The 11+ in Lancashire and Cumbria

There’s no shared test here: each grammar school runs its own, and families register with each one. Lancaster Royal and Bacup and Rawtenstall use GL Assessment’s papers; Lancaster Girls’, Clitheroe Royal and Queen Elizabeth, Penrith use FSCE’s.

At a glance

The test: Each school's own 11+ entrance test (there is no single shared test)
Set by: GL Assessment (Lancaster Royal Grammar School, Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School) and FSCE (Lancaster Girls' Grammar School, Clitheroe Royal Grammar School, Queen Elizabeth Grammar School Penrith)
Subjects: English, maths, verbal reasoning
Answers: Some multiple choice, some written, depending on the paper
Who sits it: Clitheroe Royal Grammar School: 458 candidates applied for 180 places in the 2025 round (school admissions handbook, February 2026). No figures found for the other schools.

The papers

No common paper: Clitheroe says Lancashire's four grammar schools normally test on the same day but do not all use the same test. GL schools: Lancaster Royal Grammar School sets three papers (verbal reasoning, mathematics, English), age-standardised and multiple choice on machine-read answer sheets, with no non-verbal reasoning; Bacup and Rawtenstall sets the same three GL subjects. FSCE schools: Lancaster Girls' and Clitheroe sit one FSCE test shared with Ermysted's Grammar School and Skipton Girls' High School (both in North Yorkshire): two papers, each with English and maths questions on the KS2 curriculum up to the end of Year 5, typically 45 to 60 minutes each; at Clitheroe paper 1 is multiple choice and paper 2 short written answers; no non-verbal reasoning. Queen Elizabeth Grammar School Penrith has its own FSCE test: in 2026 three papers, Adventure (about 1 hour), Beacon (about 40 minutes) and Compass (about 35 minutes), Adventure and Compass multiple choice; FSCE says its content may draw on any KS2 subject.

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Dates, results and scores

When is the 11+ in Lancashire and Cumbria?

The 2027 test: not published yet. The 2026 test: Saturday 26 September 2026 at Lancaster Royal, Lancaster Girls', Clitheroe Royal and Bacup and Rawtenstall (each at its own school); Queen Elizabeth Grammar School Penrith on Thursday 17 September 2026. Lancaster Royal boarding applicants can also sit on Wednesday 20 January 2027.

How do you register for the 11+ in Lancashire and Cumbria?

For the 2027 test (2028 entry): Not yet published. Bacup and Rawtenstall says registration for its September 2027 test opens in late April 2027. For the 2026 test (2027 entry): Register with each school: Lancaster Royal Grammar School Monday 13 April to Monday 7 September 2026; Clitheroe Royal Grammar School 12 noon Monday 1 June to 12 noon Friday 4 September 2026; Lancaster Girls' Grammar School Monday 1 June to 12 noon Wednesday 9 September 2026; Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School open by May 2026, closing 12 noon Monday 14 September 2026; Queen Elizabeth Grammar School Penrith Friday 1 May to Sunday 12 July 2026.

When do 11+ results come out in Lancashire and Cumbria?

For the 2026 test: Lancaster Royal Grammar School Tuesday 6 October 2026; Clitheroe Royal Grammar School by 12 noon Friday 9 October 2026; Lancaster Girls' Grammar School by Saturday 17 October 2026; Bacup and Rawtenstall before the 31 October application deadline. Places are offered by the local authority on Monday 1 March 2027.

What score qualifies in Lancashire and Cumbria?

No fixed pass mark is published in advance; each school sets its standard after the test, and reaching it does not guarantee a place. Lancaster Royal: a minimum level set each year by the Admissions Committee, then boys are ranked by aggregate score within priority categories (looked after and pupil premium boys considered down to 5% below the minimum). Lancaster Girls': standardised scores are combined and ranked and a pass mark is set for each cohort (looked after and pupil premium girls considered down to 5% below it). Clitheroe: the two age-standardised FSCE scores (each averaging 100) are added and compared with a required standard set each year, then ranked within catchment and pupil premium categories. Bacup and Rawtenstall: a qualifying score, then ranking by overall mark within Area 1 and Area 2 primary school priorities. Queen Elizabeth Penrith: a required standard; 32 of its 160 places (20%) go by ranked aggregate score, the rest by its oversubscription criteria (siblings, 10 pupil premium places, staff, catchment, distance).

Not confirmed yet

No official page found for a 'Lancashire and Cumbria Consortium of Selective Schools'; each school's own documents describe separate tests. The FSCE documents treat Lancaster Girls', Clitheroe, Ermysted's and Skipton Girls' High School as one consortium (labelled LCSE; what the letters stand for was not found).
Exact opening date of Bacup and Rawtenstall's 2026 registration (an archived school page from 16 May 2026 shows it was already open).
Results dates for Bacup and Rawtenstall (only 'before 31 October') and Queen Elizabeth Penrith.
Any 2026 pass mark or qualifying score number for any of the five schools (none is published).
Number of children sitting the tests, except Clitheroe's 458 applicants in 2025.
Lancaster Royal's booklet gives the local authority deadline as Friday 30 October 2026; Lancashire County Council gives Saturday 31 October 2026.
2027 test dates and 2028-entry registration windows for all five schools.

Check these on the official page: lancashire.gov.uk/schools-and-education/school-admissions/starting-secondary-school

Good to know

Reviews

Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School only: parents of a child who did not reach the required standard can request a review by the school's admissions committee, which considers the standardised score, the invigilator's report and special circumstances; a successful review counts as reaching the standard. Clitheroe may ask the primary school for information about borderline candidates.

Late testing and moving to the area

Lancaster Royal tests late applicants with extenuating circumstances (for example a family that has just moved in) on a convenient date, and holds a boarders' test on Wednesday 20 January 2027. Clitheroe assesses children who move into the area after its closing date. Lancaster Girls' does not accept late registration unless the Equality Act 2010 requires it, but gives an alternative date for proven illness on the day. Queen Elizabeth Penrith holds a late test within a couple of weeks for registered children who missed the main test, and a post-allocation test in February 2027 for refused late registrations.

Who runs admissions

Each school (all academies) is its own admission authority and runs its own test registration; Lancashire County Council co-ordinates offers for the four Lancashire schools (common application form by Saturday 31 October 2026) and Westmorland and Furness Council for Queen Elizabeth Grammar School Penrith (SA3 form by 31 October 2026).

Grammar schools in Lancashire and Cumbria

Each school sets its own admissions rules: check its admissions policy for places and priority areas.

School	Town	Takes
Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School website	Rossendale	Mixed
Clitheroe Royal Grammar School website	Clitheroe	Mixed
Lancaster Girls' Grammar School website	Lancaster	Girls
Lancaster Royal Grammar School website	Lancaster	Boys, mixed sixth form
Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Penrith website	Penrith	Mixed

Sources

Every fact here comes from the official pages below. Dates and scores change from year to year, so check them there before you rely on them.

Checked 2 November 2026.

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