Glossary of terms
11+ Officially known as the Kent Test this is an exam taken by children at the start of Year 6 which determines
whether or not they are suitable to attend a ‘selective’ or grammar school.
Non-selective A school that does not require the 11+ to be passed for entry—eg Knole Academy, Hayesbrook, Hillview,
Hugh Christie, Skinners Kent Academy
Super-selective A grammar school that admits children by ranking their 11+ scores, irrespective of how far away from the school they may live eg Judd School, Skinners, Tonbridge Grammar
Selective or Grammar school A school for which a child must have passed the 11+. In some cases where a child did not pass the 11+ an appeal may be successful, eg Tunbridge Wells Boys Grammar, Tunbridge Wells Girls Grammar, Weald of Kent Grammar
Comprehensive A school that caters for all abilities. There are few true comprehensives in Kent due to the existence of selection
Faith school A school which selects pupils based on their faith eg Catholic, Church of England no entrance exam is typically required
Independent or fee-paying school A school that is not funded by the government but by the parents—these can also be referred to as Private schools
Through school A combined primary/secondary school. Either an existing primary expands into secondary education or a secondary school opens a primary school. Local examples include Combe Bank and Walthamstow Hall
Free School A school established by parents/teachers/community groups and funded directly from central government. These schools are not setup by the county council.
Academy Any school could be an academy including grammar schools, primary schools and non-selective schools. An Academy is no longer controlled by Kent County Council and receives its funding directly from central government. Some Academies set up under the previous government were to replace a failing school, under this government outstanding schools can get Academy status easily.
Grammar stream A grammar stream is typically a group of children within a school of grammar school ability who are grouped and taught together and who would follow a grammar school curriculum
Stream Streams are where children are allocated to an ability grouping for the majority of their core lessons—they would typically be in the same stream for all lessons
Sets Sets are where students are grouped by ability on a per-subject basis. Sets can also exist within a stream, providing an even greater level of ability grouping. A student may be in a higher set for a stronger subject and a lower set for a weaker subject