11 Plus Maths Tuition Calderdale | Halifax Grammar Schools

In short

The Halifax Grammar Schools, North Halifax Grammar School and The Crossley Heath School, run one joint admissions test in September of Year 6. The provider is FSCE, and Crossley Heath's policy lists Paper 1 and Paper 2, each a test in mathematics and English, and Paper 3 in creative writing. The schools say the test has both multiple-choice and written-response questions, that the maths and English are computer-marked and age-standardised, and that only children with an eligible score have their creative writing assessed. Nothing beyond Year 5 is tested, and there is no non-verbal reasoning. For September 2027 entry, registration ran from 20 March to 26 June 2026 and the test was on Saturday 19 September 2026, with results by 16 October. We teach the maths, live online. We charge nothing for the first lesson; regular tuition is USD 100 per month in a group or USD 150 per month individually.

Calderdale starting points

Three courses for the Halifax test

Maths is part of the gate that decides whether the writing is read. Choose by where the maths is least secure.

HALIFAX / 1

Halifax 11 plus maths

Year 5 maths for mixed papers with multiple-choice and written answers.

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HALIFAX / 2

Mental calculation with big numbers

FSCE tests maths through written and mental methods, with no calculators.

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Elementary Maths for Grades 1-5 course thumbnail

HALIFAX / 3

Primary maths, secured

For children whose place value needs work before Year 5 topics.

Open the syllabus →

The Halifax test

What the two schools and FSCE publish

Calderdale Council's admissions pages blocked our reader, so this page relies on the schools' own pages, Crossley Heath's admissions policy and FSCE's documents. Read on 26 September 2026.

The Halifax Grammar Schools admissions test for September 2027 entry
Step	Date	As published
Registration opens	Friday 20 March 2026	Online, through either school's website.
Registration closes	Friday 26 June 2026	Crossley Heath gives 11pm that day.
Test information	By Monday 7 September 2026	Venue and timetable sent to parents.
Admissions tests	Saturday 19 September 2026	At the Halifax Grammar Schools.
Supplementary test	Later in September 2026	At The Crossley Heath School.
Results	By Friday 16 October 2026	Not an offer of a place.

The schools say "The Test evaluates application of knowledge and skills in English and Maths as well as exploring imaginative flair through Creative Writing" and that it "consists of both multiple-choice and written response questions". North Halifax Grammar School describes the tests as "four elements across two tests".

Crossley Heath's admissions policy spells out the papers: "Paper 1 - a test in Mathematics and English", "Paper 2 - a test in Mathematics and English", and Paper 3 in creative writing. A child may only take the test once.

FSCE's FAQ says the maths and English are marked using optical mark recognition, with people checking unclear or amended answers, and that "There is NO non-verbal reasoning in our tests". Its parents' guide says maths is tested "through written and mental methods of calculation (no calculators)".

Crossley Heath's FAQ says "There is no pass mark": a qualifying standard is agreed each year and candidates are ranked. Ranking rules and priorities are the schools' to publish and explain.

Sources: North Halifax Grammar School, school admissions, admissions test format and 2027 timeline; The Crossley Heath School, admissions, its admissions policy for entry in 2027 and FAQ; FSCE's FAQ and parents' familiarisation guide. Calderdale Council's pages were not readable to us. Modern Age Coders has no connection with either school, FSCE or the council.

Maths first

The papers that decide whether the writing is read

Crossley Heath's policy sets out the marking order, and it puts maths near the front of the queue.

The order, as published

The policy says that after the tests "paper 1 and paper 2 are marked, age weighted and standardised and awarded a score. A qualifying standard will then be agreed by the Halifax Grammar Schools for these papers." Then: "Students meeting the qualifying standard for English and Mathematics will then have their Creative Writing paper judged."

So the maths and English in Papers 1 and 2 come first. A child's creative writing, however good, is only read if those papers reach the standard.

What that means for preparation

Maths cannot be the weak link. A child who writes beautifully but loses marks on arithmetic may never have the writing seen. That is the practical reason to make Year 5 maths secure, not the only reason, but a clear one.

Because maths and English are mixed within each paper, a child also has to switch between them without losing accuracy. We practise short mixed sessions so the first maths question after an English passage is answered as carefully as any other.

The policy's content statement is also worth quoting in full: "Children are not tested beyond the Year 5 curriculum or on non-verbal reasoning, as these subjects are not taught in school. This means that all children who take the test in the autumn term of Year 6 will have learnt the content covered in the exam." That is a promise about fairness, and a clear instruction about what to prepare: the Year 5 curriculum, and nothing beyond it.

