Kent test September 2014 takers
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Re: Kent test September 2014 takers
In Kent there are schools where only one person (from another school) invigilates the Kent test and they are not really in a position to query if the papers have been opened at the wrong time before the test.
I presume there is considerably more risk that a school might receive a spot check at GCSE or A level whereas I don't think anyone from Kent CC ever goes into a Kent primary school at the correct times to see if the rules typed up on paper are being complied with.
I also hear of schools where the time limit on the Kent test has not been kept to in previous years. It is a system which relies on honesty and attention to detail; unfortunately, honesty and attention to detail is not always there.
If anyone in charge was particularly bothered about it they would have a completely different system which would considerably narrow the scope for deliberate cheating and accidental gaining of advantage. But as nothing more concrete is done it would seem that no one is that bothered - at the end of the day as much as it matters to us as parents any flaws in the system just mean the child goes to a different school to the one that they might have done e.g. they get to grammar when they might not have done, or they don't go to grammar when they perhaps might have done. It would be very hard to prove any lifetime damage as a consequence of this.
I presume there is considerably more risk that a school might receive a spot check at GCSE or A level whereas I don't think anyone from Kent CC ever goes into a Kent primary school at the correct times to see if the rules typed up on paper are being complied with.
I also hear of schools where the time limit on the Kent test has not been kept to in previous years. It is a system which relies on honesty and attention to detail; unfortunately, honesty and attention to detail is not always there.
If anyone in charge was particularly bothered about it they would have a completely different system which would considerably narrow the scope for deliberate cheating and accidental gaining of advantage. But as nothing more concrete is done it would seem that no one is that bothered - at the end of the day as much as it matters to us as parents any flaws in the system just mean the child goes to a different school to the one that they might have done e.g. they get to grammar when they might not have done, or they don't go to grammar when they perhaps might have done. It would be very hard to prove any lifetime damage as a consequence of this.
Re: Kent test September 2014 takers
Peter wrote:What about the parent of a child at a private school in Kent who wanted as part of her appeal to argue that her child had missed out on the preparation session the day before, when the class worked through the papers to be sat next day (this was about five years ago)? This is a school that regularly achieved remarkable results in the Kent Test. I reported it to KCC, but six months after the test it would have been difficult to establish.
Yes, I can believe this. I suppose you told them that this might not help their appeal?! Amazing that they thought it would be a good thing to bring up.
TBH it makes me very suspicious that three Sevenoaks primaries are holding a mock the day before. Why the day before?
Yes, it would have been very hard to establish 6 months later -------- it would have been very hard to establish close to the time if they just shredded everything after the mock. It would be very inconvenient to know how 11 plus test processes can be and are twisted as it would be more costly for the admission authorities to put in place a better process as they don't want to pay more out of teaching budgets on a selection test which has so many other imperfections by its very nature.
