Trackers 0-5: Tracking children's progress through
the Early Years Foundation Stage
The new Trackers are now available. They are designed to help you
track children’s progress throughout the new Early Years
Foundation Stage. This is the solution to observing and
recording children’s progress in a consistent way throughout
your early years setting. Usable by everyone – staff, and
parents – Trackers make the whole process much easier.
So what’s in the new Trackers 0–5?
• Now in a larger A4 format (with 64 pages) – you will only need
one book per child (unlike the previous Trackers where you
needed 2 books).
• There is now additional space to enable you to include
evidence of your observations and planning.
• There are also comments boxes at the bottom of each page.
• There are general observation and planning forms at the end of
each Area of Learning to enable you to keep a much more
comprehensive record.
“I have been reading
through the Tracker record booklets, and I am very impressed
with their layout. I am confident that they will reduce the
written workload of my staff as well which has been a major
concern for all in early years”
Listening to children involves much more
than simply ‘hearing’ what they have to say . . . we know that. But how
do we tune in to children? How do we really see things from their point
of view? How do we consult them on things that are really important to
them?
Here are numerous practical ways to help you do just that. There are
techniques for developing good two-way communication; ideas on how to
use cameras to involve children; child conferencing; child passports;
the Mosaic approach and many, many more practical ideas. There are also
sections on how to tune in to babies; working with children with
disabilities and some examples of all these activities in practice.
In association with SureStart Stockton-on-Tees, Hannah Mortimer has put
together an approach that will enable you to really develop a listening
culture in your setting.
Read a review
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Special Offer on Literacy in the Early Years - only £5
A new book of imaginative ideas
for dealing with some of the more common difficult behaviours
that you might have to deal with from biting to swearing. The
book is divided into two sections - a short section offering a
set of principles for managing children's behaviour, followed by
an A-Z of typical problem behaviours, with real-life examples
and suggested solutions ... all for only £5.
This month's
recommended choice in Nursery World (read the
review). Full of ideas about how to put music circle time into
practice with links to the Early Years Foundation Stage and with planning sheets, assessment sheets. A great book
for anyone working with young children and a useful tool when
working with children with SEN (£12)
This is the
solution to observing and recording children’s progress in a
consistent way throughout your early years setting. Usable by
everyone – experienced and inexperienced staff, designed so that
parents also have an input, these Trackers make the whole
process much easier. Probably the most widely used observation
and recording system used throughout the UK.
Trackers 0-3 are being revised;
Trackers 3-5 are £2.50 each. Discounts apply to orders of 10 or more
each (see below).
What is ‘typical’ behaviour in
young children? How do you set about changing problem behaviour?
What do we mean when we talk about behaviour management? How do
I draw up a Behaviour Policy for the nursery? What is the best
way of observing and assessing behaviour?
What sort of interventions should I try, and what happens when
those don’t seem to be working? How should we support parents
who have a child with challenging behaviour?
You'll find the answers in this
easy-to-read guide (£6).
How would you like to draw up
activity planners for each of your age groups in minutes instead
of hours? Now you can! Here is a manual that makes the
job of drawing up activity planners a pleasure . . . really! It
is 173 pages of practical hints, tips, sample activities and
pro-formas so that you can develop a consistent approach. This
wonderfully practical, well laid-out manual will also help you:
record spontaneous events in a
consistent format; evaluate your planning;
make relevant comments each
time an activity is carried out to keep other practitioners
informed; further identify gaps to be
addressed in your children’s development by transferring
observations made to developmental Trackers. (£15)
This book provides a method for
assessing and recording what children can do in the Foundation
Stage. Aimed especially at teachers who have children with
special educational needs in their care, it can be used with all
children and fits in well with everyday activities. It adopts a
‘one step at a time’ approach and suggests ideas on how to
develop a child’s repertoire of play (£4).
Do you have a
child with a very short fuse . . . or a high level of anxiety? A
child that overreacts in most situations? There can be many
reasons why children react angrily, and here is a discreet
approach to help them to understand and then learn how to
control their angry feelings and reactions.
Based loosely on cognitive behaviour therapy and using a
‘talk-through’ approach, you will be able to help the child to
think about his/her feelings in a different way and feel more in
control of them.
There are twelve, clearly laid out practical sessions that use
fireworks as a model for understanding and working on strategies
to manage anger – the initial spark that lights the fuse, the
speed at which the fuse burns, and the explosive firework.
Hannah Mortimer’s practical and user-friendly approach has been
used successfully in both home and educational settings. (only £5)
Literacy in the Early Years
Special
offer only £5
"Sensible,
practical and a boon to the busy teacher. In less than 100 pages
the author succintly describes the attributes necessary to encourage the
development of literacy i.e. reading, writing, speaking and listening
providing strategies necessary to support the development of
these skills.
