11 Plus Schools

Kent 11 Plus

The New Schools Admissions Code, by law from 2012 , due to take effect for admissions for Entry in September 2013, states that schools must take all reasonable steps to inform parents of the outcome of tests before the closing deadline for applications on October 31st 2012.

Kent is the largest remaining grammar school area in the country, with 35 wholly selective grammar schools and four partially selective schools.

Parents in Kent face a considerable challenge when completing their CAF (Common Application Form). The Admissions Criteria for schools differ for almost every school in the County and must be studied extremely carefully by prospective parents.

Some schools known as the “super-selectives” allocate places by score, but there may be geographic limits imposed as well. Other schools use distance or parish boundaries as the main criterion for admission. Schools that do not use score to allocate places may have rules about siblings taking priority. (It is illegal under the school Admissions Code to use score to allocate places and give priority to siblings.)

Full details of the admissions criteria for all Kent schools can be found on the Kent County Council website.

We strongly recommend that, once you have a shortlist of your preferred schools, you research very carefully whether your child would have gained admission in previous years. Either Kent Admissions or the individual schools may be able to provide you with further information if you are unsure. Even that is no guarantee of future success, but it should at least ensure that your school choices are as realistic as possible.

Admissions Information for September 2014

Closing date for Test application Monday 1st July 2013
(Registration from Monday 3rd June 2013)
Closing date for Common Application Form 31 October 2013
11+ test dates For Kent Primary Schools Pupils
Wednesday 11th September 2013 & Thursday 12th September 2013
For Primary Pupils Outside of Kent
Saturday 14th September 2013, (practice test Saturday 7th Sept 2013)
Test Types Verbal Reasoning (50 minutes)
Non-Verbal Reasoning (40 minutes)
Maths (60 minutes)
All the above are GL Assessment (NFER) , multiple choice format.
Writing exercise – this is not marked; it is only looked in the event of an appeal. This is not by NFER
Examiners NFER administered by GL Assessment
11+ Test Results Letters posted on Wednesday 16th October 2013. For registrations that were made online, emails will be sent after 4pm on the same day.
Pass Mark Varies by school (see note below)
Allocations Monday 3rd March 2014 (emails from 4pm, letters posted first class)
Acceptance You must accept or refuse the place offered Friday by 21st March 2014.
Admissions Kent County Council
Recommended Practice Materials Verbal Reasoning
Non-verbal Reasoning
Mathematics
English

Pass mark: The minimum qualifying score in 2011 was an aggregate score of 360 across the Verbal Reasoning, Non-Verbal Reasoning and maths papers, with no paper scoring less than 119. Schools in East Kent allocate places by distance and therefore any mark over 360 is irrelevant beyond the fact that the child has qualified. Schools in West Kent (many of them the so-called “super-selectives”) allocate school places by score, in descending order and therefore the child’s final score is of critical importance. The English test is not marked.

Kent Raw Scores in 2010

Our thanks go to our 11+ Forum member “committed” for making a Freedom of Information request to Kent County Council to obtain the following information.

The table below shows the raw score (i.e. number of questions) a child needed to answer on the 2010 papers in order to achieve a final standardised score of either 120 or 140, depending on their age at the time of testing. The numbers will vary by a few percentage points each year, and they are therefore only a rough guideline.

Age at time of testing: 10 yrs old 10 yrs 6 mths 11 yrs old 10 yrs old 10 yrs 6 mths 11 yrs old
To achieve a score of: 120 120 120 140 140 140
Verbal Reasoning 36/80 (45%) 39/80 (49%) 42/80 (53%) 58/80 (73%) 61/80 (76%) 63/80 (79%)
Non-Verbal Reasoning 35/72 (49%) 37/72 (51%) 38/72 (53%) 48/72 (67%) 49/72 (68%) 50/72 (69%
Maths 24/50 (48%) 26/50 (52%) 27/50 (54%) 38/50 (76%) 39/50 (78%) 40/50 (80%)

The Kent Appeals System

Kent is unusual in operating a system of “Head teacher reviews”. A review can be submitted if a child has not qualified on score but was close to the pass mark or the Head teacher believes that the result was not representative of the child’s ability. The reviews take place before parents receive their child’s results.

The Head will submit a short report and samples of work which are then reviewed by a panel consisting of Primary and Secondary Head teachers or Deputy Heads. The review may result in the 11+ score being overturned and the child being deemed qualified.

If your child does not qualify, the Head does not seek a review or if the review is unsuccessful you still have the right to have your child’s case heard by an Independent Appeals Panel.

It is important that Kent parents who are also applying for grammar school places for their child at schools in Medway realise that the Review systems in Kent and Medway are entirely different. A failed review in Kent does not preclude you from asking for a full hearing in front of an Independent Appeal Panel, and submitting any evidence you wish to. In Medway the evidence you can present to a panel after a failed review is very much more limited.

