Our visitors had the chance to meet our fantastic students and experience school life first-hand. Walking around at lunchtime, it was brilliant to see our students in action, performing music, confidently speaking in French and German, and even demonstrating how to solve a Rubik’s cube in just 15 seconds!

A fantastic showcase of the talent, confidence and global outlook of our students.

We look forward to building on these connections and are excited to welcome our European exchange students in September.

Across the year, Queens have shown outstanding commitment, teamwork and house spirit, consistently performing strongly across a wide range of competitions and events. From academics to sport, the arts to house challenges, their determination and enthusiasm have truly paid off.

"Being a House Captain has been a very rewarding experience and I would recommend to any Year 12 student"

Well done to every student and staff member in Queens House for contributing to this fantastic achievement, a brilliant team effort from start to finish!

A big thank you as well to all houses for their energy and competition throughout the year. We can’t wait to see it all go again next year!

Teams delivered thoughtful, well-researched and highly engaging debates on big issues. Kings and Savile tackled the question of whether lynx should be reintroduced to the UK, while Porter and Queens debated whether the voting age should be lowered to 16.

A huge well done to all students who prepared, rehearsed and spoke with such confidence and persuasion:

Kings: Gauri, Arnav, Hana

Queens: Advaita, Dani, Sriven

Porter: Reeti, Aaban, Jannat

Savile: Joanna, Becca, Ansh

The standard was incredibly high, but special congratulations go to Kings, who scored the highest and are our House Debating Champions!

An excellent showcase of teamwork, critical thinking and public speaking across all houses

Cross-country mountain biking is a demanding sport, with riders tackling challenging hills and mountainous terrain for around 20 minutes, requiring endurance, skill and determination. To finish on the podium is a fantastic achievement!

Miguel has been competing with Shibden Cycling Club through British Cycling events for several years and has already collected an impressive number of medals along the way.

We are incredibly proud of Miguel's dedication and success and look forward to hearing about many more achievements in the future. Well done, Miguel!

This year, Isobel smashed her previous record, completing the ascent and descent in an incredible 4 minutes 50 seconds. With only a few participants waiting, she was even offered the chance to have a second attempt and bravely tackled the more difficult route, completing it in just over 6 minutes.

Standing at 28 metres high, the Scratch Post is the tallest man-made outdoor climbing wall in the country, making this achievement even more impressive.

As well as pushing herself to new heights, Isobel has also raised an amazing £120 for the Halifax and Huddersfield branch of the RSPCA through her efforts.

We are incredibly proud of Isobel’s determination, courage and commitment to supporting a great cause. Well done, Isobel.

Carrying everything they needed to survive, students trekked for up to eight hours a day through some challenging terrain and did so during a heatwave, making the expedition an even greater test of endurance, resilience and teamwork.

The determination, independence and positive attitude shown throughout the expedition were truly impressive, and everyone involved should be incredibly proud of what they achieved.

An amazing effort from all our Gold DofE participants, congratulations

The students discussed the importance of public speaking, the characteristics of effective public speaking and then practised their skills through a variety of games, activities and presentations.

It will be exciting to see these students using and developing their oracy skills over the coming months in assemblies, lessons, presentations and events and as they embark upon their leadership roles.

Thanks to our fantastic partners at 11 Plus School and Study Write 11 Plus Halifax, successful applicants will receive:

A full year of face-to-face 11+ tuition

All learning materials included

Specialist support and guidance

The programme is open to students entering Year 5 in September 2026 who are eligible for Free School Meals or Pupil Premium.

At Crossley Heath, we believe that every child should have the opportunity to access an outstanding grammar school education, regardless of their background or circumstances.

Applications are open now:

https://bit.ly/3QR8pcg

If your child isn't eligible for the scholarship programme but you would like advice about preparing for the admissions test, please feel free to send us a message - we'd be very happy to help!

