No catchment, no entrance exam — grades decide CRGS Sixth Form, with the full subject-by-subject GCSE table and the York Street site explained.
Book a Free ConsultationClitheroe Royal Grammar School (CRGS) runs a well-known competitive 11+ entrance exam for Year 7 entry, which leads many parents to assume its sixth form works the same way. It does not. The school's own admissions page states plainly that for Sixth Form entry there is no catchment area and no entrance examination: entry is decided entirely on GCSE grades, against a General Entry Requirement of a minimum of 4 GCSEs at grade 6 with at least grade 4 in GCSE English Language and Maths, plus any additional subject-specific bar for the individual A-Levels a student wants to study. "CRGS Sixth Form" also means a different building from the main school: it has exclusive use of the historic York Street site in central Clitheroe, distinct from the Chatburn Road site that teaches Years 7 to 11. This guide sets out the full subject-by-subject GCSE requirement table CRGS publishes for its 2026-entry A-Levels, corrects a live discrepancy in how the school's own grade requirement is reported elsewhere, and covers places, numbers, application dates and how rare a grammar-school sixth form actually is in Lancashire.
The single most important thing to settle before anything else on this page makes sense is that CRGS Sixth Form is not tested. The school's own sixth-form admissions page states this directly: "For Sixth Form entry, there is no catchment area and no entrance examination." That single sentence rules out both of the two things an 11+ family would reasonably expect to carry over from Year 7 entry — a geographic catchment area and a written test — and it is worth stating plainly because nothing on the school's own site flags it as a change from the Year 7 process; a reader has to already know to look for it.
In place of a test, CRGS applies a General Entry Requirement: "To be able to join the Sixth Form you must meet the General Entry Requirement of a minimum of 4 GCSEs at grade 6 with at least GCSE grade 4 in English Language and Maths." This is the baseline every applicant clears before any subject-specific requirement is considered. The school's own oversubscription criteria, set out in its most recently published admissions policy, reinforce the same picture from a different angle. Where eligible applications for Sixth Form places exceed the number available, priority runs through four tiers: students with a current Education, Health and Care Plan first, then looked-after children, then all students who applied before the published deadline (ranked by proximity to the school if that group is itself oversubscribed), then all students who applied after the deadline (again ranked by proximity). Nowhere in that four-tier list is there a catchment-area tier of the kind that governs Year 7 admission to the same school — the sixth form simply does not use one, even as a tie-break of last resort.
There is also no interview requirement published anywhere on CRGS's sixth-form pages. That is worth flagging explicitly because it is not true of every grammar school sixth form in this comparison set: some northern grammar schools run a compulsory interview stage at 16+ once GCSE grades clear the bar. CRGS's own published process, covered in full further down this page, has no such stage — a tour, an online application, an Options Meeting to discuss subject choices, an offer, and confirmation. Grades are the whole gate.
A new sixth-form student joining CRGS is not walking into the same building they would have sat GCSEs in. CRGS Sixth Form has exclusive use of the school's historic York Street site, close to the centre of Clitheroe. The school's own Facilities page describes it directly: "CRGS Sixth Form has exclusive use of our historic York Street site, close to the centre of Clitheroe. The facilities include a dedicated Art Studio, Lecture Theatre, Conference Room, Library, all-day catering facilities and specialist teaching areas including 6 Science Laboratories." Years 7 to 11 study at a separate site entirely — the school's own homepage confirms this in one line: "Students in Years 7-11 study at our Chatburn Road site."
Sport is the one activity that runs the other way. Sixth-form sports facilities sit at the Chatburn Road main-school site, not York Street: "Our dedicated sports facilities are located at our Main School site on Chatburn Road. The facilities include a large Sports Hall, a 3G all-weather pitch, hard tennis courts, netball courts, hockey and football pitches." Sixth formers taking Physical Education, or any student contributing to sports coaching, are expected to travel to and use the Chatburn Road site for that specifically, even though their academic base is York Street.
This is not just a facilities description — it is formally written into how the school decides between applicants. CRGS's admissions policy defines exactly which building "nearest" is measured against for proximity tie-breaks, and it differs by year group: "Nearest will be defined in terms of straight line distance between the candidate's home front door and the front entrance of the school; the Chatburn Road site in the case of applicants to years 7 to 11 and the York Street site in the case of applicants to the Sixth Form." A family whose home sits closer to one site than the other could genuinely be ranked differently depending on which stage of the school they are applying to.
