Posted on 11/01/2011 3:58:51 AM PDT by Cardhu
Children born in the summer in England are at an academic disadvantage throughout school, says a report from the IFS.
The study says that among seven-year-olds, August-born children are more than three times as likely to be "below average" as September-born children.
August children are also 20% less likely to attend a top university.
The IFS says the economic consequences facing summer babies will last "throughout their working lives".
The report from the independent financial researchers shows the sharp difference in outcomes between the youngest children in a year group - those born in August - and the oldest, born in September.
Less confidence
Researchers say that August-born seven-year-olds are between 2.5 and 3.5 times "more likely to be regarded as below average by their teachers in reading, writing and maths".
They are also 2.5 times more likely to be unhappy at school at the age of seven and at an increased risk of being bullied.
This reflects that these August children can be almost a year younger than their September-born classmates.
This achievement gap has not been closed by the time youngsters are ready to leave secondary schools - with August-born teenagers 20% more likely to be in vocational rather than academic study after school.
They are also 20% less likely to be at a leading Russell Group university compared with a September-born teenager.
These August children are likely to have lower confidence and less likely to feel they "control their own destiny".
This accident of birth can have far-reaching economic significance, says the IFS, as underachievement in qualifications at school will be likely to reduce employment opportunities in adulthood.
"This suggests that August-born children may end up doing worse than September-born children throughout their working lives, simply because of the month in which they were born,"
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.co.uk ...
IFS (Institute for Fiscal Studies)
Malcom Gladwell lays this all out in his book, Outliers - The story of Success.
Damn! I was born in December - what is my excuse? :)
Most kids are in some form of pre k well before turning 4. I saw a sign the other day pre k for 1 year olds.
Having been born in Late August, there is some truth to this.
Aside from the grades, I did just fine in that, I was smaller and got relentlessly bullied because of my smaller size and being a ginger. I will say it builds character though because the sharpest steel is forged in the hottest fires. I certainly learned to defend myself at a young age.
Nah. It’s because they’re Leos. Leos are obnoxious. ;^)
Oh come on, you’re not advocating astrology are you? Only a gullible Gemini would believe that nonsense! :)
This is kind of stupid. What is the problem here? The parents made a mistake and had sex too late? Seriously.
Don’t put your child into school until you feel he is ready. He could wait a year and be older and more ready. He could wait 2 years and be the most mature in the class. This is a silly subject.
Gullible?? Geminis are the least gullible sign in the world (after Scorpio) because they’re all compulsive liars, and liars never believe anyone else. I mean, that’s what I HEAR, anyway.
When I started school in PA, the cut off date was the end of February of the following year, and my school district didn’t offer kindergarten. So, a child could start first grade at 5. I did.
People weren’t yet holding their kids back for added advantage, but they should have.
My oldest daughter’s birthday is at the end of September, just making the cut off date for NJ, where we lived when she started school. We sent her because she could already read, but when we moved to California, she was the youngest one in every class. In California, some of the kids who had been held back by their parents, were two years older than she. It became a real problem in sixth grade when some of the kids started to mature and get involved in more teenage problems like smoking marijuana or drinking alcohol in the girls’ room.
As a September baby, nowadays I would be held back a full year because of the Sept 1st cutoff date in my state of PA. That would mean not graduating HS till almost age nineteen, which is too late IMO.
Well, when I went to school in PA, not only was the cut off date the last day in February, but the maximum class size was 23. I think that could have made it all possible.
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