Prem Aware Award
Supporting schools to help children born prematurely
We know that starting school can be a big step in the journey for families after neonatal care, and many parents worry about the lasting impact of premature birth.
While being born early does not mean a child will have special educational needs, it does increase the chances.
Research tells us that children born prematurely are more likely to have poorer academic attainment and special educational needs compared to their classmates born at full term. While we know that those born extremely preterm (before 28 weeks’ gestation) are most likely to need extra support, research also highlights that children born just a few weeks early may still face difficulties at school.
The cognitive and learning difficulties most commonly associated with premature birth include slower processing speeds, difficulties with memory, poorer visual-spatial skills, attention difficulties and struggles with mathematics.
With an average of two to three children in every classroom being born early, we know that teachers can play a crucial role in supporting and making a difference to the lives of children born prematurely.
Becoming Prem Aware
The Smallest Things Prem Aware Award scheme raises awareness of the impact of prematurity on development and learning, supports parents and carers, and helps schools to recognise and meet the specific learning needs of children born prematurely.
The scheme promotes use of the ‘Preterm Birth Information for Educational Professionals’, a free online training resource developed by Professor Samantha Johnson and her colleagues in the PRISM (Premature Infants’ Skills in Mathematics) Study Team, funded by the charity Action Medical Research. The online resource outlines the impact premature birth can have on a child’s development and learning, and offers practical ways to support children born prematurely at school.
“As a mother of a 23-week preterm child, I feel a huge sense of relief that there is finally a resource that will help educators understand the social, emotional and academic needs of my school-age child. This resource is long overdue and rightly focuses on the lifelong needs of those who experience daily the challenges that preterm birth may bring. ”
In addition to the online training, schools are asked to encourage parents, through changes to their school’s registration process, to give details of birth history, including gestational age at birth. This ensures that teachers can identify pupils born prematurely in their classroom, enabling them to recognise and support any additional or learning needs early on in their education journey. Together we can make a difference!
“Until listening to one of my teachers talk about her own experiences with premature babies, I had not thought in great depth about this, despite having had prematurely born children in my classes previously. Hearing and learning more about premature babies and the impact of this on physical, emotional, social and learning development opened my eyes to a type of pupil I do not believe we had considered enough previously or even knew we had. For a school that constantly wants to do its best by every child in our care, it has been invaluable for us to learn more and it will impact on our strategies moving forwards. ”
Prem Aware Award
Schools across the UK are becoming Prem Aware and tell us what a difference it has made to them and their school community.
Our aim is for all UK schools to be Prem Aware 2030 and we hope you’ll help us by leading the way!
Schools
Ready to become Prem Aware?
Download the guidance pack to find out more. It includes everything you need to know, from accessing the free e-learning to applying for the award and receiving the logo.
Parents
Want to talk to your child’s school about our Prem Aware Award? We can help!
Email us at premaware@thesmallestthings.org or send your school a link to this page, asking them to download the guidance pack.
Prem Aware Ambassadors
Our Smallest Things Prem Aware Ambassadors volunteer their time to help to spread the word about how schools can take a few simple steps to better support prematurely born children on their educational journey.
They play a key role in asking and supporting schools to become Prem Aware.
Is my school Prem Aware?
Read our Spring Report and see if your school is on the list!
Teacher-recommend training
“Our initial research identified that teachers have limited training about the difficulties children born prematurely might face and how to support these children at school. However, when teachers used our new e-learning resource their confidence in how to support a preterm child increased significantly. So much so that 97% of teachers in the study said they would recommend it to others.”