Evidence tells us that children born premature are at higher risk of special educational needs than children born at term, but we’d like to hear from you!  The Smallest Things have been gathering the views of parents and detailing their experiences of Special Educational Needs (SEN) support for children born early. 

You’ve been sharing your experiences of the special educational needs and support for children born preterm.

✏️ More than 90% of parents told us they think there should be more awareness and understanding of the educational needs of children born preterm.

“I am incredibly passionate that more awareness is needed…..It was only by talking to friends I even knew maths was an issue for premature children and then only relied on google to source info”

“As a teacher, I had no awareness that difficulties could arise for preemies until I had 3”

“We feel this is has never been taken into account. Although our son had a developmental check in hospital which was correct along side his actual due date. No further assessments have taken place. Training is needed for school staff so they are fully knowledgeable and have an understanding of the impact that being born prematurely can have. This knowledge will ensure that children have the necessary support and interventions needed to bridge gaps in learning and development.”

✏️While more than 40% of parents feel that school staff understand their child’s learning needs, more than a quarter of parents have told us that they don’t and a further quarter aren’t sure.

 ✏️Just over a third of parents feel their child’s educational needs are being met.

“Knowing children are born early in a class doesn’t really have any bearing on the SEN support. Children should be individually assessed and whilst the prematurity is a factor it is not the only factor. I say this as a parent of three premature babies (1 has SEN and 2 are working above age related expectations) and as a deputy head teacher in a school with a large percentage of SEND needs.”