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The latest report from the Millennium Cohort Study (see previous post for details) has just been released, with a focus on cognitive development from birth to five. A huge range of factors which can impact upon children's development have been examined, with social class and being read to by parents emerging as key issues in determining a child's progress. You can read a summary of the main findings, while this article covers some of the other issues highlighted by the research. The full text of the report is being published as a book entitled Children of the 21st Century: the First Five Years, which will shortly be available in the library.

Earlier this week a similar study was released by the Sutton Trust, which claimed that children in the poorest fifth of families are already nearly a year behind those children from middle income families in vocabulary tests by the time they are five. Their report, entitled Low Income and Early Cognitive Development in the UK is available online (click here), as is a summary version.