Independent confirmation comes from outside the school entirely. Lancashire County Council's own directory of Lancashire sixth forms lists the school under a distinct, formal name and its own postcode: "Clitheroe Royal Grammar School Sixth Form Centre York Street Clitheroe BB7 2DJ Tel: 01200 423118 Email: sixthform@crgs.org.uk" — a different address entirely from how the main school is referenced elsewhere. Even the school's own Computer Science Subject Information Sheet confirms the split from a completely unrelated angle, describing IT facilities as: "The computer rooms at the Sixth Form's York Street site contain networked computers running Windows 11 and MS Office as standard." Three separate primary sources, describing three unrelated things — facilities, admissions policy and IT kit — all independently agree on the same two-site structure.
This is the single most useful thing CRGS publishes and the thing no competing page assembles in one place. On top of the General Entry Requirement above, CRGS issues an individual, dated Subject Information Sheet for each A-Level subject, and most carry their own additional GCSE bar. The table below reproduces every subject-specific requirement sourced directly from the school's own 2026-entry Subject Information Sheets.
| A-Level subject | GCSE requirement (on top of the General Entry Requirement) |
|---|---|
| Mathematics | Grade 6 or above in GCSE Mathematics |
| Further Mathematics | Grade 7 or above in GCSE Mathematics; must also take A-Level Mathematics |
| Biology | 2 GCSEs Dual Science at grade 6+ (both), or Biology and Chemistry at grade 6+ (higher tier), plus GCSE Maths at grade 5+ |
| Chemistry | 2 GCSEs Combined Science at grade 6+ (both), or Chemistry at grade 6+, plus GCSE Maths at grade 6+ |
| Physics | Physics at grade 6+ and another Science at grade 6+ (or 2 GCSEs Combined Science at grade 6+, both), plus GCSE Maths at grade 6+; A-Level Maths not compulsory but strongly advised |
| Computer Science | At least grade 6 in GCSE Mathematics; no prior Computing or ICT qualification required |
| Economics | No previous subject knowledge required beyond the General Entry Requirement |
| Business | No previous subject knowledge required beyond the General Entry Requirement |
| English Language | GCSE English Language and English Literature both at grade 5 or above |
| History | Grade 5 or above in GCSE History |
| Geography | At least grade 5 in GCSE Geography |
| Psychology | 2 GCSEs Combined Science at grade 5+ (both), or GCSE Biology at grade 5+ |
| Art and Design | Minimum of grade 5 GCSE in Art and Design |
| Physical Education | 2 GCSEs Combined Science at grade 5+, or Biology at grade 5+, or Physics at grade 5+; must already be regularly competing or coaching in an approved sport outside school and commit to continuing this throughout the two-year course |
Two patterns stand out. First, the sciences and Mathematics-adjacent subjects — Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Computer Science — all carry a supporting GCSE Mathematics grade on top of their own subject requirement, at grade 5 or grade 6 depending on the subject. Second, Economics and Business are the most open subjects on the table: both state explicitly that no previous subject knowledge is required beyond the General Entry Requirement, which matters for students who have not studied either at GCSE and are considering them fresh at A-Level. Physical Education is the one subject on the table with a non-academic condition attached: alongside its science-linked GCSE bar, a candidate must already be regularly competing or coaching in an approved sport outside school and commit to continuing throughout the two-year course — a requirement no other subject on this table carries.
These figures are drawn from the school's current, live 2026-entry Subject Information Sheets, each a separate dated PDF under crgs.org.uk. An older, now-superseded entry-requirements document still appears in search results for this school; it predates the current sheets by well over a decade and is not used as a source anywhere on this page. Because the General Entry Requirement itself is stated as ongoing policy on the school's admissions page, while the individual subject sheets are dated to the current cycle, families applying for the cycle after the one described in the dates section below should confirm each subject's specific bar is unchanged via the same Subject Information Sheet URLs before finalising A-Level choices.
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Book a Free Consultation Message us on WhatsAppCRGS's own admissions page states there are over 660 students in the Sixth Form, all of whom study A-Levels. That is a substantial cohort for a Lancashire market town, and it draws well beyond Clitheroe itself: the school welcomes students from over 45 secondary schools every year, with its own admissions page naming a specific catchment of feeder towns — "the Ribble Valley, Longridge, Preston, Blackburn, Darwen, Accrington, Burnley, Nelson, Colne, Barnoldswick and beyond" — served by public transport, with financial help available through the school's Bursary Fund depending on family circumstances.
