Parents of Year 6 students often ask me this, and it’s a really good question.
To be able to answer it, we must first be clear what significance or impact the results will have for the child.
The results of Key Stage 2 test results are used in various ways.
1) The scores are used by the DfE, the Local Authority, and Ofsted, to make judgements about how well your child’s primary school has been doing its job of educating pupils. They will determine whether enough students have achieved the expected standard, and if not, they will intervene – perhaps with an inspection, or an action plan for the school.
So from a primary school’s point of view, the data from SATs is very important. Teachers and headteachers want students to achieve well; they know how much hard work all the pupils (and all the staff) in the school have put in, during the preceding years, and they want the Year 6 results to reflect this. All schools strive for high achievement of their pupils.
2) The scores are also reported to parents. They tell us about how our child’s school is performing in comparison with others nationally. And of course, they tell us our own child’s result, and whether they are achieving at the expected standard for the national cohort of 11 year olds. For this reason, many parents find the results helpful.
3) When your child moves into Year 7, their KS2 test results are used as an indicator of their potential to achieve grades at GCSE. This is done using a system called Progress 8, which is mandatory in secondary schools, and therefore may have an impact on your child’s experience during the following years. You can find out more about Progress 8, and how Key Stage 2 results feed into it, in this government publication, but I’ll do my best to summarise it here.
The Department for Education uses a student’s Maths and English KS2 results, to assign them a “baseline” GCSE grade, that will be expected of them across 8 different subjects at GCSE level. For example, if a Year 6 pupil scores highly in their KS2 tests, they’ll almost certainly be expected to achieve the highest grades throughout secondary school. This baseline grade follows a pupil through high school, where some schools (though not all) use it as a basis for “setting” or grouping students by ability. Each of their teachers will strive to ensure that each pupil stays on track to achieve at least this grade in their GCSE exams. This is considered by the DfE to be a rigorous and measurable way to hold schools accountable. When GCSE results are in, the cohort’s actual results are compared to their baseline grades, and a score is awarded to the school, which can then be tracked by Ofsted and the Local Authority, for any failings.
This system appears to be a good way of making sure that each child is given the right level of support, challenge and expectation to achieve their potential, and it means that any drops in progress are quickly picked up and addressed.
However, problems may follow if pupils’ KS2 results are inflated above what would be normal for that child (for example due to intensive training for the tests). Primary schools are under increasing amounts of pressure to ensure that their KS2 data is as good as it can possibly be, so in some schools Year 6 is full of practice tests, booster classes, holiday workshops and extra homework. It is quite possible that because of this, some individuals will achieve surprisingly high KS2 results, despite having struggled with areas of the curriculum. The consequence is then a Progress 8 baseline grade that they will struggle to keep up with through secondary school. Although I absolutely advocate for giving children curriculum tutoring as needed, I don’t think there is any reason to coach them to do well in the SATs.
That’s not to say Year 6 children should not be tutored; there are great benefits to providing extra learning at home during their final year of primary school. It means that any gaps in their learning can be identified and filled before they move on to Year 7. It gives the child the opportunity to have targeted, personalised support in areas that might never have had a great deal of focus before, like handwriting, exploring and developing story-writing techniques, problem solving in maths, or higher level calculations like long division. It can give children the boost they need to go off to secondary school as confident and competent students, sometimes even giving them a head-start on the KS3 curriculum too. But this is very different to tutoring them for the SATs, which is more about test performance and maximising scores.
Having a tutor in Year 6 can be very valuable, but it is most beneficial for the student when the tutoring is focussed on equipping them with skills, knowledge and understanding that will help them in the next stage of their learning, rather than on scoring well in the tests. Let their school worry about that part.
Once you have decided that you would like your child to sit the test, and therefore have the chance to apply for grammar schools for Year 7, you can begin to plan out a strategy to help them prepare.
