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  • 11+ area guide

Kirklees 11+: the Heckmondwike Grammar School entrance exam

Facts checked 19 October 2026By ExamKind Editorial Team

Some details are being re-checked

We check every fact against the official source on a schedule, and some details on this page are due their next check (last verified 19 October 2026). We'll update the page if anything has changed. How we check facts

The Kirklees 11+ at a glance

For September 2027 entry

  • The test

    Not checked yet

  • Score to qualify

    Set by each schoolSee each school's page below.

  • Schools on this page

    1

    Schools we cover in this area

Your next deadlines

  1. Not published yet: Test registration closes

    Not yet published

    For September 2028 entry. This is the test registration, not the school place application

  2. Next: School place applications close: Common Application Form ()

    in 11 days

    For September 2027 entry

  3. Coming up: School place applications close (CAF)

    Expected

    For September 2028 entry

Every step and date

Happening now

What's happening now

Year 6 (2027 entry): results this month, then the council form. Children sat the exam on 14 September 2026Heckmondwike Grammar School 2027 entry: Stage1Checked 10 Oct 2026 against Heckmondwike Grammar School.The source says: Exam date 14 September 2026View the official source. Parents are told in mid-October (online) whether the child reached the standard required for selection; this is not an offerHeckmondwike Grammar School 2027 entry: Results disclosureChecked 10 Oct 2026 against Heckmondwike Grammar School.The source says: Parents will be informed in writing by the school whether their child has reached the standard required for selection by mid-OctoberView the official source. The school's target date for those results is 17 October 2026Heckmondwike Grammar School 2027 entry: ResultsChecked 10 Oct 2026 against Heckmondwike Grammar School.The source says: Results available online 17 October (target date)View the official source.

Whatever the letter says, the next step is your secondary school application to your home council. Registering for the exam was a separate step and does not count as applying: Name the school on your home council application; the closing date is normally 31 October (check with your council)Heckmondwike Grammar School: Must name on caf (2027)Checked 10 Oct 2026 against Heckmondwike Grammar School.The source says: In order to be eligible for a place parents must make the school one of their choices via the local authority common application system.View the official source.

A note on the council deadline. Kirklees Council's website could not be captured when we checked, so the date of 31 October 2026Kirklees 2027 entry: School place applications close (CAF)Checked 10 Oct 2026 against Heckmondwike Grammar School.The source says: Usual final date for submission of Common Application Form to your home Local Authority (date to be confirmed by LA.)View the official source comes from the school's admissions calendar. The school gives it as the usual date, to be confirmed by your council. Check it on your council's website, and if you live outside Kirklees, your own council's deadline is the one that applies.

  • List schools in your real order of preference. The school's FAQ explains why that is safe: The order of your preferences is not used as an admission criterion by any Kirklees school or neighbouring-authority school; if your child qualifies for more than one, the council offers the highest-ranked oneKirklees: Preference order not usedChecked 10 Oct 2026 against Heckmondwike Grammar School.The source says: The order of preference on the application form is not used as an admission criterion by any Kirklees school or schools in neighbouring authorities.View the official source.
  • Reaching the standard is not an offer. It makes a child eligible. Places then go to priority groups first and by exam rank after that (see how places are given).
  • Keep a second choice you are happy with. With more than 1,200Heckmondwike Grammar School: Typical registrationsChecked 10 Oct 2026 against Heckmondwike Grammar School.The source says: Typically, over 1,200 students register for the entrance exam each year.View the official source registrations for 210Heckmondwike Grammar School: Year 7 places (2027)Checked 10 Oct 2026 against Heckmondwike Grammar School.The source says: The governing body plans to offer up to 210 places at age 11: this is the published admission number or PAN for the School.View the official source places, most children who sit the exam will not be offered one.
  • If your child did not reach the standard, we have not found a published way to have the result reviewed. The school does run a second waiting list from National Offer Day; see appeals and waiting lists.

