Guidance for 11-plus test was 'unclear' - council

Parents took to social media to raise concerns about the time allocated for part of the exam

Medway Council said it will address concerns raised by some parents over alleged issues relating to the recent 11-plus exam.

Pupils aiming to go to grammar school from September 2025 sat the exam - also known locally as the Medway Test - on 17 and 18 September.

Parents have since taken to social media raising concerns that the time allocated for the English part of the test was 30 minutes when they thought it should be at least 50 minutes.

Tracy Coombs, the council’s portfolio holder for education, said: "Unfortunately we have been unclear in our communications here, we fully accept that."

Councillor Coombs, who is a former primary school headteacher, said the English test was always supposed to be 30 minutes this year, though information given to parents said it would not "exceed one hour".

She told BBC Radio Kent the guidance to parents was meant to give "reassurance that there was an upper limit on how long a test would last, rather than to state the actual time of each individual test".

The council will not be reviewing it "because it’s been an absolute level playing field" and "the 30-minute time limit was the same for all children".

'Stress and anxiety'

Concerned parents of children at Swingate Primary School, in Lords Wood, Chatham, posted a social media message asking if others had faced issues.

One post described the situation over the test timings as a "mess up".

When contacted, the school said: "At this time we don't wish to make a comment."

Councillor Coombs said: "We absolutely accept that our guidance could have been clearer.

“The last thing we would want to do is cause additional stress and pressure for young people taking the Medway Test.

"I’m sorry if we’ve added to the stress and anxiety, I do want to reassure (parents and children) that the schools administered the test correctly.

"Thirty minutes was the correct amount of time for that test."

Medway Test results will be sent out to parents on 16 October.