for Year 7 entry.
Apply for a school placeLatest 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 | 74.2 | 74.2 | 49.4 |
| 2022/23 | 69.8 | 71.8 | 47.0 |
| 2023/24 | 69.1 | 72.1 | 46.7 |
| 2024/25 | 70.9 | 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 | A- average (46.1 points) | 44.0 points | 37.5 points |
| 2022/23 | B+ average (44.8 points) | 40.5 points | 33.7 points |
| 2023/24 | B average (40.8 points) | 41.3 points | 34.5 points |
| 2024/25 | B+ average (44.5 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 | 98% | 99.1% | 94.1% |
| 2022/23 | 98% | 98.9% | 93.9% |
| 2023/24 | 99% | 99.0% | 93.3% |
| 2024/25 | 99% | 98.7% | 91.8% |
Latest year breakdown
| In education | 94% |
|---|---|
| In apprenticeships | 3% |
| In employment | 2% |
Latest inspection: 26 January 2023
Local rivals appear first, followed by nearby alternatives where the journey and admissions route are still comparable.
Same wider selective region with a comparable travel distance
Same wider selective region with a comparable travel distance
Same wider selective region with a comparable travel distance
Closest comparable alternatives with a similar academic profile, so parents can weigh local fit and results together.
Similar Attainment 8 and Progress 8
Similar Attainment 8 and Progress 8
Similar Attainment 8 and Progress 8
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Best Grammar Schools in North Yorkshire
Compare 3 North Yorkshire grammar schools for 2026: GCSE ranking table, Ofsted, Yorkshire route, admissions 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
Ripon Grammar School currently uses GL Assessment.
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.
Registration opens: 30 April 2026. Registration closes: 30 June 2026. Test invitations: week of 25 August 2026. Entrance test: 12 September 2026. Results: by 16 October 2026. Late tests: April, June and August 2027
Ripon Grammar School is currently rated Good following the latest published inspection dated 26 January 2023.