From working together to solve problems to stepping outside their comfort zones, students have shown great teamwork, resilience and enthusiasm throughout the residential. The weather has also been kind to them, making it even easier to enjoy all the outdoor activities on offer!

It’s been wonderful to see friendships strengthened, confidence grow and so many smiles along the way.

We hope everyone continues to have an amazing time and creates memories that will last for years to come!

Competing against high-level international opposition, Phil won an incredible silver medal in the Men’s Doubles competition, narrowly missing out in the final against Croatia after two hard-fought sets

Representing at an international level and reaching the final of such a prestigious competition is an outstanding achievement and reflects the dedication, hard work and commitment Phil continues to show in his sport.

We are incredibly proud of you, Phil, congratulations on another brilliant achievement.

From the moment Saif joined us, it was clear he carried a quiet determination. What wasn’t immediately visible was the daily battle he has faced. Living with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), Saif has had to confront physical challenges that would make many of us stop in our tracks. Some mornings, he would wake up in pain so severe it brought him to tears. Walking the corridors meant effort most of us will never experience. Even asking for the support of crutches—something he once saw as a weakness—took immense courage.

Yet Saif never stopped showing up.

He never stopped working.

And he never stopped believing that every drop of sweat, brought about by physical exertion, had to count.

During his GCSEs, when his body was pushed to its limits and he discovered a spinal asymmetry that made everything harder, he faced a moment of crisis. He questioned whether the hard work was worth it. Whether his dreams were even possible. Whether his future would be defined not by his potential but by his limitations.

But then came the shift. Saif chose to rewrite the story he was telling himself.

He decided that his challenges would not define him — his mindset would.

He realised that while others could walk comfortably to lessons without the daily fatigue he endured, he was ready to fight to reach his impressive potential. And that fight became his fuel and motivation. His message to others now is simple but profound:

“Never feel you’re at a disadvantage. The only thing that separates people is the effort they are prepared to put into the work they do.”

Saif also learned that seeking support isn’t weakness — it’s human. And as he gained confidence, friendships, and a sense of belonging, he grew not just academically but personally. Acceptance came first. Then connection. Then purpose.

And that purpose is powerful.

Saif’s dream is to work in scientific research, focusing on SMA — not just for himself, but for others. His diagnosis at age three, and later his younger brother’s diagnosis, shaped a mission much bigger than personal success. He wants to contribute to better treatments, deeper understanding, and one day, maybe even a cure.

Today, Saif stands as a scholar, a role model, and a young man whose strength of character and resilience inspires everyone around him.

A grade 8 GCSE average.

A scholarship award.

A future scientist in the making.

A leader for his generation.

We are unbelievably proud of you, Saif.

Your story reminds us that strength isn’t found in the absence of struggle — it’s forged through it.

Congratulations, Saif — the best is yet to come

Earlier rounds had seen Crossley’s face mostly lower‑rated opposition, but this match promised to be a real challenge. Nottingham fielded a team closely matched to ours, and the classical 50‑minute time control meant that even the smallest mistake could decide a game.

Board 2 finished first: after capitalising on an early opening error, Alex secured a decisive material advantage and delivered the first point of the day. Soon after, Sri on Board 1 converted a passed pawn to victory against a highly rated opponent, giving Crossley’s a strong 2–0 lead.

Nottingham struck back on Board 6, where Lewis fell to a sharp tactical sequence from the Nottinghamshire U12 champion, narrowing the score to 2–1 and keeping the match very much alive.

Earlier rounds had seen Crossley’s face mostly lower‑rated opposition, but this match promised to be a real challenge. Nottingham fielded a team closely matched to ours, and the classical 50‑minute time control meant that even the smallest mistake could decide a game.

Board 2 finished first: after capitalising on an early opening error, Alex secured a decisive material advantage and delivered the first point of the day. Soon after, Sri on Board 1 converted a passed pawn to victory against a highly rated opponent, giving Crossley’s a strong 2–0 lead.

