Northern
Groups
Oriel runs a group stage for every school in England, Scotland and Wales, where applicants preference groups before programmes; Northern Ireland has none. How the whole process runs.
Northern's own site opened its group preferencing on 12 March 2026 (Northern Foundation School, recruitment).
There are 8 groups in this school. This is the grouping system, by the programmes each group holds.
- South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust93
- The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust92
- County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust78
- Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust76
- South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust64
- North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust56
- North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust47
- Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust42
Local policy, pre-allocation and linked applications
Pre-allocated applicants are also pre-allocated to a group or programme.
Linked applications are honoured, but the link ends once allocation to the school is confirmed.
Linked medical schools: Newcastle University, University of Sunderland.
Places it covers include Bishop Auckland, Carlisle, Darlington, Durham, Gateshead, Hartlepool, High Heaton, Middlesbrough, Newcastle, Northallerton, Northumberland, Northumbria, South Tyneside, Stockton-on-Tees, Sunderland, Tees, Whitehaven; UKFPO says the list is not exhaustive. Source: UKFPO, Northern Foundation School, read 14 September 2026.
Trusts, by the programmes that rotate through them
10 trusts and 127 sites.
- Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust104
- South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust93
- Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust92
- County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust78
- Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust78
- Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust76
- South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust64
- North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust56
- North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust47
- Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust45