This book will be useful to parents'
support groups, early years settings and KS1 schools, as well as providing a
good base for learning for those intending to become literacy teachers.
Written in a very accessible style, it
encourages all practitioners to focus carefully on the specific needs of
those who might otherwise struggle to acquire competent levels of speaking
and listening, reading and writing. Extremely good value at £8."
Special offer only £5
Worry Box: Managing anxiety in
young children
A practical
framework to help adults provide emotional support to young
children aged 4 to 11. It can be used at home or at school.
There are 12 practical sessions with the emphasis on involving
the child in each. There are useful activities for working on
relaxation techniques, comments from adults who have used the
approach and a list of further resources to help (only £5)
Covering important issues such as special
educational needs, anti-discrimination, behaviour, bullying,
disability and equal opportunities, this book will help you
develop an inclusion policy for your setting and provide you
with practical ideas with its day-to-day implementation (£6).
A criteria grid enables you to do
an audit of your current provision.
A warning checklist helps you identify problems at an early
stage.
There are strategies for the classroom dealing with attention
and listening skills, sequencing, memory skills, and
comprehension.
There are examples of IEP targets, referral forms for assessment
and much more - see details below
(£10)
Why is it that the children who
can least afford to switch off are the ones who don’t pay
attention? And that children who most need to ask for help are
the ones least likely to do so? If children are opting out in
the classroom, switching off or passively waiting for direction,
we need to understand the barriers they face and help them
engage by making their learning opportunities more meaningful,
interactive and rewarding.
This book aims to make classroom experience more accessible to
all learners, and highlights the links between behaviour and
hidden language processing difficulties. Based on tried and
tested activities, strategies and self-help skills, you will
find answers to these questions and ways of improving attention
and concentration linked to a simple troubleshooting guide. (£10
inclusive of postage & packing)
Trackers
"Thank you for co-ordinating
these books, what a find for us! We now have far more time to be with
the children ... and the books are very 'family friendly', enabling
parents to contribute and share observations and to have a lovely
keepsake of their child's development. The books have also helped with
our staff development too." (Lianne Piggott, Manager at Bridges
Childcare, Hereford)
"... our recent very
successful Ofsted inspection praised your Trackers! Thank you!"
(Arnold School)
Making
'Birth to three matters' work for you
by Helen Rowlands
How would you like to draw up
activity planners for each of your age groups in minutes instead of
hours?
Now you can.
Here is a manual that makes the job of
drawing up activity planners a pleasure . . . really! It is 173
pages of practical
hints, tips, sample activities and pro-formas that will help you develop
a consistent approach across your setting. This
wonderfully practical manual will help you:
record spontaneous events in a
consistent
format;
evaluate your planning;
make relevant comments each time an
activity is carried out to keep other practitioners informed;
further identify gaps to be addressed in
your children’s development by transferring observations made to
developmental Trackers.
Making ‘Birth to three matters’ work
for you was developed by Helen Rowlands and staff at Hope Park
Community Nursery in Liverpool. The manual was then trialled in many
nurseries in different parts of the country.
People who order this book come back and
order Trackers 0-5. Used by thousands of
children around the country, the EYFS Trackers make your job of assessing and
monitoring children's progress that much easier ... and give you more
time with the children.
Why not have a look?
ISBN
1 898873 42 9 Published 2005
Wirobound A4 174 pages
Price £15
(delivery FREE in the UK; add £4 if outside the UK)
See some sample pages
Special Offer ... just £10
Trackers 0-3
This version of
Trackers is currently being revised.
Although the new
EYFS Trackers 0-5
are now available, we will continue to supply this version to those
early years settings wishing to use them.
In early years settings there is a
requirement that staff observe and record what children do. These
observations should then be used to help plan the next steps of
children's play, learning and development. With this in mind Trackers
3-5 (and the earlier Trackers 0-3) were developed to provide a
simple method of meeting this requirement.
The Trackers link into the Government's Curriculum guidance for the
foundation stage (QCA, 2000). This relates to children aged three to
five years. The Trackers are divided into various types of play activity
and the six areas of learning. Within each area of learning, the
Government has identified Early Learning Goals which most children will
be expected to have achieved by the end of their Reception year. Each of
these goals is divided into smaller sections called Stepping Stones.
Each page of the Trackers carries the title of one type of play activity
within a particular Area of Learning, yet weaves in some of the
developmental and skills-based stages which users will already be
familiar with and also builds in approximations to the Stepping Stones
and Early Learning Goals.
Clearly laid out and very easy to use,
these booklets are now widely used by nurseries throughout the country.
