Admissions at 11+
For entry into Year 7 in September 2010, parents have to include the school as one of their three preferences on the Common Application Form (CAF). If you want your child to be considered for a place at both the Halifax Grammar Schools, The Crossley Heath School and The North Halifax Grammar School, then BOTH must be included in your 3 preferences on the CAF. All students who have included the school on the CAF will be eligible to sit the admission test. The published admission number for the school for September 2010 is 155.
The admission test will consist of:
(a) A verbal reasoning test
(b) A test in Mathematics
(c) A test in continuous writing in English
After the tests are completed pupils will be placed in a single list based on their performance in terms of aggregated scores in tests (a) and (b). Those with the highest score will be at the top of the list, which will therefore be an order of merit. Some 75% of places available (i.e. at least 116) will be offered to that same number of pupils who achieved the highest aggregate scores in tests (a) and (b). The final 25% of places (i.e. at least 39) will be offered on the basis of aggregate scores in all three tests. The test in continuous writing will be completed by all pupils, but will only be taken into consideration in the case of the final 25% of places to be offered.
If several pupils satisfy the first order criteria equally, then a range of supplementary criteria will be invoked, in this order:
- proximity of the child’s home to the school, with those living nearer accorded the highest priority (as measured by a straight line distance from home to the school’s main entrance).
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pupils with siblings (to include step-siblings resident in the same household) presently attending the school;
The pupils identified in the order of merit, assessed as suitable for a Grammar School place and being capable of gaining full advantage from the type of education provided, will be notified to the Local Authority (LA). The LA will then allocate places according to the coordinated scheme and parents will be informed by letter on March 1st 2010.
The coordinated scheme in Calderdale is administered as an equal preference scheme. This means that parents express a preference for up to three schools on the CAF and although they are ranked in order, they are given equal preference. The LA will operate the scheme and coordinate admissions by sending every preference to the admission authorities without reference to the rating on the CAF. Therefore, schools will offer places based on their oversubscription criteria which cannot include ‘first preference first’. The ranking is used to discriminate between preferences if two or more schools are able to offer a place, then the highest preference is offered. Parents wishing their daughter or son to be considered for a place at The Crossley Heath School are advised to place it first. The child is then eligible to sit the admissions test. However, if they do not perform well enough in the test to qualify for a place at The Crossley Heath School, they may meet the criteria for another school. Parents of children who sat the admissions tests will be informed of the outcome once the LA has been informed of those children who have been assessed as suitable for a Grammar School place. This should be in January 2010. This is not an offer of a place, which will be issued by the LA dependent on parent’s preferences on the CAF. On March 1st 2009 the school was full and therefore parents who are considering The Crossley Heath School are strongly urged to place it as their first preference.
Kirklees and Bradford also operate an equal preference scheme and so parents can follow the advice given above for Calderdale residents.
Parents must complete a CAF if they want their daughter or son to be admitted to a secondary school in Calderdale in September 2010. This will be available in the first week of September 2009 and distributed to all parents and must be returned to the LA by Saturday October 31st 2009. Applications can also be completed on-line from September 8th to October 31st at http://www.calderdale.gov.uk/education/schools/secondaryschool/common-application.html CHS must be included as one of the three preferences on the CAF if you want your daughter or son to sit the admission test and be considered for a place in September 2010. Parents are strongly advised to place CHS FIRST if it is their preferred school. The admissions test will be held on Saturday December 5th 2009.
School prospectuses are available on line, however if you would like to be sent one please contact the school . | 
