Introduction
There are six grammar schools in Yorkshire split across three Local Authorities. Most of them use different 11 Plus exams but share one common feature – they’re all highly sought after by local families, leading to intense competition for places.
The consistent record of high academic achievement at these schools emphasises the quality of education provided by them, underlining their dedication to educational excellence. Grammar schools in Yorkshire are as follows:
Calderdale
⦿ North Halifax Grammar School
⦿ Crossley Heath Grammar School
Kirklees
North Yorkshire
Students at these schools typically achieve exceptional examination results, which ensures their seamless progression into further education and paves the way for exploration of a diverse range of study areas.
⬇️ Read on to learn more about these schools’ exams and admissions process!
11 Plus (11+) Exam Information for Yorkshire Grammar Schools
Attending one of Yorkshire’s grammar schools provides students with a variety of possibilities for future university study, highlighting the vast opportunities these institutions can offer.
The thorough admissions procedures adopted by Yorkshire’s schools aim to ensure each admitted student is suitable for their educational environment and enriching academic programmes. Further information about their admissions procedures can be found in the following sections of this article:
Common Application Form (CAF) closing date: October
Exam date: September
Exam board type: GL Assessment
Pass mark: Aim for 80%+ in our practice tests. See below for more details.
Results date: October
Allocations date: March
Admissions info: Calderdale Council, Kirklees Council, North Yorkshire Council
Yorkshire Grammar Schools 11 Plus Admissions
To be considered for a Year 7 place at a Yorkshire grammar school, your child must pass the eleven plus exam. The schools encourage prospective families to attend open events during the academic year. Attending these will help you acquire additional information about the admissions process. There will also be an opportunity to tour the facilities and meet members of staff.
Please note that, as part of the admissions process for Year 7 entry to grammar schools in Yorkshire, you will be asked to register your child for entry and to complete preference forms, indicating their preferred schools in ranked order. Read on to learn more!
How to Register for the Yorkshire Grammar Schools 11 Plus Exam
Year 7 admission to any of the Yorkshire grammar schools depends, to a great extent, on 11+ exam results. Your child must be registered with the Local Authority (LA) before the October closing date, but you must also remember to register them using the online form available on each of the schools’ websites:
⦿ Crossley Heath Grammar School
⦿ North Halifax Grammar School
Yorkshire Grammar Schools 11 Plus Exam Format
Calderdale
Prospective pupils to both Crossley Heath Grammar School and North Halifax Grammar School must sit two tests at 11+. These cover English, mathematics, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning, and they are all created by GL Assessment.
Kirklees
To enter Heckmondwike Grammar School, children must sit an exam comprising two papers and a creative writing task. Paper 1 tests reasoning skills with multiple-choice questions, while Paper 2 focuses on reasoning skills in a constrained-response format.
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire’s Ermysted Grammar School, Ripon Grammar School and Skipton High School set their own admissions policies, but use the same exam provider: GL Assessment.
⦿ For Ermysted: The exam is in a multiple-choice format, covering a mixture of questions in mathematics, English, Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning.
⦿ For Ripon: The assessment consists of two multiple-choice papers that focus on both Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning.
⦿ For Skipton Girls: The tests cover mathematics, English and Verbal Reasoning. They are multiple choice and there is no extended writing exercise.
Yorkshire 11 Plus (11+) Exam Pass Marks and Target Scores
Crossley Heath Grammar School and North Halifax Grammar School have 180 available places in Year 7. The same applies to Heckmondwike Grammar School. Skipton Girls’ High School admits a total of 116 pupils.
Ermysted’s Grammar School and Ripon Grammar School have 128 and 117 available Year 7 places, respectively. In recent years, the standardised pass mark for Ripon Grammar was 198. Both Ripon and Ermysted’s Grammar aim to identify the highest scoring 28% (or as close as possible) of applicants who live in the relevant area.
