There’s confusion surrounding the amount of time school children had to complete the Medway Test.

Pupils who sat the exam yesterday (September 17) were expecting to have 50 minutes to complete their English test.

But children were only given 30 minutes to complete the exam.

This led to many of them leaving their test centres without finishing it because they ran out of time.

Medway Council has confirmed the amount given should have been 30 minutes and said it will give clearer guidance in the future.

But, parents are angry with some forking out significant amounts of money on extra tuition to help their children get to grammar school.

This could affect her chance of getting to a grammar school

One dad, who did not wish to be named, paid for a year’s extra tuition for his daughter at the Right Tuition Centre in Rochester.

He told KentOnline: “My daughter came home flummoxed and upset. She thinks she only completed about two-thirds of around 58 questions.

“Extra tuition does not come cheap. People will have paid a lot of money to get to this point.

“This could affect her chance of getting to a grammar school.”

He added that he had contacted the council to complain and was told by an operator they had been “inundated” with calls.

There isn’t a set pass mark for the Medway Test. The grade will move to reflect the average score and only 25% of the cohort will pass.

Cllr Tracy Coombs, Medway Council’s Portfolio Holder for Education, said: “The last thing we would want to do is cause additional stress and pressure for young people taking the Medway Test.

“This is the first year the English exam has been included within the Medway Test, alongside the Mathematics and Reasoning elements. The questions for each of the tests, and the amount of time required to answer them, is set by our provider GL Assessment. The English test is 30 minutes this year.

“However, we appreciate that the guidance around the timing of the English exam could be clearer. To ensure this is the case moving forward, when we write to parents and carers to confirm the arrangements for their child’s test, we will also include advice on how long each test will last.”

Last year 3,906 children took the test, which is designed to select students to attend grammar school, including 2,034 pupils from the Towns.

The minimum score required for children to be suitable to get into a Medway grammar school increased last year to 492.

A total of 847 Medway pupils were assessed as eligible for a grammar school place last year.

Up to an additional 2% of the Medway cohort may also be deemed eligible for Medway grammar schools following the review process. .

Medway Test results will be sent on Wednesday, October 16.