The relationship between educational outcomes and family socioeconomic position in Scotland: the role of low birthweight and child development

Abstract

There is a long-standing association between family socioeconomic position and educational outcomes. This study seeks to explore whether variation in low birthweight and child development by family background explain these differences. The relationship between socioeconomic position, birth outcomes and pre-school child development is complex and requires an interdisciplinary assessment. Using linked administrative data from Scotland, our findings suggest that birthweight and child development partially explain this variation but cannot entirely account for socioeconomic differences in educational outcomes.