Pupils who are able to score 80%+ consistently in our 11+ practice tests should be on track to pass the 11+ test. This excludes Heckmondwike Grammar School, for which the pass score is 85%+.
Whilst there are no guarantees, this has historically been a fairly strong indicator that your child should do well in the Yorkshire 11+ exam.
Passing the test does not guarantee that your child will be offered a place. It simply means they have surpassed the required threshold. As such, it makes sense to aim for as high a score as possible.
Don’t worry if your child is not scoring well in our practice papers from the outset. With targeted practice and focus, it’s possible to make big improvements in a short amount of time!
Practice Papers for the Yorkshire Grammar Schools 11 Plus (11+) Exam
📝Crossley Heath Grammar School 11 Plus (11+) Practice Papers
📝North Halifax Grammar School 11 Plus (11+) Practice Papers
📝Heckmondwike Grammar School 11 Plus (11+) Practice Papers
📝Ermysted’s Grammar School 11 Plus (11+) Practice Papers
📝Skipton Girls’ High School 11 Plus (11+) Practice Papers
📝Ripon Grammar School 11 Plus (11+) Practice Papers
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Yorkshire Grammar Schools: Results & Leavers’ Destinations
Yorkshire Grammar Schools – Progress 8 Scores
Progress 8 scores track students’ academic progress from the end of Key Stage 2 in primary school to the end of Key Stage 4 in secondary education. These scores reflect a school’s educational success by measuring its students’ academic progress.
The Progress 8 score is calculated by comparing pupils’ actual grades in eight key subjects (including English, maths, sciences, humanities and languages) to their expected grades, determined on the basis of their earlier performance at primary level. This score indicates the average progress students make across these subjects.
📊 Please refer to the chart below for details on Progress 8 scores at grammar schools in Yorkshire:
Source: Gov.uk
A positive Progress 8 score indicates that students, on average, have made more progress than expected, while a negative score suggests that they have made less progress than expected. A score of zero means that students have progressed as expected.
Yorkshire Grammar Schools: Leavers’ Destinations
Leavers’ destinations refers to the next steps that students take after completing their studies at grammar schools in Yorkshire.
Universities within the esteemed Russell Group are globally recognised for their substantial achievements across various fields. They’ve solidified their standing through innovative research endeavours and influential academic contributions.
Noteworthy members of the Russell Group, such as the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge, hold significant international prominence. These institutions, with their deep-rooted academic heritage, maintain their outstanding reputations via top-tier academic programmes delivered by highly respected faculty members.
📊 The chart below shows the recent leavers’ destinations for selective schools in Yorkshire:
Source: Gov.uk
As the chart above shows, a significant number of students from the Yorkshire-based grammar schools are offered places at top universities in the UK.
Frequently Asked Questions About 11 Plus (11+) Entry to Yorkshire Grammar Schools
Are the grammar schools in Yorkshire state-funded?
Yes, grammar schools in Yorkshire are state-funded and most of them administer a unique age-standardised 11+ exam. The 11+ admissions process for entry to these schools includes registration with the relevant Local Authority using a CAF form:
⦿ For Crossley Heath Grammar School and North Halifax Grammar School, consult the Calderdale Council.
⦿ For Heckmondwike Grammar School, consult the Kirklees Council.
⦿ For Ermysted’s Grammar School, Ripon Grammar School and Skipton Girls’ High School, consult the North Yorkshire Council.
Who is the 11+ provider for grammar schools in Yorkshire?
The 11+ provider for all schools in the Yorkshire region is GL Assessment.
What is the pass mark for grammar schools in Yorkshire?
Pupils who are able to score 80%+ consistently in our 11+ practice tests should be on track to pass the 11+ test. This excludes Heckmondwike Grammar School, for which the pass score is 85%+. Click here to learn more.
The information provided about the Yorkshire selective schools was believed to be correct at the time of publishing. However, please be aware of future changes. We advise you to contact the schools directly if you are unsure of anything. Contact details are provided within individual school posts.