August-born children are less likely to attend a leading university and more likely to study practical courses than their September-born peers, research suggests.
August-born children are less likely to attend a leading university and more likely to study practical courses than their September-born peers, research suggests.
A study by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) reveals "gaps" between children born at the start of the academic year and those born at the end.
Drawing on data from existing studies, researchers examined pupils' educational achievement and wellbeing as well as parents' and teachers' perception of their abilities.
The findings show that children born in August are just over seven percentage points more likely to be studying for vocational qualifications than academic ones, such as A-levels, than those born in September.
August-born youngsters are also just over two percentage points less likely to go to university at age 19.
The study raises concerns that those born in summer may be making, or being forced to make, choices that mean they will earn less than their peers later in life.
It says: "They are also slightly less likely to attend a Russell Group institution - a group of high-status, research-intensive universities, whose degrees tend to earn graduates higher average wages than degrees from other institutions - again suggesting that month of birth might have consequences that last beyond formal education and into adulthood."
Pupils born in September also performed slightly better in school tests, the report suggested, although the gaps close as youngsters grow up.
Teachers are also more likely to consider summer-born children to be below average in their school work, it says.
Data from one survey looking at seven-year-olds shows that teachers are two-and-a-half times more likely to rate August-borns as below average in maths, the report notes.
