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Schools near Sowerby Bridge

13 open schools in Sowerby Bridge, Calderdale · Ofsted ratings, catchment areas and admission criteria · see all Calderdale schools · grammar schools in Sowerby Bridge

Sowerby Bridge has 13 state schools: 10 primary, 2 secondary, part of Calderdale's wider catchment. 11 have a published Ofsted rating, and 11 of those are rated Good or Outstanding.

Average score
out of 10

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.

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.

Key dates

Entry yearEventDate
Sept 2028 Application deadline 31 October 2027
Sept 2028 Primary application deadline 15 January 2028
Sept 2028 Offer day 1 March 2028
Sept 2028 Primary offer day 17 April 2028
Sept 2027 Registration opens 20 March 2026 (passed)
Sept 2027 Registration closes 26 June 2026 (passed)
Sept 2027 Test date 19 September 2026 (passed)
Sept 2027 Results released 17 October 2026 (passed)
Sept 2027 Application deadline 31 October 2026
Sept 2027 Primary application deadline 15 January 2027
Sept 2027 Offer day 1 March 2027
Sept 2027 Primary offer day 16 April 2027
Sept 2026 Application deadline 31 October 2025 (passed)
Sept 2026 Primary application deadline 15 January 2026 (passed)
Sept 2026 Offer day 2 March 2026 (passed)
Sept 2026 Primary offer day 16 April 2026 (passed)

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