Where you start with this, will depend on how close you are to the test date. The test takes place in September of Year 6. You must register your child for the test when they are in Year 5. Registrations usually open in June of that year. Keep an eye on the KCC page for updates.
If your child is currently in Year 5, please see my tips for helping Year 5 children to prepare, by clicking here.
For Children in Year 4 (or younger)
If your child is in Year 4, you have a little more time to help them prepare. You should still look through the familiarisation materials, and you can look for workbooks that are geared towards GL 11+ tests, for younger students, or enrol them in pre-11+ courses aimed at Year 4. If you have the means to hire a tutor, Year 4 is the perfect time to get started, to ensure that your child’s Maths and English skills are really good, before they start Year 5. The earlier you make enquiries to tutors, the better, as you can ask to be placed on their waiting list, if they are currently full.
Encourage your child to read books by a variety of different authors. A good idea is to try books that are aimed at ages slightly above your child’s age. This list (actually aimed at Year 5) gives lots of useful recommendations. Year 4 is the perfect time to give your child’s vocabulary and reading range a real boost, by not just allowing them to read their favourite author. Guide them to read books by many different authors. Audio books are just as valuable as print copies for this, so invest in some for bedtime, or car journeys, or just for quiet moments. Enjoy them together if you can.
Nurture a love of puzzles: any – and all – types of puzzles! Word puzzles (like wordsearches, anagrams, crosswords and codewords) are great for developing vocabulary and spelling, and introducing Verbal Reasoning skills. Number puzzles will help with Maths skills. Jigsaw puzzles, mazes, spot the difference and picture puzzles are all good for beginning to develop Spatial and Non-Verbal Reasoning skills. Logic puzzles are great for Verbal Reasoning. Buy puzzle books; install puzzle games or apps on phone, tablet or console; enlist your child’s help with the puzzle pages in the newspaper.
Use games to build skills. There are so many board games that have elements of Maths, English, Verbal Reasoning or Non-Verbal Reasoning in them. Play Monopoly to build Maths and money skills; Scrabble or Boggle for word skills; Cluedo and Guess Who to practise the all-important process of elimination (which is essential in the multiple choice format of the Kent Test); Tetris and Minecraft for Spatial Reasoning; Wordle for Verbal Reasoning. Escape room games are great for logic and problem-solving, too. In fact, if you type “Educational games” into Google or Amazon, you’ll be amazed at the variety.
Use grown-up language when talking to your child. Instead of the (very tempting) option of using really basic, easy-to-understand phrases, explain things in a more sophisticated, adult way, using new vocabulary that they might not have heard before. The only way they will learn new words and phrases is by either hearing them or reading them. So why not take every opportunity you can get? Perhaps instead of saying, “Are you hungry? I’ll be making dinner soon,” you could say, “Are you feeling peckish? I’ll be preparing dinner shortly.” You don’t have to speak like this all the time; just give them a taste of new words every now and then, when you think of it. The more you remember, the more natural it becomes. You’ll soon find that they will be understanding and using a wider range of vocabulary – just what is needed for the Kent Test.
Practise some basic Maths and English skills that are hard to retain. Practise addition facts, subtraction facts, multiplication and division facts. Can they use quick mental strategies like partitioning, near doubles and compensation, to add and subtract quickly, or do they have to count up in their head? Can they recall addition and subtraction facts like 3+5 and 10-7 off by heart? Help them learn all their times tables off by heart, with rapid recall, and the associated division facts. Teach them the mathematical names for shapes, both 2D and 3D, and revisit them regularly. Another area that I find is almost always not retained well is TIME. Firstly, using and reading all different types of clocks, but also working out time intervals, and converting between minutes and hours. They also need to memorise time facts: the months in order; which ones have 30 days, 31 days, 28 days; 365 days in a year; 52 weeks in a year; and how to work out how many days until a certain date. In English, the fundamental skills that often cause problems are punctuation and grammar. Do they know where and how apostrophes should be used? Semi-colons? Commas? Inverted commas? Do they know what nouns, adjectives, verbs and adverbs are? How about conjunctions, modal verbs, determiners and pronouns? These are skills that can all be practised regularly at home, and are guaranteed to be needed in the Kent Test.
