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Are you considering a grammar school in Yorkshire for your child? We’ve collated everything you need to know about admissions in 2024–2025. Keep reading to:
Find out more about grammar schools in North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire
Learn about local 11+ exams
Discover which subjects your child will be tested on
Plus, get exclusive resources to help your child prepare!
Which schools in Yorkshire use the 11 plus?
There are three grammar schools in North Yorkshire and three grammar schools in West Yorkshire:
North Yorkshire
Ermysted’s Grammar School (boys)
Ripon Grammar School (boys and girls)
Skipton Girls’ High School (girls)
West Yorkshire
Heckmondwike Grammar School (boys and girls)
North Halifax Grammar School (boys and girls)
The Crossley Heath School (boys and girls)
Dates for your diary
March 2024: 11+ registration opens for North Halifax Grammar School and The Crossley Heath School
April 2024: 11+ registration opens for Ermysted’s Grammar School and Ripon Grammar School
May 2024: 11+ registration opens for Heckmondwike Grammar School and Skipton Girls’ High School
Monday 24th June 2024: 11+ registration closes for Heckmondwike Grammar School
Friday 28th June 2024: 11+ registration closes for North Halifax Grammar School and The Crossley Heath School
Sunday 30th June 2024: 11+ registration closes for Ripon Grammar School
Wednesday 28th August 2024: 11+ registration closes for Skipton Girls’ High School
Monday 2nd September 2024: 11+ registration closes for Ermysted’s Grammar School
Saturday 7th September 2024: Ripon Grammar School 11+ exam
Monday 16th September 2024: Heckmondwike Grammar School 11+ exam
Saturday 21st September 2024: North Halifax Grammar School and The Crossley Heath School 11+ exam
Saturday 28th September 2024: Ermysted’s Grammar School 11+ exam and Skipton Girls’ High School 11+ exam
Week of Monday 14th October 2024: parents receive 11+ results
Thursday 31st October 2024: secondary school applications close at 5pm
Monday 3rd March 2025: secondary school national offers day
Dates can vary, so always check with your target schools!
What is the 11 plus?
The 11 plus is an academic entrance test used by grammar schools. Children who pass the test or meet a qualifying standard are eligible for a place at a grammar school. Children who are working within the top 25% of their year group are normally well-suited for grammar school.
The 11 plus exam takes place in September, when your child is in Year 6. Children who were born between 1st September 2013 and 31st August 2014 will take the 11 plus in September 2024 for school places in 2025.
What's on the 11 plus in Yorkshire?
There is no set 11 plus exam in Yorkshire. The six grammar schools have their own 11 plus exams, or shared exams with other local grammar schools.
However, all of the grammar schools in North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire use GL Assessment as their 11 plus provider. GL Assessment provides 11 plus exams for most grammar schools in England. All of their test papers are multiple-choice.
Here are the subjects tested for each of the grammar schools in Yorkshire. Click the link for your target school for more information about the format of the school’s exam.
Ermysted’s Grammar School: English, maths, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning
Heckmondwike Grammar School: English, maths and non-verbal reasoning
North Halifax Grammar School and The Crossley Heath School (joint exam): English, maths, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning
Ripon Grammar School: verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning
Skipton Girls’ High School: English, maths and verbal reasoning
11+ master course
Help your child prepare for GL Assessment 11 plus exams with Atom’s free 11+ course.
Get four GL Assessment style practice papers (including English, maths, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning), marking guidance, and video lessons sent straight to your inbox!
11+ subject guides
How is the 11 plus scored?
After the test, your child’s answer sheets are marked using Optical Mark Recognition (OMR). This technology picks up the marks your child has made to indicate which answers they think are correct. Your child receives a mark for every correct answer.
These marks are then age-standardised. Age-standardisation is a common practice in 11 plus scoring and ensures younger children aren’t disadvantaged.
Standardised age scores for each paper normally range from 60 at the lowest end, to 142 at the highest end.
A single standardised score of 80 or below represents the bottom 10% of the year group
A single standardised score of 100 represents the average score for the child's year group
A single standardised score of 120 or above represents the top 10% of children in that year group
The highest standardised age score a child can achieve for a single paper is usually 142. This score would place them within the top 1% of children taking the test.
