Update: Tuesday 4th Sep. BBC SE has continued its unremitting attack on the Kent Test and grammar schools with yet another lead story on the subject, backed up by more negative radio coverage in a combative interview with Roger Gough, Cabinet Member for Education (and again on Wednesday, with a story about comments by Robert Halfon, MP, made as long ago as May!)). This time its headline is that there is confusion because people don't know what the outcome of a Review that has not even been set up will be! However it did briefly give two sort of positives afterwards in the interests of balance. One was from an Education Trust confirming the view of the National Foundation for Education Research that around ten hours of preparation and support for a selection test was very valuable. Paul Carter was also caught expressing a similar view. The Kent policy on Social Mobility and Grammar Schools was dismissed. There was more publicity for CGP showing booklets for another type of test and questions taken from them to illustrate the story, even though these publications are not designed for the Kent Test, and CGP do publish test preparation materials that are (see below).
Paul Carter, Leader of Kent County Council, has made education news for the second week running (see below) by suggesting on Monday that there should be a review of the policy banning coaching for the Kent Test in both state and private schools. This follows an 'exclusive’ on BBC SE reporting that many private schools supply coaching in lessons for the Test.
However, the BBC 'revelation’ can hardly come as news to anyone who has had dealings with or enquired about admissions to private schools for possible entry. Many of these exist primarily to secure places at grammar schools, charging families up to £10,000 p.a. to maximise chances, advertising through websites boasting of their high success rates.
By today the Review appears to have become county policy, and the scope has shrunk, possibly to the extent of allowing state schools to offer preparation for the Kent Test, although in any case I suspect it will attract fierce opposition from a variety of quarters, with a personal opinion it will not be adopted for all schools.
It is most unfortunate that the BBC item has been published this week, attracting a large amount of media coverage in the run up to Thursday’s Kent Test. For it, and the comment now swirling around about grammar school matters in general, is likely to serve as an unnecessary distraction for many of the families whose children are sitting the test.
I believe that Mr Carter’s brief comment, made in a wider interview about coaching in private schools, was supportive of providing more equal opportunity by enabling state schools to ensure that all children are properly prepared for the Kent Test. Indeed this already happens in many schools through after school clubs and working in collaboration with grammar schools according to the policy on Social Mobility in Grammar Schools. However, many others would oppose it for a variety of reasons.
However, it is not difficult to find such schools, one such being here, still proudly claiming that the school has ‘a well-deserved reputation for the excellent preparation we provide children for grammar and independent schools entry tests at 11’.
Another once boasted of its 11+ pass rate on the side of local buses, but now more circumspectly informs parents that the school ‘is a non-selective Independent Primary School. In line with our aim to ‘maximise a child’s full potential by the time a pupil leaves the school we are justifiably proud of the number of our children that have been offered a grammar placement’. This statement is followed by the roll of grammar successes stretching back to 1994, with every year having over 90% success, 2016-17 21 out of 21.
I am confident there are many other examples out there, some more blatant than others. The general rule of thumb is that if a private school teaching to age 11 has no senior school attached, it is likely to meet parental wishes and prepare children for the Kent Test. If it has a senior school, the pressure from the school is for able pupils to stay on. Some schools teach through to age 13, preparing pupils for the Private Schools Common Entrance Test, which determines places awarded at selective 13-18 schools. Such schools may prepare for both, whilst encouraging children to stay on for the extra two years if they have the funds to go to one of the more academically elite schools recruiting at that age (Tonbridge 13+, Sevenoaks 11+). In my experience and according to Internet Forums, not surprisingly many parents ask if coaching is provided and will only spend their money if so.
The bottom line is that the overwhelming reason many families choose a private primary school education costing some £10,000 per annum, is that they wish to maximise their chances of securing a grammar school place for their child. Without this incentive, many such schools would close.
I honestly don’t see anything changing as a result of a Review. KCC does its best to reduce unfairness wherever possible, and has introduced changes to the test structure to this aim, but with nearly 90% of secondary schools being academies outside KCC control, it has little power to force change through.
Postscript: The BBC has used Test Booklets by a tutoring company called CGP as background to its headlines. The Test Booklets illustrated are prepared for tests set by the CEM 11+ provider which covers the Medway and Bexley Tests but not Kent. However, the company does produce Kent Test materials featured at the foot of the page here.