New from Department for Education

The Department for Education has released a raft of new research reports; among them are three which readers may find particularly interesting:

• Month of Birth and Education looks at the issue of how summer-born children can be disadvantaged, thanks to the nature of the school year. Among its conclusions are the suggestions that such children are more likely to have special educational needs and be unhappy at school. Similar research in this area was referred to in this previous post.

• The Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey 2009 is the latest in a series of annual publications which examine children's services in the UK. As a snapshot of the current state of the early years sector, it's well worth a look.

• A new study on extended schools has found that many schools are finding it difficult to fund a programme of extended services, although such activities are popular with both parents and pupils.