Schools are having virtually no impact on the progress of 11 to 14-year-olds in maths according to a study by University of Manchester researchers.
Professor Julian Williams from the School of Education led the investigation which found that year on year improvements in mathematics were almost nonexistent for higher and lower achievers.
Specially devised, independent tests revealed that the performance of 12,591 English 5 to 14-year-olds remained almost static in secondary schools - what Professor Williams calls 'the plateau effect'.
Primary school test scores did rise every year in the 120 schools studied by the team, though the increases slow down gradually with age.
The team also identified that children born in the summer who start their education as the youngest in the class are lower achievers than children born in the summer who start as the oldest in the class.
However, the extra year's advantage is reversed by the time children get to 11.
Professor Williams said: "Our data confirms that children across a range of abilities make practically no progress in maths between the ages of about 11- and 14-years at school.
"This pattern between 11 and 14-years is not significantly different for the higher or lower achieving child.
"At this rate of progress it would take ten years of extra teaching for a lower achieving classmate to catch up with his or her higher achieving peer, and five years for the lower achiever to score as well as the average in the class.
"We did record short term improvements in test scores around the period of national testing at key stage 1 and 2 (years 2 and 6).
"However, these increases were short term and the overall trend continued shortly afterwards in years 3 and 7, suggesting lack of lasting gain in children's understanding.
"The implications seem to us so serious that, rather than look for alternative explanations for our data, policy makers should as a matter of urgency seek to survey performance by large scale representative samples."
He added: "The figures also suggest that 'early years' children in the next year up are doing much better than a child of the same age in the younger class, having perhaps experienced as much as a whole year's extra schooling.
"A natural interpretation here is that the year two children have had up to a year longer in school and this extra teaching and curriculum exposure is reflected in enhanced performance.
"However, this advantage would seem to have disappeared by the end of primary school, and goes into reverse in secondary school.
"It seems that the extra year of schooling as a 'small fish in a big pond' is disadvantaging the younger learners born in August. Starting school in September seems to disadvantage these children."
Source: University of Manchester
Related stories:
ADHD diagnosis? Try medication, support groups, mom says
When Gina Dunn's two sons were diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder earlier this year, she kept it private for fear they would be labeled as lacking intelligence.
Survey shows significant education discrepancies among second generation immigrants in the Netherlands
No less than one quarter of second-generation immigrants in the Netherlands drops out of school. This is the most alarming result of a recent survey conducted among the second generation of Turkish and Moroccan descent in the two largest Dutch cities – Amsterdam and Rotterdam. However, this is only one side to the story as the survey report also shows that other second generation immigrants are doing extremely well, with a third continuing to higher education. How can these immense discrepancies in educational performance among second generation immigrants be explained?
Minority children waiting for heart transplants have higher death rates
Minority children awaiting a donor heart for transplant have a higher death rate than white children, even after controlling for clinical risk factors, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2008.
Rare genetic disorder is a double challenge for Grain Valley family
One day ... one moment ... one step at a time. Ever since she got the news, sitting dumbfounded in that little office, every cliche about how to live life when it crumbles beneath your feet, when every dream you have for your children turns to vapor, has coursed through Jennifer Stults' mind.
Gene screen to identify causes of autism
A new screening method can be used to detect the chromosomal abnormalities most commonly associated with autism spectrum disorders. By screening for genetic defects associated with various kinds of cognitive impairment, the approach described in the open access journal
BMC Medical Genomics will help clinicians identify the underlying causes of some patients' autism spectrum disorders (ASDs).
Kids with obese friends and family more likely to misperceive weight
Kids and teens surrounded by overweight peers or parents are more likely to be oblivious to their own extra pounds than kids from thin entourages, according to a new study by researchers from the Université de Montréal, McGill University, Concordia University and the Ste. Justine Hospital Research Centre.
South L.A. sees big shifts but continues to struggle, report shows
A new report on South Los Angeles by the UCLA School of Public Affairs indicates that the area, once mostly African American, now has a Latino majority and continues to experience fewer employment opportunities, higher poverty and more violent crime than the rest of Los Angeles County.
With over-weight kids the norm, parents are asking how much a toddler should eat
Where does the American tendency to become overweight begin? With 20 percent of Montana high school students being overweight and 10 percent of those qualifying as obese, the question is as relevant in Montana as elsewhere.