Children from the poorest homes are almost a year behind middle class pupils in language skills by the time they start school

A study looked at the results of a series of vocabulary tests carried out by 12,500 British children at the age of five. It found those from the poorest homes were nearly a year behind in their results. It also looked at the factors common to poorer children that might influence their development. It found that just under half of those from the poorest fifth of families were born to younger mothers under 25 and just under two-thirds did not live with both biological parents.