Hot on the heels of Kent County Council's confirmed arrangements for the Kent Test, as reported in my previous article, the government has now released its formal advice on assessment processes for selective school admissions. This is quoted extensively below in blue and italics. It greatly expands the frameworks set out by KCC and Medway Councils, urging admission authorities to look closely at minimising disadvantage for protected groups, socially and economically disadvantaged children and children who are unable to attend the test centre, as I had hoped KCC itself would. The current KCC proposal heavily discriminates against lower-income families who can't afford private education or extensive private tutoring. It remains my conviction that, if KCC were to adopt a model such as the one I have proposed before, it would go a considerable way towards meeting the requirement to minimise this acknowledged disadvantage in the current circumstances which has not yet been addressed. However, there is still the flexibility to do so. Medway Council has a more structured procedure for assessing children, but no apparent will to change it as this document advises, so I have little hope that greater fairness will emerge there.
Several pieces of government advice, considered further below, relate to ‘the attainment gap between disadvantaged children and their peers which is likely to be magnified by their absence from school during the coronavirus outbreak’.In particular, ‘we therefore strongly advise that tests for grammar and partially selective schools are moved back into late October or to November if local admission co-ordination processes allow’. Along with the other recommendations below which now need addressing, this is considerably more radical than the KCC and Medway decisions which place the revised test dates in the first half of October and offer no further mitigation of disadvantage.
The immense logistical problems faced by KCC and, to a lesser extent by Medway Council, in providing facilities to test some 5,000 out of county candidates are also explored further below.
‘It would be a breach of paragraph 2.9(e) of the Code (which says that admission must not be refused solely because a child has missed entrance tests for selective places) to refuse to admit a child to a selective school place simply because it is not possible for the child to attend the test centre on any set date or dates. For some children it may, therefore, be necessary to make arrangements for them to be assessed in their homes or at another safe venue either at the same time, or later’. Indeed, the model I have put forward as a suggestion for KCC to adopt meets this requirement precisely and more simply, with the flexibility to adapt to changing circumstances, as well as addressing the other areas of disadvantage.
Critically ‘To the extent it is not covered in considering duties under equalities legislation, in the interests of fairness, we also prompt admission authorities to identify any impact of the selection process which might prove a barrier to children from lower income backgrounds in light of the public health situation and take action to mitigate such impacts wherever possible’. I currently see no evidence of either KCC or Medway Council beginning to address this issue, although surely they should not have had to wait for government imperative to devise strategies.
On 10 June, the Prime Minister announced plans for a £1 billion Covid catch-up programme. The additional £650m we are providing schools and the £350m National Tutoring Programme will support children who have lost time in education as a result of the coronavirus outbreak. Selective schools are therefore advised to give consideration to how they might use this funding to support learning, including for potential applicants who come from disadvantaged households.Certainly, I had not realised this would be an appropriate use of these funds for supporting selected pupils to achieve higher levels, especially given the competing claims of other children who have lost six months of learning.
No doubt the two Councils will be issuing advice to schools on managing the following concerns, clearly set out by the government. The requirements are written partly for admission to grammar schools other than those in Kent and Medway, which often use outside centres and also for ooc candidates for K&M schools. The vast majority of Kent and Medway candidates take the test in their own schools, on a school day and often in large numbers. I look at the issues created by of out of county candidates below, but some local headteachers will be facing enormous logistical problem in delivering on these requirements.
Specifically, protective measures should include the following actions: • those children taking tests in a school whilst other children are being educated in that school should be kept separate from them to minimise any risk of transmitting coronavirus; • candidates or staff who are unwell/self-isolating should not be permitted to attend. Separate arrangements for assessing children who are unwell/self-isolating should be made; • tests should be managed to avoid a mass drop-off or pick-up of candidates at the same time. Parents should not be permitted to park or congregate at or outside the centre and the admission authority will need to police safe distancing inside and outside the venue. Likewise, children should not be permitted to congregate in groups whilst entering or leaving the test centre; • limit escorts for candidates to one parent/adult and discourage group travel to test centres; • tests should take place in well-ventilated rooms with desks set at a safe distance apart in all directions; • hand washing facilities should be available. There should be good access to hand washing and toilet facilities to avoid queuing; • any test rooms and toilet areas should be sanitised and kept scrupulously clean. Frequently touched surfaces (door handles/desks etc.) should be regularly cleaned with the usual cleaning products; • hand sanitiser should be placed around the test rooms and general area to help candidates and staff keep their hands clean. It may be necessary to provide sanitiser on every desk; • candidates should bring their own equipment (pencils/pens/calculators etc.), tissues and water bottles to avoid sharing. It is recommended that a supply of unused equipment should be available for those candidates who do not bring their own. Primary headteachers have worked wonders in meeting these requirements for a partial school roll over past months. Come September when all children are set to return, and most of these requirements are in force on a normal school day, it will take a miracle for some. The extra burden of supplying all the Test requirements for a subset of Year Six will require superhuman planning and operational skills in some schools! Fortunately, many of the headteachers who have been working round the clock to deliver so far do indeed possess those skills.
As if that is not enough: Admission authorities are also advised to consider any concerns from parents about the greater risk their child may face, or feel they face, due to their own personal circumstances. This may include pupils who have themselves been shielding previously but have been advised that this is no longer necessary, those living in households where someone is clinically vulnerable, or those concerned about the comparatively increased risk from coronavirus, including those from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds or who have certain conditions such as obesity and diabetes. They should provide reassurance of the measures they are putting in place to reduce the risk during tests. Again, my solution is one that provides the flexibility to support any children unable to take the test for coronavirus related issues.
What is also the case is that if the rules for Headteacher Assessment remain unchanged then many candidates from private schools will have yet another built-in advantage. For not only will many of those children have a strong work pattern over the past six months which will benefit them greatly in the Test itself, if initially unsuccessful they will also have a portfolio of work to be presented to the HTA PAnel. I understand that some private schools work on these in case of an HTA in normal years, so will be doubly well prepared for October.