Kent Test and Headteacher Assessment for Entry in September 2021: Further Analysis

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Thursday, 28 January 2021 17:47

Kent Test and Headteacher Assessment for Entry in September 2021: Further Analysis

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Index

Kent Test Pass and Overall Selection Rate

State Schools

Although the number of children inYear Six of Kent primary schools has risen by 234, the number taking the Kent Test has fallen by 690 since 2019, a decline of nearly 8%, surely down entirely to the pandemic, with many children having missed a great deal of education. Not surprisingly, the Test pass proportion remains very similar to the previous year, pass marks having been set to achieve this. However, there is a distinct fall in the number of boys considered for and being successful at the HTA, which reflects the lack of evidence available, as seen further in the HTA table below.

Kent State Schools Grammar Assessments 2020 for Admission in September 2021:
	2020						2019
	Boys	Girls	Total	Boys %	Girls %	Total %	boys	girls	total	boys %	girls %	Total %
Year Six	9168	8956	18124	51%	49%		9064	8826	17890	51%	49%
Sat Test	4858	5134	9992	53%	57%	55.1%	5223	5469	10682	58%	62%	59.7%
Test Pass	1694	1639	3333	19%	18%	18.4%	1781	1545	3326	20%	18%	18.6%
HTA	860	1113	1973	9%	12%	10.9%	958	1102	2060	11%	13%	11.5%
HTA Passes	441	598	1039	5%	7%	5.7%	519	640	1159	6%	7%	6.5%
Total Passes	2135	2237	4372	23.3%	25.0%	24.1%	2300	2185	4485	25.3%	24.8%	25.1%

Private Schools

Because KCC does not have access to the data of pupil numbers in private schools, it uses the smaller figure of the number of pupils taking the test in its calculation of the pass mark. It has for many years combined the two when calculating a pass mark to give an outcome of around 25%. If it decided to change this policy as does Medway, using only state school numbers to calculate the pass mark, it would simply have to raise the pass mark to keep the number of successful candidates from both sectors the same.

Some of the private school successes will not take up grammar school places, preferring to remain private, but having used the Kent Test to establish their child's ability.

Kent Grammar School Assessments 2020 for Admission in September 2021: Private Schools
	2020						2019
	Boys	Girls	Total	Boys %	Girls %	Total %	boys	girls	total	boys %	girls %	Total %
Sat Test	354	372	726				368	301	669
Test Pass	219	233	452	62%	63%	62%	227	174	401	62%	58%	60%
HTA	70	67	137	20%	19%	19%	83	56	139	23%	19%	21%
HTA Passes	31	25	56	9%	8%	8%	31	24	55	8%	8%	8%
Total Passes	250	258	508	71%	69%	70%	258	198	456	70%	66%	68%

As can be seen from the table, the main change is in the large number of additional girls in private schools who have taken the test, with 60 of these going on to pass it. I have no particular explanation for this phenomenon, it could be additional girls in those schools, or parents being unable to afford private secondary education, opting for a state grammar school if possible, instead.

Next: District Variation in Passes