North Halifax Grammar School 11+ guide

Please note: the 11+ exam provider used by North Halifax Grammar School may be changing the structure and content of the test from September 2025.

For specific information about the entrance exam, we recommend checking the school website for more information.

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

Thinking about applying to North Halifax Grammar School? Find out everything you need to know about admissions in 2025–2026 and how to prepare your child for success in the 11 plus entrance exam.

Key information for North Halifax Grammar School

• Address: North Halifax Grammar School, Moorbottom Road, Illingworth, Halifax, West Yorkshire, HX2 9SU
• Number of pupils: 1,200+
• Admissions contact: [email protected]
• Number of places in Year 7: 180
• 11+ exam: Future Stories Community Enterprise (FSCE)
• Catchment area: no

Dates for your diary

• Friday 21st March 2025: registration opens for the joint North Halifax Grammar School and The Crossley Heath School admissions tests
• Friday 27th June 2025: registration deadline for the admissions tests
• Saturday 20th September 2025: joint admissions tests at North Halifax Grammar School and The Crossley Heath School
• Saturday 18th October 2025: parents receive exam results
• Friday 31st October 2025: secondary school applications close at 5pm
• Monday 2nd March 2026: secondary school national offers day

About North Halifax Grammar School

North Halifax Grammar School (NHGS) is a mixed selective grammar school in Illingworth, Halifax, West Yorkshire. Established in 1985, it caters to students aged 11 to 18. The school's motto, "Living to Learn & Learning to Live," reflects its commitment to fostering a love of learning and personal growth.

NHGS offers a broad curriculum with a strong emphasis on science, having previously held specialist Science College status. The school consistently achieves high academic standards, ranking among the top state schools in the North of England.

The campus features modern facilities, including a dedicated sports building with a large sports hall, gym, and dance studio. The school also boasts a well-equipped Sixth Form Learning Centre, providing students with ample resources for their studies.

How to apply to North Halifax Grammar School

North Halifax Grammar School is a selective state school. This means that your child will need to take the 11 plus exam to be eligible for a place in Year 7.

Registration for the admissions tests opens Friday 21st March 2025 and closes on Friday 27th June. You can register your child for the tests on the admissions website.

The tests will take place on Saturday 20th September 2025 and you’ll receive information about your child’s result by mid-October. If your child has met the qualifying standard, they’ll be eligible for a place at either school.

To apply to North Halifax Grammar School, you’ll need to name the school as one of your preferred schools on the secondary school common application form. This will be available on your home council website from early September and must be submitted by 31st October 2025.

Remember – passing the 11 plus doesn’t guarantee that your child will be allocated a place at your preferred school. Many grammar schools are often oversubscribed with qualified children. Schools and their admissions authorities work through admissions criteria to prioritise children for places. We’ve included the admissions criteria for North Halifax Grammar School below.

What subjects are on the 11 plus?

The North Halifax Grammar School as changed its entrance exam for 2025 onwards. The new supplier is Future Stories Community Enterprise (FSCE).

FSCE 11 plus exams test three subjects:

1. English comprehension: your child will be tested on reading comprehension, vocabulary and spelling
2. Maths: your child will be assessed on Key Stage 2 maths topics taught up to the end of Year 5
3. Creative writing: your child will need to write a piece of original writing in response to a prompt

How does place allocation work at North Halifax Grammar School?

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.

Each paper is 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. 100 is the average score for the year group. The standardised scores for each paper are added together to produce your child’s total mark. All children’s scores are placed in rank order from highest to lowest.

There is no fixed pass mark for the North Halifax Grammar School and The Crossley Heath School admissions test. Instead, children who are ranked within the top 510 based on their total score have met the ‘required standard’.

North Halifax Grammar School then allocates places to children who have met the required standard in this order:

1. Looked after and previously looked after children
2. Children who receive Pupil Premium, and children who have a parent currently in the UK Armed Forces
3. All other children who have met the required standard, in order of test score, until all places have been filled

If two or more children tie for the last place, priority is first given to a child who has a sibling attending North Halifax Grammar School. If a further tie-breaker is needed, priority is given to the child living closest to the school.

There is no catchment area for North Halifax Grammar School.

Atom’s top tips for 11 plus preparation

The 11 plus is designed to select the most academically able children in the area. Here are our top tips to help you and your child feel confident for exam day!

Bitesize learning

It’s important to build a good knowledge base before the 11 plus. 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

Verbal reasoning tests 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 North Halifax Grammar School. 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.