School Updated 26 April 2026

North Yorkshire / North Yorkshire 11+

Skipton Girls' High School

Gargrave Road, Skipton, BD23 1QL

A selective girls grammar school in Skipton, North Yorkshire, serving ages 11-18 with a sixth form and around 855 pupils on roll.

Girls Academy converter Ages 11-18 Sixth form FSCE

At a glance

Key facts

GCSE rank
UK Rank #106
Admissions
Girls only
Assessment
FSCE
Places in Year 7
120
Competition
2.1 applicants per place
Catchment
The school prioritises girls living in its Priority Area after statutory and pupil premium/Universal Credit categories. Girls outside the area can still be considered.
Ofsted
Good

Overview

A selective girls grammar school in Skipton, North Yorkshire, serving ages 11-18 with a sixth form and around 855 pupils on roll. Families looking at Skipton, North Yorkshire will usually see Skipton Girls' High School as a selective option for girls aged 11-18, with sixth form continuing the academic journey on the same site. Current published roll and admissions data point to around 855 pupils on roll and 120 Year 7 places.

For parents thinking about the 11+, the admissions picture is one of the clearest differentiators here. The current route includes FSCE, with 120 places available in Year 7 and demand that currently looks high by grammar-school standards. Catchment or distance rules still matter at allocation stage, so this is the kind of school where families need to read the admissions policy carefully rather than rely on headline scores alone.

On current official measures, the school offers a clear academic profile for parents to weigh up. The latest published Ofsted judgement is Good. Recent official performance measures show Progress 8 at 0.45 and Attainment 8 at 66.9. 89.3% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and maths in the latest stored GCSE figures. In the sixth form, 21% of entries were awarded AAB or better at A level. Destinations data also suggest strong progression after sixth form, with 70% moving into higher education.

Published school information highlights facilities such as Library. The wider offer currently includes STEM club. For many parents, the presence of a sixth form is part of the attraction, because it gives able pupils the option to stay in a familiar academic setting through to A level. Skipton Girls' High School is likely to appeal most to families who want strong academic expectations but also need the practical details, culture, and selective route to line up sensibly.

Key points

Assessment route
FSCE across a single-stage process, covering Maths and English.
Places and demand
120 places in Year 7 and 2.1 applicants per place
Catchment
The school prioritises girls living in its Priority Area after statutory and pupil premium/Universal Credit categories. Girls outside the area can still be considered.
Results
98.3% grade 5+ in English and maths and 69.7 Attainment 8
Sixth form
Sixth form available with 21% AAB or better and 70% in higher education.

GCSE benchmark

Latest 2024/25 KS4 measures compared with North Yorkshire and England.

School Local authority England
GCSE benchmark comparison Latest GCSE benchmark measures for Skipton Girls' High School, North Yorkshire, and England. 0 50 100 Att. 8 5+ E&M EBacc APS EBacc %
Attainment 8
69.7
Grade 5+ English and maths
98.3%
EBacc APS
6.57
EBacc entry
94.8%

Attainment 8 trend

Recent published Attainment 8 scores compared with North Yorkshire and England.

School Local authority England
Attainment 8 trend line Attainment 8 over time for Skipton Girls' High School, North Yorkshire, and England. 80 66.7 53.3 40 21/22 22/23 23/24 24/25

Destinations

Latest 2024/25 Year 11 destination mix compared with North Yorkshire and England.

Education Apprenticeships Employment Other / unknown
Destinations stacked bar comparison Year 11 destinations for Skipton Girls' High School, North Yorkshire, and England across education, apprenticeships, employment, and other or unknown destinations. 0 50 100 School Local auth. England

School details

School type
Academy converter
Admissions
Girls only
Age range
11-18
Headteacher
Ms Martha Featherstone
Pupil roll
855 pupils
Sixth form
Yes
Trust
Northern Star Academies Trust
FSM
6.6%
EAL
11.9%
EHCP
0.1%

Facilities

Library

Extracurriculars

STEM club

Location and contact

Address

Address
Gargrave Road, Skipton, North Yorkshire
Postcode
BD23 1QL
Area
North Yorkshire
Exam area
North Yorkshire 11+

School leadership

Headteacher
Ms Martha Featherstone

School contact

School phone
01756707600

Admissions contact

Admissions team
Admissions Office
Admissions email
admissions@sghs.org.uk
Admissions phone
01756707600

Admissions

Year 7 places
120 places (2027 entry)
Applications listed
238 applications (2025 entry)
First preferences
173 first preferences (2025 entry)
Applicants per place
2.1 applicants per place
Catchment picture
The school prioritises girls living in its Priority Area after statutory and pupil premium/Universal Credit categories. Girls outside the area can still be considered.
Residence requirement
No residence rule is currently confirmed
Pass mark note
Students with an eligible score are ranked for admission; no fixed advance pass mark is published in the booklet.

Entry is through school selection tests in mathematics and English. The school gives priority to eligible applicants in its Priority Area after statutory and pupil premium/Universal Credit categories.

The school prioritises girls living in its Priority Area after statutory and pupil premium/Universal Credit categories. Girls outside the area can still be considered.

Oversubscription and eligibility

  1. 1

    Looked after and previously looked after girls

    Girls deemed suitable in selection testing who meet the statutory looked-after or previously-looked-after definition.

  2. 2

    Pupil premium or Universal Credit

    Girls registered as pupil premium or whose families are in receipt of Universal Credit at application.

  3. 3

    Priority Area

    Girls living within the school's Priority Area who have been deemed suitable.

  4. 4

    Outside Priority Area

    Girls living outside the Priority Area who have been deemed suitable.

