November-born children were the fittest overall as they had the most stamina and power and were the second strongest. Those born in October were almost as fit, scoring highest for strength and coming third for power, with December children close behind. The gap in physical prowess between children in the same class but born in different months was sometimes very wide. “For example, we found that a boy born in November can run at least 10% faster, jump 12% higher and is 15% more powerful than a child of the same age born in April. This is, potentially, a huge physical advantage,” said Sandercock. Such gaps could ultimately decide who became a top-level athlete because, as the paper says, “selection into elite sports may often depend on very small margins or differences in an individual’s physical performance”. The study, which has been published in the International Journal of Sports Medicine, found that, when scores for the three kinds of fitness were combined, those born in April were the least fit, then those in June. That could see those children excluded from school teams and becoming sporting underachievers, Sandercock said. The findings seem to show that children born in the early months of the school year enjoy a double “autumn advantage” – they are already known to have an academic advantage and, now, they also appear to be better equipped for