One figure the school publishes but that no third-party guide states is its own external-intake target. The school's most recently published admissions policy sets out: "The school has a target figure of 235 students from outside the school to join existing Clitheroe Royal Grammar School students who wish to continue into the Sixth Form each year." That 235 is specifically the number of new external applicants the school is aiming to admit each year, on top of existing CRGS Year 11 students who continue automatically into their own sixth form — two different populations that together make up the 660+ total cohort.
For contrast, Year 7 entry to the same school runs on a fixed and much smaller number. The same admissions policy document states: "The number of intended admissions to year 7 is 180." That Published Admission Number of 180 is capped and processed through the school's separate 11+ catchment and entrance-exam route, covered in full on our own CRGS 11+ preparation guide. The sixth form's 235-a-year external target, uncapped by any catchment tier and open to applicants from over 45 different secondary schools, is a genuinely different scale and shape of admissions process from the one that governs Year 7 at the same school.
Every application date CRGS has published on its live site belongs to the September 2026 intake, and as of this page's research in mid-August 2026, that intake has already closed. The school's own admissions page states this directly: "Admissions for September 2026 entry have now closed." Families wanting the next cycle are told to email the school directly to join a waiting list, and this page treats that closed date as historical context rather than a live deadline anyone can still act on.
| Step | What happens |
|---|---|
| 1. Sixth Form Tour | Prospective students and families visit the York Street site |
| 2. Apply online | Application submitted for the relevant September entry |
| 3. Options Meeting | A one-to-one, informal discussion about A-Level subject choices, held January to March |
| 4. Receive an Offer and Find Out More | Offer issued based on the General Entry Requirement and subject-specific GCSE bars |
| 5. Confirm Your Place | Place confirmed ahead of September entry |
Students are initially asked to choose four A-Level subjects in order of preference. The school's own admissions page is candid about how this typically narrows: "virtually all students start with 4 A Levels, with most students deciding to focus on their three chosen subjects after a few months." The Options Meeting, held between January and March after a student has applied, is where subject choices are discussed one-to-one before an offer is made.
One detail worth flagging for families planning ahead: CRGS's most recently determined sixth-form admissions policy is already dated "Determined September 2027", covering the cycle that follows the one that has just closed, with its last public consultation recorded as December 2024. The school has, in other words, already published the governing policy framework one cycle ahead of the intake that starts within weeks of this research — useful context, but not a substitute for the school's own live news page for exact tour dates and the next application window. General enquiries for the Sixth Form go to sixthformadmissions@crgs.org.uk or 01200 423118.
CRGS is often described loosely as "one of the few" grammar schools in the area, and that claim is checkable against the official register rather than taken on trust. GOV.UK's Get Information about Schools register, filtered to Lancashire local authority with an admissions policy of "Selective", returns exactly 10 open establishments. Of those 10, only 4 are recorded at Secondary phase of education as free, state-funded schools: Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School, Clitheroe Royal Grammar School, Lancaster Girls' Grammar School and Lancaster Royal Grammar School. The remaining 6 establishments in that filtered result are tagged "Not applicable" phase and are independent, fee-paying schools, mostly independent special schools rather than free grammar places.
One entry in that filtered list is worth a specific note of caution. Kirkham Grammar School carries "Grammar" in its name and is itself tagged "Selective" admissions policy on the same GOV.UK register, but its own establishment type is recorded as "Other independent school" — a fee-paying school, not a free state-selective place. A name containing "Grammar" does not, by itself, mean a family can apply for a free place there the way they can at CRGS; the GOV.UK record's type field is the reliable signal, not the school's name.
Independent confirmation comes from Lancashire County Council's own public directory of sixth forms, which lists the same four schools — Lancaster Girls' Grammar School, Lancaster Royal Grammar School, Clitheroe Royal Grammar School and Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School — as the grammar-school sixth forms across its combined Lancaster/Morecambe/Wyre/Fylde and Hyndburn/Ribble Valley/Burnley/Pendle/Rossendale admission areas. Two independent sources, checked separately, land on the identical figure of four: a real, sourced number rather than the vague "one of the few" phrasing most guides use.
For reference, CRGS's own GOV.UK record shows URN 136390, local authority Lancashire (888), an age range of 11 to 18, a school capacity of 1,613 against a roll of 1,496 pupils, and 93 pupils (11.1%) eligible for free school meals, under academy converter status as a single-academy trust. Families researching CRGS's Year 7 entry route separately can find the full 11+ process, including exam format and catchment tiers, on our CRGS 11+ preparation guide. For A-Level subject support once a sixth-form place is confirmed, our A-Level tuition programmes cover the sciences and Mathematics that carry the highest grade requirements on CRGS's own table, and our university tuition pages support the step beyond sixth form.
