Recent studies have shown that left-handed children consistently do less well in school tests, with average results around 1 per cent lower than those of their right-handed counterparts.
While there is no suggestion that left-handed children are any less intelligent, it may well be that a range of cultural, environmental and social issues make some of the practical aspects of life more difficult for them, virtually from birth.
We live in a predominantly right-handed society, where not only writing but most of our day-to-day tools and equipment, from can-openers and screw-top jars to clocks and pianos, are geared and shaped to the needs, comfort and convenience of the right-handed majority. Yet a significant number of people - around 7-10 per cent of the UK population - are left-handed, with far more boys than girls affected.
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