For advice on how to prepare for an appeal please look at our Appeals Q&As

Kent Grammar School Information

Open Day information for Kent schools can be viewed on the Kent County Council website. Some dates are shown below:

School Gender Places Open Day
Barton Court Grammar School (Canterbury) Mixed Places in Year 7: 120
Applications in 2010: 666
Taster Day Sat 29th June 2013
Borden Grammar School (Sittingbourne) Boys Places in Year 7: 120
Applications in 2010: 255 (92 offered)
Tuesday 18th June 2013 (eve)
Thursday 20th June 2013 (a.m.)
Cranbrook School Mixed Admission is at 13+ (Year 9), not 11+.
Places in Year 9: 92 day places, 53 boarding, total 145.
Applications for Yr9 in 2010: 259
Thursday 27th June 2013
Dane Court Grammar School (Broadstairs) Mixed Places in Year 7: 165
Applications in 2010: 450
Wednesday 23rd October 2013
Dartford Grammar School Boys Places in Year 7: 150
Applications in 2010: 649
Tuesday 25th June 2013(a.m.)
Dartford Grammar School for Girls Girls Places in Year 7: 150
Applications in 2010: 688
TBA
Dover Grammar School for Boys Boys N.B. Entrance to the school is via a pass in either the Kent test or the Dover test.
Places in Year 7: 120
Applications in 2010: 306 (109 offered)
Wednesday 5th June 2013
Dover Grammar School for Girls Girls N.B. Entrance to the school is via a pass in either the Kent test or the Dover test.
Places in Year 7: 120
Applications in 2010: 332
Open Evening – Tues 11th June 2013.
School tours – Wed 12th & Thurs 13th June 2013
Gravesend Grammar School Boys Places in Year 7: 150
Applications in 2010: 288
Information Evenings – 25th & 27th June 2013. Open evenings- October
Highsted School (Sittingbourne) Girls Places in Year 7: 120
Applications in 2010: 291
Thurs 13th June 2013
Highworth Grammar School (Ashford) Girls Places in Year 7: 184
Applications in 2010: 325 (158 offered)
TBA
Invicta Grammar School (Maidstone) Girls Places in Year 7: 175
Applications in 2010: 504
Wed 15th May 2013 (eve). Taster morning- Sat 29th June 2013. Tours – 25th & 27th June 2013
Maidstone Grammar School Boys Places in Year 7: 175
Applications in 2010: 506
TBA
Maidstone Grammar School for Girls Girls Places in Year 7: 180
Applications in 2010: 549
October 2013 (TBA)
Mayfield Grammar School (previously Gravesend Grammar School for Girls) Girls Places in Year 7: 145 Applications in 2010: 313 TBA
Oakwood Park Grammar School (Maidstone) Boys Places in Year 7: 150
Applications in 2010: 515
7th May 2013
Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School Mixed Places in Year 7: 140
Applications in 2010: 446 (120 offered)
TBA
Simon Langton Girls’ Grammar School (Canterbury) Girls Places in Year 7: 155
Applications in 2010: 407
TBA
Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys (Canterbury) Boys Places in Year 7: 120
Applications in 2010: 391
TBA
Sir Roger Manwood’s School (Sandwich) Mixed Places in Year 7: 114 day places, 6 boarding
Applications in 2010: 355
September 2013 (TBA)
The Chatham & Clarendon Grammar School Federation (Ramsgate) Mixed Places in Year 7:180(90 girls, 90 boys)
Applications for 2010:257 boys, 241 girls
Autumn 2013 (TBA)
The Folkestone School for Girls Girls Places in Year 7: 165
Applications for 2010: 358 (105 places offered)
TBA
The Harvey Grammar School (Folkestone) Boys Places in Year7: 150
Applications in 2010: 290
Wed 10th July 2013
The Judd School (Tonbridge) Boys Places in Year 7: 125
Applications in 2010: 554
Open session – Tuesday 9th July 2013.
Open Eve – Autumn 2013
The Norton Knatchbull School (Ashford) Boys Places in Year 7: 149
Applications in 2010: 318
18th & 25th September 2013
The Skinners’ School (Tunbridge Wells) Boys Places in Year 7: 115
Applications in 2010: 564
Open morning – 1st, 2nd, 3rd July , 10th & 17th October 2013
Open Evening – Thurs 3rd October 2013
Tonbridge Grammar School Girls Places in Year 7: 140
Applications in 2010: 642
Open mornings- Thurs 2oth June 2013
Tours – November 2013
Tunbridge Wells Girls’ Grammar School Girls Places in Year 7: 140
Applications for in 2010: 498
Wed 26th September 2012
Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys Boys Places in Year 7: 180
Applications in 2010: 543
Mon 7th October 2013 . Tours – 11th & 14th October 2013
Weald of Kent Grammar School Girls Places in Year 7: 150
Applications in 2010: 641
Open morning- Monday 1st July 2013
Wilmington Grammar School for Boys Boys Places in Year 7: 120
Applications in 2010: 574
Thursday 20th June 2013
Wilmington Grammar School for Girls Girls Places in Year 7: 120
Applications in 2010: 600
Thurs 4th July 2013
& Oct 2013

Partially Selective Schools in Kent

School Gender Places
Archbishop’s School (Canterbury) Mixed Selects 15% of pupils on general ability
Chaucer School Mixed 235 places in Year 7. Selects 15% of pupils (35 places) on general ability or aptitude in technology.
Homewood School Mixed 360 places in Year 7. Selects 20% of pupils (72 places) on general ability and 10% on musical aptitude.
Westlands School (Sittingbourne) Mixed 285 places in Year 7. Selects 10% of pupils (29 places) on mathematical aptitude.

For further information about Kent Grammar Schools and to have your questions answered please visit the Kent section of our 11+ Forum .

If you are able to contribute further information to this page (and we are always grateful for contributions from those with local knowledge), please contact us.

Information on this page was believed to be correct at the time of writing, but we would not necessarily be aware of subsequent changes unless someone brings them to our attention.
Before acting on any information given here, please verify that it is up to date.

Page updated on 25th April 2013

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