Becoming ‘Prem Aware’
What is Premature Birth?
Premature birth is when a child is born before 37 weeks of gestation. From March 2022 – March 2023, 174 babies were born prematurely within Fife. Of these children, 150 were born late to moderate preterm, and 2 were born extremely preterm. Fife Council are attempting to raise awareness of premature birth, urging educational establishments to become ‘Prem Aware.’
Why is Becoming ‘Prem Aware’ Beneficial?
Research has shown that premature birth is a risk factor that can impact children’s learning, development, academic achievement, and future adulthood. Being ‘prem aware’ enables staff to identify children at risk, pursue early interventions, and to support children through their educational journey at key transition points.
How do we Become ‘Prem Aware?’
The Smallest Things is a relatively new charity that provides support for children born prematurely across the UK. Their aim is that all schools in the UK will become ‘Prem Aware’ by 2030
There are 3 steps to becoming ‘Prem Aware’ and receiving accreditation:
Step 1 – Engage with Online Modules
Learning modules have been developed in conjunction with various universities.
There are 5 modules in total, each consisting of videos and interactive activities. All 5 can be completed in around 60-90 minutes.
Modules can be accessed by clicking here.
Step 2 – Adapt & Edit Processes to Include Questions on Prematurity
To help ascertain if a child has been born prematurely, centres can adapt their enrolment form to include a section on premature birth, ask about premature birth at enrolment meetings, include information in the child’s PLJ, and adapt support for tracking of learning.
Step 3 – Parent/Carer Feedback
Gather feedback from parents and carers on becoming a ‘Prem Aware’ establishment in a range of ways: questionnaires, school events, premature parent groups, and Parent Council’s. Finally, receive your accreditation from The Smallest Things.
For further information please visit www.thesmallestthings.org or contact Andrea Henderson (Charity Ambassador) via e-mail at andrea.henderson@fife.gov.uk
Additional
On 14/11/24, the House of Lords ‘Preterm Birth Committee’ published the ‘Preterm Birth: Reducing Risks & Improving Lives’ report. This emphasised support for programmes offering the Prem Aware Award.
“We support the ambition of programmes such as the Prem Aware Award scheme to increase awareness of the impacts of prematurity in schools. Enhancing understanding among education professionals has the potential to facilitate the transition to school for families, enable appropriate support to be provided during school, and improve outcomes for children born prematurely.”
The ‘Preterm Birth: Reducing Risks & Improving Lives’ report can be accessed here.
