Entrance Exam

Heckmondwike Grammar School is a state selective grammar school providing a free education appropriate to the needs of pupils in the top 25% of the ability range.

*Registration for September 2025 entry is now closed

*Registration for September 2026 entry opens 12 May 2025

Entrance Examination

All pupils seeking entry into Year 7 must sit the school’s entrance examination.  The exam usually takes place early in September of the school year prior to entry.

What does the entrance exam entail?

Children take an entrance examination early in the Autumn term preceding the September of entry. Papers will test a range of reasoning skills in a variety of contexts and they are designed to be predictors of likely future performance. The results from each paper will be standardised, age-weighted and combined into a total standardised age score. The outcome of the exam is communicated to parents in mid-October, prior to the deadline for submission of the common application form (CAF) to the local authority. This does not necessarily constitute the formal offer of a place since, in recent years, there have been more children reaching the required standard than there are places available. The formal offer of a place will be communicated via the Local Authority in early March.

About the FSCE Exam for Year 7 Entry

At Heckmondwike Grammar School, we are committed to providing a fair and rigorous selection process for prospective students. As part of this commitment, we have adopted the Future Stories Community Enterprise Ltd (FSCE) Entrance Exam as our Year 7 Entrance Exam.

Why FSCE?

FSCE’s main goal is to make Grammar School testing more accessible for all children: regardless of primary school, socio-economic background and/or disability. The FSCE Entrance Exam is a modern and inclusive entrance exam developed and reviewed in collaboration with experienced educators. It is designed to assess a child’s academic ability in the most holistic manner permissible, rather than just through rote learning. The exam is designed to ensure all children have an equal opportunity to succeed and showcase their academic ability.

In focussing solely on areas of the KS2 National Curriculum that have been taught up to the end of Year 5, the exam aims to remove any need for tutoring. Instead, it emphasises the excellent work that children do at primary school and explores a child’s innate ability, curiosity and problem-solving skills. This move away from tutoring is essential in ensuring that we select children who will be best placed to thrive in our challenging and enriching school environment.

What is the FSCE Entrance Exam?

The exam evaluates application of knowledge and skills in English and Maths as well as exploring imaginative flair through Creative Writing. Children will only be assessed on knowledge appropriate to the KS2 Curriculum so there is no element of the exam that should surprise, trouble or intimidate candidates.

The exam consists of both multiple-choice and written response questions. Further information can be found in the Familiarisation Guide on the Heckmondwike Grammar School website which includes sample exam questions.

The Entrance Exam content changes each year therefore the Familiarisation Guide is NOT definitive and the inclusion of any question types does NOT guarantee that they will be found in the actual exam.

All papers with the exception of Creative Writing are marked by computer and age-standardised. Students with an eligible score from the English and Maths papers will have their Creative Writing task assessed and candidates will be ranked accordingly.

Please note – a child may only take the exam once. All written elements will be tested on one day in September and will take place at Heckmondwike Grammar School.

How to Prepare

We suggest you print the Familiarisation Guide and read it through carefully. The FSCE exam does not require specialist tutoring, and no specific preparation is necessary. No teacher, tutor or parent will have knowledge of the exam that others lack. Instead, we encourage children to:

  • Work well at primary school, with maximum attendance and engagement in all areas of school life;
  • Develop strong reading habits by reading widely and deeply;
  • Practise the fluency of their maths and problem-solving skills through real life day to day examples;
  • Engage in imaginative and critical thinking discussions around the dinner table;
  • Focus on calmness and confidence rather than pressure and stress;
  • Trust that they already have the knowledge required to access the questions.

Familiarisation Paper for Students 

Familiarisation Paper for Parents

Key Dates

  • Registration Opens: 9:00am – 12th May 2025
  • Application Deadline: Midday 23rd June 2025
  • Exam Date: 15th September 2025
  • Results available online: 16th October (target date)

Allocation of places

The school offers 210 places, via the local authority. All applicants will be notified as to whether or not they have achieved the required standard prior to the deadline for submission of the common application form to the local authority. This does not, however, constitute the offer of a place, as applications must be made via the local authority using the common application form. The deadline for submitting this to the LA is usually in October. Places will be offered by the LA in March.