Schools near Dewsbury
30 open schools in Dewsbury, Kirklees · Ofsted ratings, catchment areas and admission criteria · see all Kirklees schools · grammar schools in Dewsbury
Dewsbury has 30 state schools: 21 primary, 5 secondary, part of Kirklees's wider catchment. 29 have a published Ofsted rating, and 21 of those are rated Good or Outstanding.
Undersubscribed schools rated Good or Outstanding
These schools didn't fill on first preference in the latest admissions year, despite an Ofsted rating of Good or Outstanding — worth a look if you're chasing the same handful of famous names everyone else applies to.
How places are allocated in Kirklees
Primary schools: Kirklees' own term is 'Priority Admission Area' (PAA), also called the catchment area — criterion 2, after looked-after children. (source)
Most schools use the local authority's default scheme rather than a school-specific catchment map — see each school's page for its own designated/catchment area where one is published.
Kirklees entrance test format
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.
Key dates
| Entry year | Event | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Sept 2028 | Application deadline | 2027-10-31 |
| Sept 2028 | Primary application deadline | 2028-01-15 |
| Sept 2028 | Offer day | 2028-03-01 |
| Sept 2028 | Primary offer day | 2028-04-17 |
| Sept 2027 | Registration opens | 2026-05-11 (passed) |
| Sept 2027 | Registration closes | 2026-06-22 (passed) |
| Sept 2027 | Test date | 2026-09-14 |
| Sept 2027 | Results released | 2026-10-17 |
| Sept 2027 | Application deadline | 2026-10-31 |
| Sept 2027 | Primary application deadline | 2027-01-15 |
| Sept 2027 | Offer day | 2027-03-01 |
| Sept 2027 | Primary offer day | 2027-04-16 |
| Sept 2026 | Application deadline | 2025-10-31 (passed) |
| Sept 2026 | Primary application deadline | 2026-01-15 (passed) |
| Sept 2026 | Offer day | 2026-03-02 (passed) |
| Sept 2026 | Primary offer day | 2026-04-16 (passed) |
Out-of-area applications
Kirklees' only grammar school is Heckmondwike Grammar School (mixed). It runs its own entrance exam — register directly with the school during its Year 5 registration window, with the test in mid-September of Year 6. Children living outside Kirklees can register — the school draws from across West Yorkshire. Roughly the top quarter of candidates meet the eligibility standard each year. Apply via your home LA's Common Application Form by 31 October, and check the school's oversubscription criteria for distance/priority effects.
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