Year 5 (2028 entry): the dates are already out. Heckmondwike has published its final admission policy for September 2028. The first dates fall in the summer term of Year 5: open evenings on 23 and 24 June 2027 (open evenings for 2028 entry)Heckmondwike Grammar School: Open evenings2028Checked 10 Oct 2026 against Heckmondwike Grammar School.The source says: Admissions Calendar for September 2028 EntryView the official source, then registration closing on 28 June 2027, noonHeckmondwike Grammar School 2028 entry: Registration closesChecked 10 Oct 2026 against Heckmondwike Grammar School.The source says: Late applications submitted after the deadline of 12.00 noon on Monday 28 June 2027 cannot be accepted.View the official source. The exam follows on 20 September 2027Heckmondwike Grammar School 2028 entry: Stage1Checked 10 Oct 2026 against Heckmondwike Grammar School.The source says: Entrance examinationView the official source. More in 2028 entry.

How places are given

Passing the test is the first step, not a place

Qualifying is not the same as being offered a place: each school then gives places by its own rules.

You apply for school places through your home council, on its Common Application Form (CAF), by its deadline. Name the schools in your real order of preference: councils look at every preference at the same time.

Step by step

The Kirklees 11+, step by step

For children starting secondary school in September 2027 (Year 6 in 2026/27).

Add to my calendar

  1. Step 1: Register for the test

    Dates not published

    Sign your child up for the test. This is not the school place application.

    1. Not published yet: Test registration opens

      Not yet published

    2. Not published yet: Test registration closes

      Not yet published

  2. Step 2: Your child sits the test

    Dates not published

    The test day, and any practice test before it.

    1. Not published yet: Test day

      Not yet published

  3. Step 3: Results

    Dates not published

    You find out whether your child reached the standard, and how to ask for a review.

    1. Not published yet: Results

      Not yet published

  4. Step 4: Apply for school places

    Now

    List your schools on the Common Application Form (CAF) to your home council, in your real order of preference.

    1. Next: School place applications close (CAF)

      in 11 days

  5. Step 5: Offers

    Coming up

    Your council tells you which school has offered a place.

    1. Coming up: National Offer Day

  6. Step 6: Appeals and waiting lists

    Dates not published

    If you are refused a place, you can appeal and join waiting lists.

    1. Not published yet: Appeal deadline

      Not yet published

Year 5 now? Steps for September 2028 entryMost dates are only given as a month so far, so we mark them as expected.

  1. Step 1: Register for the test

    Dates not published

    Sign your child up for the test. This is not the school place application.

    1. Not published yet: Test registration opens

      Not yet published

    2. Not published yet: Test registration closes

      Not yet published

  2. Step 2: Your child sits the test

    Dates not published

    The test day, and any practice test before it.

    1. Not published yet: Test day

      Not yet published

  3. Step 3: Results

    Dates not published

    You find out whether your child reached the standard, and how to ask for a review.

    1. Not published yet: Results

      Not yet published

  4. Step 4: Apply for school places

    Coming up

    List your schools on the Common Application Form (CAF) to your home council, in your real order of preference.

    1. Coming up: School place applications close: Common Application Form (CAF)

      Expected

  5. Step 5: Offers

    Coming up

    Your council tells you which school has offered a place.

    1. Coming up: National Offer Day

      Expected

  6. Step 6: Appeals and waiting lists

    Dates not published

    If you are refused a place, you can appeal and join waiting lists.

    1. Not published yet: Appeal deadline

      Not yet published

All Kirklees 11+ dates, with notes

The schools

Grammar schools in Kirklees

1 school in this area. Open a school for its rules, dates and past offers.

Listed A to Z by school name.

  1. Heckmondwike Grammar School

    No distance published

    –

    210 places, 2027 entry

More about the schools from our guide

The school page covers the full priority wording, the music rule, both waiting lists and open evenings. If you are also weighing up the Halifax grammar schools, see our Calderdale 11+ guide.

Live near a border?

  • You can apply for schools in another council's area. You still apply through your own home council, on its form.
  • Each area runs its own test, with its own registration and dates. If you like schools in two areas, check both registration deadlines.
  • Schools often give priority to children living nearby or in a catchment area, so check each school's rules before you rely on it.
Every area's dates

Areas in the same part of the country: Calderdale, Cumbria, Lancashire, North Yorkshire, Trafford, Wirral

How the test works

There is no council-run 11+ in Kirklees. Heckmondwike Grammar School registers children, sets the exam and sends the results itself. It has adopted the entrance exam written by FSCE (Future Stories Community Enterprise Ltd)Heckmondwike Grammar School: Test family by entry year (2027)Checked 10 Oct 2026 against Heckmondwike Grammar School.The source says: we have adopted the Future Stories Community Enterprise Ltd (FSCE) Entrance Exam as our Year 7 entrance exam.View the official source.

