Primary school stats: children born in autumn perform the best

Summertime-born youngsters showed a substantially lower level of growth than people born in the Autumn. Photograph: Graham Turner for the Guardian

Children born in the winter months have been far far more most likely to have reached a “very good degree of development” than people born in summer, a Division for Education report seeking at youngsters in the 2012-13 school 12 months has identified.

The early years foundation stage profile assessment was introduced last yr as a way to measure how far youngsters at principal age attending state-funded schools had progressed.

Teachers assess to what extent children are faring in 17 different early studying targets (ELGs), such as everything from numeracy and literacy to how very good the kids are at creating relationships.

Their ultimate score signifies whether or not the child has or has not accomplished a great level of improvement (GLD).

Does becoming born later produce disadvantage?

The notion that autumn babies tend to complete much better is not specifically new. An Institute for Fiscal Research Report in 2011 showed that youngsters who had been born in August have been 20% significantly less likely to attend a Russell Group university than children born in September.

63% of pupils born in the autumn months – from September to December – had been judged to have accomplished a GLD compared to forty% of these born in the summertime – Could to August. That’s a larger gap than between girls and boys. Kids born in the months in-among attained in-line with the national typical.

Seeking at specific early finding out goals, 51% of summer season-born pupils attained at least the anticipated levels of writing and 58% in numeracy. That in contrast to 73% and 78% respectively for winter-born pupils.

Gender gaps across the (white)board

Ladies outperform boys in each and every single a single of the early understanding goals, as nicely as 60% of female pupils getting judged to have achieved a very good degree of development in contrast to 44% of boys.

Ladies outperformed boys by sixteen percentage factors in writing as well as the exploring and employing media and other components group. Boys only just lost out to ladies in technological innovation the place there was a a single percentage stage gap amongst the sexes.

Free of charge college meals signal decrease amounts of growth

Kids receiving totally free school meals did not fare particularly effectively with 36% judged to have achieved a great level of improvement in contrast to 55% for all other youngsters.

The gap was specifically bad in literacy and numeracy scores with a 20 percentage level gap in every group.

White British boys had been amid the worst performers on the ELGs with only 27% deemed to have achieved a excellent level of improvement, which is nine percentage factors worse than the typical.

What else the report revealed:

• 53% of youngsters of white or mixed backgrounds attained a GLD compared to 47% for students of an Asian background. The worst performing ethnic group had been Gypsy and Roma children, only sixteen% of whom were judged to have reached a GLD.

• forty% of young children with a first language other than English have been judged to have attained a GLD in contrast to 52% of kids who spoke English initial.

• There was a 42 percentage level gap amongst young children without unique educational wants and people with them when it came to obtaining a GLD.

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Primary school stats: children born in autumn perform the best