Nearly half of the pupils sitting the Kent Test have qualified to be considered for a grammar school.

Of the 11,451 pupils who sat the test, 5,370 were successful - or 45% of the total.

Families were due to hear today or tomorrow whether their children had passed - and could be heading for a grammar school.

Of those who applied, 1,298 were from outside the county - about the same as last year.

Now those starting secondary school in September next year have a couple of weeks left to submit their application - with the closing date on October 31.

Year 6 children, who sat the test last month, will learn today if their families registered online.

Letters will also be sent to all families this afternoon, to arrive on doormats from tomorrow.

The next step is then for those families to name up to four preferred schools - with the announcement of which school is being offered to your child made next March.

But Kent County Council stresses not all those who passed the test will be guaranteed a grammar school place.

KCC Cabinet Member for education, learning and skills, Mike Whiting, said: “The decisions that families will be making over the next couple of weeks are really important.

"This can be an exciting and challenging time for children and families.

"I would encourage any families who haven’t yet decided which school to apply for, to talk to the primary headteachers about which schools would be best suited to meeting their child's future educational needs and then visit the secondary schools they are most interested in before applying."

Factfile:

• Details of the Secondary Schools in Kent can be viewed in the 'Admission to Secondary School in Kent 2013' booklet available on the www.kent.gov.uk website.
• Parents can look at the county council’s policy on home-to-school transport before applying for a school to find out if any help is available for their child. See www.kent.gov.uk/schooltransport for more information.
• The easiest way to apply is online. Last year the vast majority of families used the www.kent.gov.uk/ola website to do just that.

Test results for pupils in Medway, aptly named the Medway Test, are sent out separately.