  • Two applications, not one: Online registration form on the school website, in addition to the home council applicationHeckmondwike Grammar School 2027 entry: Registration routeChecked 10 Oct 2026 against Heckmondwike Grammar School.The source says: The school's registration form is completed online, and is accessible via the school website.View the official source.
  • Where and when: at Heckmondwike Grammar SchoolHeckmondwike Grammar School 2027 entry: Test venueChecked 10 Oct 2026 against Heckmondwike Grammar School.The source says: All written elements will be tested on one day and the exam will take place at Heckmondwike Grammar School.View the official source, in the autumn term of Year 6 (early in the autumn term before entry)Heckmondwike Grammar School 2027 entry: Test timingChecked 10 Oct 2026 against Heckmondwike Grammar School.The source says: The entrance examination will be held early in the autumn term preceding the September of entry.View the official source.
  • What is in it (2027 entry): English and maths papers (marked by computer and age-standardised), plus a creative writing taskHeckmondwike Grammar School 2027 entry: Stage1 papersChecked 10 Oct 2026 against Heckmondwike Grammar School.The source says: English and maths papers are marked by computer and age-standardised. Students with an eligible score from the English and maths papers will have their creative writing task assessed and candidates will be ranked accordingly.View the official source.
  • Question types: a mix of multiple-choice and written answersHeckmondwike Grammar School 2027 entry: Stage1 formatChecked 10 Oct 2026 against Heckmondwike Grammar School.The source says: The exam consists of multiple-choice and written response questions.View the official source.
  • Marking: Each paper is standardised and age-weighted, then combined into a total standardised age score; creative writing is assessed for children with an eligible English and maths scoreHeckmondwike Grammar School: Score composition (2027)Checked 10 Oct 2026 against Heckmondwike Grammar School.The source says: The results from each paper are standardised, age-weighted and combined into a total standardised age score.View the official source. Age-standardising adjusts for a child's age, so the youngest in the year are not at a disadvantage. In plain terms, English and maths decide whether a child's writing is marked at all.
  • Practice material: FSCE familiarisation guides for students and parents on the entrance exam page; the school says no specialist tutoring or specific preparation is neededHeckmondwike Grammar School 2027 entry: FamiliarisationChecked 10 Oct 2026 against Heckmondwike Grammar School.The source says: The FSCE exam does not require specialist tutoring, and no specific preparation is necessary.View the official source.
  • Special educational needs: if your child's primary school recognises a need, send proof so the school can arrange support on the day. For 2028 entry: SEND evidence by 12 noon Friday 2 July 2027Heckmondwike Grammar School 2028 entry: Access arrangementsChecked 10 Oct 2026 against Heckmondwike Grammar School.The source says: Friday 2 July 2027 so that appropriate access arrangements can be put in place.View the official source.
  • Illness: If your child is too ill to sit the exam, tell the admissions officer straight away and send a GP note; an alternative date may be possibleHeckmondwike Grammar School 2027 entry: Late testingChecked 10 Oct 2026 against Heckmondwike Grammar School.The source says: If you feel your child is so unwell they can’t take the entrance exam, you should inform the Admissions Officer at the school immediately. You should then take your child to your GP and provide a medical note to the school. It may be possible for your child to sit the examination on an alternative date.View the official source.

Our FSCE guide explains how FSCE exams work in general.

How places are given

There is no pass mark to look up in advance. The rule is: Children must reach the standard for entry; places then go by the oversubscription criteria and, for remaining places, by overall exam performanceHeckmondwike Grammar School: Qualifying rule (2027)Checked 10 Oct 2026 against Heckmondwike Grammar School.The source says: Once criteria 1 to 6 have been applied, the remaining places will be offered on the basis of overall performance in the entrance examination.View the official source.

