Clitheroe Royal Grammar School, Clitheroe

In its own words: "Thank you for your interest in our school. We aim to provide an outstanding education for our students in a caring and supportive environment. We are immensely proud of the excellent academic achievements of our students. Their results are truly outstanding."

From the headteacher's welcome: "Since our foundation in 1554 our school has provided a centre of excellence, offering superb teaching and learning opportunities. We have a very strong academic record and are one of the country’s highest achieving schools. Students benefit greatly from outstanding teaching, exceptional pastoral care and first-class facilities."

Clubs and activities named on the school's website include chess, sewing and Duke of Edinburgh.

In 2026, pupils at Clitheroe Royal Grammar School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 70.8, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 46.2 in Lancashire and 47 across England.

99% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 44% in Lancashire and 47% in England.

That is down from 74.4 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.55: pupils made well above average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.

Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 63.8, against 71.6 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 7.8 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 23 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Biology, Physics and Chemistry.

Clitheroe Royal Grammar School is a grammar school: places go to children who reach the required standard in its entrance test, and only then are the oversubscription criteria applied.

For September 2026 entry, 231 families put Clitheroe Royal Grammar School as their first choice and 451 named it as one of their preferences, for 175 places offered. That is 1.3 first choices for every place. 57 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

Clitheroe Royal Grammar School admits pupils through an entrance test, usually called the 11-plus. Children have to be registered for it in advance, normally in the spring or summer of Year 5; the test itself is usually sat in September of Year 6, and results come out in October, before the 31 October deadline for naming secondary schools.

Passing the test makes a child eligible rather than guaranteeing a place: when more children pass than there are places, Clitheroe Royal Grammar School ranks them by the criteria in its admissions policy, which can include test score and distance. Check Lancashire's admissions pages and the school's own policy for this year's registration deadline - a child who is not registered in time cannot sit the test.

Lancashire has 4 state grammar schools in all, so a child who passes may have several selective schools to choose between.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Clitheroe Royal Grammar School are Ribblesdale School (0.5 miles, Good, Attainment 8 41.9); Bowland High (2.9 miles, Good, Attainment 8 48.4); and St Augustine's Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy (4.4 miles, Good, Attainment 8 45).

Clitheroe Royal Grammar School's 2026 results were higher than all 3 of them.

Of the 150 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 99% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 11% to a further education college.

Of the 314 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 59% went on to university or other higher education, 7% to apprenticeships and 19% into work. 37% went to one of the most selective third of universities.

9.8% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 7.5% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are White British (60%), Asian (30%) and Mixed (6%).

In 2026, 95 pupils (6.4%) received SEN support and 10 (0.7%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is autism.

The nearest railway station is Clitheroe Rail Station, about 390 metres away (roughly a 5-minute walk).

23 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Well Terrace, 50 metres away.

In 2024/25, Clitheroe Royal Grammar School issued 44 suspensions, 3 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to Clitheroe Royal Grammar School are Clitheroe Pendle Primary School (0.2 miles); Clitheroe Brookside Primary School (0.3 miles); St Michael and St John's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy (0.3 miles); and St James' Church of England Primary School, Clitheroe (0.6 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.