Important update from TheSchoolRun
For the past 13 years, TheSchoolRun has been run by a small team of mums working from home, dedicated to providing quality educational resources to primary school parents. Unfortunately, rising supplier costs and falling revenue have made it impossible for us to continue operating, and we’ve had to make the difficult decision to close. The good news: We’ve arranged for another educational provider to take over many of our resources. These will be hosted on a new portal, where the content will be updated and expanded to support your child’s learning.
What this means for subscribers:
- Your subscription is still active, and for now, you can keep using the website as normal — just log in with your usual details to access all our articles and resources*.
- In a few months, all resources will move to the new portal. You’ll continue to have access there until your subscription ends. We’ll send you full details nearer the time.
- As a thank you for your support, we’ll also be sending you 16 primary school eBooks (worth £108.84) to download and keep.
A few changes to be aware of:
- The Learning Journey weekly email has ended, but your child’s plan will still be updated on your dashboard each Monday. Just log in to see the recommended worksheets.
- The 11+ weekly emails have now ended. We sent you all the remaining emails in the series at the end of March — please check your inbox (and spam folder) if you haven’t seen them. You can also follow the full programme here: 11+ Learning Journey.
If you have any questions, please contact us at [email protected]. Thank you for being part of our journey it’s been a privilege to support your family’s learning.
*If you need to reset your password, it will still work as usual. Please check your spam folder if the reset email doesn’t appear in your inbox.
The Yorkshire 11+ test explained
Which schools require an 11+ pass?
There are six grammar schools within the county of Yorkshire, but they are divided between three local authorities: Calderdale, Kirklees and North Yorkshire.
Prepare For The 11+ Exam
- Essential English and maths skills
- Verbal and non-verbal reasoning questions
- Reading comprehension & CLOZE tess
The schools are:
What do the tests involve?
The entrance tests vary across the different local authorities.
The Calderdale schools test verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning, maths and English (continuous writing), but the writing task is only taken into account for the final 25 per cent of places.
The North Yorkshire schools test verbal and non-verbal reasoning, and some test English and mathematics, too. But the tests vary from school to school, so it's worth checking with their admissions team.
Heckmondwike School test a range of reasoning skills in a variety of contexts and may have a creative writing element.
What version of the test is used?
All of the schools apart from Heckmondwike currently use GL Assessment tests.
Heckmondwike tests were written by CEM. However, CEM will no longer be providing 11+ tests from September 2023. Further information will be added to this page in due course. We recommend contacting individual schools for more information about their new test provider.
Exam Papers Plus & TheSchoolRun.com
If you're looking for practice papers for your child's 11+, our partners at Exam Papers Plus have papers, courses and mock exams for each area.
And their Pretest Plus offers online tests and video courses to help your child succeed at CAT, ISEB PRETEST, CEM SELECT and UKISET examinations.
How do you arrange for your child to take the test?
If you're interested in either of the Calderdale schools, you can find a registration form on the local authority website as well as more detailed information about the tests themselves.
Parents interested in Heckmondwike Grammar need to complete an online registration form via the school website in order for their child to take the entrance test.
Children living in North Yorkshire are automatically entered for the selection test provided they live in and attend a maintained primary school in the selective area. If you don't want your child to take the test or apply for a grammar school place, you can choose to withdraw them from testing. If you don't live within the catchment area or if your child attends an independent or out-of-area school, you need to apply for them to take the selection test via the local authority website. If you're considering Skipton Girls’ High School, you need to contact the school directly in order to register for the selection tests.
Where are the tests held?
For many of the schools, the venue for sitting the admissions test will be based on the pupil’s home address wherever possible irrespective of which is your preference school. In North Yorkshire, your child will be tested at their own primary school.
What is the pass mark?
The pass mark varies between the schools, so you'll need to look at each school's website for further information on their selection procedure. As a general rule, selective schools aim to provide a grammar school education for the top 25 per cent of children in terms of ability.
How can I help prepare my child?
Many of the schools in the county will provide parents with a familiarisation booklet once you they have registered for their child to sit the entrance test. North Yorkshire local authority also has sample questions available on its website. In addition, GL Assessment produces a range of official practice papers and supporting materials, which are available in bookshops and online.
You can find useful area-specific e-papers created and designed to reflect the Yorkshire 11+ exam formats from Exam Paper Plus.
Please note that although every effort has been made to ensure the information we provide is accurate, admissions arrangements for Year 7 entry change regularly and it is essential to check for the most up-to-date advice on schools' own websites.
NB: TheSchoolRun receives a small commission from sales made through Exam Paper Plus.
