Children who shout out answers and are actively engaged in classroom activity can be as much as nine months ahead in reading and maths compared to quieter classmates, a study has revealed.

Researchers from Durham University compared more than 12,000 children between the ages of four and five. Results revealed that on the whole, pupils who act impulsively in school do less well than those who can control their behaviour, but when the academics compared children with similar levels of inattentiveness, they found louder pupils performed better, The Guardian reports.

"It's quite useful for a classroom teacher to know that blurting out helps the individual. It might be a bit of a nuisance to the class, but what's a disadvantage to some might be an advantage to others," Professor Peter Tymms, Head of the School of Education at Durham University and Lead Author of the report, said: "These are little children who haven't got the control others have and can't help it sometimes. If they talk something through out loud, they can understand it better."

The study looked at more than 500 schools in England, asking teachers to rate behaviour and impulsiveness of pupils based on three different factors: blurting out an answer before hearing the end of a question; having difficulty waiting their turn and actions which interrupted other children, such as 'pushing in' during games.

The researchers found there was a nine month advantage in reading and maths for those who continuously blurted out answers, compared with those pupils who never did so but had similar levels of inattention.

The study suggests that there may be an "evolutionary advantage" to having a small proportion of individuals who shout out. Researchers also indicated that being able to understand why some children are more vocal will help teachers better manage pupils diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

Tymms said: "Managing and responding to pupils' different needs and abilities within a class is a challenge for teachers. We're not suggesting that classrooms become free-for-all shouting matches, but if this can be harnessed, it could help teachers and learners."

Christine Blower, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers (NUT) gave advice on behaviour for teachers in the NUT Behaviour Charter for Schools, published in November 2011. It stated: "All children and young people have a right to high quality education and, whatever their needs, no child or young person should ever be written off. Fundamental to these principles is the right of teachers to teach and the right of children and young people to learn."

In a 2010 Behaviour Survey conducted by Teacher Support Network, 56.8 per cent of teachers said they were deliberately distracted on a daily basis. On the other hand, 36.7 per cent of staff said they had received behaviour management training or professional development in pupil behaviour over the last one or two years.

The read the results of the behaviour survey in full, click here.

Alternatively you may find these links useful:

• What is ADHD?
• How to cope with ADHD
• Managing behaviour: Classroom management
• Managing stress in the workplace: control