Who takes the Kent Test, and registering
- All the grammar schools in Kent County Council’s area use the Kent Test. The council says it normally tests about 17,000 children.
- The test sat in September 2026 was for children born between 1 September 2015 and 31 August 2016, who start secondary school in September 2027.
- Parents register their child with Kent County Council. For the test sat in September 2026, registration opened on Monday 1 June 2026 and closed on Wednesday 1 July 2026.
- Most Kent children sit the test in their own primary school. Children from schools outside Kent County Council’s area are invited to a Kent testing centre at the weekend; the council allocates the date and emails the arrangements before the end of August.
- Families who live outside Kent can register, but Kent County Council asks them to do so only if they intend to apply for a Kent grammar school. Registration is open to children resident in England.
- The Kent Test is only valid for Kent grammar schools. Medway Council has its own Medway Test, and the London Borough of Bexley has its own selection test.
- Kent County Council says grammar schools in Kent provide for children in about the top 25% of the ability range, and that many children will find the test difficult.
If you missed registration or the test day
- A parent who has missed registration for September 2027 entry is asked to email kent.admissions@kent.gov.uk with the child’s name, date of birth, full address and current school.
- For the test sat in September 2026, late registration was accepted, as far as practicable, only for children at Kent County Council primary and junior schools, and only if the form reached the council by Tuesday 21 July 2026. It was not possible for children at other schools.
- A child who was ill on one or both test dates, with a doctor’s certificate, can be tested later: for this round, by Thursday 31 December 2026.
- A child whose family moved into Kent County Council’s area after registration closed can also be tested by Thursday 31 December 2026, but only if the family gave proof of residency and applied for a secondary school place by Monday 7 December 2026.
- Otherwise, a child who was not registered cannot sit the test until after Tuesday 27 April 2027. A grammar school named for a child who has not been assessed is treated as an invalid preference on offer day.
- If you move to Kent after the Kent Test and want a Year 7 grammar school place, the assessment is arranged through the grammar school you apply to. Until the end of the first term of the school year every grammar school uses the Kent Test, which gives one assessment valid for any grammar school in Kent County Council’s area. After that, each school uses its own assessment.
Questions parents ask
We live outside Kent. Can my child take the Kent Test?
Yes. Kent County Council asks you to register only if you intend to apply for a Kent grammar school. Children from schools outside the council’s area sit the test at a Kent testing centre at the weekend. You then apply on your own council’s form, even for a Kent school. Some Kent grammar schools, particularly those most likely to offer places to children from outside Kent, give priority to the highest scores.
We missed Kent Test registration. Can my child still sit the test?
Only in limited cases. For the test sat in September 2026, late forms were accepted only for children at Kent County Council primary and junior schools, and only until Tuesday 21 July 2026. A family who moved into the council’s area after registration closed can have the child tested by Thursday 31 December 2026, if they gave proof of residency and applied for a school place by Monday 7 December 2026. Otherwise the child cannot be tested until after Tuesday 27 April 2027. The council asks parents who missed registration to email kent.admissions@kent.gov.uk.
What if my child is ill on the day of the Kent Test?
If a child cannot sit the test because of illness on one or both test dates, confirmed by a doctor’s certificate, Kent County Council arranges for the test to be taken later. For the test sat in September 2026, that is by Thursday 31 December 2026.
We are moving to Kent after the test. Can my child still get a grammar school place?
Your child still has to be assessed, and this is arranged through the grammar school you apply to. Until the end of the first term of the school year every grammar school uses the Kent Test, which gives one assessment valid for any grammar school in Kent County Council’s area. After that, each grammar school uses its own assessment.
Sources: Admission to secondary school in Kent 2027 (guide for parents) · Register for the Kent Test · Co-ordinated scheme for secondary admissions 2027-28 · Move to a different school
Checked on 5 October 2026. If you spot something out of date, please tell us.
