Kent Test 2008

shuff · Post by **shuff** » Fri Apr 18, 2008 10:25 am

perplexed wrote:Try asking KCC if they are planning a different method of informing parents about scores.

Why is your school so awkward about informing you? If KCC inform them of the score, isn't it your right to have the information?

What does your school do about the headteacher review ("appeal") prior to the results being made known?

Good luck

The incompetence is due to an inexperienced management team who wash their hands of anyone who goes down a different route.
Last year my husband was told from the school that they had been informed by KCC that they were NOT to give out scores. He rang county who insisted that we were to get scores from the school. After going backwards and forwards for a very stressful few hours, he eventually got them through Kent. The same has happened this year to more unfortunate parents and children.
As far as headteacher appeal, forget it. They see it as an increase in work load, and beyond their call of duty!
I can not wait for my son to leave the school at the end of year 6 with hopefully a less stressful 11+ journey!

perplexed · Post by **perplexed** » Fri Apr 18, 2008 1:50 pm

Well it sounds as though you are not missing out on the Headteacher Review bit as they wouldn't make a good go of it anyway by the sounds of them.

Now forewarned is forearmed. I would not be too worried about getting hold of the KCC scores as ultimately you should always be able to get them from KCC I would have thought, pain as that is.

However, how is your primary school about giving you the results of other ability tests - CAT scores etc, which you may need if you are going to do your own appeal for a marginal fail, or because your child did not quite make the cut-off for the superselective.

If this was me, and I knew that I would take it to appeal if necessary, I would be starting up a polite but correct correspondence with the headteacher now to let her know that you will be expecting to receive details of all test scores etc, as this is her legal duty, and that you want written confirmation that she will supply them (get ones so far also?!).

If she is still uncooperative, I would try going through the governors. This way you should have it sorted by the time you may need the information quickly to prepare an appeal.

Good luck

neurotic kent mum · Post by **neurotic kent mum** » Fri Apr 18, 2008 1:56 pm

Regarding the day of tests it has been recognised that children who sit the one day test are proportionally more successful than those in county who do the two days of tests. I. So it appears whatever they do they are wrong - so perhaps it would make more sense for everyone to do the same. My personal opinion is that the out of county candidates are greatly advantaged!

perplexed · Post by **perplexed** » Fri Apr 18, 2008 2:03 pm

I think it is a moot point whether the "out of county" candidates who do the test on one day do better because it is on one day. It does sound pretty gruelling - 3 paper and the written task, all before lunch, for a 10 or 11 year old.

When I spoke to an LEA admissions officer about it, they thought that in general (every child is different) that it is harder to do it all in one go (presumably on the inside they can analyse the results and see if test scores decline during the morning as kids get more and more tired) and that the difference is to do with the different mix of pupils in the two sets of candidates.

The "out of county" candidates have a higher proportion of independent school candidates than the in-county batch, state school parents whose parents are pretty confident of a pass to bother putting their children through a Saturday test in Kent, and some independent schools in Kent who are not "linked".

shuff · Post by **shuff** » Sat Apr 19, 2008 8:57 am

Thank you perplexed for your advice. I did go through the appeal route with my middle child and the school were very supportive at this stage with providing lots of evidence of her ability. We were hoping she would get in as a sibling as her sister is at TGS. She did really well in two papers but missed out on Maths. The appeal wasn't successful and she has ended up at the local school and very happy.

Guest55 · Post by **Guest55** » Sat Apr 19, 2008 10:06 am

You might be interested to know that Bucks got rid of the Headteacher appeal as it was felt to be unfair - all appeals are now heard by independent panels working to the same criteria. Although it means more parents get involved in having to appeal it is a more transparent system.

neurotic kent mum · Post by **neurotic kent mum** » Sat May 03, 2008 10:36 pm

so do we find out at the end of the week that 11+ will be sept 2008?

c'est la vie · Post by **c'est la vie** » Sat May 03, 2008 11:04 pm

neurotic kent mum wrote:so do we find out at the end of the week that 11+ will be sept 2008?

I don't think so.

The deadline for the consultation response to be returned to the SofS is 8th May. I should imagine it will be a week or so at least after the deadline before we find out if it is changing.

SHELBELLE · Post by **SHELBELLE** » Thu May 08, 2008 11:19 am

Hi

I have just telephoned KCC and they say a decision will be announced/published mid May , so I assume that means next week??

Anyone else heard anything recently?

Hope this helps!!!

Shelbelle

Grumpy Old Man · Post by **Grumpy Old Man** » Tue May 13, 2008 9:43 am

Today KCC LEA said decision by end May, chap at Medway LEA seemed confident Kent Test will be September..

I doubt you'd even get odds on the test date staying put!