Test predicting whether kids will become criminals identifies those who need extra learning support before they start school, says Sir Peter Lampl
This means we will be in a better position to stop them falling even further behind later on.
IT emerged this week that a simple test on three- year-old children can predict whether they will grow up to be a drain on society.
Long-term research by King’s College London saw them perform the 45-minute brain test on more than 1,000 pre-school children, and follow them up to the age of 38.
They found that the toddlers who scored the lowest were more likely to become criminals, live off state handouts and even suffer serious illness.
It even turns out that those with poorer scores are more likely to become smokers, overweight and make injury insurance claims.
Of course, the sad truth is that too many of those kids who are behind at age three are from poor families.
Our own research has found there is already a big gap in how prepared rich and poor kids are for school. The richest are 19 months more advanced than the poorest.
This gap only gets bigger throughout primary and secondary school.
In 2015, disadvantaged teens were half as likely to get five good GCSEs as their better- off classmates.
If you come from a poorer home, you are less likely to get good grades, go to university and get a well-paying job.
It is all too predictable, then, that this group are more likely to claim benefits and become a burden to the state.
We’ve known for a while how crucial it is to close the gap between rich and poor kids as early as possible.
But it’s not too late to do something about it and close this gap for the next generation. This new test offers some hope.
If we are able to identify those who might need extra support before they have even started school, we will be in a better position to stop them falling even further behind later on.
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While some people may moan it’s not fair to give toddlers tests or make assumptions about their adult lives on the basis of an assessment at age three, this isn’t the same as an exam.
The kids won’t even know they are being tested and the prize on offer is too great for us to ignore.
But what is critical is that once we have identified the toddlers who are falling behind, we must ensure we have a system in place to support them.
This requires serious efforts from government, nurseries and parents alike.
Money may be tight at the moment but the Government has to invest in excellent nursery education for all kids, especially those from poorer homes.
Working mums need childcare that they can afford, and the Government is right to provide it.
But it can’t be at the expense of good early education for poor kids. They need the best education at this age if they are to succeed.
This means making sure that nursery staff are well-trained and have the skills and confidence to help the toddlers develop their early maths and English skills.
But this will only go so far — parents have a part to play, too.
Good parenting and a supportive home environment are bigger factors on a child’s test scores than family income.
Another recent study, this from UCL and the University of Essex, showed that children who spend just half an hour a day with their mums tend to be smarter, more sociable and may even go on to do better at university.
Mothers who read with their children and help them to do their homework between the age of three and seven tend to have kids with more advanced cognitive abilities and the impact lasts into adulthood.
Those who spend time doing recreational activities have children with better social skills.
But too many families today don’t have high ambitions for their children.
This is particularly true if the parents didn’t do well at school themselves — and the kids lose out as a result.
Our research shows that high aspirations are the best predictor of success.
Parents must instil a will to learn in their children.
They need to know that education is their ticket to a secure and well-paying career, whether this comes through a university degree or a top apprenticeship.
Parents should have better access to proven programmes which engage and empower them to support their child’s learning at home, too.
What this new research tells us is how important it is for us to get education right early on. We’ve got to believe in our kids and give them the tools to succeed.
If we get this right, we all benefit. A better-educated and well-skilled population earns more and pays more taxes. They are less likely to be a burden on the state.
Efforts to improve social mobility have to start in the early years.
- Sir Peter is founder and chairman of the Sutton Trust and chairman of the Education Endowment Foundation
HOW WILL THEY GET RESULTS?
1. Physical assessment to check muscle control and reflexes
2. Intelligence measured through vocabulary skills with children describing a card with pictures on it
3. Toys and puppets often used to help judge child’s knowledge of types of words – verbs, nouns, etc, and their ability to follow directions
4. Motor skills analysed, for example child could be asked to stack coloured blocks in a particular order
5. Throughout testing, examiner looks at child’s level of frustration and restlessness