Nursery World - EYFS best practice in schools

What are the developmental impacts on children of being born prematurely, and how are schools accommodating their needs? Charlotte Goddard reports

[asset_library_tag 1773,Download the PDF of this article]

In the UK, around one in 13 babies is born before 37 weeks of pregnancy. ‘More children are born early because of medical advances, and more are surviving who would not have done ten years ago, even those born as early as 23 or 24 weeks,’ says Josie Anderson, senior policy and public affairs officer at premature baby charity Bliss.

Despite their growing numbers, it seems many schools are unaware of the possible needs of these children, and few are adapting their environment or teaching strategies to support them.

THE IMPACT OF PREMATURITY

While every child will develop differently, premature babies may take longer to reach milestones because they are not always assessed according to their due date rather than their earlier birth date. They may be small for their age, and may not be fully toilet trained on entering school, especially if their birth date puts them into a different year group than if they had been full-term.

Register now to continue reading

Thank you for visiting Nursery World and making use of our archive of more than 35,000 expert features, subject guides, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:

What's included