The progress tracker is a one-page document which enables us to see at a glance how your child is progressing through the areas of learning and development. 

 

There are 7 areas of learning and development and each one is divided into ‘aspects’.  The first 3 areas are called the prime areas and these are fundamental to children’s learning and development as they open the doors to learning in all the other areas of the curriculum.  The remaining 4 are the specific areas of learning and development which include essential skills and knowledge that will benefit children as they journey through life:

 

PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT (PSED)

PSE 1    Making relationships

PSE 2   Self-confidence and self-awareness

PSE 3   Managing feelings and behaviour

COMMUNICATION AND LANGUAGE (CL)

CL 1      Listening and attention

CL 2     Understanding

CL 3     Speaking

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT (PD)

PD 1      Moving and handling

PD 2     Health and self-care

LITERACY (L)

L 1        Reading

L 2       Writing

MATHEMATICS (M)

MD 1    Numbers

MD 2    Shape, space and measures

UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD (UW)

UW 1    People and communities

UW 2   The world

UW 3   Technology

EXPRESSIVE ARTS AND DESIGN (EAD)

EAD 1   Exploring and using media and materials

EAD 2  Being imaginative

 

How do we assess your child?

 

Your key person will refer to your child’s Learning Journey (containing observations and notes) and scrapbook and, use this together with their knowledge of your child and information you have passed on to make a ‘best-fit’ judgment about your child’s progress for each aspect.  We very firmly believe that it should not be a case of ticking off statements or of making children jump through hoops.  Instead we look at your child as an individual and take their particular strengths, abilities and interests into account.

 

This is what the Government has to say about children’s development in their document ‘Development Matters in Early Years Foundation Stage’ and we follow this advice:

Children develop at their own rates, and in their own ways.  The development statements and their order should not be taken as necessary steps for individual children.  They should not be used as checklists.  The age/stage bands overlap because there are not fixed age boundaries but suggest a typical range of development.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

 

Q.  Why is my child not doing very well in a particular area?

 

There may be several reasons for this.  Firstly it may be that your child is in fact making good progress but this is overshadowed by exceptional progress in other areas.  This is not something to worry about but instead we would encourage you to celebrate the ‘exceptional’ progress.  The ‘next steps’ often include suggestions for ways to extend children’s individual strengths and interests.

 

If we have any concerns these will be mentioned in the section entitled ‘Is your child meeting the developmental milestones’ on your child’s most recent written progress check or we will suggest an appointment to discuss their progress.  You will probably have noticed that the ‘next steps’ section often suggests activities and ways to support your child so they can make further progress in these areas.  

 

Children may not make steady progress in every area all the time.  Instead they often progress in leaps and bounds and then have a period when they appear to stand still.  At this point, children are assimilating what they have learned - they are mastering skills and putting new knowledge into practice.  It is something we all do when learning a new skill - it takes a little time to feel confident before moving to the next level.

 

Q.  What can I do at home?

 

You are probably already doing all the right things at home.  The first few years of a child’s life are vital and it has been said that a good indication of how well a child will do in the future is their vocabulary at age 3.  Spending time with your child, talking with them, reading stories, going for walks, playing games, outdoor physical play and doing ‘real’ things such as cooking and gardening really will provide the best start.

 

Sometimes children do things at home that they might not at pre-school.  It’s very useful if you can share your child’s special moments from home with your key person - stop for a chat or fill in a ‘Wow’ slip.  It can fill in gaps in our knowledge and can be used when completing the progress tracker.

 

The ‘next steps’ on your child’s progress check will also provide starting points for activities at home.  Your key person will be very happy to talk about things you can do with your child that will extend their interests or support particular areas of development and learning.