Music Makers: Music circle
times to include everyone
by Dr Hannah Mortimer
No need to be a music specialist . . .
here is a book that will help you to use music to include all children
in their learning and development. There are over 40 activities divided
up into sections including:
• music for enjoyment;
• songs and action rhymes;
• looking and listening games;
• movement and rhythm games;
• concepts and understanding;
• band time.
Music is such a powerful tool – it captures children’s attention and
holds the interest of children who, in other situations, might
experience considerable learning or communication difficulties.
Each activity provides information about the skill being learned and how
the activities link with the Early Years Foundation Stage
framework so that you can show how your music sessions are contributing
towards your curriculum or framework. There is clear information about
what to do, suggestions for supporting children with additional needs,
extension activities and follow-up ideas. There are also record-keeping
and planning sheets to help you (and keep Ofsted inspectors happy).
This is a practical resource book for childminders, early years
educators running toddlers’ groups and Sure Start sessions, and staff in
reception classes.
ISBN 978 1 898873 48 8
Revised 2008
A4 78 pages
Price £12
(delivery FREE in the UK; add £2 if outside the UK)
Worry Box: Managing anxiety in young children
by Dr Hannah Mortimer
Sometimes aspects of young children’s
social and emotional development are underdeveloped and get in the way
of their happiness and well-being. These might present as high levels of
anxiety, poor social skills, a very ‘short fuse’, and an inability to
make friends. This book provides a practical framework to help adults
provide emotional support to young children aged 4 to 11.
This title in the series focuses on managing anxiety and uses a ‘talk
through’ approach. It is presented as an interaction between an adult
and child to help it appear more personal and relevant. It can be used
at home or at school.
There are 12 practical sessions with the emphasis on involving the child
in each. There are useful activities for working on relaxation
techniques, comments from adults who have used the approach and a list
of further resources to help.
ISBN
978 1 898873 49 5 Published 2007
A4 44 pages
Price £5
(delivery FREE in the UK; add £2 if outside the UK)
Now Available
Special offer
Buy the set get all the books at half
price
(total cost £15)
BABY and ME
by Dr Hannah Mortimer
Baby groups for parents, carers and their
new babies form an important part of many antenatal support and Sure
Start services and this book gives you plenty of ideas for getting going
with your own group. We know how important it is to foster positive
attachments between parents and babies during their early months
together and to help new carers feel confident and fulfilled in their
new relationship. This book helps you to design a supportive and
enjoyable group that helps parents and babies enjoy each other and share
pleasure and fun together.
The approaches in the book have all been tried and tested and include:
baby music time;
sensory games;
the use of baby massage;
activities to promote looking, listening, laughing, playing and sharing
together.
The book helps you to plan your group,
describes the kind of sessions that work best, offers practical
suggestions for activities and provides you with a framework for
evaluating and reporting back to management.
ISBN
1 898873 46 1 Published 2006
A5 42 pages
Price £6
(delivery FREE in the UK; add £1 if outside the UK)
Music and Play groups have proved to be an
excellent way of introducing group work in a community. They are an
enjoyable and non-threatening method of ‘getting families through the
door’, enabling you to move on to more supportive ways of working later
on. They also serve as a gentle introduction to running a group and
building up your own confidence in group working. The aim is to provide
a constructive session for parents and their young children to share
together. This book will help you:
consider when and why you might like to run such a group and how it
might fit in with the provision you offer; with
ideas about what you need in terms of equipment and skills; with
suggestions for the music session that are accessible at any level of
musical ability (you do not need to be musical yourself); by
providing suggestions for supported play activities;
evaluate your sessions; with
a list of useful resources and helpful contacts.
RUMPUS
by Dr Hannah Mortimer and Catterick Garrison Health Visitors
RUMPUS stands for ‘Are youMas and Pas under stress?’ and is a
user-friendly title for what is effectively a pre-school behaviour
group. Developed by educational and child psychologist, Hannah Mortimer,
and a team of community health visitors in Catterick Garrison, the
groups aim to support young parents and their early years children where
there are particular difficulties in managing behaviour. A combination
of approaches has been developed by the team to put parents at their
ease, improve the attention skills of the children, encourage early
language and lap play, build up family relationships and provide
practical advice based on realistic expectations and week by week
management of behaviour. In this book these approaches are described and
explained.
Step by Step groups are a helpful way of
working with parents or carers whose young children need extra support
to encourage their development. Their development might be delayed in
some sense (perhaps related to a condition such as Down’s Syndrome),
they might have other special needs or they might need extra stimulation
and structure to make progress. The benefits of working in groups with
parents or carers of young children are to promote friendship and mutual
support, reduce isolation, and help adults share information and advice
in a palatable and non-threatening manner.
