What is a band, and is Band 1 good?

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SEAG puts every child into one of six bands by where their TSAS sits among all the children who sat that year. Band 1 is the top 40%. Bands 2, 3, 4 and 5 are the next 10% each. Band 6 is the bottom 20%. The percentages are fixed. SEAG says the TSAS each band needs may vary slightly from year to year. In recent years, from Statements parents have shared, it has been about 207 for Band 1, 200 for Band 2, 193 for Band 3, 185 for Band 4 and 175 for Band 5.

In 2026, Bangor Grammar filled all 135 places by score. The lowest score taken was 186, and 4 children tied on the last place, decided by a draw. In 2026, Sullivan Upper took its first 120 places by score, down to 217. The last 30 places went to children between 201 and 216 who met its other criteria (free school meals, prep, siblings, feeder schools).

Schools use the result in different ways. Take two made-up schools. School A lines every applicant up by TSAS, highest first, and offers places down the list until it's full: if its last place went to 205, a child on 204 misses out. School B takes everyone in Band 1 first, then Band 2, and so on. Inside a band it uses its other rules, such as a brother or sister at the school or being the eldest child, with a random draw at the very end, so at School B a child on 230 and a child on 208, both in Band 1, are treated the same. Each school's own criteria say which way it works: you'll find them on the Education Authority's Search Admissions Criteria page.