Nottingham struck back on Board 6, where Lewis fell to a sharp tactical sequence from the Nottinghamshire U12 champion, narrowing the score to 2–1 and keeping the match very much alive.

Under the expert guidance of Kieron Rodgers (Point Blank Cricket), students worked on refining their action, improving accuracy and building consistency. It was brilliant to see how quickly they were able to apply feedback and make visible progress across the session.

The standard continues to rise each week, with students showing great focus, determination and a real desire to improve.

We’re excited to see how their skills continue to develop as the programme progresses. More updates to come!

The workshop brought together young singers from across the region to develop their vocal skills, build confidence and experience the joy of singing as part of a larger choir. It was an inspiring musical experience and a great chance for our students to learn from expert musicians in a professional setting.

Well done to all of our students who took part and represented Crossley Heath so brilliantly!

These students took it upon themselves to organise the sale to raise money for the upcoming Music Trip to Paris. Pictured are the brilliant organisers, along with several other students who used wonderful initiative and jumped in to help run the stall when it became incredibly busy.

A massive thank you as well to our wonderfully generous families and staff who donated bakes. We were overwhelmed by the kindness and support shown, and thanks to you all the students have raised a fantastic amount towards the trip.

We are always blown away by the generosity of our school community, and thanks to everyone involved over £300 was raised towards the trip which is just amazing.

It was wonderful to see our school community come together for such an important cause to support local people and families when they need it most. Harold had a brilliant time meeting everyone and seeing the incredible effort that went into making the event so special!

Inspired to get involved? Hosting your own Big Brew is a great way to support Overgate Hospice — simply gather friends, family or colleagues, pop the kettle on and make a difference.

Students took part in a fast-paced house challenge, racing against the clock to collect as many house eggs as possible while also trying to crack the Easter Bunny’s code. The competition was fierce, with teamwork, speed and problem-solving all playing a part.

The house that returned on time with the most eggs claimed the win in this exciting house competition, while the team that cracked the code first earned early lunch passes.

The Easter Bunny was on hand throughout, offering high fives and encouragement, before helping present prizes at the end. And best of all — every student went away with a chocolate bar!

A brilliant way to celebrate attendance, reward effort and bring some Easter fun to the end of term

The semi-final was a real nail-biter, made even more special as the boys faced the same team who knocked us out in the final of this round last year. The team showed huge determination and resilience to turn things around this time and secure the win.

That victory set them up perfectly to go on and take the North East title.

This now makes it two teams heading to Nationals, as the KS4 boys will join our KS3 girls team on the national stage. We couldn’t be prouder of the effort, teamwork and character shown today.

Next stop: Nationals

Under the expert guidance of lead coach Kieron Rodgers (Point Blank Cricket), our promising cricketers, girls and boys, have been developing their all‑round skills through a range of new and innovative coaching methods. From technical refinement to tactical awareness and game‑based challenges, Kieron is pushing every student to make the most of their talent and grow in confidence.

The commitment, teamwork and enthusiasm on display so far have been outstanding. It’s exciting to see such rapid progress this early in the programme, and we’re looking forward to watching each group continue to develop throughout the Spring Term.

More updates to follow as the programme continues...

Meadow competed against 70 nominated dancers from across the country, all of whom had achieved high marks in their ballet exams. From this exceptionally strong field, she progressed to the final and was one of just five dancers to receive a Special Commendation Medal at the Junior IDTA Awards.

An amazing accomplishment that reflects her dedication, talent and hard work. We are so proud of you, Meadow, what a fantastic achievement.

You may have seen our recent posts about Myra-Sofia, who is currently playing student Aisha Azzi in the hit show. The iconic TV series has launched the careers of many successful actors over the years, and we’re incredibly proud to see one of our own appearing on it.

We can’t wait to see what the future holds for Myra-Sofia, we have no doubt she has a very exciting journey ahead of her.

Well done Myra, you’re a superstar!

We are incredibly proud of how far this team has come over the past four years, and it’s been fantastic to see their hard work and commitment take them all the way to a county final.

