By . Kerry Mcdermott . PUBLISHED: . 10:16 EST, 1 December 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 10:19 EST, 1 December 2012 . Education chiefs say the growing trend of parents hiring private tutors to coach their children through the 11-plus is giving an unfair advantage to middle-class pupils. Kent County Council wants to introduce a new 'tutor-proof' version of the exam designed to stop the children of more affluent parents dominating the intake at the county's top selective schools. The authority conducted a review amid concerns the exam was too 'coachable', meaning clever children from working-class families were being squeezed out. Advantage: The children of middle-class parents who can afford to pay for private tuition have an unfair advantage, education chiefs have said . Youngsters in Kent who pass the exam, . which they sit in their final year of primary school, have the option . of applying to attend one of the county's many selective, grammar . schools. Grammar schools - of which there are more than 30 in Kent - are among the best in . the country but do not charge fees. This is in contrast to independent schools, the . most prestigious of which charge annual fees of up to £30,000. The 11-plus is designed to test . pupils' innate ability, but research has shown 28 per cent of parents . across the country hire a home tutor for their child, according to a . report in The Times. In London and the South East the . figure rose to 35 per cent, with parents spending an average £3,800 per . child per year on private tuition. Concerns: Kent County Council wants to see a test that is less 'coachable' than the current 11-plus . Kent County Council's education spokesman Mike Whiting told the newspaper local headteachers had expressed concerns about the 11-plus, which is administered by the authority. 'I would like to see a test that is less coachable than the current one,' he said. 'It doesn't seem right that those who can afford to have their children coached can gain an advantage in a test over those less well off.' Mr Whiting said the council was preparing to consult further with head teachers, with a view to introducing a new scheme by 2014. But critics said the notion of a 'tutor-proof' test was almost impossible, and questioned the likelihood of developing an exam for which there could be no coaching.
Education chiefs in Kent fear use of home tutors gives an unfair advantage to middle-classes .
Council said use of private tutoring ahead of the 11-plus is now so widespread it is distorting results .
By . Kerry Mcdermott . PUBLISHED: . 10:16 EST, 1 December 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 10:19 EST, 1 December 2012 . Education chiefs say the growing trend of parents hiring private tutors to coach their children through the 11-plus is giving an unfair advantage to middle-class pupils. Kent County Council wants to introduce a new 'tutor-proof' version of the exam designed to stop the children of more affluent parents dominating the intake at the county's top selective schools. The authority conducted a review amid concerns the exam was too 'coachable', meaning clever children from working-class families were being squeezed out. Advantage: The children of middle-class parents who can afford to pay for private tuition have an unfair advantage, education chiefs have said . Youngsters in Kent who pass the exam, . which they sit in their final year of primary school, have the option . of applying to attend one of the county's many selective, grammar . schools. Grammar schools - of which there are more than 30 in Kent - are among the best in . the country but do not charge fees. This is in contrast to independent schools, the . most prestigious of which charge annual fees of up to £30,000. The 11-plus is designed to test . pupils' innate ability, but research has shown 28 per cent of parents . across the country hire a home tutor for their child, according to a . report in The Times. In London and the South East the . figure rose to 35 per cent, with parents spending an average £3,800 per . child per year on private tuition. Concerns: Kent County Council wants to see a test that is less 'coachable' than the current 11-plus . Kent County Council's education spokesman Mike Whiting told the newspaper local headteachers had expressed concerns about the 11-plus, which is administered by the authority. 'I would like to see a test that is less coachable than the current one,' he said. 'It doesn't seem right that those who can afford to have their children coached can gain an advantage in a test over those less well off.' Mr Whiting said the council was preparing to consult further with head teachers, with a view to introducing a new scheme by 2014. But critics said the notion of a 'tutor-proof' test was almost impossible, and questioned the likelihood of developing an exam for which there could be no coaching.
December 2012 . Education chiefs say the growing trend of parents hiring private tutors to coach their children through the 11-plus is giving an unfair advantage to middle-class pupils. Kent