At the head of the District table, Sevenoaks, Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells maintain their positions and pass rates from 2019 with almost identical data. Dartford maintains its position in spite of a fall in performance, although with a different social profile to the West Kent schools. Canterbury continues to perform well, with its tradition of allowing the highest proportion of girls in the county through on HTA, which dates back to an influential previous headteacher.

Children in the Ashford District are the only ones to have seen a significant increase in performance on the Kent Test itself for some reason, possibly related to the large housing developments in the area.

However, at the foot of the table, Dover, Thanet, Swale and Gravesham have all fallen, the pass rate being down by eight to ten per cent in each case. This is almost certainly down to the higher level of disadvantage in these areas.

The situation in Thanet is especially worthy of comment, with non-selective education still in a state of turmoil, containing the two most over-subscribed N/S schools in the county, and the two most unpopular. One consequence of this is the pressure on families to evade the problem by chasing grammar school places. For 2020 admission a solution was to create a higher number of selective children by increasing HTA numbers. This created unmanageable pressure on the two grammar schools, and the figures have fallen back again for 2021 admission. A new school was to be opened in 2021, then 2022, now 2023, in an attempt to resolve the problems, although its website indicates no progress since a planning consultation last August. I have written extensively on this matter, most recently here, and specifically about grammar schools here.

Next:  Individual School Performance, and Local Tests