The Kent Test, which is instrumental in deciding what sort of education is best for a child, is to be moved to September.
This means parents will now know the result of their children’s 11-plus exam before deciding which schools to apply for.
Ed Balls, the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, is behind the move, which came after consultations between Kent County Council and parents’ groups.
Parents now need to register their child for the test between June 2 and July 11 this year.
Kent Test registration forms will be sent to every primary school in the county, and neighbouring authorities and schools will be provided with information to issue to their parents.
The forms can also be downloaded from KCC’s admissions website www.kent.gov.uk/secondaryadmissions.
Testing will take place on 18-19 September for children resident in Kent and for out-of-county pupils the following day.
Parents will be notified of the assessment decision on October 21 and they will then have until November 7 to either complete their Secondary Common Application Form online or return a hard copy to their child’s primary school.
Mark Dance, KCC cabinet member for education operations, resources and skills said: “I welcome the decision by the Secretary of State.
“We put forward the change of date from January to September so that parents can use their choices wisely and not have to gamble on a grammar or comprehensive place.
“I appreciate the concerns of some families about testing earlier in the new school year and I would like to reassure those that the tests are standardised against a national sample and results will take account of the child’s age at the time of testing.
“Parents would be wise to make every effort to visit a variety of schools to ensure they are able to make an informed choice for their preferred schools before 7 November 2008.”
Families across the county were asked for their views on moving the date and the majority voted in favour of earlier testing.
KCC said it recognised some reservations from a minority of admissions authorities, which is why the proposal was referred to the Secretary of State for the final decision.
POSTED: 22/05/2008 17:11:54