St Augustine’s CofE Primary School becomes Prem Aware

We are delighted to welcome St Augustine’s CofE Primary School in Manchester as our latest Prem Aware School!

Staff at St Augustine’s have met the three requirements by completing the free PRISM e-learning resource to train staff, asking parents and carers if their children were born prematurely as part of their admissions process and requesting feedback from parents on support provided for pupils born prematurely.

Becoming Prem Aware will make a huge difference to pupils born prematurely and their families, with staff having an increased understanding of the lasting effects of premature birth, be able to identify issues early and provide the practical and emotional support children may need on their education journey.

Not long after the birth of my daughter at 26 weeks, I came across The Smallest Things charity. I found their website and social media pages to be of great support during our time in NICU and beyond. As a SENCo I was delighted to discover the PremAware award for schools and thought it would be hugely beneficial to our already inclusive school in raising awareness of the prevalence and long-term effects of premature birth amongst our school community. After completing the Prism training, staff felt they had a much greater understanding of how to support children born preterm and the difficulties they may face with their learning. The headteacher said the training was some of the best she had ever received. We hope the award will reassure parents and carers of children born preterm that all our staff have the knowledge and understanding to best support their children.
— Jess Miller, SENCo at St Augustine's C of E Primary School, Manchester