Admissions FAQs

How will my child be selected?

HGS is selective and admission is based on the results of an entrance exam. Please take time to read the admissions policy for more details of specific admissions criteria. The normal ages of entrance are 11 (for Year 7) and 16 (for the Sixth Form). In special circumstances, for example when families move into the area, an in-year application form may be requested from the Admissions Officer and returned to the school. However, for a child to be admitted in-year, a vacancy would have had to arise, and this is a rare occurrence.

What does the entrance exam entail?

See our entrance exam webpage for full details of the exam, when it takes places, and sample questions.

How can I prepare my child for the entrance exam?

There are many ways you can help your child prepare and you will know what will work best for your child. Amongst other activities you could try, we recommend that you help your child with reading. Ask them to explain the meaning of a passage they are reading. You could also point to a word and ask them to explain its meaning, give a synonym, or give you a word with an opposite meaning. You could give your child the meaning of a word and they have to find that word in the text they are reading.

Another suggestion could be to give your child a time limit to find as many words belonging to a particular word group as they can, such as nouns or adjectives. Practising doing mental maths or literacy tasks under time constraints will also help boost confidence for the exam.

How many places are available in Year 7 compared with the number of applications?

There are 210 places available in Year 7. Typically, over 1,000 students register for the entrance exam each year.

What happens if there are more children meeting the standard for entry than there are places available?

There are always more children who meet the standard than there are places available, so we apply our oversubscription criteria. Full details regarding the definitions of each of the criteria are in the admissions policy. In summary, the over subscription criteria are applied in order, as follows:

1. Children of selective ability who are in public care or have previously been in public care.
2. Children of selective ability who are eligible for Pupil Premium.
3. Children of selective ability who reside in the catchment area. The place of residence is the child’s permanent address on the date of sitting the entrance exam.
4. Children of selective ability who already have siblings in the school, where those siblings will remain on roll when the child is admitted.
5. Children of selective ability who have a parent who is employed by the school and who meets qualifying criteria.
6. Children who have a proven high level in music.

What is a ‘looked-after child’?

A looked-after child is a child who is in public care or has previously been in public care. (Children previously in public care are children who were in public care and ceased to be so because they were adopted or became subject to a residence order or special guardianship order). Looked-after children are dealt with as criterion 1 with stage (ii) of the application process.

What is Pupil Premium?

There are three separate eligibility criteria for the Pupil Premium funding (a government funding payable to the school).

• Children who are eligible for free school meals (FSM), or have ever been eligible in the last 6 years.
• Children who are, or have ever been, looked after in Local Authority care.
• Children for whom one of their parents is in the armed forces, or has been, in the last 6 years.

If your child falls into one of these categories, you must let the Local Authority know.

Does it matter where we live?

In a typical year, over three-quarters of places are offered to children who live outside of the HGS catchment area. Students who live within the catchment area have to pass the entrance exam to exactly the same standard as other students, but if the school is oversubscribed, places will be offered to catchment area students as a priority. The place of residence will be taken as the child’s permanent address on the date of the entrance exam.

What is the music oversubscription criterion?

If a student has passed a nationally recognised music exam at grade 2 by the date of the entrance exam, then priority will be given to such a student. This must be indicated on the registration form for the entrance exam.

What happens if my child does not meet any of the oversubscription criteria?

The allocation of places follows a strict process. A child must first meet the standard for entry to be considered for a place. After places have been allocated to children who meet the oversubscription criteria, the remaining places are then allocated in rank order according to the final weighted test score. Approximately half of all places are allocated to children who meet one of the oversubscription criteria.

What if my child has special needs?

If your child has a Statement of Special Educational Needs and/or an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), or is receiving external agency support for any additional needs, please contact the school to discuss this. Special arrangements may be given by HGS during the entrance exam for students with special needs.

Do I need to make HGS first preference on the LA Common Application Form (CAF)?

If you wish for your child to attend HGS, you are strongly advised to make the school your first preference on the LA CAF. If your child meets the admission criteria for more than one of your chosen schools, the LA will allocate your child to the school of highest preference. If HGS is not made first preference, your child may not receive the offer of a place even if they meet the standard for entry in the entrance exam.

If I make HGS my first preference, could this affect my application to another school?

No. The order of preference on the application form is not used as an admission criterion by any Kirklees school or schools in neighbouring authorities.

What happens if my child is ill on the day of the entrance exam?

If you feel your child is so unwell they can’t take the entrance exam, you should inform the Admissions Officer at the school immediately. You should then take your child to your GP and provide a medical note to the school. It may be possible for your child to sit the examination on an alternative date. If your child is unwell during the test and you feel the illness has affected their performance, you should take your child to your GP immediately and provide a medical note to the school.

Does HGS operate a waiting list?

If your child has met the standard for entry and is not offered a place, we will invite you to join a waiting list. Places will be offered by the Local Authority if one becomes available, provided that the child has met the standard for entry. Your child’s position on the waiting list depends on their rank order in the exam.

What happens if I apply late?

It is essential for applicants to sit the entrance exam according to the admissions schedule so that the outcome can be communicated to you in time to nominate the school on the CAF where appropriate.  Applicants whose registration with the school is later than the test deadline, and those who do not nominate the school on the CAF by the Local Authority deadline, will be considered after the initial round of waiting list places on 31st March.

It is highly unlikely that places will be available at this stage and parents who think they may wish to pursue a place at the school are strongly advised both to register on time for the entrance exam and to nominate HGS on the CAF in the first instance.