Every year in the UK, roughly 60,000 babies are born preterm (before 37 weeks gestation), meaning that in every average-sized classroom two or three children may have been born preterm.
Research tells us that children born preterm are more likely to have poorer academic attainment and special educational needs or disabilities (SEND) when compared to their peers born at term. While we know that those born extremely preterm, before 28 weeks of gestation, are most likely to need extra support, research also highlights that children born just a few weeks early may still face difficulties in school.
The cognitive and learning difficulties most commonly associated with preterm birth include slower processing speed, difficulties with working memory, poorer visual-spatial skills, attention difficulties and difficulties with mathematics.
However, it is important to remember that while preterm birth increases the chances of SEND, not all children born prematurely will have additional needs.
Even before starting school, families often describe the lasting journey they find themselves on after bringing their baby or babies home from neonatal intensive care units.
In fact, according to a 2021 report, published by the premature baby charity The Smallest Things, which I am the founder and chair of, 84 per cent of parents said that more awareness of the long-term needs of children born prematurely is needed - and that includes awareness among teachers.
So, what can leaders do to help upskill their staff in how to recognise and meet the specific learning needs of children born preterm?
One way that schools can improve their provision in this area is by taking part in The Smallest Things’ new Prem Aware Award scheme, which aims to raise awareness of prematurity, support parents and carers, and support schools to recognise and meet the specific learning needs of children born preterm in a timely manner.
The award encourages teachers to make use of a free online training resource, which has been developed by Samantha Johnson, professor of child development at the University of Leicester, in collaboration with colleagues in the PRISM (Premature Infants’ Skills in Mathematics) study team and the Department for Mathematics Education at Loughborough University.
The resource outlines the impact preterm birth can have on a child’s development and learning, and offers practical ways to support children born prematurely at school.
The strategies provided focus on supporting and, importantly, identifying children who may have additional needs. The latter part is important because the constellation of cognitive and social-emotional difficulties preterm-born children might have means that their need for support can go undetected at school.
Support should focus on planning lessons and classroom activities in ways that reduce the demands on these children’s cognitive skills.
For example, strategies to support children who have attention difficulties might include minimising distractions, providing opportunities for sensory breaks, breaking assignments into chunks, setting short-term deadlines for the completion of smaller tasks and checking if the child has understood instructions.
As well as putting interventions like these in place to support children, as part of the Prem Aware Award, leaders are asked to make changes to their school registration paperwork, so that these forms explicitly encourage parents to give details of their child’s birth history, including their gestational age at birth.
This ensures teachers can easily identify pupils born prematurely, enabling them to recognise and support any additional learning needs early on in the child’s education journey.
Teachers have a crucial role to play in improving long-term outcomes for children born preterm, and better provision can start with a few small steps. So, this World Prematurity Day, why not take the first steps towards making your whole school “prem aware”?
Catriona Ogilvy is the founder and chair of The Smallest Things, a charity dedicated to supporting families after neonatal intensive care and improving outcomes for children born prematurely.
Find out more about the Prem Aware Award scheme here
