Run for Jo 2026

On Sunday, 21 June, a group of staff and students came together to take part in the Run for Jo, marking the 10th and final event in honour of Jo Cox, our former Head Girl. The event was a great celebration, bringing our community together to recognise Jo’s legacy and the lasting impact she has had on so many.

On Monday 8th June, Sienna Xu and Abdul Cheema in year 8 together with Aarush Maniyar and Yusuf Shah in year 9 represented the school at the National Finals of the UKMT Team Maths Challenge in Manchester. There were seventy-two teams from all around the Great Britain as well as some representing China. We arrived in a salubrious hotel Ballroom to find a sea of desks and an atmosphere of high excitement.

The competition was in five rounds. This year, the Poster round tasked students with researching Japanese Temple Geometry in the week leading up to the event then creating a poster on the day to include various information and answers to three unseen questions.

The other rounds followed the same format as in the Regional Finals. Our four brave competitors excelled in the early rounds, maintaining a near perfect score, then aced the group and shuttle rounds. The team had been making friends during the day and had worked out who their main rivals were but we knew nothing of the marks awarded for the poster round, so it was still all to play for!

The relay is a frenetic maelstrom of mathematics. Team members “walked quickly” from desk to desk to marker in a race to the finish. The HGS team had wings on their feet and excelled in this round. After it was all over, we were full of confidence and the team felt sure they were in with a chance of winning, especially as their poster was one of those chosen for display at the event. For those interested, the poster will soon be hanging proudly on display somewhere in school.

The results! Firstly, the poster competition – we came THIRD! Brilliant! Finally, the overall competition. Out of over 600  schools nationally, HGS came SECOND! What an amazing result!

The team are over the moon and rightly very pleased with themselves. Their hard work and tremendous collaboration definitely paid off and the team promise to be back next year. A massive thank you to Mr Robinson who coached the team in the lead up to the finals and to Mr Leitch for accompanying the team on the day.

We are pleased to invite prospective students currently in Year 5, together with their parents, to attend one of our Open Evenings. The evenings offer a valuable opportunity to explore our
excellent facilities, meet our specialist staff, and gain a real insight into life at Heckmondwike Grammar School.

There will be presentations from the Headteacher, along with informative talks outlining our admissions process. Visitors will also have the chance to tour the school, meet current students and experience the vibrant learning environment we provide.

Follow the links below to book a Headteacher Presentation or Admissions Talk.

At HGS, we strive to show how Mathematics translates into real-world careers. This year, several students entered the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications annual poster competition. The 2026 theme was Maths in Medicine and Health, challenging students to illustrate the vital role maths plays in healthcare.

We are delighted to announce that two of our students were recognised for their exceptional work:

• Nikitha Chelladurai (Year 8): Winner of the Year 7–9 category for her fascinating poster on Maths in Gynaecology. Nikitha received a prize of £100.
• Navya Lingolu (Year 10): Awarded “Highly Commended” in the Year 10–13 category for her project, Can Maths Predict an Outbreak? Navya received a prize of £30.

Congratulations to both students on this fantastic national achievement!

Mathematical Education on Merseyside (MEM) has been running their “Challenge” take-home competition in February half term since the late 1970s. This competition attracts about 2,000 entries annually. Another competition, the Open Challenge for students aged 18 and under, is organised by the Liverpool Mathematical Society (LivMS) which also runs over half term.

The challenges this year were all about “flight” and students were asked to solve worded mathematics problems and write out neat solutions to these problems. Several of our students entered this year and we have three winners who travelled to Liverpool to collect their prizes last week. Hasana Garada in year 7 has won a Merit prize in the MEM Challenge. Simrik Bohara in year 12 has won a Highly Commended prize and Harshith Mavuri in year 12 has won Third prize in the Open Challenge.

Congratulations to these students on their success!

Our Business Pathway students recently had the exciting opportunity to take part in the Sustainable Business Challenge at Leeds University, following months of preparation back in school. Earlier this year, students were introduced to sustainable business models and, working in small teams, began developing thoughtful analyses of existing companies, focusing on how they could operate more sustainably.

At the event, students presented their ideas to a panel of judges, demonstrating not only their subject knowledge but also their confidence, professionalism, and ability to respond thoughtfully to challenging questions. Their preparation was clear to see, and they represented the school exceptionally well, leaving a lasting impression on the judges.

The day itself was highly interactive and enriching. A standout feature was the “Green Careers Carousel,” where students engaged with professionals from a range of sustainability-focused roles. Having prepared questions in advance, they rotated between speakers, gaining valuable insight into diverse career pathways. Many students reflected on how this experience broadened their understanding of future opportunities within sustainability and business.

In addition to the challenge, students enjoyed a campus tour and took part in a taster session in environmental economics, offering a glimpse into university-level study and life beyond sixth form.

Experiences like this are at the heart of our Sixth Form Pathway Programme, designed to give students real-world exposure, develop key skills, and inspire ambition. We are incredibly proud of our students for their enthusiasm and achievements, and we look forward to seeing how they continue to develop as future leaders in sustainable business.

The RSC chemistry Olympiad exam was undertaken by our chemists again this year, this exam is for the more able chemistry students in year 13, however after the success of last yearit was opened up to promising year 12 students who wanted to enter too. This is a very demanding Chemistry exam which takes curriculum content a step further and looks at real world examples and scientific problems. Due to time constraints this year the students haven’t had as much time to prepare so the results are a testament to their ability!

65 Students 5 x year 13 student and 60 x year 12 A-level chemistry students attended the Royal Society of Chemistry Olympiad exam that took place on Wednesday 28^th January 2026 within school led by Mrs Noble.

All of the students will be awarded a certificate with a significant number achieving silver and gold awards.  The exam this year was out of 84 and to achieve a bronze this year the candidates required a score of 13 for bronze, 23 for silver and 38 for gold.

In total we have 33 x Bronze, 15 x Silver, 2 x Gold and15 participation certificates. These results are outstanding, especially for our Year 12 students, who have not yet covered much of the course material needed for the Olympiad exam.

As ever, HGS will be holding a non-uniform day (optional wear-red theme) in an attempt to raise as much money as possible for Comic Relief.

Donations for the privilege of wearing non-uniform should be made via ParentPay. Any additional donations can be made via the schools donations page.

This Red Nose Day, let’s come together to raise some smiles, and money, to help people through the toughest times of their lives. Thank you to everyone for supporting this great cause.

In the Autumn term, 64 players competed in the Tiny Tournament – a knockout tournament played on a tiny 5×5 chess board. Mr Tipler and Yusuf Shah reached the semi-finals but were knocked out by Soham Gaikwad and Dexter Cheetham, respectively. After some dedicated study of 5×5 strategies, Dexter secured overall victory and was awarded a tiny trophy. Congratulations, Dexter!