Out of school activities during primary school and KS2 attainment

This research paper found that children taking part in organised sports and physical activities at the ages of 5, 7 and 11 are almost one and a half times more likely to reach a higher than expected level in their Key Stage Two (KS2) maths test at age 11.

Based on an analysis of information of more than 6,400 English children born in 2000-01, who are being followed by the Millennium Cohort Study, the researchers found that among disadvantaged children, those who attended after school clubs also fared better than their peers who did not take part in such groups.

These pupils achieved, on average, a 2-point higher total score in their KS2 assessments in English, maths and science at the end of primary school, the equivalent to two-fifths of the ‘attainment gap’ between poorer children and those from more affluent homes.