The study aims to predict which babies in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) are most likely to need additional support before they start school.

Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation and the University of Cambridge will conduct the Infant Long-Term Outcomes, Omics and Milestones Study (Bloom).

The study will investigate why children who spend time in the NICU are more than twice as likely to fail school readiness assessments, which measure how well a child is ready to start formal education.

According to research from Cambridge, one in six children now fail this assessment, compared to around one in three who spent time in the NICU.

All children under the age of five in the UK are tested to check their behavior, communication and ability to follow instructions.

The study aims to recruit 1,000 babies in the East of England and follow them from the time they are admitted to the NICU until they finish compulsory schooling at age 16.

Professor David Lawwich, lead researcher at Blooms, said: “70,000 children are admitted to NICUs in the UK every year, yet we don’t know how they are faring at school because there is no link to school readiness.”

Babies are admitted to this unit for a variety of reasons, including prematurity, low birth weight, breathing difficulties, and the need for surgery.

The study aims to identify early warning signs that could help pinpoint which children would benefit from additional support.

“Technologies such as genomics allow us to go beyond just clinical records and make this assessment more specific, targeting support to those most likely to benefit,” said Dr Lawwich, professor of paediatrics at the University of Cambridge.

He said children who fail assessments are likely to experience difficulties in adulthood, including worse physical and mental health, increased rates of deprivation and imprisonment, and reduced life expectancy.

Blooms will become one of the flagship programs of the Cambridge Children’s Research Institute (CCRI) and will be housed within Cambridge Children’s Hospital, the hospital trust said.

The hospital will be built opposite Rosie Maternity Hospital, which is on the same site as Addenbrookes Hospital and Royal Papworth Hospital.

Plans have been approved by government and construction authorities Could start in 2026.