Thousands of primary pupils today face the Kent Test as they compete for places at the county's grammars, yet one school has decided not to put its children forward.

Executive principal of the Canterbury Primary School, Phil Karnavas, who is also head of the neighbouring Canterbury Academy, is openly critical of the Kent Test as a method for determining which type of secondary education children receive.

He says pupils at the primary school will not be put forward for the test.

“The real point is an increasing numbers of parents seem to increasingly dislike the whole Kent Test process, seeing it as unnecessarily stressful,” Mr Karnavas told the Kentish Gazette.

“We do not intend to promote the Kent Test to save parents the strain, the stress and the anxiety of it all.

“There will be no stress on young children, no damaging humiliation from failing or failure to take the test, no family anxiety and no family division" - Phil Karnavas

“There will be no need for parents to feel pressured into paying exorbitant amounts of money for private cramming to gain entry into some of the lesser grammar schools.

“There will be no stress on young children, no damaging humiliation from failing or failure to take the test, no family anxiety and no family division.

“Pupils can enjoy their learning and then continue it into the high school.

“Academically able kids will simply progress seamlessly into our grammar school band as they will have guaranteed admission to Canterbury Academy.

“I’m not against selective schooling, but I am against the way children are chosen for it."

The Canterbury Primary School, formerly known as Beauherne, will allow parents to choose whether their children sit the test and will host it for them.

There are currently 4,803 places available at academically selective schools, although this could increase if admissions authorities choose to increase their intakes.

But with 14,484 Year 6 children registered to sit the test, some children - and parents - are set for disappointment.

Many parents said they had been working wit their children over the summer to help them prepare for the test, while others argued it was held too soon after the summer holidays.

The Kent Test consists of four sections – English, mathematics, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning – and all are multiple choice.

There will also be a writing exercise, which will not be marked but may be used by a local head teacher panel where children are assessed as borderline.

Last year Kent County Council introduced a new form of the test which education chiefs hoped would limit the advantages of private coaching. It was also the first time children sat the tests in one day.

The 10 and 11-year-olds registered for this year’s exam and who already attend schools in the county will sit it on Thursday, September 10, while those applying from schools outside Kent will take the paper two days later.

However, the pass rate, known as the grammar score threshold, is not calculated until after the results have been collated and can vary each year.

Each child is given three standardised scores for English, maths and reasoning. Standardisation is a statistical process which compares a child’s performance with the average performance of other children in each test.

Each child’s age is also taken into account so that the youngest are not at a disadvantage.

A standardised score of 100 represents an average performance for a child of a given age, with the lowest standardised score normally around 70 and the highest around 140.

The threshold score for a Kent grammar school assessment takes into account the results children achieve. If scores are high, the pass mark is set higher, and vice versa.

Results will be sent out on October 14, and applications for all secondary school places must be received by KCC by October 31.

Dartford MP Gareth Johnson (Con) was a pupil at Dartford Grammar School and advocates an education system that reflects children’s diverse needs.

He said: “It’s important that we don’t have a one size fits all education system and grammar schools play an important part in ensuring we cater for the whole range of abilities, interests and skills children have.

“Grammar schools are hugely popular and are generally good schools. In Dartford we have excellent selective and non-selective schools and the grammar schools play an important role in providing this high standard across the board.

“It would be madness to turn our backs on part of our education system that has been a success for thousands of people across Kent over many years.”

More than 13,000 children took the Kent Test last year. A total of 4,176 grammar places were offered to children resident in Kent, with 455 offered to those in other local authority areas.