Admissions Criteria

THE NUMBERS OF INTENDED ADMISSIONS AT FIRST YEAR IS 129 BOYS, SUBJECT TO THEIR PASSING THE COLLEGE’S ENTRANCE EXAMINATION, WHICH WILL CONSIST OF A STANDARDISED VERBAL REASONING TEST; AN ENGLISH EXAM; A MATHEMATICS EXAM. 

If the number of applicants achieving the required standard for entry exceeds the number of available places, then the following over-subscription criteria will apply in the following order to decide which pupils to admit.

OVERSUBSCRIPTION CRITERIA 

1. Baptised Roman Catholic boys who are designated ‘looked after children’; 

2. Baptised Roman Catholic boys who have a brother attending the school; 

3. Baptised Roman Catholic boys resident in the St Ambrose Deanery of the Shrewsbury Diocese or the Our Lady’s Deanery of the Salford Diocese; 

4. Other Baptised Roman Catholic boys; 

5. Other Boys who are designated ‘looked after children’; 

6. Baptised Christian boys who have a brother attending the school; 

7. Other Baptised Christian boys whose application is supported by a letter from a minister of Christian religion; 

8. Other boys whose application is supported by a minister of religion; 

9. Other boys. 

In the event of over-subscription within any one of the categories for First Year, priority will be given to those boys who achieved the highest marks in the entrance examination. In the event of over-subscription within any one of the categories for Lower Sixth, priority will be given to those boys who live closest to the school measured according to the system used by Trafford Borough Council. 


The nominated deaneries are the St Ambrose Deanery of the Shrewsbury Diocese and the Our Lady’s Deanery of the Salford Diocese. The parishes making up those deaneries are:

ST AMBROSE DEANERY St Vincent’s, Altrincham All Saints & St Margaret Ward, Ashton On Mersey Holy Angels, Hale Barns Our Lady Of Lourdes, Partington St Joseph’s, Sale Holy Family, Sale Moor St Hugh And St John, Timperley 

OUR LADY’S DEANERY English Martyrs, Whalley Range English Martyrs, Urmston Our Lady And St John, Chorlton Our Lady Of Perpetual Succour, Moss Side Our Lady Of The Rosary, Davyhulme St Alphonsus, Old Trafford St Ann, Stretford St Antony Of Padua, Trafford Park St Hugh Of Lincoln, Stretford St Monica, Flixton St Teresa, Firswood St Wilfrid’s, Hulme 

The definition of a Roman Catholic boy is a boy who has received the Roman Catholic sacraments of Baptism, Confession (Reconciliation) and Holy Communion. All applicants claiming to be Roman Catholics will be required to produce documentary evidence of reception of baptism when they complete the registration form to sit the entrance examination.

  • Saint Ambrose College Wicker Lane, Hale Barns, Altrincham WA15 0HE
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