The lesson

Adding and subtracting large numbers, in the head and on paper

The Year 5 curriculum asks children to "add and subtract whole numbers with more than 4 digits, including using formal written methods" and to "add and subtract numbers mentally with increasingly large numbers". FSCE tests maths without calculators, so both matter.

Mental and written strategies for large numbers (our own examples)
Calculation	Strategy	Answer
46,300 + 8,900	Add 9,000, then take away 100	55,200
70,000 - 26,450	Count up: 26,450 to 30,000 is 3,550; then 40,000 more	43,550
128,475 - 99,999	Take away 100,000, then add 1 back	28,476
3,600 + 2,850 + 400	Reorder: 3,600 + 400 = 4,000 first	6,850
305,062 - 187,395	Columns, exchanging across the zeros; check 305,000 - 187,000 = 118,000	117,667

The first four rows are mental strategies, and each one turns an awkward number into an easy one. Adding 8,900 is adding 9,000 and taking 100 away. Subtracting from 70,000 is easier by counting up. Taking 99,999 away is taking 100,000 and giving one back. These are not tricks; they are place value used well.

Children who know two or three such strategies choose between them in a second, and they rarely need a written method for numbers like these. That saves time for the questions that do need writing out.

The last row does need a written method: columnar subtraction, which Year 5 formalises, with exchanges across zeros. That is where errors live, so we practise it until it is dull, and always pair it with an estimate: 305,000 minus 187,000 is about 118,000, so an answer of 217,667 or 11,767 is wrong before it is checked.

On multiple-choice questions the estimate often finds the answer on its own. On written-response questions it catches the slip before it becomes a lost mark.

Source: national curriculum in England, mathematics, Year 5 addition and subtraction (statutory requirements). The examples are our own.

Our approach

Teaching the curriculum the test is built on

FSCE says its test aims to remove any need for tutoring, and the schools say it covers only what school teaches. Here is where we fit.

The Year 5 curriculum

Every strand taught to depth, because the policy says that is exactly what the test covers.

Two kinds of answer

Multiple-choice and written responses, practised on the same topics so neither is a weakness.

Mixed papers

Short sessions switching between reading and maths, to match two papers that mix English and maths.

FSCE's FAQ says a tutor is not needed and that it does not endorse commercial practice papers. We think families should hear that clearly. What we offer is good teaching of Year 5 maths, which many families want for its own sake; if you can provide it at home, you do not need us for this test.

The schools publish an FSCE familiarisation guide with sample questions. Use it to see the format. We do not reproduce it.

We do not teach English or creative writing. Both matter here, especially since the writing is judged for those who reach the standard, so families should plan for them separately.

We give no advice on applications, ranking or places. The schools' admissions policies set those out.

Halifax and the Calder valley

Two grammar schools, one test, taught from home

The two schools run the test jointly. We list them only to show which test this page covers.

Who shares the Halifax admissions test
Grammar school	Part in the joint process
North Halifax Grammar School	Registration and main testing
The Crossley Heath School	Registration, main testing and the supplementary sitting

Lessons are live on video, so a child in Brighouse, Sowerby Bridge, Hebden Bridge or Elland is taught the same way, in groups of five to ten matched by level.

For coding lessons in West Yorkshire and beyond, our Leeds coding page and UK page cover more.

Crossley Heath says it has no defined catchment area. How that affects places is for the school to explain.

Neither school, FSCE nor Calderdale Council has any link with Modern Age Coders, and we keep out of applications and places.

Towards September 2027

Four stages before the Halifax test

Registration usually opens at the end of March in Year 5 and closes in late June, the schools say; the test follows in September of Year 6.

From place value to mixed papers
When	Stage	You will see
Autumn, Year 5	1. Place value to a million	Large numbers read, compared and rounded correctly
Winter, Year 5	2. Calculation	Mental strategies chosen well; columnar methods right first time
Spring, Year 5 (register by late June)	3. The rest of Year 5	Fractions, measures, shape and data secure
Summer holiday	4. Mixed papers	Maths answered accurately between English sections, in both answer styles

Starting later

Calculation runs through so many questions that it earns the first weeks when time is short.

The trial lesson ends with a straight answer on what the remaining months can realistically achieve.

After October

Fluent calculation underpins everything in secondary maths. Some pupils continue with maths through coding.

Others try the national maths challenges on our competitions calendar.

Courses

Maths and coding for Calderdale families

Grouped by stage, each opening its syllabus.