This book will help you set up and run such a group – providing
information on planning your provision, the type of sessions that work,
suggestions for step by step teaching and finally, evaluating and
reporting back to management.
Making Connections is all about how
to set up a therapeutic group for parents or carers who have attachment
difficulties with their young children. This will help you understand
more about patterns of attachment and provides practical ways of
designing interventions that will help build self-esteem in parents and
carers and their children and help form attachments.
In her usual readable style, Hannah Mortimer provides the underpinnings
of attachment theory and then focuses on the practical steps needed to
make support groups like this really work.
The Accelerating
Babies' Communication (ABC) programme was developed in
response to the need to provide a fun way for carers to learn how to
introduce baby signing and create the optimum communication environment
for infants. The programme runs over four sessions and combines two
excellent approaches:
teaching
babies British Sign Language (BSL) based on Joseph Garcia's Sign with
your Baby programme; and teaching
strategies from Tania Allen's Time to Talk, preverbal
communication programme.
The ABC programme can be used with parents
interested in teaching their babies to sign, as a preventative tool
where infants may be at risk of language delay or as a remedial tool
where infants are already displaying a delay in their communication.
The pack contains all you need to run the ABC programme and includes: four
session plans;
presenter's guidelines for each session;
attractive, colour transparencies (OHTs);
ready-prepared handouts for copying; tips to
help you make the programme a success;
Also available is Joseph Garcia's Sign
with your Baby Complete Learning Kit (see below). This includes a book, training
video, British Sign Language reference book, and a quick reference
guide. (£49.95 + VAT). Just out is Joseph Garcia's Complete Guide to
Baby Signing - written especially for British readers (further
details below).
ISBN
1 898873 40 2 Published 2004
A4 File 71 pages
Price £49.95
(delivery FREE in the UK; add £3 if outside the UK)
Sign with your Baby
Complete Learning Kit
by Joseph Garcia
Babies have control over their hands long
before they develop the fine motor skills required for speech. By
teaching their infants to sign, starting as early as eight months, more
and more parents, grandparents and carers are recognising the benefits
of this early communication.
This comprehensive package provides you
with an easy-to-follow method to help you and your baby begin signing.
There are illustrations and demonstrations of the most effective signs
to use. You will be amazed at how much babies can communicate with their
hands - 'I'm hungry', 'I'm thirsty' or 'I have an earache' - many months
before they can speak!
The kit includes a book, training video,
British Sign Language reference book, and a quick reference guide
Price £54.55 incl VAT
(delivery FREE in the
UK; add £3 if outside the UK)
Babies have control over their hands long
before they develop the fine motor skills required for speech. By
teaching their infants to sign, starting as early as eight months, more
and more parents, grandparents and carers are recognising the benefits
of this early communication.
This book provides detailed instruction
and a wealth of illustrations to show you how and when to use the
various signs. There is also a DVD dictionary with live-action video
clips to make it even easier.
Written especially for British readers, it
uses British Sign Language (BSL) throughout.
ISBN 1 904840 00 0
Published 2005 by Match Media Publishing 188
pages + DVD
Price £29.99 incl VAT
(delivery FREE in the
UK; add £3 if outside the UK)
This book provides a method of assessing and
recording what children can do in the Foundation Stage. Aimed especially at
teachers who have children with special educational needs in their care, it
can be used with all children and fits in well with everyday activities. It
adopts a 'one step at a time' approach and suggests ideas on how to develop
a child's repertoire of play.
Helping Children Take Part
in a Statutory Assessment of their Special Educational Needs
by Dr Hannah Mortimer
There is a requirement that all pupils be
involved in their own statutory assessment, and that their views be sought
and taken into account. Sometimes, very young children may be unable to make
their views known without additional help. This is a booklet to help young
children take part in such a statutory assessment. It is written from a
child's perspective and in such a way that children can read it themselves,
or have it read to them by an adult. It is a way of helping the child become
interested in the assessment, explaining what will happen, who the child
will meet, and encourage the child to say what kind of help he or she wants.
It also provides a framework to help the child see his/her own special
educational needs. At the end of the book a form is provided for the child
or helper to complete and use as the child's contribution to his/her
statutory assessment.
Managing
your 4-8 year-old
by Stockton-on-Tees Educational Psychology Service
This is a practical book for parents on how to
manage their young children’s behaviour positively and effectively. There
are suggestions for managing bedtimes and mealtimes, ideas for encouraging
independence and approaches for encouraging appropriate behaviour. There are
also helpful suggestions on preparing young children for nursery and school.
Special Offer on Literacy in the Early Years - only £5
baby music time;