You’ll receive your child’s results during the week of 14th October 2024. If your child meets your target school’s qualifying standard, you can then apply for a place for that school on your common application form (CAF).
What's the pass mark for the 11 plus in Yorkshire?
There is no set pass mark for the 11 plus in Yorkshire. The number of children who will be eligible for entry to the school usually depends on the rank order of children’s scores and the number of places available.
Schools use oversubscription criteria to decide which children to offer places to. We’ve included this information in each of our school guides:
How to apply to grammar schools in Yorkshire
If you're considering a grammar school in Yorkshire for your child, it's a good idea to speak to your child's teacher first.
Grammar schools are academically-selective and select children working towards the top of their year group. Children who are working above the expected standard in core subjects (English, maths and science) at primary school are normally well-suited for grammar school. Your child’s teacher will be able to indicate whether this applies to your child.
1. Register for the 11 plus
If you would like your child to be considered for a place at a grammar school in Yorkshire, you’ll need to register them to take the school’s 11 plus exam.
To register your child, visit the admissions page of your target school’s website and complete the registration form. Make sure to read the instructions carefully, as you may need to register your child for different exams depending on how many grammar schools you’re applying to.
2. Apply for school places
In October 2024, you’ll find out if your child has achieved the minimum score necessary for admission to your target school(s).
You can use these results to decide which schools to name on your secondary school common application form. You should only name grammar schools for which your child has met the eligible score. Before listing a school 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 5pm on Tuesday 31st October 2024.
3. National school offer day
On 3rd March 2025, you will find out which school your child has been allocated a place at. They will be allocated a place at your highest-preferred school for which they meet the entry criteria and which has places available.
If no places are available at your preferred schools, they will be offered a place at another school in your area. You can appeal via an independent panel. Information about how to appeal will be sent to you by your local authority along with your school offer on National Offers Day.
How can I help my child prepare for the 11 plus?
The 11 plus exam is designed to be challenging. Here are our top tips to help your child prepare for the 11 plus in September 2024.
Bitesize learning
It’s important to build a good knowledge base before the exam. Using a ‘little and often’ approach when learning is key – our brains encode new information more effectively when dealing with smaller ‘chunks’ of information. For children aged 10–11, child psychologists recommend regular study sessions of 20–30 minutes.
Atom Home makes learning a more enjoyable process for your child. They'll explore exciting worlds full of interactive questions, earning coins to spend in the Atom shop. Atom adapts to your child, showing them questions at just the right level of difficulty to keep them motivated.
Read widely
11 plus exams test your child’s ability to analyse and interpret written information. Regular reading is a great way to help your child build these skills.
Encourage them to read books from different genres and by a diverse range of authors. Increasing the variety of your child’s reading will help them understand different styles, tones and purposes. Meanwhile, reading a little every day will help widen their vocabulary, sharpen their analytical thinking, and enhance their imagination.
Refine exam technique
When your child feels confident with the topics they’ve learnt in Year 5, they’ll be ready to put their knowledge to the test.
Practice tests can help your child develop problem-solving skills and build confidence working under test conditions. They’re also a great way to consolidate learning and highlight knowledge gaps for further improvement.
With Atom Home, you'll unlock online mock tests and printable practice papers for 11 plus exams in Yorkshire. Enjoy automatic marking and progress tracking with the online tests, and help your child get familiar with the real exam experience with printable practice papers.
Celebrate progress
Setting regular, achievable goals and celebrating your child’s progress – no matter how big or small – will help keep their motivation high.
Make sure to encourage a growth mindset. This means celebrating effort, as well as achievement! When your child makes mistakes or struggles to understand a particular topic, help them understand that they’ll improve through practice. Regular praise will help your child improve their resilience when tackling new and challenging topics.
Tailored preparation for the 11 plus
Wish you could give your child a roadmap to success in the 11 plus? You can. Atom Home has everything you need to get prepared, in one package.
You don't need a tutor to get into your top-choice grammar school. You just need Atom. We’ll create a tailored plan for your child and support them along their fun revision journey.
Online and printable 11 plus practice papers for Yorkshire grammar schools
90,000+ adaptive questions
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Automatic marking and instant progress data
Navigate the 11 plus with confidence.
In 2024, 91% of Atom users got offered a place at their top-choice school.
Start your free trial today. Our specialists will get to work on your child’s plan. Relax, 11 plus prep is sorted.
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