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Four in 10 premature babies score low at KS4

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Press release issued: 18 May 2016

New research funded by the Southmead Hospital Charity Research Fund shows that almost four in 10 children (39.4%) born prematurely (before 37 weeks) had lower Key Stage 4 (KS4) test results than children who were born at full term (37-42 weeks) and almost a quarter (24.3%) preterm children had special educational needs (SEN).

Preterm infants were also more likely to be enrolled in school a year earlier due to their prematurity and this made the disadvantage even worse.

Analysing data on 12,586 Children of the 90s participants, researchers found that children born prematurely are at an educational disadvantage compared to children born at full term and that the disadvantage persists from when they start school right through to their teenage years.

This new research builds on earlier research from 2013, which looked at what happened to preterm children who started school based on their date of birth (DOB), rather than on their estimated due date (EDD). That study found that children placed in an earlier school year because they were born early had lower KS1 scores than those in the correct year.

Following up to see if the effect persisted throughout school the researchers have found that preterm babies do consistently less well at all of the key stages, and that the effect of going to school too early appears to have a persistent effect.

Speaking about the findings, lead author Dr David Odd, a neonatal consultant based at Southmead Hospital in Bristol, said:

This research builds on what we discovered in 2013 and indicates that children born prematurely are at higher risk of poor school performance throughout their entire school career, and simple ways to change the way they are educated may help improve their outcomes, with far-reaching implications for their opportunities in adulthood.

Further information

  • The 2016 paper, Odd D, Evans D, Emond A, ‘Preterm Birth, Age at School Entry and Educational Achievement’ was published on 17 May 2016 in PLOS ONE.
  • The 2013 paper, Odd D, Evans D, Emond A, 'Preterm Birth, Age at School Entry and Educational Performance', was published on 17 October 2013 in PLOS ONE.
  • The Southmead Hospital Charity Research Fund was set up in 2006 and has funded 74 projects to a total of £760,000.  There are currently 24 active projects funded purely through public donations.
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