Make good use of the “dead” times. During the drive or walk to school, make a routine of reciting or quizzing them on their times tables, or tricky spellings. When they are brushing their teeth before bed, get them to think over the practice they’ve done during the day. While they wait for their dinner, have them explain some concept to you – how commas should be used, how to multiply a number by 30, how to show that a character in your story is scared without saying they are scared… The students that I know who have learnt all their times tables and addition facts by heart, are the ones whose parents have made a routine like this, practising day in and day out until it has stuck. It may seem like a chore, but this conscientious and motivated attitude is exactly what you want to be modelling and instilling in your child, if they are to succeed at grammar school.
Support them in developing good habits regarding homework and home learning. Make sure they have a calm, quiet, well-lit place to do their homework, away from distractions. Be on-hand to help them when they need you. If you find they aren’t needing you at all, and they get their school homework done easily, give them more of a challenge with some 11+ Maths and English workbooks (such as those aimed at 8-9 years or 9-10 years). Make homework and home-learning a consistent routine, and not something to be rushed or avoided. If you are able to, give them some undivided attention – a lot of children really thrive on this. If you are not able to do this yourself, for whatever reason, look into getting a tutor who can give your child that same undivided, one-to-one input. It will not only help to plug any gaps that your child may have in their learning, but can also give them the “stretch” or extra challenge that they may not be getting from their school homework.
If you are considering using a tutor to help your child prepare for the Kent Test, please see details of my Tutoring Service, and contact me to enquire about availability. You are also welcome to send me a message through my Facebook page.
Once you have decided that you would like your child to sit the test, and therefore have the chance to apply for grammar schools for Year 7, you can begin to plan out a strategy to help them prepare.
Where you start with this, will depend on how close you are to the test date. The test takes place in September of Year 6. You must register your child for the test when they are in Year 5. Registrations usually open in June of that year. Keep an eye on the KCC page for updates.
If your child is not yet in Year 5, please see my tips for helping younger children to prepare, by clicking here.
For children in Year 5
If your child is currently in Year 5, your first step should be to download the Familiarisation Booklet from here, on the Kent County Council website. There is also a link on there, to some free materials from the test publisher. Work through these with your child, to give them an overview of the skills tested, and the style of questions. However, it is worth bearing in mind that the questions in these booklets are easier than those in the real test. They are designed to familiarise the student with the test format, rather than challenge them. To prepare properly and study well, your child will need more than just these.
I highly recommend investing in a set (or two) of workbooks that cover all the subjects tested, and are specifically targeted towards GL examinations (not CEM, which some other areas use). GL Assessment is the name of the publishing body that provides test papers for the Kent Test, so it is imperative that whatever books you choose, state that they are suitable for GL tests. Be sure to get books for Maths, English (which should include reading comprehensions and SPAG), Verbal Reasoning, Non-Verbal Reasoning and (if you can find one) Spatial Reasoning.
The books that I usually recommend to parents are those in the CGP range (linked below). These have questions that are similar to the style and difficulty of the Kent Test. Make sure you are ordering the ones that say “For GL Assessment” (not CEM), and “Ages 10-11”.
Keep your child working consistently through their workbooks. When a question comes up that they don’t know how to answer, help them by reminding them of key facts they have learnt in school, or help them to think of the question in a different way. If neither of you can work it out, check the answer and see if you can work backwards from there. There are also facebook groups that welcome questions from parents, and have tutors on-hand to offer help, such as the 11+ Kent Test Group.
Another option, if it’s not too late in the year, is to enrol your child in some courses or workshops, or ongoing tuition programs. The11+ Kent Test Group is also a good place to find these. Look for tutors that are experienced in preparing students for the Kent Test, specifically, rather than generic 11+ programs.