  5. 5

    Distance tie-break

    If a priority group is oversubscribed, places go to those living nearest the school by straight-line distance.

Exam and test format

The FSCE 11+ entrance test format

round 1000 A.

Assessment route
FSCE
Papers and stages
1 paper
Format
Mixed format
Age standardisation
Published as age-standardised

This school uses the shared Yorkshire consortium route. The consortium page brings together the common test format, key dates and official papers used across that route.

Open Yorkshire guide

Papers and rounds

  1. Paper 1

    English, Maths

    FSCE entrance test

    English and maths assessment with multiple-choice and written-response questions.

What the test includes

English and Maths are included in the published format.

Verbal reasoning, Non-verbal reasoning, Science and Creative writing are not listed in the current published format.

Included

  • English

  • Maths

Not listed

  • Verbal reasoning

  • Non-verbal reasoning

  • Science

  • Creative writing

Application

Key dates

  1. Registration opens

    1 May 2026

  2. Open evening

    9 July 2026

  3. Registration closes

    19 August 2026

  4. Selection testing

    26 September 2026

  5. Extenuating circumstances deadline

    30 September 2026

  6. Test results sent

    19 October 2026

  7. Common application deadline

    31 October 2026

  8. National Offer Day

    1 March 2027

How to apply

  1. 1

    Read the 2027 admissions policy

    Use the policy for PAN, Priority Area and oversubscription order.

    Read policy
  2. 2

    Register for selection testing

    Submit the online registration form by midnight on 19 August 2026.

    View booklet
  3. 3

    Sit the selection tests

    Selection testing takes place at Skipton Girls' High School on 26 September 2026.

    View test information
  4. 4

    Submit the local authority application

    Submit the relevant local authority common application by 31 October 2026.

    View timeline

Results

Attainment snapshot

Progress 8
+0.45 Progress 8
Attainment 8
69.7 Attainment 8
GCSE results
99.1% grade 4+ in English and maths
Grade 5+ English and maths
98.3% grade 5+ in English and maths
EBacc average point score
6.57 EBacc APS
A-level results
21% AAB or better
A-level average points
37.86 points per entry

Where students go next

Higher education progression
70% in higher education
Apprenticeships
4% in apprenticeships
Employment
13% in sustained employment

Latest official destinations data currently covers 2022/23 study leavers.

Subject performance

Maths
91.3% grade 5+ in EBacc maths
English
96.5% grade 5+ in EBacc English
Sciences
84.3% grade 5+ in EBacc sciences
Languages
79.8% grade 5+ in EBacc languages

Performance trends

Recent trend

Overall GCSE performance

This follows the school's published overall GCSE score across the subjects pupils take. Higher is better.

Skipton Girls' High School Grammar schools England
Overall GCSE performance across 2021/22, 2022/23, 2023/24, 2024/25 for Skipton Girls' High School, grammar schools, and England. 80 70 60 50 40 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 2024/25
Year This school Grammar schools England
2021/22 70.4 74.2 49.4
2022/23 68.7 71.8 47.0
2023/24 66.9 72.1 46.7
2024/25 69.7 72.3 46.8

Recent trend

Average A-level result

This follows the published average A-level result for the school's sixth form. Higher is better.

Skipton Girls' High School Grammar schools England
Average A-level result across 2021/22, 2022/23, 2023/24, 2024/25 for Skipton Girls' High School, grammar schools, and England. 50 pts 45 pts 40 pts 35 pts 30 pts 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 2024/25
Year This school Grammar schools England
2021/22 B+ average (42.5 points) 44.0 points 37.5 points
2022/23 B average (39.4 points) 40.5 points 33.7 points
2023/24 B- average (38.0 points) 41.3 points 34.5 points
2024/25 B- average (37.9 points) 41.8 points 35.0 points

Recent trend

Where pupils go after Year 11

This follows the share of pupils moving into a sustained destination after Year 11, such as education, apprenticeships, or employment.

Skipton Girls' High School Grammar schools England
Where pupils go after Year 11 across 2021/22, 2022/23, 2023/24, 2024/25 for Skipton Girls' High School, grammar schools, and England. 100% 75% 50% 25% 0% 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 2024/25
Year This school Grammar schools England
2021/22 100% 99.1% 94.1%
2022/23 98% 98.9% 93.9%
2023/24 100% 99.0% 93.3%
2024/25 99% 97.8% 91.4%

Latest year breakdown

In education 99%
In apprenticeships 0%
In employment 0%

Inspection

Good

Latest inspection: 22 September 2022

Quality of education
Good
Behaviour and attitudes
Outstanding
Personal development
Good
Leadership and management
Good
Sixth form provision
Good

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What assessment types does Skipton Girls' High School use?

Skipton Girls' High School currently uses FSCE.

How do I apply to Skipton Girls' High School?

1. Read the 2027 admissions policy: Use the policy for PAN, Priority Area and oversubscription order. 2. Register for selection testing: Submit the online registration form by midnight on 19 August 2026. 3. Sit the selection tests: Selection testing takes place at Skipton Girls' High School on 26 September 2026. 4. Submit the local authority application: Submit the relevant local authority common application by 31 October 2026.

When are the key dates for Skipton Girls' High School?

Registration opens: 1 May 2026. Open evening: 9 July 2026. Registration closes: 19 August 2026. Selection testing: 26 September 2026. Extenuating circumstances deadline: 30 September 2026. Test results sent: 19 October 2026. Common application deadline: 31 October 2026. National Offer Day: 1 March 2027

What does the latest Ofsted picture look like for Skipton Girls' High School?

Skipton Girls' High School is currently rated Good following the latest published inspection dated 22 September 2022.