All eligible study members were contacted.

School nurses and health visitors interviewed mothers at home about the child’s health, school absence, interests and behaviour, and the home and family circumstances, and assessed the state of the dwelling. School doctors undertook the medical examination, and teachers completed the questionnaire about the school, and administered the cognitive tests at school.

At this age a control sample of children (a third of single births excluded by the original sampling criteria, and all with fathers in manual employment, N=approx 2000) who had been born in the birth week but not since followed-up, received the same medical examination as the cohort members.

Instructions are given at the head of each form.

• Accidents
• Infectious diseases
• Admissions to Hospital
• School clinic and out patient department attendances
• School Absences
• Schooling
• Hobbies and outside interests
• General health and behaviour
• Domestic help
• Occupation of present husband
• Subsequent pregnancies
• The mother’s work
• The household and dwelling

More detailed information on the mother-collected topics collected is available here

• Medical history
• Examination

More detailed information on the doctor-collected topics collected is available here

• Information on school
• School facilities
• Information on class

• General Ability Test
• Mechanical Reading and Word Comprehension test
• Arithmetic Test
• Handwriting Test

• Form A6  – Mother's interview by nurse
• Form D3   - Examination by Doctor
• Form S5a – School’s Questionnaire (England and Wales)
• Form S5b – School’s Questionnaire (Scotland)
• Form NF3 – Test booklets 
• Form C1  – Control Child, Examination by Doctor (No data available)