housands of children in Kent have only just returned from the summer holiday but will be sitting an exam today that will determine whether they will get a place at one of the county’s 33 grammar schools.

As is usual, the quest for places at the county’s grammar schools is intense with children not just from Kent but neighbouring areas sitting the eleven plus.

And many fee-paying prep schools continue to add to that pressure on available places by entering pupils for the test.

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This year, the issue of whether there should be more grammar school places has taken centre stage in the political debate about education policy.

And part of that debate has centred on whether selective schools are doing enough to encourage brighter children from poorer backgrounds to apply for places.

The government had announced that it would introduce legislation to permit new grammar schools, a move that inevitably split political opinion. In the event, the Conservative government has had to shelve its plans following the general election result in June.

Nevertheless, the debate continues with a particular focus on the question of social mobility and the perception that the intense competition for grammar school places continues to favour those who can afford private tuition to help them pass the exam.

It is a discussion which has had a particular resonance in Kent, which remains the largest wholly selective authority in the country.

Kent County Council’s Conservative administration has been urged to take steps to ensure more encouragement and support is provided to both families and schools where brighter pupils from less well-off backgrounds have traditionally not considered a selective education as a viable prospect.

There have been some signs that grammar schools themselves are beginning to take some steps in that direction.

From 2018, four west Kent grammars are to bring in admissions arrangements that could help that objective:

• Weald of Kent Girls Grammar will reserve 16 places for children eligible for pupil premium money;
• Tonbridge Grammar School will offer 10 places for girls eligible for pupil premium money and whose 11-plus scores are below automatic qualifying score;
• The Judd School will offer five places to children on free school meals who pass the 11-plus but do not necessarily get the higher score;
• Skinners' School will continue with a new policy of offering five places for pupils on free school meals, provided they pass the 11-plus provided they are no more than 10 marks below lowest qualifying mark

Passing the Kent Test is the first stage for pupils hoping for a grammar school place. Parents who register online will be sent their child’s assessment by e-mail after 4pm on 12 October, those who register by post will get the assessment decision in a letter sent by first class post on 12 October.

Only then will the process of applying for a particular school will get underway and all children - regardless of whether they have applied for a grammar - will be told on National Offer Day, March 1, 2018, which specific school they have been offered a place at.

Parents can choose up to four schools in order of preference. Parents have a right to appeal for any school they named and were not offered, and if their child is eligible to join a waiting list for their preferred school they could later get a place which has become vacant since the first offers were made.

Obtaining a ‘grammar assessment’ in the Kent test does not guarantee that a child will be offered a place at their chosen grammar school.