Make sure your child reads a variety of good quality books and texts. This means not just their favourite author. Have them read some classics like The Secret Garden, The Railway Children and Peter Pan, to widen their knowledge of vocabulary and sentence construction, as well as some well-written, modern novels. Often the texts used in the Reading Comprehension part of the English Test, will be full of unfamiliar phrases, and having encountered similar style texts before the test, will definitely be an advantage. There is a whole range of books that are great for readers in Year 5, who are looking to expand their vocabulary. This list has lots of recommendations. Don’t forget to also read classic and narrative poetry, talking through what the different parts mean, and newspaper articles from broadsheets, which tend to use much more formal and technical vocabulary.
Check some basic Maths and English skills that might have been forgotten, or missed. These basic skills need revisiting regularly, but often drop off the end of the school year, or get skimmed over briefly, before moving onto more demanding topics. The most fundamental Maths skills are mental addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Can your child answer quickly when given a question such as 16+7, or do they have to count up in their head? Can they recall addition and subtraction facts like 3+5 and 10-7 off by heart? Do they know all their times tables off by heart, with rapid recall, or do they need to work it out in their heads before they give you an answer? Can they answer division facts equally quickly? In English, the fundamental skills that often cause problems, are punctuation and grammar. Do they know where and how apostrophes should be used? Semi-colons? Commas? Inverted commas? Do they know what nouns, adjectives, verbs and adverbs are? How about conjunctions, modal verbs, determiners and pronouns? Another area that I find is almost always not retained well is TIME. Firstly, using and reading all different types of clocks, but also working out time intervals, and converting between minutes and hours. Students also need to memorise time facts: the months in order; which ones have 30 days, 31 days, 28 days; 365 days in a year; 52 weeks in a year; and how to work out how many days until a certain date. These are skills that can all be practised regularly at home, and are guaranteed to be needed in the Kent Test.
In Maths especially, invest in a Year 6 study book, and work through it with your child. Since the Kent Test covers subject material from the whole of Key Stage 2, it is possible that your Year 5 child may not yet have learnt some of it. A Year 6 book will help them to get to grips with those tricky areas that are likely to come up, like algebra, ratios, and probability, that they may not learn formally until Year 6.
Create a routine of doing, perhaps, 15 or 20 minutes of study each day: a few pages of a workbook, or a reading comprehension, or some times tables and spelling quizzes. Consistently doing “little and often” is so much more effective and long-lasting than anxious, last-minute cramming. Create a daily routine, and stick to it.
Don’t give them the holidays off! One of the most frustrating things, as a teacher and tutor, is to find that after two or three weeks of a total break from anything academic, a student has forgotten vital facts, or got out of the routine of daily practice. If you have ever heard of the “summer slide” you will know that teachers often notice a “learning loss” after a long summer holiday; even after a shorter holiday at Easter or Christmas, it is difficult for some children to get geared back up into normal routine and get their brain working at the same pre-holiday speed. The Kent Test is just a couple of weeks into the new school year, so keep your child working and practising through the summer holidays. Think of the holidays as the perfect opportunity to catch up on study time, while they aren’t busy with school and homework. I’m not saying they should spend every minute of their break working, but the time can definitely be used wisely, to their advantage.
Something to plan in, during the Spring and Summer terms of Year 5, is timed practice tests. You can buy books that are full of short (5 or 10 minute) timed tests, that cover a good variety of the different subject areas. Many students report that the tight time limits were one of the most difficult aspects of their test, particularly in the Non-Verbal Reasoning sections, so having some practice at this beforehand is really useful.
Also make sure that some of the practice your child does in the run up to the test, uses realistic answer sheets, similar to the ones in the test. The KCC familiarisation booklet has these, as well as the materials from the GL website. It may seem like a minor point, but students are not familiar with this style of answer sheet, and could easily become flustered by it on the day of the test, if they aren’t used to giving answers this way.
