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Heckmondwike Grammar School

Heckmondwike, WF16 0AH · Kirklees · Grammar school

Ofsted: Good · 2022 ★ Selective Mixed Secondary
OfstedGood
Pupils1468
FSM5.4%
Progress 8+1.0
A-level avgB
Test boardConsortium: N/A. Heckmondwike Grammar uses FSCE (not GL Assessment); 210 places in Year 7
AI summary of the Ofsted report Inspected 2022-06-16 · Tap to collapse

Generated by AI from the official inspection report — not written by Ofsted or SchoolsGPT staff. Always read the full Ofsted PDF before relying on this summary.

Overview: Heckmondwike Grammar School is a friendly and welcoming school with high expectations, where pupils are polite, articulate, and courteous. The school provides a wide range of experiences and activities that enrich and enhance pupils' learning.

Strengths:

  • Pupils make very strong progress, with a fast pace of learning.
  • The school has a strong team of staff leading safeguarding, with comprehensive training for all staff.
  • Pupils feel safe, with strong relationships in the school and confidence that staff will help them solve any problems.
  • The school has a detailed programme of personal, social and health education (PSHE) for all pupils from Years 7 to 11.
  • Pupils have access to a wide range of extra-curricular activities, with the vast majority taking up something from the offer.

Areas to improve:

  • Some sixth-form learners struggle with the skills required for success at A level, and leaders need to strengthen the systems in place to identify these learners early and provide them with the support they need.
  • Leaders do not attach sufficient importance to work experience and PSHE in the sixth form, and learners do not have access to key aspects of these important parts of their education.
  • Pupils in both key stage 4 and the sixth form suggest that they do not get enough input in careers in non-university options.

Safeguarding: The arrangements for safeguarding are effective, with a strong team of staff leading this area, comprehensive training for all staff, and a focus on keeping pupils safe, including online.

Open official report ↗

Catchment / designated area

Children of selective ability resident in the catchment area

Source: https://www.heckgrammar.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/2026-HGS-Admissions-Arrangements-11-16-1.pdf

Ofsted judgement breakdown (2022-04-05)

Overall effectiveness
Good
Quality of education
Good
Behaviour and attitudes
Outstanding
Personal development
Good
Effectiveness of leadership and management
Good
Safeguarding is effective?
Yes
Sixth form provision (where applicable)
Requires improvement

Oversubscription criteria

  1. Looked after — Looked After/Previously Looked After Children (in or outside England) of selective ability
  2. Pupil premium — Pupil Premium children of selective ability
  3. Catchment — Children of selective ability resident in the catchment area
  4. Sibling — Children of selective ability with a sibling already at the school (incl. Sixth Form)
  5. Staff child — Children of selective ability with a staff parent employed ≥2 years
  6. Music grade2 — Children with Grade 2+ certificated Music, capped at 5% of total offers, ranked by entrance score if oversubscribed

What the entrance test covers

Heckmondwike Grammar School's entrance exam is produced by FSCE (Future Stories Community Enterprise) — the same provider now used by several northern grammar schools — and includes BOTH multiple-choice and written-response questions (English and maths based). The exam is sat at the school in mid-September of Year 6; roughly the top 25% of candidates reach the eligibility standard. Register directly with the school in Year 5; results arrive in October before the 31 October application deadline. Note: FSCE papers differ in style from traditional GL Assessment multiple-choice tests — practice material for GL-based areas won't fully match this format.

University destinations

Oxbridge
2%
Russell Group
26%
Top-third university
27%
Any degree
77%

Of the 243-student 2019/20 leaver cohort, sustaining a higher-education destination the following year. This is the last cohort the Department for Education published with an Oxbridge/Russell Group breakdown — these categories were discontinued as official accountability measures after this release, so a more recent figure does not exist.

House prices nearby

Median price, Heckmondwike ward (Year ending Mar 2023)
£170,500

Median price for the school's electoral ward, year ending March 2023 — a neighbourhood-level indicator, not the school's actual admissions catchment (catchments are often smaller than a ward or span parts of several).

Similar schools nearby

Same area, prioritising the same phase — useful for shortlisting alternatives.

Brian Jackson College 0.0 mi · Secondary · Good Heckmondwike, WF16 0AD Spen Valley High School 1.2 mi · Secondary · Good Liversedge, WF15 7LX Westborough High School 1.3 mi · Secondary · Good Dewsbury, WF13 2JE St John Fisher Catholic Voluntary Academy 1.4 mi · Secondary · Inadequate Dewsbury, WF13 4LL Cambridge Street School 1.4 mi · Secondary Batley, WF17 5QW Upper Batley High School 1.6 mi · Secondary · Good Batley, WF17 0BJ

Data sourced from GIAS, Ofsted and official Kirklees admissions publications. Figures can change year to year — always confirm with the school before applying.

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