Children taught well in reception earn up to £7.5k more in later life

CHILDREN who are taught well during their first year of primary school are likely to earn more than their peers in later life, a study has shown.

Pupils in the most effective reception classes can expect to earn between £2,000 and £7,500 more than their peers on average, research by Durham University and the Department for Education suggests.

The study estimates that the top 2.5 per cent reception classes of 27 pupils could add between £50,000 and £200,000 to the UK economy — the equivalent of around £4,400 per pupil.

Research by Durham University has previously shown that children who were taught well in reception go on to achieve better GCSE results in English and maths.

The new report suggests future earnings are influenced by teachers when children are as young as four.

The social and economic returns from investing in reception classes may also be “much larger” than the study’s estimates, especially for disadvantaged pupils, the paper says. A Department for Education spokesperson said: “Early literacy and numeracy can improve life chances.”