Starting School: a large-scale start of school assessment within the ‘Born in Bradford’ longitudinal cohort

Katy Shire,Mark Mon-Williams,Sally Barber,Louise Tracey,John Wright,Alison Bruce,Brian Kelly,Liam J B Hill,Amanda H Waterman,John Corkett,Elizabeth Andrews,Rosemary Mceachan

doi:10.12688/wellcomeopenres.15610.1

Abstract

The Born in Bradford (BiB) cohort of 13,776 children born between 2007-2011 and their parents provides a rich data resource for researchers exploring protective and risk factors influencing long-term developmental and health outcomes. Educational attainment is a critical factor related to later health. Literacy and communication, fine motor skills and social and emotional health are key ‘early’ predictors of educational attainment and can be used to identify children in need of additional support. We describe our BiB ‘Starting School’ data collection protocol which assessed literacy and communication, fine motor skills and social and emotional health on 3,444 BiB children aged 4-5 years old. These measures supplement the existing dataset, and complement the routine educational, health and social care data available for the cohort.

Highlights

The Born in Bradford (BiB) longitudinal cohort study was established in 2007 in response to the high rates of childhood ill-health seen in the City of Bradford (Wright et al, 2013)
A full list of all available data provided at baseline recruitment, during pregnancy and at birth can be found on the BiB website
We provide a description of the data collection process and the measures used, a brief overview of the process for harmonising these data with the existing BiB database, and a descriptive summary of the data collected

Summary

Introduction

The Born in Bradford (BiB) longitudinal cohort study was established in 2007 in response to the high rates of childhood ill-health seen in the City of Bradford (Wright et al, 2013). BiB was set up with the aim of examining the genetic, environmental, behavioural and social factors that influence the health and development of children in the city. All mothers who gave birth at Bradford Royal Infirmary between 2007 and 2011 were invited to take part, which resulted in a cohort of 13,776 children and their families. Mothers recruited into the study provided a rich dataset through detailed questionnaire data, measurements and samples. A full list of all available data provided at baseline recruitment, during pregnancy and at birth can be found on the BiB website (https://borninbradford.nhs.uk/research/documents-data/)

Methods

Findings

Conclusion