Season of Birth and School Attendance

Abstract

Previous research has shown that summer compared to autumn or spring born children have been found to do less well educationally, to be more likely to have their abilities underestimated and to be considered to have behaviour problems, but not to differ in terms of school attendance. That last result is refuted by the results of this study which is based on more than 5000 pupils in their last year of primary education and which reveals that: (a) after controlling for gender and size of family, the summer born have the poorest and the autumn born the highest attendance rates; and (b) in the case of pupils with attendance rates of 80 per cent or less, more of them are summer born and fewer, autumn born.

Reception class structure and the performance of summer-born children in key stage 1 assessments: A small scale study in a London borough

“…Poorer attendance rates correlates with lower attainment in school (Carroll, 1992) which is consistent with Mortimore's findings that summerborn children have poorer school performance and more behaviour problems than autumn-born children (Mortimore, 1988).…”

“…Summer-born children were found to have more negative attitudes to school (Mortimore, 1988) and poorer attendance rates (Carroll, 1992). Poorer attendance rates correlates with lower attainment in school (Carroll, 1992) which is consistent with Mortimore's findings that summerborn children have poorer school performance and more behaviour problems than autumn-born children (Mortimore, 1988).…”

The Effects of Season of Birth, Sex and Cognitive Abilities on the Assessment of Special Educational Needs

“…Carroll (1986) had demonstrated that children with poor attendance records, compared to children of the same age who were better attenders, were signi® cantly more likely to come from homes in which the class teacher considered that absence had been parentally condoned. Carroll (1992) concludes that if teachers perceive a disproportionate number of the summerborn less favourably, then this could lead to these younger children being treated by some in such a way that a signi® cant number ® nd school less enjoyable and react by missing school with parental consent. Sharp et al (1994, p. 110) note reservations about the appropriateness of the curriculum for the youngest entrants to primary school reception classes: ª A common concern is expressed in both the UK and USA, that early childhood programmes are too formal, with too few opportunities for children to learn through play, and that the tasks set may not be suf® ciently differentiated to take account of age-related development.º This comment is made all the more poignant in the light of the current British government' s policy of`forcing' academic achievement in the early years of primary school.…”

“…The summer-born are over-represented in lower sets or bands (Giles, 1993;Jackson, 1964;Jinks, 1964;Pidgeon, 1965;Thompson, 1971) and in groups with special educational needs (Pumfrey, 1975;Peagam, 1992). Carroll (1992) noted the relatively poorer school attendance of these younger children and Sharp et al (1994) found that they had scored signi® cantly lower than Furthermore, the effects of season of birth appear to persist to the end of secondary education and beyond. Analysis of General Certi® cate of Secondary Education (GCSE) examination results shows the summer-born attaining, on average, approximately 2± 3% fewer marks than their autumn-born contemporaries (Hedger, 1992;Massey et al, 1996;Sharp, 1995).…”

Communication skills, educational achievement and biographic characteristics of children with moderate learning difficulties

“…A~; Williams et al (1970) suggest, these children require a different system of education not simply more education. Carroll (1992) demonstrates that summer-born children also have the poorest attendance rates, which may contribute to, or be an effect of, difficulties at school. She also claims that children who are young in their class are disproportionately perceived by their teachers and peers as the least mature academically and socially.…”