There is no evidence that government investment in particular school structures or types – for example, academies, free schools or faith schools – has been effective in improving the performance of pupils from poor backgrounds, according to a review published today by the Institute of Education (IOE), University of London, and commissioned by the Joseph […]

Primary school pupils with special educational needs are twice as likely as other children to suffer from persistent bullying, according to new research published by the UCL Institute of Education (IOE). The study, the largest of its kind to be carried out in England, analysed information on more than 19,000 children and young people from […]

Living in a good neighbourhood, having lots of friends and getting on well with brothers and sisters are more important to children’s happiness than growing up in a two-parent home, according to findings from the Millennium Cohort Study. Researchers at NatCen Social Research analysed information on more than 10,000 seven-year-olds born across the UK in […]

Children with a disability are more likely to be born into disadvantaged families than their non-disabled peers, according to new findings from the Millennium Cohort Study (MCS).

More than half of children aged 11 say they are ‘completely happy’ with their lives, according to new findings from the Millennium Cohort Study (MCS). Researchers analysed information given by more than 13,000 cohort members, who were born across the UK in 2000-2001. In the most recent survey at age 11, the children were asked […]

Children with irregular bedtimes are more likely to have behaviour problems, according to new research using data from the Millennium Cohort Study. Researchers at University College London compared the bedtimes of more than 10,000 children at ages three, five and seven to behaviour reports from their mothers and teachers. They found that children who went to […]

Seven-year-olds in England are better at reading than their counterparts in Wales, according to new research using data from the Millennium Cohort Study. Researchers from Cardiff University looked at the literacy development of children at ages three, five and seven in Wales, England and Scotland. The study found that English children make faster progress in […]

Children are less likely to be diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in the UK than in the US, according to research using data from the Millennium Cohort Study (MCS). Researchers at the University of Exeter found that 1.5 per cent of children in the UK were diagnosed with ADHD between ages 6 and […]

Half of all seven-year-olds in the UK are inactive for six to seven hours every day, according to new research using data from the Millennium Cohort Study (MCS). Findings also show that only half of children are reaching the recommended daily minimum for moderate to vigorous physical activity. Girls, children of Indian ethnic origin, and those […]

Evidence from the 1958, 1970 and millennium cohort studies has been cited extensively by the Welsh Government in its first Early Years and Childcare Plan. Huw Lewis, Minister for Education and Skills, and Jeff Cuthbert, Minister for Communities and Tackling Poverty, launched the plan yesterday at a primary school near Cardiff. The 10-year plan outlines […]

Going to bed at different times every night curbs children’s brain power and may affect health in adult life, suggests new research using Millennium Cohort Study data. Researchers at University College London (UCL) looked at whether bedtimes in early childhood were related to brain power in more than 11,000 seven-year-olds. They compared the children’s bedtimes […]

Children’s literacy, maths ability and behaviour are not on average harmed if their mothers go out to work during the first years of their lives, a leading researcher said today. Data from earlier UK studies had indicated a small disadvantage in literacy among children born before the mid-1990s whose mothers had worked in their early […]

Parents’ qualifications, social class and wellbeing have a bigger effect on their children’s development than poor parenting, according to researchers from the Institute of Education, University of London. A new study based on data from almost 14,000 seven-year-olds included in the Millennium Cohort Study has explored the link between children’s cognitive ability and their social and […]

August-born pupils achieve worse exam results, on average, than children born in September, simply because they are 11 months younger when they sit national achievement tests, a new study finds. Researchers at the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) analysed data from the Millennium Cohort Study, the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, the Labour […]

Light drinking during pregnancy does not affect a child’s behavioural or mental development, according to new research using data from the Millennium Cohort Study. Researchers from University College London looked at the social and emotional behaviour of 10,534 seven-year-olds, as well as their reading, maths and spatial skills. They found that children born to mothers […]

Children are at increased risk of behaviour problems if they spend three or more hours a day watching television, an analysis of the Millennium Cohort Study reveals. Researchers from the University of Glasgow found that children who watched at least three hours of television a day at age 5 were slightly more likely (0.13 per […]

Researchers from the University of York analysed data from almost 19,000 mothers and babies from across the UK to see which women are at a greater risk of operative birth, such as a caesarean section or instrument-assisted vaginal birth. The researchers found that age was a key factor in determining the mode of birth for […]

Ability grouping may be intensifying the disadvantages experienced by summer-born children, new research suggests. It is generally assumed that primary school pupils are assigned to ability groups predominantly on the basis of their aptitude and potential. However, a study from the Institute of Education, University of London, shows that the youngest children in a school […]

The Millennium Cohort Study (MCS) will be conducting an age 14 survey after receiving funding of £3.5 million from the Economic and Social Research Council. Scheduled for 2015, the survey acts as the next phase of the birth cohort study. The MCS follows the lives of 19,000 children born in the UK in 2000-01. Five […]

Tackling child poverty and promoting positive parenting environments are both important for ensuring children achieve their potential, according to a Department for Education report. Researchers at the Institute of Education, University of London, analysed data from the Millennium Cohort Study (MCS) and the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). They identified a range […]