SWIMMING PERFORMANCE IN A COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

This research note reports an investigation into the relationship between date of birth and early performance at school and especially into whether there were more ‘poor achievers’ born during the summer months than in other months. A sample of ‘poor achievers’ was compared with a number of ‘average’ pupils, all selected on the basis of teacher reports. Contrary to previous research evidence, there was not a significantly greater number of poor‐achieving children born between May and August. The influence of one starting date for school entrance is discussed and implications for other school systems are raised.