In order, that means:

  • First, the standard. Only children who reach it can be offered a place. The letter in October tells you whether your child did.
  • Then EHC plans. A child who reached the standard and whose education, health and care plan names the school is placed before anyone else.
  • Then six priority groups: children in care or previously in care, pupil premium children, children living in the catchment postcodes, siblings of current pupils, children of staff, and a small capped group with a music qualification.
  • Then exam rank. All remaining places go in order of overall exam performance. Distance from home is not used.
What the school says about a typical year
Children registering for the exammore than 1,200Heckmondwike Grammar School: Typical registrationsChecked 10 Oct 2026 against Heckmondwike Grammar School.The source says: Typically, over 1,200 students register for the entrance exam each year.View the official source
Year 7 places, September 2027210Heckmondwike Grammar School: Year 7 places (2027)Checked 10 Oct 2026 against Heckmondwike Grammar School.The source says: The governing body plans to offer up to 210 places at age 11: this is the published admission number or PAN for the School.View the official source
Places going to the priority groupsabout half of all places go to children who meet one of the oversubscription criteriaHeckmondwike Grammar School: Criteria shareChecked 10 Oct 2026 against Heckmondwike Grammar School.The source says: Approximately half of all places are allocated to children who meet one of the oversubscription criteria.View the official source
Places going to children outside the catchmentover three-quarters of places typically go to children living outside the catchmentHeckmondwike Grammar School: Out of catchment shareChecked 10 Oct 2026 against Heckmondwike Grammar School.The source says: In a typical year, over three-quarters of places are offered to children who live outside of the HGS catchment area.View the official source
Score needed to reach the standard, 2026 entryNot knownHeckmondwike Grammar School 2026 entry: ValueNot known: no official source states this.

The school has not published the score that marked the standard in past years. Its FAQ figures describe a typical year, not one intake, so treat them as a guide, not a promise. They do show that a child from outside the catchment has a real chance on exam rank alone.

2028 entry: the timetable is already set

Heckmondwike's governors approved the September 2028 policy in October 2026Heckmondwike Grammar School: Determined date (2028)Checked 10 Oct 2026 against Heckmondwike Grammar School.The source says: Approved by Governing Body: October 2026View the official source, and its status is determined (final)Heckmondwike Grammar School: Document status (2028)Checked 10 Oct 2026 against Heckmondwike Grammar School.The source says: Approved by Governing Body: October 2026View the official source. That gives families of children now in Year 5 the whole year ahead in one place.

  • Same number of places: 210Heckmondwike Grammar School: Year 7 places (2028)Checked 10 Oct 2026 against Heckmondwike Grammar School.The source says: The governing body plans to offer up to 210 places at age 11: this is the published admission number or PAN for the School.View the official source.
  • Same priority order and catchment as for 2027 entry.
  • A short registration window after the open evenings. Registration closes on 28 June 2027, noonHeckmondwike Grammar School 2028 entry: Registration closesChecked 10 Oct 2026 against Heckmondwike Grammar School.The source says: Late applications submitted after the deadline of 12.00 noon on Monday 28 June 2027 cannot be accepted.View the official source, only days after the second evening. Late registrations after 12 noon on Monday 28 June 2027 cannot be acceptedHeckmondwike Grammar School: Late applications (2028)Checked 10 Oct 2026 against Heckmondwike Grammar School.The source says: Late applications submitted after the deadline of 12.00 noon on Monday 28 June 2027 cannot be accepted.View the official source.
  • Evidence deadlines: pupil premium, SEND and EHC plan proof by 2 July 2027, noonHeckmondwike Grammar School: Pp evidence deadline2028Checked 10 Oct 2026 against Heckmondwike Grammar School.The source says: Proof of Pupil Premium is required and must be submitted by 12 noon Friday 2...July 2027.View the official source; music certificates by 17 September 2027, noonHeckmondwike Grammar School: Music evidence deadline2028Checked 10 Oct 2026 against Heckmondwike Grammar School.The source says: Documentary proof in the form of the original certificate must be received in school by 12...noon Friday 17...September 2027.View the official source.
  • Results: Parents are told in writing by mid-October whether their child reached the standard; this is not an offerHeckmondwike Grammar School 2028 entry: Results disclosureChecked 10 Oct 2026 against Heckmondwike Grammar School.The source says: Parents will be informed in writing by the school whether their child has reached the standard required for selection by mid-OctoberView the official source. Target date 15 October 2027Heckmondwike Grammar School 2028 entry: ResultsChecked 10 Oct 2026 against Heckmondwike Grammar School.The source says: Target date for parents to be informed in writing by the school whether their child has reached the standard required for selection.View the official source.
  • Familiarisation: Practice questions are put on the school website late in the summer term before the testHeckmondwike Grammar School 2028 entry: FamiliarisationChecked 10 Oct 2026 against Heckmondwike Grammar School.The source says: A selection of familiarisation questions will be placed on the school website late in the summer term preceding each test.View the official source.

