Skipton Girls' High School 11+ guide

Atom Learning is partnered with Skipton Girls' High School. You can read more about our partnership here.

Applying to Skipton Girls' High School for September 2028? This guide covers the FSCE entrance test, the qualifying score, how Year 7 places are allocated and the key dates for September 2028 entry.

Skipton Girls' High School 11+ at a glance

The details below follow Skipton Girls' High School's most recently published arrangements, in its admissions policy for September 2025 entry. The school confirms each cycle's figures in the spring — we'll update this page as soon as the 2028-entry arrangements are published.

• School type: girls' grammar school
• Location: Skipton, North Yorkshire
• Admissions contact: admissions@sghs.org.uk
• Number of places in Year 7: 116 (2025-entry figure — Skipton Girls' High School confirms each year's admission number in its determined arrangements, published the spring before entry.)
• Qualifying score: Skipton Girls' High School hasn't published a qualifying score for 2028 entry. Its 2025 entry policy offers places to girls who are deemed suitable in the selection tests.
• 11+ test: FSCE entrance test (two papers of English and maths: Adventure (multiple choice) and Beacon (short written answers))

Source: Skipton Girls' High School Admissions page and Admissions Policy for 2025. Last checked October 2026.

Key dates for September 2028 entry

Skipton Girls' High School hasn't published its timetable for 2028 entry yet, and there isn't a previous cycle's timetable on file to work from. We'll update this page as soon as the school publishes its dates.

How to apply to Skipton Girls' High School

Skipton Girls' High School is selective, so your child needs to sit the 11+ test to be considered for a place.

Skipton Girls' High School runs its own selection tests, so you register your daughter with the school, not through North Yorkshire Council. Registration details are on the school's admissions page.

Once you have your child's result, you apply by naming Skipton Girls' High 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?

Skipton Girls' High School is selective, so girls applying for Year 7 sit a set of selection tests. The school links the entrance test familiarisation guides published by Future Stories Community Enterprise (FSCE).

The FSCE test assesses English and maths from the Key Stage 2 curriculum. Atom's research on the school's familiarisation guides shows two papers: the Adventure paper (multiple choice) and the Beacon paper (short written answers), with no creative writing paper.

Read the familiarisation guides on the school's admissions page with your daughter, as they are the school's own description of the test layout.

How are places allocated at Skipton Girls' High School?

If more children reach the qualifying standard than there are Year 7 places, Skipton Girls' High School offers places in the order below. This order comes from the school's admissions policy for 2025 entry. The school sets its 2028-entry policy separately, and we'll update this table if anything changes.

Does Skipton Girls' High School have a catchment area?

The school has a priority area, defined by a map on the school's website rather than a list of towns. Check your address against that map.

If there are not enough places for every girl in a priority group, places go to those living nearest the school, measured in a straight line from home to the school entrance.

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 much of the FSCE test, from comprehension to vocabulary. 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.