Rugby is certainly on the rise again at Crossley Heath. With our recent tour to Canada just completed and exciting trips to Cumbria and Italy planned in the future, there’s plenty to look forward to. Well done to the team for representing the school so well.

This is the first time in over 10 years that Crossley Heath has won this event, making their achievement even more special. The team showed fantastic teamwork, determination and skill throughout the competition.

We are incredibly proud of them all and can’t wait to see how they get on next.

National final… here we come!

During the visit, students will investigate urban environments and practise gathering and analysing real-world data. These are valuable transferable skills that support learning across many subjects. For students continuing with GCSE Geography, the experience will also help prepare them for the Paper 3 fieldwork skills exam.

Even for those not continuing Geography, the investigative skills developed during the trip are useful for scientific enquiry, technology projects and other research-based learning.

We look forward to a fantastic and engaging day of learning beyond the classroom for all of our Year 9 students!

We asked staff to nominate students they particularly admire, and we loved reading the nominations that came back. They celebrate many different types of success and reflect our school values of kindness, courage and excellence.

Staff nominated young women who are academically exceptional, those who have shown incredible determination and improvement, students who successfully balance demanding commitments such as sport, music and the arts alongside their studies, girls who demonstrate kindness and leadership every day, and some who have overcome significant personal challenges and are now thriving.

Some students preferred their nominations to remain private, and we are equally proud of them and the example they set.

Throughout the day we will be sharing some of these nominations and celebrating just a few of the incredible young women who demonstrate the extraordinary in the ordinary every single day.

We are very proud of them all.

Annie had an exceptional festival, winning her Classical Singing Class for both Years 6 and 7. This success led her into the prestigious Winners Challenge, where she competed against winners from other age categories and won that too. She also achieved second place in both her Musical Theatre and Unaccompanied Folk Song classes. To top it all off, Annie was invited to perform at the final day concert at Huddersfield Town Hall, an honour reserved for the festival’s most promising performers.

Sienna also enjoyed fantastic success, placing second in the Young Voices Duet (Year 13 and under). In the Pop Ballad category (age 14–17), a large class of 27 entrants in which she was one of the youngest, she achieved second place, just one mark off first. She also placed third in the Magic of Walt Disney (Year 9) class and second in Musical Theatre (Year 9).

We are incredibly proud of both students for their dedication, talent and confidence on stage. What a brilliant celebration of performing arts success at Crossley Heath!

First Place: The Mad Hatter and Lord of the Rings

Second Place: The Midnight Gang and King Harold

Third Place: Macbeth’s Witches and Alice in Wonderland

A huge well done to our winners and to everyone who took part. Seeing our students celebrate reading in such a creative way is a brilliant reminder of how important books are in shaping curiosity, creativity and a lifelong love of learning.

Stay tuned for our next post to see how our staff also joined in the World Book Day fun!

The Maths department followed the yellow brick road as characters from The Wizard of Oz, Geography travelled all the way to Middle-earth as The Lord of the Rings, Languages brought smiles as the colourful Mr Men and Little Miss, SEN stepped out in style as Cruella de Vil and the Dalmatians, and Pastoral caused a little mischief as Gru and his Minions. And that was just the start, there were many more fantastic costumes across the school!

A big thank you to all the staff who joined in and helped make the day such fun for our students.

His journey shows that being open to new opportunities can lead to amazing places.

Read Olly’s full story and his advice for current students here: https://www.crossleyheath.org.uk/.../from-first-class-law...

Congratulations on securing your place, this is such an exciting milestone, and we are so proud that you will be joining our school community.

We can’t wait to meet you over the coming months through our transition events and get to know each and every one of you. There’s so much to look forward to – new friendships, new subjects, new opportunities and becoming part of the Crossley Heath family.

Welcome to the start of your next adventure, we are thrilled to have you with us.

