It reveals that those who do not settle in quickly and happily are four times less likely to be reading by the end of the year, regardless of their knowledge of reading when they started school. The findings are based on an investigation by Dr Jeni Riley, the institute's Head of Primary Education, who looked at research evidence, including a study of her own, on the importance of the first year at school.Her paper, being given at the British Educational Research Association at Lancaster University, examined studies of pupils' progress from the age of five to 16.The paper says that those who make the most progress in their first year remain the highest achievers at the ages of seven and 11, and go on to get the best GCSE results.Dr Riley rejects the claim that anyone can teach a five-year-old and says such pupils need highly trained teachers with a good knowledge of literacy and numeracy.Three years ago, John Patten, the then Secretary of State for Education, backed proposals for a "mums' army" to teach young children but the plans were later dropped. They were more likely to suggest more severe punishments for children who misbehave, suggesting that attitudes are repeated from generation to generation. However, children close to their parents or who come from a family where they are seen as an important member choose less violent forms of punishment, such as being sent to their room, said Dr Marjorie Smith, Deputy Director of Thomas Coram Research Unit, London. Children who are the stars of the reception class are still ahead when they take GCSE, according to a paper to be published today.

Children who are smacked frequently are more likely to think that physical punishment is right, the British Psychological Society heard. "The research is a recognition of the positive strength and achievements of mothers who are raising their children and creating a family life against all the odds," said Karin Pappenheim, the council's director.. "We must be careful about thinking about these positive changes," he said. "We are always comparing a positive change against the negative feeling that went before.

The positive is only relative."Dr Morag Smith, of Dundee University, interviewed 49 children and their mothers, half of whom were married and half single.She found that children from single parent families were less rigid in their notion of what were "girls' toys" and what were "boys' toys".The National Council for One Parent Families welcomed the findings. When the divorce is over, they begin to try to make up for that."The child may also be proud of how the mother is doing and how they are doing, they are proud to have taken up responsibilities."Dr Woollett said the most satisfactory situation was when the child maintained good communication with the parent - usually the father - who lived away from home.But Dr Charlie Lewis, of Lancaster University, whose research found that single parents experienced more negative and positive life events than their married peers, urged caution. "These things may sound trivial, but mothers can be filled with a sense of self-confidence."As for the children, they often talked about a sense of stability. "Children reported a feeling of love focused on them," added Dr Woollett. "During the divorce, the parents may feel they have neglected the child with all the trauma.

"It is quite clear that children can suffer problems because of divorce." But she added that such an experience could galvanise women into taking charge of their lives."When the marriage breaks down, the mother is thrown into doing all sorts of things that are unfamiliar," she said. "There are new areas, new decisions and she is forced to cope."Small events such as getting the car repaired at a garage, choosing the child's school and taking the child out for the day can leave mothers with a sense of achievement. The results of the studies were presented at a symposium in Oxford.While single parents tended to have tougher lives than their married counterparts, they tended to use such experiences in a more positive way.Doctor Ann Woollett, of the University of East London, interviewed 35 families to find out what divorce actually felt like."We're not trying to suggest that divorce is good," said Dr Woollett. In the past, most research has focused on the negative impact of divorce on parent and child.