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Are you considering Skipton Girls’ High School for your child? We've collated all the information you need to know about 2024 entry to Year 7. Keep reading to learn about the grammar school admissions process in North Yorkshire and how to help your child excel in the 11 plus exam.
About Skipton Girls’ High School
Skipton Girls’ High School is a grammar school in North Yorkshire, serving the local community and surrounding districts which cross into Lancashire and West Yorkshire. Recognised as Outstanding by Ofsted twice in a row, it has been particularly praised for its promotion of spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding.
The school aims to provide young women with an 'innovative, dynamic and academic learning environment which is not constrained by gender stereotypes or a fixed mindset'. Its grounds consist of traditional buildings alongside a new £1.8 million STEM centre.
Address: Gargrave Road, Skipton, BD23 1QL
Local authority: North Yorkshire County Council
School type: girls' grammar
Headteacher: Martha Featherstone
Number of pupils: 880
A level results: 71.5% A*–B
Key info for Year 7 admissions
Admissions contact: [email protected]
Number of places in Year 7: 116
11 plus registration opens: 1st May 2023
11 plus registration closes: 23rd August 2023
Open day: 13th July 2023
Exam date: 23rd September 2023
Exam type: GL Assessment
Local authority application form deadline: 31st October 2023
National school offer day: 1st March 2024
Skipton Girls’ High School term dates
The 2023–2024 term dates at Skipton Girls’ High School are:
Autumn term: 6th September – 22nd December 2023
Half term: 27th October – 3rd November 2023
Spring term: 8th January – 22nd March 2024
Half term: 12th–16th February 2024
Summer term: 8th April – 19th July 2024
Half term: 27th–31st May 2024
How to apply to Skipton Girls’ High School
1. Register for the 11 plus
Before registering, speak to your child’s teacher to see if the 11 plus and grammar school is right for them.
While your child is in Year 5, register them for the 11 plus test on the school website. Registration opens on 1st May and closes on 23rd August 2023.
After you have registered, in September the school will post your daughter's exam registration card to you.
2. Apply for school places
Once your child has taken the exam, the school will send their results to you by 9th October 2023. You can use the results to decide which schools to include on your local authority application form.
Before listing Skipton Girls’ High School as a preference on your form, check its admissions policy and make sure your child is eligible. The application form must be submitted to your home local council by 31st October 2023.
What's on the Skipton Girls’ High School 11 plus exam?
The 11 plus exam for Skipton Girls’ High School takes place on 23rd September 2023, when your child has just started Year 6.
Girls applying to Skipton Girls' High School take three test papers. All are multiple-choice and produced by GL Assessment.
English (45–50 minutes): the paper consists of two extracts with comprehension questions, plus further questions which may assess spelling, punctuation and grammar.
Maths (50 minutes): assesses knowledge of the content covered in Key Stage 2 maths. There are about 50 questions in total.
Verbal reasoning (50 minutes): tests children's ability to reason and solve problems with written information. There are about 80 questions to work through.
Skipton Girls' High School will publish further details about the 11 plus test on the school admissions page in mid-March 2023.
Learn about each subject in depth and get free preparation resources in our full guide to the 11 plus:
What is the pass mark for Skipton Girls' High School?
There is no formal 11 plus pass mark for Skipton High School. The school has a planned admission number (PAN) of 116.
After your child takes the exam, their scores are age-standardised and combined to give them a total score across all papers. The total scores are ranked in order. The 116 children with the highest scores will be eligible for a place.
Achieving a particular score doesn't guarantee a place at the school, as it may be oversubscribed with qualified candidates. We always recommend researching the admission policies for your target schools and looking at their oversubscription criteria.
Skipton Girls' High School admissions criteria
Of the children who achieve the top scores in the entrance test, those with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) which names Skipton Girls' High School will be prioritised for places. After this, priority is given in this order:
Looked After and previously Looked After children.
Children who get free school meals or who have been registered for free school meals within the last 6 years.
Children living in the school's priority area.
Children living outside the school's priority area.
If there are not enough places for all girls in the groups above, girls are prioritised based on how close they live to the school. Distances are measured in a straight line from the child's home address to the main school entrance on Gargrave Road.
Skipton Girls' High School catchment area
Skipton Girls’ High School has a priority area which consists of the Craven area of North Yorkshire. A map of the priority area is available in the appendix of the school’s admissions policy.
How to help your child prepare for the 11 plus
Here are our top tips on how to best prepare your child for Skipton Girls’ High School 11 plus.
Cover all the content
The 11 plus assesses a large breadth and depth of learning objectives across the Key Stage 2 national curriculum and beyond.
We recommend that your child starts revising content at least one year before the test. Setting aside study periods using a 'little and often' approach will give them time to build the skills and knowledge they need. When preparing, avoid falling into the trap of over-focusing on either the topics your child enjoys or the topics they find hardest.
Atom Nucleus is an 11 plus online course that tailors your child's personalised learning journey to cover all elements of Skipton Girls’ High School 11 plus at the right pace for them.
No surprises
Your child will encounter lots of unfamiliar types of questions in the 11 plus exam. Building exam technique with 11 plus test papers will help your child to feel fully confident with the styles of questions they'll encounter in the exam, reducing the potential for stress on the day.
Celebrate their progress
Setting regular goals and celebrating achievements will help keep motivation high. Atom Nucleus offers data-driven insights into your child’s progress towards mastering the 11 plus curriculum, making it easy to see where they need to focus next.
Personalised 11 plus prep for your child
Wondering how to make sure your child covers the depth and breadth of the entire 11 plus curriculum, stays on track with their progress, and gets help when they're stuck? Online learning is a particularly efficient, cost-effective (and fun) way to do this!
Atom Nucleus is the award-winning online 11 plus practice platform that gives your child everything they need to prepare for grammar school exams.
Children work independently through over 90,000 interactive practice questions in verbal reasoning, English and maths. Teacher-created helpsheets and videos help them discover new concepts and consolidate their learning.
Atom's algorithm keeps children on their ideal learning path, tailored to their unique learning style and pace to keep them challenged and motivated.
Skipton Girls’ High School 11 plus practice papers
Atom Nucleus gives children access to online practice papers. Our online tests are designed to mirror the format and style of the real Skipton Girls’ 11 plus, so your child will go into the exam knowing exactly what to expect.
And what's more, everything is automatically marked for you.
Try Atom Nucleus free for 5 days
Begin your child's journey to Skipton Girls' High School today. Use the full features of Atom Nucleus free for 5 days – cancel anytime.
Personalised support for you
We understand how important this next step is for them, and for you. Please don't hesitate to get in touch with any questions you may have about the 11 plus or Yorkshire grammar schools.
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