Look out for mock test experiences. These can be very useful for giving students an authentic experience of how the test runs. For the most realistic experience, an in-person mock test alongside other Year 5 students is best, as it will be most similar to the real thing. These are run privately by independent tutors, so ask on local groups and social media for recommendations. If you can’t get onto any of these, then you may be able to order a test online, either to download, print and administer yourself, or for your child to attend via video link, or complete online. Beware of buying or booking onto tests that do not specifically state that they are a Kent Test mock: often generic 11+ mocks will not include the same subject elements, style of questions, or timings that will be encountered in the Kent Test. Also be aware that any mocks are usually unable to give you a definitive “pass” or “fail” outcome, only an estimate. This is because the actual pass marks vary year by year, based on the circumstances and standardised results of each individual cohort. A raw score that would have meant a pass in one year, may not be sufficient in the next year. However, mock tests are very valuable in preparing students by giving them an idea of what to expect on the test day, and they usually give feedback on which areas need more focus.
If you are considering using a tutor to help your child prepare for the Kent Test, please see details of my Tutoring Service, and contact me to enquire about availability. You are also welcome to send me a message through my Facebook page.
In England, parents of 11-year-olds are able to choose which secondary schools they would like to apply for. Parents submit their applications in October, and places are allocated by their local council the following March.
In some areas, some of the secondary schools are grammar schools. These are schools that traditionally focus specifically on high academic attainment, and are able to select the students that they take in at age 11, based on their high academic ability. For this reason, they are also sometimes called selective schools.
In order to select students by academic ability, grammar schools use a test, taken by children at the age of 10 or 11 (ie usually when they are in Year 6). You may hear this test referred to as the 11+ (or Eleven Plus), the grammar test, the grammar entrance test, or the selection test.
Please note – this is different to the entrance tests that independent (fee-paying) schools set (grammar schools are state-funded schools), although some of the elements and expectations of the tests may be similar.
Here in Kent, most of the grammar schools use the same test, called The Kent Test. Some specific schools also use their own tests, such as the two Dover Grammar schools, the grammar schools in the Folkestone/Shepway area, Highsted Grammar in Sittingbourne, and Mayfield Grammar in Gravesend. These schools’ alternative tests are usually sat within a couple of weeks of the Kent Test, in the autumn term. For those schools, when it comes to submitting an application, parents may use either a Kent Test result, or the school’s own test result. Many students sit both. Schools in the Medway area use a different test – The Medway Test.
These schools’ individual tests may vary in their content and style, so if you are considering one of these, it is wisest to check with them specifically, about what their test involves. However, the Kent Test is fairly consistent in its style and content, year on year.
What happens during the Kent Test?
The Kent Test is administered in Kent Primary schools, to those Year 6 students whose parents have registered them to sit it. All schools run the test on the same day, usually a Thursday, a couple of weeks into the autumn term (the date varies each year). For those children not in Kent Primary schools, a different date is used, usually on the Saturday of the same week.
The Kent Test consists of several parts.
The first hour involves a paper that has an English test and a Maths test. Each one has a short, 5 minute practice test, which isn’t marked but gives students a good idea of the style of the test and how to input their answers on the answer sheet (more about that later). After each of those short practice tests, the English and Maths main tests are 25 minutes each.
The English test usually has approximately 25 questions, roughly half of which are reading comprehension questions based on a piece of text. The other half are questions based on spelling and punctuation (usually spotting the mistakes) and grammar (usually choosing the correct way that sentences and phrases should be worded).
An example of a question from an English Test
The Maths test usually has about 25 questions too. These cover a wide range of Maths topics from Key Stages 1 and 2, and test a wide variety of Maths skills, including mental and written calculations, interpreting word problems, reasoning, and combining several skills from different areas of the curriculum in the same question.
An example of a question from a Maths Test
The Maths test may include some concepts that are often not taught until Year 6, or beyond (ie after the test has been taken). This is to test whether students are able to apply their mastery of Maths to new, unfamiliar contexts.
