School grades hit by lack of routine

Research for the Prince's Trust suggests young people with poor exam grades are twice as likely to claim their days lacked structure as they grew up. In an online survey, 2,136 respondents aged between 16 and 25 were asked how happy and confident they are in different areas of their life. The responses were converted to a numerical scale, resulting in a number out of 100 – with 100 representing entirely happy or confident and zero being not at all happy or confident. Young people’s happiness has fallen to its lowest number of 70 in 2010 and their confidence has also fallen - from an overall score of 74 in 2008 to 71 in 2010.

Some 14% of all young people said they had grown up without set mealtimes, compared with 30% of young people with poor exam grades. The research also suggests that 27% of youngsters did not grow up with a set bedtime. This rose to 39% for those who left school with fewer than five good GCSEs.

The data comes from the charity's latest annual Youth Index, which looks at how young people feel about their lives across a range of areas from family life to physical health. It also suggested those who felt they "lacked structure and direction" while growing up also appeared to be less content and confident than their peers. One in three of those with lower qualifications (33%) said they "always" or "often" felt rejected, compared with about one in five young people (22%) overall.

Princes Trust chief executive Martina Milburn said: "The absence of structure and routine in a young life can have a devastating impact. "Without the right support, directionless teenagers can become lost young adults - unconfident, underqualified and unemployed."

Comments from readers of this article

I am a primary school teacher in an Inner City area. A large proportion of children have no breakfast before school, some even arrive not having had a drink. The same group of children look exhausted and quite often go to bed far later than I do. Unsurprisingly, these children don’t do so well. Yet the govt still expects these children to do as well as those in wealthier, more structured households!

What surprises me, is that this information should even be considered as a surprise to anyone. Of course children who have a well structured routine will do better in school. The presence of a routine denotes a stable family environment, which in turn lends itself to times set aside for homework, exam revision and education in general. A link between the two is hardly a groundbreaking discovery.

What is YOUR reaction to this survey and its results?

Do YOU have set mealtimes and bedtime?
Question 1. Indicate whether these sentences are true or false. Justify your answers with evidence from the text.
a) Only teenagers took part in the study.
b) Young people nowadays are not as happy as they were before.
c) The questions in the survey only asked about school.
d) Martina Milburn disagrees with the results of the survey.

Question 2. Answer the following questions in your own words.
a) What are the consequences of a lack of routine in young people’s lives?
b) How was the survey conducted?

Question 3. Find a word or a phrase in the text that means the same as:
a) total (par. 1) b) figures, information (par.3) c) effect (par.4)

Question 4. Rewrite the following sentences without changing the meaning.
a) Young people with poor exam grades are twice as likely to claim their days lacked structure as they grew up.
If young people’s days .....................................................................................
b) 14% of all young people said they had grown up without set mealtimes, whereas 30% of young people with poor exam grades answered that they had not eaten at regular times.
14% of young people said “I .................................................,” whereas 30% of those with poor exam grades answered “........................................”
c) First, 2,136 people between 16 and 25 were asked how happy and confident they were, then the responses were converted to a numerical scale.
After ................................................. , the researchers ……………..

Question 5. Write a short essay (120-150 words) on the following topic:Having a regular daily routine is important for success.” What do you think?