The return of national assessments in Key Stage 1, including Year 1 phonics, has again shone a light on the attainment of summer-born pupils relative to their autumn-born peers (LINK).
For example, 57% of August born pupils achieved the expected standard in reading at the end of Key Stage 1 in 2022 compared to 76% of September born pupils.
These differences look especially stark when looking at threshold measures, such as meeting the Year 1 phonics standard or a good level of development in the Early Years Foundation Stage [1].
However, if you look at the full range of outcomes achieved, you see that although age is correlated with attainment, it is not always that strongly correlated. We looked at this in an analysis of 2019 Key Stage 1 test results.