Many students find that they are unable to complete all the questions in the time given. This IS normal, but the more questions a student can answer, the more chance they have of scoring enough marks, so speed IS important. Among the skills being tested here, are speed and efficiency, as well as accuracy.
The English and Maths tests are administered without any real break in between them, other than a couple of minutes for the teachers to stop the first test, and begin the second.
Once both the English and Maths tests are finished, there is usually a break time. This might be at a different time to the students’ usual breaktime.
After the break, students will sit the next three parts of the test. These are combined into one paper, called Reasoning, but are completed separately from one another, with strict timings for each one.
The skills and content tested in the Reasoning test are not explicitly taught in school. They are used because they are considered to be a good indicator of children’s general ability and academic potential.
The Verbal Reasoning test begins with a short practice test, in a similar way to the English and Maths. The practice test usually includes one of each of the types of questions that will be encountered in the 20 minute main test. This helps students to familiarise themselves with the style of the questions, since they can be quite unusual and very challenging for any students who have never practised them before.
Verbal Reasoning means thinking critically about patterns and relationships in words, letters, sentences and numbers. In some cases it involves being able to spot similarities, differences, or connections between different words or sets of words; some question types involve spotting a “rule” in a given set of words, letters, or phrases, and applying it to a new one. There are also some logic-puzzle-type questions that require critical thinking about the clues given.
An example of a question from a Verbal Reasoning test
There are usually about 40 questions in this Verbal Reasoning test.
Many children find that they cannot complete all 40 questions in 20 minutes, so it is very wise to practise beforehand, and especially ensure that students know that they do not have to stop if they become stuck on a hard question, but instead to input a “best guess” answer and move on.
When the time for the Verbal Reasoning test is finished, the next section begins. This is usually Spatial Reasoning, which involves recognising, analysing, or imagining various aspects and details of shapes – both 2D and 3D – from diagrams.
The Spatial Reasoning Test is split into two or three different, timed sections, each with between 8 and 12 similarly styled questions. Each of these sections is timed individually, and like the other tests, the timings are very tight – such as 5 minutes (sometimes fewer) to answer 10 questions. Working quickly and accurately, and knowing when to move on if questions are taking too long, is essential.
An example of a question from a Spatial Reasoning test
The final part of the Reasoning paper is the Non-verbal Reasoning Test. Like the Spatial Reasoning, it is split into two or three shorter sections, each with between 8 and 12 questions of a similar style. These sections – again – are each administered with their own, challengingly short time limit, eg 5 minutes. Those skills of efficiency, accuracy and making decisions about when to make a “best guess” and move on, are – again – vital here.
Non-verbal Reasoning involves spotting similarities, differences, connections and patterns in diagrams, which consist of combinations of shapes, lines and patterns. Some types of questions involve spotting a “rule” in a set of diagrams and applying it to a new one.
An example of a question from a Non-verbal Reasoning test
All of these tests consist of questions that have answers provided in a “multiple choice” format. This means that every question has a set of answers (usually 5) and the student must select the correct answer. Although this might make the test sound easier, unfortunately it doesn’t really work that way. In the Maths test, students still need to do the calculations to determine the answer before they can select the right one from the list; in the English test there are often several answers in the list that could possibly be correct, and it takes skill to think critically about which one is the best (and only) answer to achieve the mark; and in the Reasoning Paper, students will often have to work through the patterns to reach an answer, before they can select the correct answer from the list.
However, the multiple choice format can sometimes be advantageous, by allowing students to strategically eliminate some options, if they spot a reason why they cannot be correct. With some practice, this can be a very useful way to solve many of the Reasoning questions, as well as some of the English and Maths ones.