No. Clitheroe Royal Grammar School's own admissions page states plainly: "For Sixth Form entry, there is no catchment area and no entrance examination." That is a genuinely different position from the school's Year 7 route, which runs a competitive 11+ exam, so it is a reasonable but wrong assumption that the sixth form works the same way. Entry at 16+ is decided entirely on GCSE grades against the General Entry Requirement, plus any subject-specific GCSE bar for the individual A-Levels a student wants to study. There is no interview requirement published either, which sets CRGS apart from some other northern grammar school sixth forms that do interview at 16+.
The General Entry Requirement, stated on the school's own admissions page, is a minimum of 4 GCSEs at grade 6, with at least a grade 4 in GCSE English Language and a grade 4 in GCSE Maths. This is the baseline every applicant must clear regardless of which A-Levels they intend to study. On top of it, most individual A-Level subjects at CRGS carry their own additional GCSE bar in that specific subject, published in the school's Subject Information Sheets, so the practical requirement for any one student depends on their chosen subject combination, not the general figure alone.
No. CRGS Sixth Form has exclusive use of the school's historic York Street site in the centre of Clitheroe, with its own Art Studio, Lecture Theatre, Conference Room, Library, all-day catering and six science laboratories. Years 7 to 11 are taught at the separate Chatburn Road site. The split is formal, not just descriptive: the school's own admissions policy defines proximity tie-breaks against the Chatburn Road site for Years 7-11 applicants but against the York Street site specifically for Sixth Form applicants, and Lancashire County Council's own directory lists the sixth form under a distinct name and postcode, BB7 2DJ, separate from the main school address.
Mathematics needs grade 6 or above in GCSE Mathematics, on top of the General Entry Requirement; Further Mathematics needs grade 7 or above, and students taking it must also take A-Level Mathematics. Biology needs two GCSEs in Dual Science at grade 6 or above (or grade 6 or above in both Biology and Chemistry), plus GCSE Maths at grade 5 or above. Chemistry needs the same science route at grade 6, plus GCSE Maths at grade 6 or above. Physics needs GCSE Physics at grade 6 plus another Science GCSE at grade 6, plus GCSE Maths at grade 6; A-Level Maths alongside it is not compulsory but is strongly advised by the school.
There are over 660 students in CRGS Sixth Form, all studying A-Levels, drawn from more than 45 secondary schools each year. The school's own admissions policy sets a target of 235 students from outside the school joining each year, alongside existing CRGS students continuing from Year 11 — a figure the school itself publishes but that no third-party guide states. For comparison, Year 7 entry to the same school is capped at a fixed Published Admission Number of 180 places, run through a separate 11+ catchment process; the sixth form is both larger and structured completely differently.
Yes, as of this page's research in August 2026, CRGS's own admissions page confirms: "Admissions for September 2026 entry have now closed." Families wanting the next cycle are directed to email sixthformadmissions@crgs.org.uk to join the waiting list. The school's published process runs in five steps: a Sixth Form Tour, applying online, an Options Meeting held between January and March to discuss A-Level subject choices, receiving an offer, then confirming a place. Students typically start by choosing four A-Level subjects, with most narrowing to three after a few months.
Yes, and the real number is four, not a vague "one of the few". GOV.UK's Get Information about Schools register, filtered to Lancashire local authority with a "Selective" admissions policy, returns 10 establishments in total, but only 4 are free, state-funded schools at Secondary phase: Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School, Clitheroe Royal Grammar School, Lancaster Girls' Grammar School and Lancaster Royal Grammar School. The other 6 are independent, fee-paying schools. Kirkham Grammar School carries "Grammar" in its name and is also tagged "Selective" on the same register, but its type is recorded as an independent fee-paying school, not a free state grammar place.
No, and this is worth checking directly rather than trusting a secondary source. Wikipedia's CRGS entry, and at least one competitor school-guide site, both still state the sixth-form entry bar in the previous A*-G scale — "five grade Bs at GCSE, with at least a Grade C in English Language and Mathematics". CRGS's own current site, on its admissions page and repeated across every 2026-entry Subject Information Sheet, states the requirement exclusively in today's 9-1 scale: a minimum of 4 GCSEs at grade 6, with at least grade 4 in English Language and Maths. A parent relying on the older figure would be checking their child's results against a scale the school no longer uses.
Our specialist tutors help GCSE students meet CRGS's General Entry Requirement and the specific per-subject grades needed for Mathematics, the sciences and every other A-Level on the school's table, then support A-Level study once a place at York Street is confirmed. See our CRGS 11+ page if you are researching a younger sibling's application.
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