Which are the best 2024 NORTHERN IRELAND schools near me for 2023 entry?

We cover the Top Northern Ireland schools League Table 2024 and associated useful 11 plus 2024 practice and 2024 11+ preparation materials.

Finding the best schools in Northern Ireland 2024?

Top 2024 schools in Northern Ireland

Lumen Christi College in Londonderry has been ranked as the leading Northern Ireland secondary school and is ranked 17th in the UK.

Which Northern Ireland school best suits your child’s needs? 

Ask ROB (expert test developer) your questions by emailing passedpapers@gmail.com

An Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society, Rob Williams is a Chartered Psychologist with over 25 years of experience working and designing tests.
Rob has worked for the school entrance test publishers ISEB, Hodder and GL Assessment.

How do I interpret the Top 2024 Northern Ireland schools’ league tables?

The London independent school league table rankings are based on the latest exam results. These are usually the previous independent school year group’s GCSE exam results and A-Level exam results.

Northern Ireland’s Ofsted Reports

What are Ofsted reports?

• Well firstly these are something that you must check for each indepdnet school of interest.
• Each Ofsted report is an analysis of that school’s teachers’ professional competence
• Plus, how well performance standards have been met across the independent school. There are three possible outcomes: under-achieving; achieving; or outstanding.

Northern Ireland’s education system is the envy of mainland Britain. Its 23 selective grammars in our rankings account for one in eight of the leading schools in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Its dominance could be even greater, as several schools elect not to share their results.

good schools Northern Ireland league table

Best state secondary schools Northern Ireland league table

1 Lumen Christi College, Londonderry
2 Our Lady and St Patrick’s College, Knock
3 Friends’ School Lisburn
4 Strathearn School, Belfast
5 Rathmore Grammar School, Belfast
6 Aquinas Diocesan Grammar School, Belfast
7 Rainey Endowed School, Magherafelt
8 Dalriada School, Ballymena
9 Methodist College Belfast
10 Banbridge Academy
11 The Wallace High School, Lisburn
12 Sullivan Upper School, Holywood
13 Regent House School, Newtownards
14 Antrim Grammar School
15 Enniskillen Royal Grammar School
16 Portadown College
17 Omagh Academy
18 Royal School Dungannon
19 Lurgan College, Craigavon

Looking for the top Northern Ireland schools?

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Ask ROB (expert test developer) your questions by emailing passedpapers@gmail.com

An Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society, Rob Williams is a Chartered Psychologist with over 25 years of experience working and designing tests.
Rob has worked for the school entrance test publishers ISEB and GL – as well as the leading global psychometric test publishers including SHL, Kenexa IBM, MBTI, CAPP and SOVA Assessment.

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How to apply for your Northern Ireland secondary school places

• Depending on your local authority you can submit between three and six school preferences; with Northern Ireland secondary school places allocated by the school’s governing body, an academy trust or the local authority.
• Each school will have its own admissions criteria, but within a national framework.
• Hence on Nothern Ireland’s secondary school offer day Northern Ireland parents will receive only one secondary school offer.

Best schools Northern Ireland league table

Rainey Endowed School

Rainey Endowed School, in Magherafelt, wa 2021 Northern Ireland Secondary School of the Decade..

The academic performance tells only half the story, however. What really catches the eye at this non-denominational school of about 750 children is the effort made by teachers to help them develop their world view. Pupils have contributed to projects in the slums of India and helped to build a school in Uganda. The children continue to support the Ugandan school with monthly donations as part of the Rainey’s outstanding record in community and charity fundraising, fostered by principal Neil McClements and his dedicated staff.

The Rainey faced stiff competition for our top award, not least from Lumen Christi College, in Derry. Top in Northern Ireland and 20th overall, the Catholic co-educational grammar was our Northern Ireland Secondary School of the Year last year and has been knocked off the top spot in our Northern Ireland rankings just twice in the past 17 years.

Top state secondary schools in Northern Ireland 

1 Firstly, Lumen Christi College, Londonderry
2 Secondly, Strathearn School, Belfast
3 Thirdly, Our Lady and St Patrick’s College, Knock
4 Fourthly, St Dominic’s Grammar School for Girls, Belfast
5 And then next, Ballyclare High School
6 Plus also, Rainey Endowed School, Magherafelt
7 Rathmore Grammar School, Belfast
8 Friends’ School Lisburn
9 Aquinas Diocesan Grammar School, Belfast
10 Ballymena Academy
11 Dalriada School, Ballymena
12 Banbridge Academy
13 Methodist College Belfast
14 Sullivan Upper School, Holywood
15 The Wallace High School, Lisburn
16 Portadown College
17 Antrim Grammar School
18 Enniskillen Royal Grammar School
19 Lurgan College, Craigavon
20 Omagh Academy

St Dominic’s Grammar School for Girls

This Northern Ireland school was ranked fourth in 2021. Located on the Falls Road, the front line during the Troubles, the Catholic school regularly achieves remarkable results that compare with the best in the UK, although it recruits from a wider ability range than most grammars and about a quarter of girls on its roll qualify for free school meals.

Where can I find the top Northern Ireland schools?

The Guardian, The Times and The Telegraph websites allow you to add filters to their published league tables. You can pull out those schools for which you are in the catchment area. Then compare your chosen school group on those criteria which are most important to you.

How do I interpret Northern Ireland school league tables?

• Firstly, the Northern Ireland school league table rankings are based on national key standards.
• Secondly, non-exam based criteria are also used to determine the rankings.
• And then finally, by conducting your own analysis to determine which school best suits your child’s specific needs.

Ofsted Reports for grammar schools

• Check the latest Ofsted report too. Each Ofsted report is an analysis of that school’s teachers’ professional competence  Plus, whether Ofsted’s performance standards have been met across the school. There are three possible outcomes: under-achieving; achieving; or outstanding.
• To search you put in the name of any school. You then can access its history of Ofsted inspections and their associated scores, percentage of Progress 8 success, etc.
• More refined searches are also recommended.

Looking for other top UK schools 2023?

Top Welsh schools 2023 and Top Scottish schools 2023.

Our Best West Midlands schools 2023 and good East Anglia schools 2023. Next, Best North East schools 2023.

And then Top Schools South East 2023 and top schools East Midlands 2023. Also, Best North West schools 2023; top Northern schools 2023 ; and best London schools 2023.

Finally, our top boys schools 2023 and top girls schools 2023 guides.