When students have decided on an answer, they must enter it onto the “bubble” style answer sheet by drawing a little line through the box next to the correct answer. Again, this might sound easy, but it is something that often causes problems. It is unlike other school tests, where answers are written either on the test paper under the question, or in a written, numbered list, like many will have used for spelling tests or times tables tests. Unfortunately, it is also very easy for students to lose their place on the answer sheet, as often the answers are only given on the answer sheet as A, B, C, D, E, rather than the actual word, number or diagram from the question. When students lose their place on the answer sheet, or miss out an answer box by mistake, they may fill in whole sections with the wrong answers. There are some tips and tricks for helping children make sure they keep their place and avoid this devastating outcome (I will do my best to share some in a future post) and plenty of practice helps too.
An example of a section from an answer sheet
After the Reasoning Paper is finished, there will be another break. In many schools, this will be lunchtime, but this will depend on the school’s timetable.
The final task is a creative writing exercise, which requires students to choose one of the writing prompts provided, and plan and then write a response to that prompt. The time allowed consists of 10 minutes of planning time, and usually another 30 minutes of writing time.
There is usually a good variety of types/genres of writing to choose from, including stories on given themes or in given styles, diary entries, newspaper reports and letters.
This writing task does not form a part of the student’s final test score, but it is important that it’s done well, because in cases where students have not quite scored enough marks on their tests, but their headteacher believes they are capable and lodges an appeal, the writing exercise may be submitted as supporting evidence.
The writing task may sound easy compared to other parts of the test. However, in order to prove a student’s capability (especially if they have not scored highly on the tests), their writing needs be very high level, with ambitious vocabulary, creative imagination and precise and accurate use of challenging spellings, punctuation and grammar. It may seem easy to write for 40 minutes, but it isn’t easy to write a high level, completed piece from scratch, in that time.
As you may have gathered, the Kent Test process is pretty intense for students, but schools usually do their best to put students at ease on the day, and make sure that they have everything they need.
The best thing we can do as parents and tutors at home, is to ensure that our children are well prepared, have practised lots and are confident. And of course, try to make sure they are sleeping and eating well in the days and hours before the test.
To see Kent County Council’s information on the Kent Test, click here.
If you are considering using a tutor to help your child prepare for the Kent Test, please see details of my Tutoring Service, and contact me to enquire about availability. You are also welcome to send me a message through my Facebook page.
As parents, we understandably feel compelled to give our children every possible opportunity to shine. And as they progress through Years 4 and 5, and the Kent Test draws closer, our thoughts begin to turn towards whether we will register them to sit the test. For more information about The Kent Test and how it works, see this previous post.
Deciding whether or not to register your child for the test can be a dilemma. Hopefully these tips will help you decide.
1. Look at your child’s attainment
One of the most important things to consider, is whether your child’s attainment is consistently high. Schools are required to report this information to parents in their end of year reports, and will often also tell you at parents evenings. It will be worded in very specific ways, such as “working at greater depth” or “exceeding” or “working above the age related expectation”.
Beware – this is not always the same thing as being told they are “doing really well” or “doing really good work” or “coming along nicely”. It is also important to distinguish between any comments or grades given for attainment, and any given for effort (which, while commendable, doesn’t always translate into high academic attainment).
While these kinds of phrases are very valuable and encouraging to hear from their teacher, they may not be referring specifically to their academic attainment. Instead, they could be an indication that a student is sitting comfortably within the average range, or that they’re making good progress towards the expected standard, rather than above and beyond it.
If you are unsure, the best thing to do is to ask the class teacher outright, whether your child is on track to achieve at greater depth. If the answer is yes, then that’s a really positive indication that your child has the potential to pass the test.
However, if the answer is no, the reality is that they will have to put in a lot more work to achieve those same results, and even then, it may be unachievable. Many teachers and tutors maintain that in order to be confident in a student’s ability to pass the tests, they need to be working at a standard that is at least a year ahead of their current year group.
It can also be helpful to remember that grammar school places are intended to provide for students within the top 25% of the ability range. Teachers often won’t give you information about where your child ranks relative to their peers, but they may be able to tell you if your child is in “top groups”, “high groups” or “top sets”, if the school groups students by ability, in these ways.
