Schools near Halifax
53 open schools in Halifax, Calderdale · Ofsted ratings, catchment areas and admission criteria · see all Calderdale schools · grammar schools in Halifax
Halifax has 53 state schools: 42 primary, 5 secondary, part of Calderdale's wider catchment. 51 have a published Ofsted rating, and 41 of those are rated Good or Outstanding. 2 are state grammar schools and set an entrance test.
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 Calderdale
Primary schools: Calderdale's own 'catchment area' is explicitly DEFINED as 'any address closer to this school than any other primary school' — i.e. it's a distance derivation, not a fixed mapped boundary. (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.
Calderdale entrance test format
One joint FSCE (Future Stories Community Enterprise) test for both Calderdale grammar schools (The Crossley Heath School and The North Halifax Grammar School): - English and mathematics papers, age-standardised. - A creative-writing element, assessed for candidates who meet the required standard in English and maths — candidates must meet the qualifying standard in English, maths AND creative writing to be considered. Register once (historically late March to late June of Year 5); the test is sat in mid-September of Year 6 with results by mid-October, before the 31 October application deadline. One sitting serves both schools.
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 | 2026-03-20 (passed) |
| Sept 2027 | Registration closes | 2026-06-26 (passed) |
| Sept 2027 | Test date | 2026-09-19 |
| 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
Calderdale's two grammar schools — The Crossley Heath School and The North Halifax Grammar School — run a JOINT admissions test: register once, sit once, and the result serves both schools. Children living outside Calderdale can register and sit the test — the schools draw from across West Yorkshire and over the Lancashire border. Registration historically runs late March to late June of Year 5, with the test in mid-September of Year 6 (a supplementary sitting is historically offered about a week later for children who miss the main date with good reason). Apply via your home LA's Common Application Form by 31 October. Check each school's oversubscription criteria — distance is a factor when oversubscribed.
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