Children are not blobs of clay to be moulded to their parents’ wishes

pupils are selected according to the abilities they showed at primary school, they’ll inevitably get better exam results.

This is because of who they are, not what they’ve learned in the classroom or the way they’ve been taught.

Those higher grades are simply a self-fulfilling prophecy.

once you discount genetic factors, generally speaking there is little difference between school achievement at age 11 and results at 16.

The ‘value added’ — a measure used by many top schools — turns out to be very small.

The same principle applies in the debate about private and state schools. if, as Plomin claims, schools have little effect on individual differences in achievement, then those 7 per cent of parents who pay huge sums to send their children to private schools in the belief that it will give them an advantage may well be wasting their cash.

Plomin writes: ‘Expensive schooling cannot survive a cost–benefit analysis on the basis of school achievement itself.’

if your genes fit, you’ll do well; and, if they don’t, no amount of cash can change the abilities you’re born with.

What all schools should aspire to, he maintains, is to be places where children can learn to enjoy learning for its own sake, rather than frenetically teaching pupils to pass the exams that will improve the school’s standing in league tables.

not that the influence of our DnA is confined to our early years when we’re growing up.

indeed, Plomin shows that it gets stronger as we get older. more and more, we revert to type. Yes, other factors impact on us, such as our relationships with partners, children and friends, our jobs and interests. All contribute to give life meaning.

But they don’t fundamentally change who we are psychologically — our personality, our mental health and our cognitive abilities. Good and bad things happen to us, but eventually we rebound to our genetic trajectory. many people, Plomin acknowledges, will be aghast at his ‘bold conclusion’.

it seems to make us automatons, devoid of free will, victims of our DnA. And, indeed, this level of determinism could be an excuse for apathy, a refusal to take responsibility for oneself: ‘not my fault, guv, it’s my genes!’

However, he categorically rejects this notion.

Just because you have a genetic propensity to put on weight, for example, doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t try to lose some pounds.

You may have the devil inside you, but you can keep it at bay.

Plomin found that his own genetic mapping threw up a surprise.

‘i am genetically predisposed to put on the pounds and find it hard to lose them.

‘it means i can’t let my guard down and, in those weak moments, give in to those siren snacks in the cupboard whispering to me.’

The same applies to anyone with a genetic propensity to depression, learning disabilities or alcohol abuse.

‘Genes are not destiny,’ says Plomin. You don’t have to succumb.

Controversially, he can see a time soon when DnA information will routinely be on people’s medical records, though he acknowledges that this poses serious dilemmas.

Do you want to know if your child has a high genetic risk for schizophrenia when there’s nothing you can do to stop it? on the other hand, he says, many psychological disorders, such as alcohol dependence and anorexia, are difficult to cure.

Early warning is good, and preventing problems before they occur is much more cost effective, economically as well as psychologically.

it’s also good, he argues, that we can know our limits — those things that our DnA just won’t let happen, however hard we try.

Plomin quotes with approval the observation of American comedian W.C. Fields: ‘if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Then quit. There’s no use being a damn fool about it.’

BECAusE, ultimately, it’s more sensible to go with the genetic flow rather than trying to swim upstream. Equally, our DnA can tell us where our inborn talents lie, so that we do not waste them.

There was a telling example this week when former England captain Alastair Cook retired from Test cricket. in tribute, commentator mike Atherton declared: ‘He made himself the best player he could be; he extracted every last ounce of his talent.’

Plomin’s radical new world may force us to bow to our genetic limits but, on the plus side, it will encourage us, like Alastair Cook, to do the best we can with the talents we’ve been given.

Blueprint: How DnA Makes us Who We Are by robert plomin will be published by Allen lane on October 4 at £20. © robert plomin 2018. to order a copy for £17 (15 per cent discount), visit www.mailshop.co.uk/books or call 0844 571 0640, p&p is free on orders over £15. Offer valid until September 22, 2018.