00:00A source of unnecessary stress for children and parents.
00:04That's how some in the county describe the Kent Test,
00:07with the pressure even causing families to consider moving elsewhere.
00:12It's like, why? Why are we doing this to little children?
00:16If we hadn't just spent our entire life savings on an extension
00:19and had a really settled life, we might well have actually just left.
00:22The Kent Test is an 11-plus exam children sit at the start of Year 6
00:27if they want to get into one of the county's 32 grammar schools.
00:31It's just this bubble of anxiety amongst the children and the parents.
00:35And for what reason? If the Kent Test didn't exist, none of that anxiety would be there.
00:39Kent County Council has recently announced Quest Assessments
00:43as the new provider for the Kent Test.
00:46Now, they'll take over from 2027, but campaigners have raised concerns about this
00:52because Quest Assessments is owned by a company called Atom Learning.
00:57Now, Atom Learning provides online tutoring for families
01:01in preparation for exams like the 11-plus.
01:04But this can cost around £670 per year.
01:09What are parents supposed to think?
01:10Won't they feel like they need to pay it?
01:12So it just seems a very, very complex situation.
01:16And tuition makes the Kent Test unfair
01:18because if tuition works, then paying for it buys you a grammar school place almost.
01:25Joanne warns this gives those who can afford tutoring an unfair advantage.
01:30According to figures from the Department for Education,
01:3311.9% of children attending grammar schools in Kent in 2026
01:39were eligible for Pupil Premium,
01:41a government grant which supports disadvantaged students.
01:45Atom Learning does offer free accounts for children eligible for Pupil Premium,
01:50and we contacted them for comments but did not receive a response.
01:54Kent County Council said that they are reassuring families
01:57that the Kent Test is written and managed independently,
02:00and no content is shared between Quest Assessments and Atom Learning.
02:04They also said that no child is required to buy tutoring
02:07or preparation materials to sit the test.
02:10However, Becky says parents often feel forced into tutoring.
02:15It's become so normalised.
02:18People are just saying,
02:20are you going to start tutoring in year five or year four?
02:22There's not even any question.
02:25Everyone would look at me like I was absolutely shocked
02:28when I said, I'm not tutoring, I don't think it's the right thing to do.
02:31But the pressure then was, if they don't pass,
02:34they're going to have that failure stamp on themselves.
02:36As campaigners continue to call for an overhaul in Kent's education system,
02:42the question of tutoring still looms large over families.
02:46Sophie Denny for KMTV, Across Kent.
