Tutoring Franchise Northern Ireland

Few places in the UK put as much weight on a single test at age ten or eleven as Northern Ireland. Each November, P7 pupils across the region sit the transfer test that most grammar schools use to choose their intake, and preparation often starts a year or more earlier. That makes a tutoring franchise in Northern Ireland a proposition built on primary-age demand first, with GCSE and A-level support following later.

Success Tutoring has announced the United Kingdom as an international market. There are no territories drawn in Northern Ireland yet, and the company is looking for franchise partners to open the first centres.

The Northern Ireland school system

Education is devolved to the Department of Education in Northern Ireland, and schools are inspected by the Education and Training Inspectorate (ETI). The curriculum and most exams are managed by CCEA, the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment.

Children start Primary 1 the September after they turn four, which is earlier than in England, and spend seven years in primary school. The Northern Ireland Curriculum runs through a Foundation Stage and Key Stages 1 to 3, with literacy and numeracy at the centre.

The school estate is distinctive:

• Controlled schools, managed by the Education Authority and mainly attended by children from Protestant backgrounds.
• Maintained schools, Catholic schools under the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools.
• Integrated schools, which educate children of all backgrounds together, and a growing Irish-medium sector.
• Grammar schools, many of them voluntary grammars with long histories, which select most pupils on transfer test results.

At 16, pupils sit GCSEs, many set by CCEA and graded on a nine-point scale from A* to G, with a C* grade. A-levels follow in Years 13 and 14.

The transfer test and why it shapes demand

For many years Northern Ireland had two rival unregulated tests, but since 2023 most grammar schools have used a single common test run by the Schools' Entrance Assessment Group (SEAG). It is sat over two Saturdays in November of P7, with two papers covering English and maths, and more than 60 post-primary schools use the results. Around 13,000 children sat the first paper in 2025, according to news reports.

Because the stakes are high and the content is English and maths, parents start preparing in P5 or P6. Tuition for the test is mainstream rather than a niche, and it is a major driver of demand for out-of-school learning in the region. A weekly membership in the two core subjects fits that pattern closely, building the skills steadily instead of cramming.

After transfer, demand continues for GCSE English and Maths, for pupils who moved into grammar schools and want to keep up, and for pupils in non-selective schools aiming for sixth-form places.

Where the opportunity is

Northern Ireland has a population of about 1.9 million, according to the 2021 Census (NISRA). The strongest early catchments are likely to be:

• Greater Belfast, including south and east Belfast, Castlereagh, Newtownabbey and Holywood. See the Belfast page.
• Lisburn, a city with well-regarded grammar schools and steady house building.
• North Down, around Bangor.
• Derry~Londonderry, the north-west's main city, with its own cluster of grammar schools.
• Craigavon, Portadown and Lurgan in County Armagh.

Territories across the region would be drawn with their partners.

Running a Success Tutoring centre in Northern Ireland

Support for partners here may span site selection, leasing and fit-out for a retail-style centre, tutor recruitment and online tutor training, learning resources, and marketing support around the launch of a new centre, with ongoing support from head office. What that support covers is set out in the franchise agreement and disclosure documents.

You do not need to be a teacher. You will need to recruit tutors who know the transfer test and CCEA courses, and to have AccessNI checks and safeguarding in place for everyone working with children.

Frequently asked questions

Is the transfer test still split between AQE and GL?

No. Since 2023 most grammar schools in Northern Ireland have used the single SEAG common test, taken in P7.

How are franchises regulated in Northern Ireland?

Northern Ireland, like the rest of the UK, has no franchise-specific legislation. Agreements are governed by general contract law, and the British Franchise Association sets voluntary ethical standards. Seek independent legal advice before you sign.

Does Success Tutoring prepare children for the transfer test?

Success Tutoring focuses on English and Mathematics, the two subjects the transfer test covers. Programmes are set around each child's year group and level.

Are any Success Tutoring centres open in Northern Ireland?

Not yet. Partners here would open the first.

Read the UK tutoring franchise guide, then look at launch support and the investment schedule.