An FSCE entrance test based on the primary-school curriculum.
- Test provider
- Future Stories Community Enterprise (FSCE)
- Scores
- Age-standardised
What the test includes
- English
- Maths
- Writing task
School profile
Record updated 27 October 2026
A selective co-educational grammar school in Heckmondwike, West Yorkshire, serving ages 11-18 with a sixth form and around 1,468 pupils on roll.
Grammar school Co-ed Academy converter Ages 11-18 Sixth form Future Stories Community Enterprise (FSCE)
- 2025–2026 GCSE rank ?
- UK Rank #31
- Year 7 places
- 210
- Competition ?
- High (estimated)
- Ofsted ?
- Good
- 11+ route
- Future Stories Community Enterprise (FSCE)
On this page
At a glance
Key facts
- 2025–2026 GCSE rank ?
- UK Rank #31
- Sector
- Grammar school
- Admissions
- Mixed
- Assessment
- Future Stories Community Enterprise (FSCE)
- Places in Year 7
- 210
- Competition ?
- High (estimated)
- Catchment
- You can apply from any area, but living in the published local area gives priority for some or all places.
- Ofsted ?
- Good
Overview
Overview
Heckmondwike Grammar School is a co-educational selective grammar in West Yorkshire, serving ages 11 to 18 from its High Street site. The school traces its foundation to 1898 and presents itself as both academically ambitious and locally rooted: a grammar school with a long civic history, a large sixth form and around 1,468 pupils on roll.
The curriculum is designed to keep breadth before pupils narrow their choices. The school's curriculum material describes a broad and balanced offer, with Key Stage 3 laying foundations across the academic and creative range and Key Stage 4 structured around a substantial GCSE programme. The tone is demanding but not purely results-driven: the curriculum material places knowledge, personal development and preparation for future study alongside examination success.
Enrichment is one of Heckmondwike's stronger school-specific signals. The website presents clubs and societies as part of the culture rather than a bolt-on, with chess, student leadership and community volunteering all visible in school life. The sixth form adds further academic and leadership depth, making the school feel like an 11-18 grammar where older students remain visible in the life of the site.
Year 7 admission has 210 places and uses the FSCE entrance exam. Candidates sit English and mathematics papers, then a creative-writing task is assessed for those who meet the required standard in the first two papers; the English and maths elements are age-standardised and more children may meet the standard than there are places available. The oversubscription order includes looked-after, pupil-premium, catchment, sibling, staff and score-ranked categories. Ofsted judged the school Good in April 2022, with behaviour and attitudes Outstanding; GOV.UK shows +1.00 Progress 8, 100% grade 5+ in English and maths, and 25.7% AAB or better at A level.
Inside Creative Writing
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Key points
Key points
- Assessment route
- Future Stories Community Enterprise (FSCE) covering English, Maths and Writing task.
- Places and demand
- 210 places in Year 7 and High (estimated)
- Catchment
- You can apply from any area, but living in the published local area gives priority for some or all places.
- Results
- 99.5% grade 5+ in English and maths and 78.9 Attainment 8
- Sixth form
- Sixth form available with 25.7% AAB or better and 72.9% in higher education.
GCSE benchmark
Latest 2025/26 KS4 measures compared with Kirklees and England.
School Local authority England
- Attainment 8
- 78.9
- Grade 5+ English and maths
- 99.5%
Attainment 8 trend
Recent published Attainment 8 scores compared with Kirklees and England.
School Local authority England
Destinations
Latest 2024/25 Year 11 destination mix compared with Kirklees and England.
Education Apprenticeships Employment Other / unknown
School details
School details
- Sector
- Grammar school
- School type
- Academy converter
- Application
- Local authority CAF
- Gender
- Mixed
- Age range
- 11-18
- Headteacher
- Mr Peter Roberts
- Pupil roll
- 1,522 pupils
- Sixth form
- Yes
- Trust
- Heckmondwike Grammar School Academy Trust
- FSM ?
- 6%
- EAL ?
- 23.2%
- EHCP ?
