The government has been accused of making heavy weather over the bid to open a "new" grammar school annexe in Kent amid fears the county council could be £4m out of pocket if it is turned down.

Cllr Paul Carter, the Conservative leader of KCC, says the delay in deciding whether to agree the plan will deprive children of a place at a grammar even though they have passed the 11-plus.

It comes on the day more children than ever before applied to join a Kent secondary - with 81% of the 18,193 applicants getting a place at their first choice school for September.

The Department for Education is weighing up a proposal by The Weald of Kent Girls Grammar School to open and run the annexe in Sevenoaks.

It is being seen as an important decision politically as there are growing number of MPs urging the Conservative party to commit to allowing new grammars.

The scheme is designed to help ease the pressure for places in west Kent and provide a local school for pupils who currently face long journeys to other grammars. However, it would only provide places for girls.

Mr Carter said there was a grave danger that children who had passed the 11-plus would not get a place if the DfE rejected the latest version of the application.

Under KCC’s plans, the girls annexe will share a site with the Trinity Free School.

Mr Carter said: “Time is of the essence. Both these schools are supposed to be open in 2016 and we are in grave danger of falling behind on both sites.

"We are making pretty heavy weather of this. It won’t open the floodgates to more grammar schools opening because the regulations are so tight.”

He added that were the decision to be delayed until after the election, bright children would lose out.

“I think it is wrong that we should be in a position where we are going to have to refuse places to bright young children in Sevenoaks who pass the 11-plus from going to a grammar school, which is the normal across our county of which we’re very proud.”

The Department for Education said in a statement: "We have received Weald of Kent’s proposal and are giving this careful consideration.

"While we are committed to allowing good schools - including grammar schools - to expand, they can only do so within the law. We are therefore considering the proposal accordingly.”

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