The North Halifax Grammar School 11 Plus (11+) Exam Guide

About The North Halifax Grammar School

The North Halifax Grammar School is a co-educational selective state grammar school for pupils aged 11 to 18, located in Halifax, Calderdale. Entry into Year 7 is by competitive entrance test, sat in the September of Year 6. A candidate may sit the test only once in the academic year.

The school operates a joint registration and admissions process with The Crossley Heath School, the two together known as the Halifax Grammar Schools. Both schools use the same entrance test, so it is worth reading this guide even if you are also considering Crossley Heath.

The school publishes free FSCE familiarisation materials on its admissions pages, which are worth checking alongside this guide.

Key information for 2027 entry to The North Halifax Grammar School at 11 Plus (11+)

• School type: co-educational state grammar school
• Test provider: FSCE (Future Stories Community Enterprise), joint process with The Crossley Heath School
• Registration window: 20 March – 26 June 2026
• Exam date: Saturday 19 September 2026
• Results date: around two to three weeks after the test
• CAF deadline: 31 October 2026
• National Offer Day: 1 March 2027
• Contact details: www.nhgs.co.uk

Admissions information for 2027 entry to The North Halifax Grammar School at 11 Plus (11+)

The North Halifax Grammar School uses the FSCE Entrance Test, written by Future Stories Community Enterprise (FSCE), a company established in 2022 which is itself a trading company of Reading School. The test is therefore written by a grammar school for grammar schools rather than by an outside assessment provider.

Because the school operates a joint registration and admissions process with The Crossley Heath School, both schools sit the same FSCE Entrance Test. Registering for the test is done through the joint Halifax Grammar Schools admissions pages, and this is separate from naming either school on your local authority’s Common Application Form (CAF).

The test covers English and maths, plus a separate creative writing task. The school describes the English and maths portion as four elements assessed across two tests, combining multiple-choice and written-response questions. The creative writing task is assessed separately, alongside the English and maths papers, with all written elements sat on one day in September.

Registration for 2026 entry closes on 26 June 2026. Results are issued to parents around two to three weeks after the test. You must then name The North Halifax Grammar School on your local authority’s Common Application Form (CAF) by its deadline of 31 October 2026. Registering with the school for the test is not the same as applying for a school place, and both steps are required.

For a general explanation of how the FSCE test works across all the schools that use it, see our FSCE 11+ explained guide.

How can I register my child for the 11 Plus (11+) exams at The North Halifax Grammar School?

Registration for 2026 entry opens on 20 March 2026 and closes on 26 June 2026. You register through the joint Halifax Grammar Schools admissions pages on the school’s website.

Make sure you check the school website for the current registration link and admission policy, as dates can change from year to year.

The application process is:

• Register your child for the entrance test via the joint Halifax Grammar Schools admissions pages
• Sit the FSCE Entrance Test on Saturday 19 September 2026, at the start of Year 6
• Receive the test results around two to three weeks after the test
• Complete your local authority’s Common Application Form (CAF), naming The North Halifax Grammar School, by 31 October 2026
• Receive your offer on National Offer Day, 1 March 2027

What is the 11 Plus (11+) entrance exam format for The North Halifax Grammar School?

The North Halifax Grammar School’s FSCE Entrance Test draws on English, maths and creative writing. The school describes the English and maths portion as four elements assessed across two tests, combining multiple-choice questions with short written answers. The creative writing task is a separate paper, assessed alongside the English and maths papers. All written elements are sat on one day in September, and a child may sit the test only once in the academic year.

All content comes from the Key Stage 2 National Curriculum taught up to and including the end of Year 5. There is no verbal reasoning and no non-verbal reasoning at this school.

A rough guide to topics covered:

• Maths – arithmetic, fractions, decimals and percentages, measurement and unit conversions, geometry, statistics and handling data, word questions
• English – reading comprehension, inference, vocabulary in context, spelling, punctuation and grammar
• Creative writing – a handwritten piece written in response to a prompt, planned in the question booklet with only the answer sheet marked

It is important to note that the way an FSCE test is run differs from most other 11+ exams:

• Instructions are played from a voice recording rather than read out by an invigilator. The recording says when to open the booklet, which page to turn to, and how long each section lasts.
• Answers go on a separate answer sheet. Nothing written in the question booklet is marked.
• Children must write in black biro or ballpoint pen. Frixion pens are allowed, but pencils are not.
• Rulers, protractors, dictionaries, calculators, scrap paper, stopwatches, phones and smart watches are not permitted.
• Multiple-choice ovals must be fully shaded. A line or a tick through an oval will not be read correctly.
• No marks are deducted for a wrong answer.
• Spare time at the end of a section can only be spent on that section. Once a section is closed, your child cannot return to it.

The multiple-choice and short-answer elements are marked using optical mark recognition, with people checking any answers the scanner finds unclear. The creative writing element is marked separately and is usually only assessed for candidates who have already reached the qualifying standard on the computer-marked elements.

The North Halifax Grammar School 11 Plus (11+) top tips for your child

• Make sure you are familiar and confident with the KS2 syllabus up to the end of Year 5, as this is what the questions are based on. You will need to apply what you know to unfamiliar situations.
• Read as much as possible in the run-up to the exam. This builds your vocabulary and gives you practice at reading and understanding texts quickly.
• Practise planning and writing a short piece of creative writing within a set time, so producing your best work quickly does not feel new on the day.
• Listen to the recorded instructions carefully! Do not turn over any pages or start a new section before you are told to.
• Check your answer sheet as you go. Make sure the number on the answer sheet matches the number of the question you are answering in the booklet.
• Practise in black pen. If you are used to working in pencil, do a few papers in biro so that writing without an eraser is not new on the day.
• Shade the ovals fully. A line or a tick through an oval will not be read properly by the computer.
• Don’t leave any blanks! No marks are taken away for a wrong answer, so it is always worth putting something down.
• Pay attention to the time! Move on if you are stuck, and come back to the question later if there is time left in that section.

How to prepare your child for the 11 Plus (11+) The North Halifax Grammar School exam

Start with the official FSCE Familiarisation Guides, which the school publishes free on its admissions pages in separate versions for children and for parents. These contain sample questions and sample answer sheets, and are a useful first look at the layout your child will meet on the day.

Beyond that, the most useful way to prepare is to use practice tests to familiarise your child with the exam format. This gives them practice at working to a clock, transferring answers to a separate answer sheet, and answering both multiple-choice and short written questions, so that the format itself holds no surprises on the day.

Because The North Halifax Grammar School sets a creative writing element alongside its English and maths papers, practice in all three areas is worthwhile. We would not recommend buying verbal reasoning or non-verbal reasoning material for this school, as neither appears in the test.

For The North Halifax Grammar School 11+ preparation, we recommend the following packs: