by Sue Bluze

Created on: January 23, 2010   Last Updated: January 25, 2010

I have to say that I don't believe there is a relationship between large families and low academic achievement. I am the eldest of six children and we have all achieved academically. I have a BA Hons degree in Education, my eldest brother completed a sports physio qualification and is a cricket coach, my second brother has two degrees a BSc and a MA in Business studies - both of which he completed with the Open University whilst working full time, my third and fourth brother's both have completed a 4 year apprenticeship in Engineering and my sister attained a BA Hons in Special Needs Education.

It should be noted that neither of our parents attended university but they both impressed on us all the need for education and qualifications and I believe this point to be the crux of the matter. I don't believe that family size influences academic achievement but I do believe your parents attitude to further education and achieving qualifications does. We were all in our turn encouraged to stay on at school and get the best possible start in life. Our parents were far from rich, they are average working class heroes so money was tight and it wasn't easy for them to support us all but this is what they willingly did.

From an early age we always got a book as part of our Christmas and birthday present. We would then have reading sessions usually with Mum; Dad was a long distance lorry driver and often away from home but he would also sit with us and listen to us read when he was at home. Each child in the family would read to the rest of us at least once and usually twice a week. We also had trips to the library every fortnight to choose our four reading books. As we got older the older children would also help the younger ones to learn to read.

Homework was done on the kitchen table every evening straight after dinner. The school we attended insisted on us filling in a homework diary that our parents had to sign every week to say that we had done the homework we had been set and that they had seen it.

It do believe it is this family ethos of supporting the school education that actually leads to high academic achievement. I can think of many children from families that only had one or two children where they have ended up in dead end jobs. Additionally I know there was a real competitiveness within the family for us all to do the best we could and if that meant we would beat our siblings results all the better. Something that has transferred to the next generation, I have eight nieces and nephews and so far three of them have university degrees and the others are still at school and working towards them.

I really do believe it is the family's attitude to education rather than its size that is the biggest influence on academic achievement.

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