Year 8 Admissions
Admissions to RSD
The majority of pupils enter RSD in Year 8 having sat the Common Entrance Assessment (CEA) in Primary 7. Some pupils join the school in Years 9, 10 and 11 if places are available. Entry to Sixth Form is also possible and there is a separate admissions process for pupils seeking places in Year 13.
RSD is usually oversubscribed so it is important to contact the school as early as possible if you are seeking a place. This is particularly important for Boarding places, the majority of which are allocated around 10-12 months in advance of a boarder joining the school. RSD operates a Waiting List and we keep in contact with prospective pupils’ families to help guide applicants through the process.
If you would like to apply for a place at RSD and need some help with the admissions process, then feel free to contact us. We will be glad to help.
Helping you with Admissions
RSD uses the Common Entrance Assessment, administered by AQE, as a transfer test for pupils seeking to join the school in Year 8.
Full details can be viewed on their website.
The information below is provided to help guide parents and pupils through the transfer process. If you need help with any aspect of the admissions process, then please feel free to contact us for further guidance.
Key Dates 2020-21
Revised Dates for AQE Tests for 2020/21
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Registration Closing Date:
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Friday 9 October 2020
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- Revised Test Dates:
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Saturday 9 January 2021*
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Saturday 16 January 2021*
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Saturday 23 January 2021*
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- Results Issued:
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Saturday 6 March 2021
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*Please note that an additional 10 minutes will be added to the time given to the candidates for each of the three papers. (ie 60 to 70 minutes per test).
Key Events
Year 8 Admissions Criteria
P6 Open Evening
RSD’s P6 summer school
We hope that you like what you see at the Open Evening and decide to make RSD your choice after primary school. That means getting ready for the transfer test of course, officially known as the Common Entrance Assessment or CEA. Many pupils choose to do this each year and primary schools often help with clubs and support materials. We like to help also so RSD runs a summer school each June, aimed at helping pupils in P6 to familiarise themselves with the CEA and to practise some of the literacy and numeracy questions. RSD provides everything – the primary school teacher, the workbooks and the juice and biscuits! All you have to do is ring RSD and book a place.
RSD’s P7 autumn workshop
CEA Transfer Test Mornings
- Get here early – by 9.30 am at the latest
- Have your AQE card, 2 pencils and a rubber with you
- Go to the toilet before the test starts – you won’t be given additional time if you leave the test room for a few minutes
One thing that parents are sometimes concerned about is, “what will we do if something happens at the time of the test?” The most typical scenario is a pupil taking ill. There is a straightforward process to deal with this and you will receive full details at the Familiarisation Morning but the best advice is make sure you act at the time – gather evidence of what has happened (e.g. doctor’s note) and present this to RSD when applying. The RSD Admissions Committee looks at all such evidence and always tries to be as understanding and helpful as possible.
P7 Familiarisation Morning
Each year, on a Saturday morning in October of your P7 year, we run a Familiarisation Morning to help parents and pupils understand the transfer process and test, the CEA. The Examinations Officer explains the mechanics of how the test works and the Headmaster guides parents through the admissions process, including the key dates and how to fill in the transfer form. The boys and girls have a dry run of going to the rooms where the tests are held and they learn what the test paper will look like and how to approach completing their paper (though there is no test of course!). The whole event lasts around an hour, running from 10.00 – 11.00 am, the same timing as the actual test days. By the end of our morning together parents and pupils usually feel at ease with the process.
The information provided at this year’s Familiarisation morning can be viewed here: Notes from Familiarisation Day 2019.
P7 Open Mornings
Towards the end of January, we will invite parents and P7 pupils to come into RSD during the morning and to see the real school in operation. Unlike the P6 Open Evening, where there are lots of activities put on just for you, this is where you get to see what being a pupil at RSD is really like. The Headmaster will speak to parents and pupils for a short time and then you will be taken around the school by some of our current Year 8 pupils and prefects. You will be in small groups so you really do get a chance to see the school in action and what lessons are like day-to-day. We finish the morning together with refreshments and the opportunity for final questions ahead of receiving your test result and completing your transfer form. We hope you like what you see and choose RSD to be your next school!
RSD OPEN MORNINGS FOR P7 PARENTS AND PUPILS
22-24 JANUARY 2020 8.45am for 9.00am start – end 11.00am
(Parent / Guardian to accompany pupil)
GROUP 1 – WEDNESDAY 22 JANUARY |
Bush Primary |
The Cope Primary |
Cookstown Primary |
Killyman Primary |
Edenderry Primary (Banbridge) |
Hardy Memorial Primary |
Killylea Primary |
Richmond Primary |
Royal School Armagh Prep |
St Joseph’s Primary Antrim |
Churchill Primary |
Friends Prep Lisburn |
GROUP 2 – THURSDAY 23 JANUARY |
Howard Primary |
Maralin Village Primary |
Moy Regional Primary |
Portadown Integrated Primary |
Presentation Primary |
St Brendan’s Primary (Craigavon) |
St Patrick’s Primary (Dungannon) |
Dungannon |
Armstrong Primary |
GROUP 3 – FRIDAY 24 JANUARY |
Donaghey Primary School |
St Colman’s Bann Primary |
Stewartstown Primary |
Tandragee Primary |
Newmills Primary |
Walker Memorial Primary |
Waringstown Primary |
Windmill Integrated Primary |
Aughnacloy Regional Primary |
Churchill Primary |
Carrick Primary School Lurgan |
Armstrong Primary |
St Patrick’s Primary (Mullinahoe) |
St Joseph’s Primary (Antrim) |
St Mary’s Primary (Banbridge) |
St Patrick’s Primary (Armagh) |
Queen Elizabeth II Primary (Pomeroy) |
Donaghmore Primary |
Orchard County Primary |