Area guide · England
Trafford grammar schools: how it works and its 7 schools
Unverified: the dates and scores on this page come from desk research of council, school and test organiser pages (medium confidence), and each links to its source. Admissions rules change every year: confirm them with your council and the school before you rely on them.
Key dates for September 2027 entry
- Register for the test
- 23 April 2026 to 19 June 2026
- Test date
- 14 September 2026
- Results sent to families
- Not yet available
- Apply to your council
- By 31 October 2026 (September 2027 entry). Passing the test is not an application: you must also name the school on your council's application form. This date has passed: late applications go to your council and are usually considered after on-time ones.
- National offer day
- 1 March 2027
Consortium (Altrincham Boys/Girls, Sale, Stretford, Urmston) use one GL test on 14 Sep. Results mid-October by email (no exact date). Loreto Grammar runs own process: registration 27 Jun-31 Jul 2026, test 18 Sep. Late applications only in exceptional circumstances. Sources are tuition guides.
Sources: leadingtuition.co.uk, atomlearning.com. Statutory dates: School Admissions Code.
Schools
| School | Gender | First choices per place | Qualifying score | Latest published offer data | Children from outside the catchment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Altrincham Grammar School for Boys Bowdon | Boys | 1.4 (2026) | standardised score 334 or above (for Sept 2026 entry) | Sept 2026 entry
| Sometimes For September 2026 entry, boys living outside the priority admission area who score 334 or more are considered after in-area boys, in order of test score. Up to 10 places are also set aside for Pupil Premium boys at Trafford state primary schools wherever they live (score 324 or more). |
| Altrincham Grammar School for Girls Bowdon | Girls | 1.3 (2026) | standardised score 334 or above (for Sept 2026 entry) | Sept 2026 entry
| Sometimes Girls outside the radius ranked after those within it |
| Loreto Grammar School Altrincham | Girls | 1.6 (2026) | standardised score 334 or above (for Sept 2026 entry) | – | Yes For September 2026 entry, other baptised Roman Catholic girls (from anywhere) come next, then girls of other baptised denominations, then all other girls. Within each group Pupil Premium girls come first, then the highest marks. |
| Saint Ambrose College Hale Barns, Altrincham | Boys | 1.5 (2026) | standardised score 334 or above (for Sept 2026 entry) | – | Yes For September 2026 entry, other baptised Catholic boys from anywhere come straight after the local-area group, followed by other Christian and then other boys, all ranked by Pupil Premium and then test marks. Boys must pass the entrance exam. |
| Sale Grammar School Sale | Mixed | 1.3 (2026) | standardised score 334 or above (for Sept 2026 entry) | Sept 2026 entry
| Yes Out-of-area candidates are offered places by score threshold (364 in 2024, 353 in 2025, 373 in 2026). Trafford says the school is not oversubscribed by catchment children. |
| Stretford Grammar School Stretford | Mixed | 1.5 (2026) | standardised score 334 or above (for Sept 2026 entry) | Sept 2026 entry
| Sometimes Trafford's advice for Sale residents says Stretford Grammar is not currently oversubscribed by children in the catchment area. Offers reached Category 7 in 2024 and 2026. |
| Urmston Grammar Academy Urmston | Mixed | 1.4 (2026) | standardised score 334 or above (for Sept 2026 entry) | Sept 2026 entry
| Yes For September 2026 entry, the 20 highest-scoring children get places wherever they live, and 10 places go to the highest-scoring Pupil Premium children regardless of distance. Children outside M41 and M31 are then offered any remaining distance places after M41 and M31 children. |
A qualifying score makes a child eligible; places then go by each school's oversubscription rules (often distance, catchment or score order), so the lowest score offered can be well above it. Offer data shows the last child offered a place in each group in that intake; it does not mean every child at that score or distance got a place. First choices per place: DfE applications and offers (official), latest intake. Qualifying scores, offer data and catchment rules: research, with sources and caveats on each school's page. "–" means not yet available.