I

For the Halifax test

Years 3 to 5

CDM / 01

11 plus maths, Halifax

Year 5 maths for mixed papers.

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CDM / 02

Big-number mental maths

Strategies that save the written method for when it is needed.

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CDM / 03

Primary maths core

Place value first.

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CDM / 04

Abacus calculation

For younger children.

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II

Secondary

Year 6 onwards

CDM / 05

Secondary maths, early years

Number, algebra and geometry.

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CDM / 06

GCSE maths, all tiers

For every exam board.

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CDM / 07

Maths olympiad course

For children who want harder problems.

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III

Coding

Numbers at scale

CDM / 08

Maths through coding

Big-number arithmetic in Python.

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CDM / 09

Scratch for primary coders

Logic in blocks.

Open the syllabus

CDM / 10

Python and AI, primary

The first typed language.

Open the syllabus

IV

Later

Teenagers

CDM / 11

Vedic maths for teens

Speed on secure foundations.

Open the syllabus

CDM / 12

AI and ML for secondary pupils

Maths in software.

Open the syllabus

Lesson times

After school and at weekends, UK time

Lessons come live from India. Calderdale primary pupils have early-evening or weekend-morning slots, fixed by the UK clock; any clock-change adjustment happens on our side.

Early evening

Soon after school finishes.

Weekend mornings

A fresh hour.

Holidays

Short extra sessions.

Continuity

The same teacher all year.

Candour

Short notes that say what needs work.

Small classes

Five to ten, grouped by level.

Original questions

No FSCE material reproduced.

Private option

One to one for a particular gap.

Maths alone

No English or writing coaching; no admissions advice.

Student work

Where fluent calculation leads

Years after their own Year 5, our students publish software of their own; four samples follow, with more on our student labs showcase.

AI and ML

NutriLife

An AI nutrition coach that reads what you eat and works you toward a target.

by Bhavya · Open it

AI and ML

Misti

A chatbot that answers mathematics and programming questions, built and deployed by a student.

by Harshit · Open it

AI and ML

GuardianX

An assistant that helps a young person recognise unsafe situations online.

by Vivaan · Open it

Web app

SkyCast

A weather forecasting site with live conditions for any location.

by Krish

Fees

One monthly US dollar fee for families outside India. No joining fee; you may stop at any time.

Free first class

USD 0

no card required

A taught lesson
A frank verdict
No card needed

Book it

Group batch

USD 100

a month, billed in US dollars

Five to ten pupils at one level
A regular teacher
Work checked together
Certificate at the end

Start here

One to one

USD 150

a month, billed in US dollars

One child, one teacher
Aimed at weak spots
Flexible timing

Enquire

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Halifax test questions

What Calderdale families ask us

What is in the Halifax Grammar Schools test?

Crossley Heath's policy lists Paper 1 and Paper 2, each a test in mathematics and English, and Paper 3 in creative writing. The schools say there are multiple-choice and written-response questions.

Is maths a separate paper?

No. Maths is mixed with English in Papers 1 and 2. North Halifax Grammar School describes the tests as four elements across two tests.

How are the papers marked?

The schools say all papers except creative writing are marked by computer and age-standardised, and only students with an eligible score from the English and maths papers have their creative writing assessed.

What maths is tested?

Crossley Heath's policy says children are not tested beyond the Year 5 curriculum or on non-verbal reasoning. FSCE says maths is tested through written and mental calculation, with no calculators.

Is there a pass mark?

Crossley Heath's FAQ says there is no pass mark; a qualifying standard is agreed and candidates are ranked.

When is the next Halifax test?

Nothing for 2028 entry was online at our 26 September 2026 check. Crossley Heath's FAQ describes the usual pattern: registration from about the end of March in Year 5 until late June, then the test early in Year 6.

Does FSCE recommend a tutor?

No. FSCE says a tutor is not needed and that it does not endorse commercial practice papers. We teach Year 5 maths and make no claim to know the test.

Do you teach English or creative writing?

No. Our lessons are maths lessons; the English sections, the creative writing paper and the admissions process are outside what we do.

Which schools use the test?

North Halifax Grammar School and The Crossley Heath School, jointly.

What do lessons cost?

A trial lesson is on us. Families who stay pay monthly: USD 100 for a class of five to ten, USD 150 for lessons with a teacher to themselves.

Coding in Leeds, another FSCE area, and our national page.

Coding classes in Leeds

Programming for West Yorkshire children.

11 plus maths in Gloucestershire

Another area moving to the FSCE test.

11 plus maths in Trafford

Over the Pennines, a GL consortium test.