- 0.2%
Facilities
Library
Extracurriculars
Chess club
School statistics
School statistics
Ethnicity
Ethnicity
Pupil ethnicity
Whole-school roll of 1,522 pupils; 1,505 had a recorded ethnic group.
White 380 pupils, 25%
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Asian 938 pupils, 61.6%
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Mixed 70 pupils, 4.6%
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Black 92 pupils, 6.1%
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Other 25 pupils, 1.6%
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Unclassified 17 pupils, 1.1%
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Location and contact
Location and contact
Address
- Address
- High Street, Heckmondwike, West Yorkshire
- Postcode
- WF16 0AH
- Area
- Kirklees
- Exam area
- Kirklees 11+
School leadership
- Headteacher
- Mr Peter Roberts
School contact
- School email
- admissions@heckgrammar.co.uk
- School phone
- 01924402202
Admissions contact
- Admissions team
- Admissions
- Admissions email
- admissions@heckgrammar.co.uk
- Admissions phone
- 01924402202
Admissions
Admissions
Residence and moving rules
For local priority
- Live in the area
- On the child’s entrance-examination day; 14 September is the main sitting
Applies to: Applicants claiming catchment priority.
Policy wording, evidence and exceptions
Address for local priority
Catchment status uses the child’s permanent address on the day of the entrance exam. The school requires supporting proof of residence.
- Evidence required
- Proof of permanent residence required by the school
- Year 7 places
- 210 places
- Applications listed
- 580 applications (2026 entry)
- First preferences
- 355 first preferences (2026 entry)
- Competition ?
- High (estimated)
- Catchment
- You can apply from any area, but living in the published local area gives priority for some or all places.
- Published score basis
- Selective standard first; no fixed numeric pass mark published (2027 entry)
- Pass mark note
- No fixed numeric pass mark is available. English and maths are age-standardised first; writing task is assessed after a child reaches the required standard on the first two papers. More children may meet the standard than there are places available.
Parents must both register for the school entrance exam and rank Heckmondwike Grammar School on their home local authority application. Selective children whose EHCP names the school are considered first, then criteria 1 to 6 are applied, and only the remaining places go purely by exam rank.
The school gives separate priority to children living in the published catchment area and requires proof of residence. After the priority criteria are applied, remaining places are ranked by entrance-exam performance.
Oversubscription and eligibility
-
1
Looked-after and previously looked-after children
After any selective child whose EHCP names the school is admitted, first priority goes to selective looked-after and previously looked-after children, including children previously in state care outside England. Evidence of looked-after status must be provided at registration.
-
2
Pupil Premium
Next come selective children eligible for Pupil Premium. The school requires the evidence for this category by the published June document deadline.
-
3
Catchment area
Then come selective children living in the published catchment area. The relevant address is the child's permanent home on the date of the entrance exam, proof of residence is required, and an offer can be withdrawn if that residency evidence is not met.
-
4
Siblings
Then come selective applicants who will have a sibling, including in the sixth form, still on roll when they join the school.
-
5
Children of staff
Then come selective applicants with a parent employed by the school for at least two years at the time of the entrance exam, or recruited to a recognised skill-shortage post.
-
6
Music criterion
Up to 5% of offers can go to selective applicants with grade 2 or above in a solo music performance qualification from an Ofqual-regulated awarding body. If this category is oversubscribed, places go to the highest entrance-exam scores.
Exam and test format
Exam and test format
Official exam resources
Past papers and practice materials
No released past entrance-test papers are currently verified here. The resources below are labelled by type.
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Application
Application
Key dates
Get date reminders-
Registration opens
11 May 2026, 9am
PastOpening of the online registration form for September 2027 entry.
-
Registration closes
22 June 2026, Midday
PastClosing deadline for online registration.
-
Entrance exam
14 September 2026
Past -
Result update
17 October 2026 (target date)
17 October is the school's target date.
-
Local authority deadline
Normally 31 October
Parents are told to check the exact date with their local authority.
-
National Offer Day
Usually 1 March
Offer confirmation comes from the local authority.
