Admissions Policy Consultation Period 8th December 2023 to 31st January 2024
The Admissions Authorities of North Halifax Grammar School and The Crossley Heath School are consulting on changes they propose to make to their Admissions Policies for entry to their schools in September 2025.
Queries or comments should be emailed to the relevant school’s email address by no later than 31st January 2024.
The North Halifax Grammar School: admissions@nhgs.co.uk
The Crossley Heath School: admin@crossleyheath.org.uk marked for the attention of the exam officer
Links to both policies can be found below:
NHGS Admissions Policy here.
CHS Admissions Policy here.
Virtual Tour of CHS
To see a virtual tour of the school building, please click here.
Admissions for Year 7
We would love to give a place to everyone who wants to come to Crossley Heath School (CHS) but sadly that isn’t possible. We admit 180 pupils each year into Year 7, and these places are awarded strictly in line with the terms of our admissions policy which you can download from this page
Entry to the school will be determined by academic ability and attainment as identified by the admissions exam which will be a test of ability – irrespective of sex, race or disability.
Admissions Test
Parents need to register their child to sit the admissions test (please note, an application to sit the test is not an application to attend the school – refer to your local authority’s website for information on applying to secondary schools) . We operate a joint registration and admissions process with North Halifax Grammar School. Parents need to complete an online registration form for the admission tests.
Students wishing to join the school in Year 7 are required to sit the joint NHGS/CHS admissions tests in September during Year 6 at primary school. The tests comprise four elements across two tests:
- English and Verbal Reasoning
- Maths and Non Verbal Reasoning
All tests will be answered on optical mark reader sheets.
Updated familiarisation resources are available from G L Assessment (see link) who are the providers of the tests.
The test length on the familiarisation materials is not indicative of the length of the actual tests. They are intended for familiarisation only.
https://www.gl-assessment.co.uk/free-familiarisation
Once the tests have been marked, parents will be informed in writing by the schools of their child’s position in the order of merit and whether they have reached the required standard to be considered for admission.
Supplementary Test for 2024 Intake
The Supplementary Test for entry to the Halifax Grammar Schools will be held on Tuesday 14th November 2023. Conditions for being invited to take the supplementary test can be found in Appendix 2 of the relevant policy here: NHGS Admissions Policy CHS Admissions Policy.
Timetable for Admissions in September 2024
| 2023 | |
|---|---|
| Friday 31 March 2023 | Parents can register their child for the admissions test by completing the Online Registration Form on either of the school websites or by requesting a hard copy of the form and sending it back to the school. Online applications will be acknowledged. Postal applications will require a stamped addressed envelope for acknowledgement. |
| OPEN EVENING | For information about open evening events please see the individual school websites for details. |
| Tuesday 20 June 2023 | North Halifax Grammar School Open Evening |
| Thursday 22 June 2023 | The Crossley Heath School Open Evening |
| Friday 30 June 2023 | Registration deadline for the admissions tests. |
| Monday 11 September 2023 | Parents will have received information about the venue and timetable for the admissions tests. |
| Saturday 23 September 2023 | Admissions tests at North Halifax Grammar Schools and The Crossley Heath School. |
| Saturday 21 October 2023 | Parents will have received the results of the admissions tests (including the overall score and position in the order of merit) but this will not constitute an offer of a place. |
| Tuesday 31 October 2023 | Deadline for the submission of the The Online Common Application Form (CAF) to Calderdale Local Authority and neighbouring Local Authorities. Either or both of the grammar schools must be included as one of the five preferences to be considered for a place at the grammar school(s). |
| 2024 | |
|---|---|
| Friday 1 March 2024 | Offer of a place at a secondary school distributed to parents by the home Local Authority. |
| Friday 15 March 2024 | Deadline for lodging an appeal against the non-offer of a place at a school which was included as a preference on the CAF and requests for re-allocation. |
In Year Transfer into Years 7 – 11
Anyone wishing to transfer to the school, other than at the normal date of entry in September, must apply on a In Year Application Form, and must be on the waiting list at the time of the vacancy. Each grammar school operates its own In-Year vacancies.
Applicants wishing to transfer to CHS, either from another school in Calderdale or from a school in another Local Authority (LA), need to complete a ‘Transfer Request for Calderdale Schools’ form available from the LA.
If the application is from a student attending a school in another LA or who has recently moved into the area, the application will be sent to the school by the LA. If there is a vacancy in the appropriate year, the applicant will be invited into the school to sit the appropriate admission test. If the applicant meets the qualifying standard and a place is available, then the applicant will be offered a place.
In Year Transfers
Tests for potential in-year admissions will be held no more than once during each term. The school will notify applicants in writing within 15 days of the next available test date. If no applications have been received, the tests will not be held. Any application received after invitations to sit the tests have been sent out will be invited to sit the following term’s test. Achievement of the qualifying standard does not guarantee an offer of a place. Following the tests, a place or places will only be offered if there is a vacancy in the relevant year group. If there is a vacancy or vacancies, the place(s) will be offered to those who demonstrate the strongest ability in the areas tested, provided that ability meets the qualifying standard for the school. Applicants will be removed from the list at the end of each academic year unless a request is made by the parent/carer to remain on the list. Applicants will be allowed only one attempt at the tests in any given academic year.
Please refer to our Frequently Asked Questions