[Omah]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-21699054

Children born in the summer who are put in to ability streams when young can suffer educationally as a result, academics say.

By the age of seven, those born in September are three times as likely as those born in August to be in the top streams.

It is widely known that summer-born children do less well academically than those born earlier in the school year.

But researchers say streaming can be part of the problem.

A study by the Institute of Education at London University found that by the age of seven, just over 70% of the children born in September were in a top stream, compared with fewer than 30% of those born in August.

About 30% of August-born children were in the bottom stream, compared with about 10% of September-born youngsters.

The researchers also found that grouping younger children by ability even within a class could affect them.

Early setting

Study author Tammy Campbell said: "If teachers place younger pupils early in their school career in lower ability groupings, and older pupils in higher groupings, this hasty (and potentially premature) sorting may have a significant impact on subsequent differences in educational attainment."

The research was based on 5,000 children in England who are being followed as part of what is known as the Millennium cohort study.

It may well be widely known that summer-born children do less well academically but it's news to me ..... however, I was winter-born .....