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<p><p><p>The impact of date of birth on cognitive test scores is well documented across many countries, with the youngest children in each academic year performing more poorly, on average, than the older members of their cohort. However, relatively little is known about the driving forces behind these differences, at least in England; nor does there appear to have been a robust discussion regarding what, if anything, should be done in light of these disparities. We address both of these issues in this report.</p></p></p>
Authors


Research Fellow Yale University
Costas is a Research Fellow of the IFS and a Professor of Economics at Yale University and a Visiting Professor at University College London.

Research Fellow University College London
Claire is a Research Fellow at IFS, working on the determinants and consequences of participation in childcare and education for parents and children.
Report details
- DOI
- 10.1920/re.ifs.2024.0791
- Publisher
- IFS
Suggested citation
C, Crawford and L, Dearden and C, Meghir. (2007). When you are born matters: the impact of date of birth on child cognitive outcomes in England. London: IFS. Available at: https://ifs.org.uk/publications/when-you-are-born-matters-impact-date-birth-child-cognitive-outcomes-england (accessed: 13 July 2025).
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