The consistent media attention on the attainment gap would have you believe that a child who starts or falls behind because of personal circumstances will never be able to catch up nor match the achievement of more advantaged peers. The truth is that this is simply not the case.
In my last column, we looked a some of the ways that culture and creativity can encourage cognitive development above and beyond any of the usual limiting parameters (see http://bit.ly/1oGO0Tr).
Another key factor is physical exercise, which has now been shown to enhance cognitive development and performance, and improve achievement levels across the spectrum. Raspberry et al (2011) found that regular physical activity seems to have a positive impact on academic performance through a variety of direct and indirect physiological, cognitive, emotional and learning mechanisms.
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