609 open schools · Ofsted ratings, catchment areas and admission criteria
Primary schools: 'Nearness of home to school' is the criterion for community/VC schools; a defined catchment area is only created ad hoc where new housing development requires a new/enlarged school — the exception, not the rule. (source)
Secondary schools: Same 'nearness' principle applies under the Secondary Co-ordinated Admissions Scheme. (source)
Most schools use the local authority's default scheme rather than a school-specific catchment map — see each school's page for its own designated/catchment area where one is published.
The Kent Test has two multiple-choice papers, each roughly an hour long: 1. English & Maths — split into two 30-minute sections: English (reading comprehension, grammar, punctuation, vocabulary) and Maths (Key Stage 2 curriculum up to the start of Year 6). 2. Reasoning — Verbal Reasoning (vocabulary, sequences, logic, analogies) and Non-Verbal/Spatial Reasoning (shapes, rotations, matrices, pattern recognition), combined into a single reasoning score. There is also an unmarked writing task (around 40 minutes including planning time). It isn't scored directly, but may be used by a local headteacher assessment panel for borderline cases. Note: the Kent Test is NOT the same as the Medway Test — Medway is a separate authority with its own different test (separate registration, different papers). Passing one does not qualify a child for the other area's schools (except Chatham Grammar, which accepts either).
| Entry year | Event | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Sept 2027 | Registration opens | 2026-06-01 (passed) |
| Sept 2027 | Registration closes | 2026-07-01 (passed) |
| Sept 2027 | Test date | 2026-09-10 |
| Sept 2027 | Results released | 2026-10-15 |
| Sept 2027 | Application deadline | 2026-10-31 |
| Sept 2027 | Offer day | 2027-03-01 |
| Sept 2026 | Registration opens | 2025-06-02 (passed) |
| Sept 2026 | Registration closes | 2025-07-01 (passed) |
| Sept 2026 | Test date | 2025-09-11 (passed) |
| Sept 2026 | Results released | 2025-10-16 (passed) |
| Sept 2026 | Application deadline | 2025-10-31 (passed) |
| Sept 2026 | Offer day | 2026-03-01 (passed) |
Any child in Year 5 (aged 9–10) can register to sit the Kent Test regardless of where they live. Children from East Sussex, Medway, London and other counties routinely apply to Kent grammar schools. Registration: families outside Kent register through the Kent Test portal. The registration deadline is the same as for Kent residents — typically late June or early July. See kent.gov.uk/education-and-children/schools for current dates. Applying for a place: apply via your home LA's Common Application Form by 31 October, listing the Kent grammar school(s) you want. Note on Medway: Medway is a separate unitary authority with its own grammar schools and its own selection test — it is NOT part of the Kent Test. To apply to Medway grammar schools you need to sit the Medway test separately. Criteria impact: Kent grammar places are allocated by test score rank — higher-scoring children get priority. There is no fixed pass mark; the top roughly 25% of the ability range qualify. Living outside Kent does not automatically disadvantage you, but some Kent grammar schools have a defined geographic priority area as a tiebreaker when scores are equal.
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