At Crossley Heath, we are incredibly proud of the significant proportion of our students who balance their studies alongside sporting success. This prestigious two-year programme has been designed to ensure our most talented and ambitious student athletes do not have to choose between academic excellence and sporting ambition. They can achieve both.

Delivered in partnership with Leeds Beckett University, and supported by elite athletes, coaches and mentors, the programme will include:

• A financial scholarship to support sporting development

• Dedicated coaching oversight and weekly strength and conditioning

• Academic workshops on a range of topics including dual careers, nutrition, sport psychology and more

• Mentorship from alumni athletes and elite sport professionals, including experienced coaches and Olympians

• Access to university-level sport science equipment and performance environments

• A personalised development plan tailored to each athlete

....and more!

We will select just 8 to 12 students for our first cohort, with places limited and selection competitive. Applications are now open to both internal and external Sixth Form applicants and close on Monday 13th April 2026.

Apply by completing the form found on our website here: https://bit.ly/4rGWZFp

Please send queries to: sportingexcellence@crossleyheath.org.uk

We cannot wait to welcome our first cohort of Sporting Excellence students!

Students struck the perfect balance between focused study sessions and energising outdoor activities, creating a positive environment to recharge and refocus. The retreat not only supported exam preparation but also helped build confidence, teamwork and resilience along the way.

The atmosphere throughout was motivated and purposeful, with students embracing every opportunity to prepare for their exams with renewed determination.

A huge well done to our amazing Year 11 students for their hard work, positivity and enthusiasm, we are so proud of you.

An impressive 19 students from Years 7–9 qualified for the next round, demonstrating excellent problem-solving skills and mathematical thinking. A special mention goes to three Year 9 students who went on to tackle a demanding two-hour Olympiad paper, an outstanding accomplishment.

Congratulations also to our Best in School, Muhammed in Year 9, a brilliant achievement, particularly as he was competing against students in Years 10 and 11.

Well done to all students involved for their hard work and dedication

Being in school every day builds confidence, friendships, resilience, and academic success, and it’s one of the best ways our students can unlock their full potential and prepare for a bright future.

A huge thank you to our students, parents, carers, and staff for working together to make attendance a priority, this achievement belongs to all of you!

The event gave students valuable insight into a wide range of skills and career pathways, with interactive activities and conversations designed to highlight the many opportunities available beyond traditional academic routes. From learning about apprenticeships to understanding how classroom skills translate into the workplace, it was an inspiring and informative experience.

Well done to our Year 9s for engaging so positively and making the most of this opportunity, and thank you to everyone involved in delivering such a brilliant event

Achieving a DofE Award requires commitment, resilience and determination, as students balance volunteering, physical activity, skill development and expedition challenges alongside their studies. Each certificate represents hours of hard work, teamwork and personal growth.

Well done to all our students for this fantastic achievement — a testament to your perseverance and willingness to challenge yourselves. We look forward to seeing where these skills and experiences take you next

Read her full story, including honest advice on rejection, resilience and finding your path in a creative industry: http://bit.ly/4rbRmPm

We’re so proud to see Holly’s journey from Crossley Heath to the TV studio and can’t wait to watch the next series knowing she helped shape the stories!

Well done to Harriet and Tara in the Year 10/11 race, and to Raphael and Jack in the Year 7 boys’ race, for their fantastic efforts.

A special congratulations goes to Ruby (Year 7), who finished an outstanding 7th place.

An excellent achievement by all involved – we are very proud of you

Well done as well to our KS4 Badminton Team, who put in an incredible performance and narrowly missed out on qualification for the North East round after a three-way tie for the top spot. Qualification was decided on a count-back, with just 10 points separating them from the eventual winners. An amazing effort by the girls and a performance to be very proud of.

Fantastic representation of the school from both teams

The night featured food and drinks, a DJ who kept the dance floor busy, and a 360° photo booth that captured some brilliant memories with friends. It was wonderful to see our Sixth Form students dressed up, celebrating together and enjoying a special night to remember.

Thank you to everyone who helped make the evening such a success!