It can also be worthwhile asking for an appointment with the headteacher to discuss these questions; often they will have more experience of the selection testing process, and the ability levels required for success, than a class teacher might have.
2. Consider the high demands of grammar schools
Another question to ask yourself, is whether your child is likely to be able to manage the high demands and expectations of a grammar school. If he or she conscientiously completes their homework each week, learns their tables when told to (this is a good example, because it is something that takes lots and lots of dedicated practice), follows instructions well, and puts in good effort all round, then the answer is probably yes, and grammar school is likely to be just the right learning environment for them.
With their focus on high academic attainment, grammar schools expect students to be motivated and willing to go the extra mile to achieve good results in GCSE or A Level exams. This means not “coasting” (doing the bare minimum to avoid getting into trouble), not being disruptive to themselves or others, and being organised and hardworking. If this doesn’t realistically sound liked your child, or if they are reluctant with homework or reading or putting extra effort into homework projects, then you might find yourself fighting an ever-increasing, uphill battle if they go to a grammar school. These academic qualities are not simply celebrated in grammar schools; they are expected.
3. Consider where your child is likely to be happiest
Ask yourself which kind of school your child is likely to most comfortable in – a school that drives hard for high results and provides a learning environment with similarly academically minded students; or a school that caters for all ability levels, perhaps with “streams” or “sets” for certain subjects, while other subjects are mixed ability?
Would they be happier in a single-sex school, as many (though not all) Kent grammar schools are? Or would they be happier in a co-ed school?
These questions are worth discussing with your child. Talk to them about what THEY want and will be comfortable with. Secondary school is a long time to be in a demanding academic environment if your child is unhappy, so it will only work well if they, themselves, are on board with the idea.
I remember once speaking to a parent of a fairly high attaining student, who had considered this question carefully. She told me that she and her daughter together had come to the conclusion that she would be happier being near the top of a non-selective class, than possibly being near the bottom of a grammar class. We tend not to use the phrases, “top of the class, bottom of the class” anymore, but I understood her point completely. Sometimes it’s as much a decision about confidence and comfort levels, as ability.
4. Consider what will happen if they don’t pass
Kent Test results are a double-edged sword. Children who score highly enough to pass, will likely benefit from a big boost in confidence and self esteem. Something they’ve worked really hard towards, has been a great success! All that time, hard work and effort has paid off!
But what if your child sits the test and does not score highly enough for selection. Is it better to have tried, and failed (so to speak – its not really called a fail, but for many students that’s how it feels), or to never have tried for it at all? This is a real dilemma, for us adults and children alike! Even with the most promising candidates, there is the possibility that they won’t score highly enough, and that any appeals may not be successful. Would your child’s confidence or self esteem take a nosedive? Or would they bounce back, resilient, and get on with the rest of Year 6 before happily heading off to a non-selective school?
Weighing it up
The opportunity to sit an 11+ test, and then attend a grammar school, is a very valuable one for many students. For high-flyers it really does set them off on a path to the hard work, dedication and achievement that they thrive on.
For others it can be a difficult slog towards a tough target, perhaps ending in disappointment.
The decision is certainly tricky, and deserves a lot of consideration and discussion, both with your child and with their teachers.
When families approach me, I always try to be honest. I will usually ask about their school reports; as mentioned above, these can be very useful as a first indicator. Then, after a few lessons working together, I have a good idea of a student’s strengths and weaknesses. If I think they are going to have a lot of extra work to do to reach the level required, I will tell them honestly.
Even so, I never turn students away because they aren’t achieving highly enough, so whatever point they are starting from, I’ll always do everything I can to get them to where they need to be for the tests.
If you are considering using a tutor to help your child prepare for the Kent Test, please see details of my Tutoring Service, and contact me to enquire about availability. You are also welcome to send me a message through my Facebook page.