-
Grade 2 music certificate deadline
11 September 2026
PastOriginal certificate must reach the school by 12 noon.
-
Residence start date
On the child’s entrance-examination day; 14 September is the main sitting
Past
How to apply
- 1
Register online for the entrance exam
Complete the school's online registration form during the published May to June window for September 2027 entry.
Open application procedure - 2
Sit the entrance exam
The school has published 14 September 2026 as the entrance-exam date for September 2027 entry.
Read about the exam - 3
Check whether the standard has been met
The school expects to publish results online on 17 October 2026.
Check key steps - 4
Submit the local authority application
Rank Heckmondwike Grammar School through your local authority before its deadline.
Read admissions arrangements
Official admissions documents
Results
Results
Inspection
Inspection
Good
Latest inspection: 6 April 2022
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Outstanding
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Sixth form provision
- Requires Improvement
Quick summary
- Overall effectiveness: The 2022 inspection judged Heckmondwike Grammar Good overall, with Outstanding behaviour but a sixth form requiring improvement. The report describes a friendly, high-expectation school with strong GCSE progress and rich enrichment, while some A-level learners struggled with the transition.
- Quality of education: The curriculum is ambitious and fast paced, with key stage 3 covered in two years and subject plans identifying key knowledge. Leaders had improved languages and supported reading well, but chemistry was still below the school's own high standards.
- Behaviour and attitudes: Behaviour was outstanding. Pupils were polite, articulate and courteous, lived the values of respect, responsibility and excellence, and said bullying was rare and dealt with by adults when it happened.
- Personal development: Pupils have a wide enrichment menu, from Duke of Edinburgh and productions to mindfulness, astronomy, eco-politics and pupil-led clubs. Charity work was also prominent, including a recent sleep out for homelessness.
- Leadership and management: Leaders knew the school's strengths and weaker areas and had driven curriculum review, language improvement and strong safeguarding. The report describes a highly trained safeguarding team working promptly with external agencies across several local authorities.
- Sixth form provision: Sixth-form provision required improvement because some students found the jump to A-level work difficult. The wider school remained ambitious, but this report singled out transition and readiness for post-16 study as the key weakness.
Similar schools and comparisons
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Shortlist comparisons
Explore this school in context
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Related pages and guides
Related pages and guides
Area and ranking pages
Best Grammar Schools in Kirklees
Compare 1 Kirklees grammar school for 2026: GCSE ranking table, Ofsted, Yorkshire route, admissions rules, competition, and school profiles.
Best Grammar Schools in the UK
Explore the best grammar schools in the UK with a national ranking that can be filtered by county, school type, and Ofsted before moving into local admissions detail.
Best Grammar Schools by A-level Results
Explore the best grammar schools by A-level results in the UK, ranked by the published share of students achieving AAB or better at A level.
Guides and related reading
Related guides are still being added.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Which entrance tests does Heckmondwike Grammar School use?
For September 2027 entry, Heckmondwike Grammar School uses Future Stories Community Enterprise (FSCE). Check the named test and any alternative or later-stage requirements in the admissions policy.
How do I apply to Heckmondwike Grammar School?
1. Register online for the entrance exam: Complete the school's online registration form during the published May to June window for September 2027 entry. 2. Sit the entrance exam: The school has published 14 September 2026 as the entrance-exam date for September 2027 entry. 3. Check whether the standard has been met: The school expects to publish results online on 17 October 2026. 4. Submit the local authority application: Rank Heckmondwike Grammar School through your local authority before its deadline.
When are the key dates for Heckmondwike Grammar School?
Registration opens: 11 May 2026, 9am. Registration closes: 22 June 2026, Midday. Entrance exam: 14 September 2026. Result update: 17 October 2026 (target date). Local authority deadline: Normally 31 October. National Offer Day: Usually 1 March. Grade 2 music certificate deadline: 11 September 2026. Residence start date: On the child’s entrance-examination day; 14 September is the main sitting
What does the latest inspection picture look like for Heckmondwike Grammar School?
Heckmondwike Grammar School is currently rated Good following the latest published inspection dated 6 April 2022.