One thing the 2028 policy does not say is which test provider or papers will be used. It describes the exam only in general terms, so we cannot yet confirm that the FSCE format carries over. We will update this page if the school says more.

Pupil premium and disadvantaged places

Pupil premium is extra funding schools receive for children from lower-income families, mainly those who get or have recently had free school meals, and for children who are or have been in care.

  • Where it sits in the order: Criterion 2: children of selective ability eligible for the Pupil Premium, after looked-after childrenHeckmondwike Grammar School: Pp priority (2027)Checked 10 Oct 2026 against Heckmondwike Grammar School.The source says: 2) Children of selective ability who are eligible for the Pupil Premium.View the official source. Children in care, or previously in care, come first.
  • The same standard applies. The policy sets no lower score for pupil premium children. The priority decides who is offered a place first among children who reached the standard.
  • Send proof to the school. For 2027 entry the deadline was 26 June 2026, noonHeckmondwike Grammar School: Pp evidence deadline2027Checked 10 Oct 2026 against Heckmondwike Grammar School.The source says: 26 June 2026 (midday) | Closing date for submitting documentary proof of evidence for SEND or Pupil PremiumView the official source. For 2028 entry it is 2 July 2027, noonHeckmondwike Grammar School: Pp evidence deadline2028Checked 10 Oct 2026 against Heckmondwike Grammar School.The source says: Proof of Pupil Premium is required and must be submitted by 12 noon Friday 2...July 2027.View the official source. Documents go to admissions@heckgrammar.co.ukHeckmondwike Grammar School: Admissions contactChecked 10 Oct 2026 against Heckmondwike Grammar School.The source says: All documentation must be sent ONLY to admissions@heckgrammar.co.uk.View the official source.

Reviews and appeals

General information, not legal advice. Deadlines are strict, so check the details in your offer letter and on the school's website.

Reviewing a result. We have not found any published route for a re-mark or review, and a child sits the exam only once. If your child is unwell at exam time, the school's guidance is: If your child is too ill to sit the exam, tell the admissions officer straight away and send a GP note; an alternative date may be possibleHeckmondwike Grammar School 2027 entry: Late testingChecked 10 Oct 2026 against Heckmondwike Grammar School.The source says: If you feel your child is so unwell they can’t take the entrance exam, you should inform the Admissions Officer at the school immediately. You should then take your child to your GP and provide a medical note to the school. It may be possible for your child to sit the examination on an alternative date.View the official source.

Waiting lists. Two waiting lists. Children who reached the standard but were not offered a place go automatically on list 1, ranked by the admission criteria, for the whole of Year 7. List 2 is for children who did not reach the standard or missed the exam; they are offered a test only if list 1 is emptyHeckmondwike Grammar School: Waiting list (2027)Checked 10 Oct 2026 against Heckmondwike Grammar School.The source says: Parents who have applied but not been offered a place by their LA, but whose children met the standard for entry in the entrance examination will be eligible for an automatic place on waiting list 1.View the official source.

Appeals. Offers come from your home council on National Offer Day, which the school's calendar gives as 1 March 2027Kirklees 2027 entry: National Offer DayChecked 10 Oct 2026 against Heckmondwike Grammar School.The source says: Usual date for formal offer of places by LA (date to be confirmed by LA).View the official source (to be confirmed by your council). If your child is refused a place, you can appeal. The school's arrangements: Independent appeal panel; appeals held in June, all heard by the same panel; details on the school website after 1 MarchHeckmondwike Grammar School: Appeals route (2027)Checked 10 Oct 2026 against Heckmondwike Grammar School.The source says: Appeals will be held in June and will all be heard by the same panel.View the official source. For 2027 entry, the calendar gives the closing date for lodging an appeal as 2 April 2027 (to be confirmed)Heckmondwike Grammar School: Appeal deadline (2027)Checked 10 Oct 2026 against Heckmondwike Grammar School.The source says: Closing date for notification of admission appealView the official source.

Appeals can be stressful, and most for oversubscribed grammar schools do not succeed. A second choice you would be glad of is your safety net.

Official sources

3 sources: the council, the test administrator and each school

ExamKind is independent. We are not connected with any council, school or test provider, and nobody pays to appear on this page. How we check facts