October date proposed for the Kent Test

The many uncertainties over how long children, and in particular the current Year 5 cohort, will stay out of school has raised questions over the best approach to this year's Kent Test for grammar school entry.

The Kent Test has for over a decade been sat in September, soon after the new Year 6 children return to school. As soon as schools closed to the majority of pupils in March, the question of whether this timeline could be sustained was raised. Recently, it has become increasingly clear - and subsequently confirmed - that the children currently in Year 5 will return to school only at the start of the school year in September.

On Friday, KCC announced that a proposal has been submitted to Richard Long, Cabinet Member for Education and Skills, to delay this year's Kent Test by a month until 15 October (for children in Kent schools). The proposal from the Children, Young People and Education directorate, recognises the major impact of school closures on children's learning (and on some more than others) and will allow pupils to settle back into the classroom before taking the Test.

The Test was sat in September so that families could know its outcome before making their choices on the Secondary Common Application Form (SCAF) at the end of October. Under the proposal, that would not be possible and so it proposes that the number of schools that parents can name on the SCAF form is increased from four to six for one year only. Families considering a grammar school for their child should ensure that they register them for the Test by the deadline of Wednesday, 1 July.

You can find our media statement about the proposal here. The proposal will be considered over the coming weeks, and a formal decision made by the end of term; however, in setting this out, we hope to ease some of the uncertainty confronting families considering a grammar school for their child.