Preterm Birth Information for Education Professionals

Welcome to the Preterm Birth Information for Education Professionals home page. These five learning resources have been developed to improve your knowledge and confidence in supporting prematurely born children in the classroom.

Please navigate through the resources by selecting each image below.

1. What is preterm birth? [opens in new window]

Learning outcomes:

To define preterm birth To understand that the more preterm a baby is born, the greater the risk of developmental problems later in life

2. Educational outcomes following preterm birth [opens in new window]

Learning outcomes:

To understand that children born preterm are at risk of special educational needs and poor academic attainmentTo identify which school subjects children born preterm are most likely to struggle with

3. Cognitive and motor development following preterm birth [opens in new window]

Learning outcomes:

To understand that children born preterm may have difficulties with IQ, processing speed, working memory, and hand-eye coordinationTo understand how these difficulties may impact on learning

4. Behavioural, social and emotional outcomes following preterm birth [opens in new window]

Learning outcomes:

To understand that children born preterm may be withdrawn, anxious, and inattentive, and have difficulties developing relationships with their peersTo understand that children born preterm don’t tend to be disruptive so their needs may be overlooked in the classroom

5. How can education professionals support preterm children? [opens in new window]

Learning outcomes:

To understand what kind of strategies might be helpful for supporting children born pretermTo understand that preterm birth is a risk factor and an individual assessment is always necessary to provide appropriate support

Download this poster to let others know about this resource (English and Welsh versions available below) [opens in new window]

Interested in becoming a ‘Prem Aware’ school? Find out more and download a free school guidance pack from The Smallest Things. [opens in new window]

This resource was developed by the PRISM Study team:

Professor Samantha Johnson (University of Leicester)Dr Sarah Clayton (University of Leicester) Dr Lucy Cragg (University of Nottingham)Dr Camilla Gilmore (Loughborough University)Dr Rose Griffiths (University of Leicester)Professor Neil Marlow (University College London)Dr Victoria Simms (Ulster University)Professor Heather Wharrad (University of Nottingham)

Thank you for your interest in this resource. We would be grateful it if you could fill out the form below to tell us how the resource will be used to help with future development. Thank you for your time.