North Halifax Grammar School 11+ guide

Atom Learning is partnered with North Halifax Grammar School. You can read more about our partnership here.

Applying to North Halifax Grammar School for September 2028? This guide covers the FSCE entrance test, the qualifying score, how the 180 Year 7 places are allocated and the key dates for September 2028 entry.

North Halifax Grammar School 11+ at a glance

• School type: co-educational grammar school
• Location: Halifax, Calderdale
• Admissions contact: admissions@nhgs.co.uk
• Number of places in Year 7: 180 (2027-entry figure — North Halifax Grammar School confirms each year's admission number in its determined arrangements, published the spring before entry.)
• Qualifying score: No fixed pass mark. The Halifax Grammar Schools agree a qualifying standard each year in English, maths and creative writing, and remaining places go by combined order of merit in English and maths.
• 11+ test: FSCE entrance test (three papers: two in English and maths, and one creative writing paper)
• Catchment or priority area: yes — up to 10% of places for a Priority Admissions Area

Source: North Halifax Grammar School Admissions Policy For entry September 2027. Last checked October 2026.

Key dates for September 2028 entry

North Halifax Grammar School confirms its exact dates in the spring before each cycle. The windows below follow the 2027-entry timetable: registration ran from 10am on Friday 20 March 2026 to 11pm on Friday 26 June 2026, the test took place on Saturday 19 September 2026 (supplementary test Friday 25 September) and results were due on Friday 16 October 2026. We'll update this page as soon as the school publishes its 2028-entry dates.

The Halifax Grammar Schools set their own timetable, so these windows follow their 2027-entry dates, not those of other FSCE schools.

How to apply to North Halifax Grammar School

North Halifax Grammar School is selective, so your child needs to sit the 11+ test to be considered for a place.

You register for the joint test online through either the North Halifax or Crossley Heath website, by creating a parent account and submitting the application before the deadline.

Once you have your child's result, you apply by naming North Halifax Grammar School on your common application form, which goes to your home local authority. For September 2028 entry the deadline is Sunday 31 October 2027. As it falls on a Sunday, you may find it easier to submit your form in the days before.

Reaching the qualifying score makes your child eligible, but it doesn't guarantee a place. If more qualifying children apply than there are places, the school uses its oversubscription criteria, set out further down this page.

What will my child be tested on?

North Halifax Grammar School runs a joint admissions test with The Crossley Heath School, set by Future Stories Community Enterprise (FSCE). Both schools use the same test, so your child sits it once and the result counts for both.

There are three papers. The joint familiarisation guide calls them Adventure (English and maths, multiple choice), Beacon (English and maths, short written answers) and Discovery (a creative writing task). The school's admissions policy calls the same papers Paper 1, Paper 2 and Paper 3.

The English and maths papers are marked by computer and age-standardised. Children who reach the qualifying standard in those papers then have their creative writing judged. No paper timings are published, and there are no authorised past papers.

A supplementary test, held at Crossley Heath, is only for medical reasons, for children who move into the area after the main test, or for other extenuating circumstances.

The table below shows what each paper covers.

How are places allocated at North Halifax Grammar School?

If more children reach the qualifying standard than there are 180 Year 7 places, North Halifax Grammar School offers places in the order below. This order comes from the school's admissions policy for 2027 entry. The school sets its 2028-entry policy separately, and we'll update this table if anything changes.

Every child must first reach the qualifying standard in all three papers. A child with an EHCP naming the school is admitted if they reach the required standard.

Does North Halifax Grammar School have a catchment area?

North Halifax has a Priority Admissions Area covering the Illingworth and Mixenden and Ovenden wards, shown on a map in Appendix 5 of its admissions policy. Up to 10% of places go to qualifying children living there; everyone else is offered places in order of merit, wherever they live.

If children cannot be separated, priority goes first to a child with a brother or sister at the school, then to the child living nearest, measured in a straight line from home to the closest designated school gate.

If you don't live close to the school, it's worth thinking about how your child will get there every day. How long will the journey take? What transport options are available? Will they be travelling independently or with support?

A longer or more complex journey can affect your child's daily routine, including how much time they have for homework, rest and after-school activities. It's a good idea to think about how manageable the school run will be and whether it will work for your family day to day.

How can I help my child prepare for the FSCE test?

Atom Learning is not an official or authorised source of information about FSCE assessments. This guide is based on publicly available information. FSCE assessments are tailored to each school and can change from year to year. For definitive information, always use the familiarisation materials published by the school you are applying to.

There are no FSCE past papers, and question styles can change from year to year — so there is no pattern to learn. What the test does reward is a confident grasp of Key Stage 2 English and maths up to the end of Year 5, applied to unfamiliar questions.

Build solid KS2 knowledge

Because the FSCE test draws on the English and maths your child has already been taught, the strongest preparation is making sure those foundations are secure.

With Atom Home, your child gets:

• a personalised weekly learning plan tied to their target schools
• adaptive questions that meet them at the right level of difficulty
• coverage of KS2 English and maths topics

Enter your target schools on Atom Home and get started with a free trial today.

Encourage regular reading

Reading underpins almost every part of the FSCE test — comprehension, vocabulary, and the creative writing paper. Aim for 10–15 minutes a day, with variety: fiction and non-fiction, different genres and authors.

Explore Atom's free reading and writing starter kit for age-appropriate suggestions.

Get comfortable with the format

The school publishes a free Familiarisation Guide showing the layout of the papers and answer sheets. Read it with your child so the test looks familiar on the day.

Beyond that, Atom's practice papers build the habit of working accurately under timed conditions and filling in an answer sheet correctly. Photograph the answer sheets and upload them for instant marking, a Standardised Age Score — the same age-standardised basis FSCE uses — and a clear view of which topics to work on next.

Celebrate progress, not just scores

Atom's progress tracking shows how your child is doing across topics and how that is developing over time, so you can keep motivation steady and focus on consistent improvement.