August's child 'doomed to exam failure' against classmates almost a year older

They are 10 per cent less likely than September-born pupils to get good GCSEs and 20 per cent less likely to go to university.

To redress the balance, August-born children could spend a year longer at school under proposals put forward by the study's authors.

Ministers are expected to back their idea to overhaul tests so pupils sit exams when they are ready rather than at fixed points through school.

The shake-up would involve ending the arbitrary system which expects pupils to reach academic levels by the end of a "key stage" at school.

They would instead be expected to achieve those levels by a certain age, for example the crucial "level four" by eleven-and-a-half rather than by the time they leave primary school.

The overhaul could result in pupils born in July or August taking primary school tests in their first year at secondary school to avoid the unfairness of competing with children almost a year older.

They might also take GCSEs and A-levels up to a year later, postponing entry to jobs or university.

Researchers from the Institute for Fiscal Studies said children should still move through school with their usual age group, but teachers should allow them flexibility to take tests later than autumn-born classmates.

It could result in those who struggle to overcome the setback of being born in summer spending up to a year longer at school.

Study co-author Lorraine Dearden, who looked at exam results for more than three million state school pupils, said: "More opportunities to sit GCSEs is probably one of the most important policy outcomes.

"There may be a delay in when you start university but a lot of children have gap years and that's a small cost."

She said the institute was not recommending children should start school a year later as they do in the U.S. and many other countries.

There was "compelling" evidence this made the problem worse, she said.

Colleague Claire Crawford said children face a penalty "simply because they are unlucky enough to have been born late in the school year".

Ministers called the report "very interesting" and said they are considering its proposals for inclusion in a flagship Children's Plan due later in the year.

The research found that primary school pupils are 20 per cent less likely to gain a level four if they were born towards the end of the academic year.

The impact of a pupil's month of birth can still be seen in GCSE results. While 60.7 per cent of September-born girls achieve at least five A* to C grades at GCSE, only 55.2 per cent of girls born in August reach this standard.

Among boys born in September, 50.3 per cent achieve five C grades or better at GCSE, compared with 44.2 per cent born at the end of the school year.

There was also evidence that teachers mistake summer-borns' poor performance for special educational needs.

Higher Education Funding Council research has shown 10,000 pupils a year fail to go to university because they were born late in the school year.

August-born celebrities have done just fine despite the month they were born...

• Former US president Bill Clinton born August 19, 1946

• Superstar Madonna born August 16, 1958

• Spice Girl Geri Halliwell born August 6 1972

• Oscar-winning actress and Bond girl Halle Berry born August 14 1968

• Legendary influential designer Yves Saint Laurent born August 1 1936

• Sex and the City diva Kim Cattrall born August 21, 1956

• Actor Sean Connery born August 25, 1930

• Entrepreneur Richard Attenborough born August 29, 1923

• Actress Cameron Diaz born August 30, 1972