Q. Why was the EYFS Tracker developed?
A. The EYFS Tracker was initially developed in 2008 by Mime working in partnership with the Early Years team in the London Borough of Wandsworth. Wandsworth needed an easy to use system to help their settings demonstrate the impact of their work to Ofsted, as well as to parents. Since then the Tracker has been used by hundreds of schools, nurseries and childminders across England and abroad to track the progress of tens of thousands of children.
Q. How do we get started on the Tracker?
A. As the system is web-based, there is nothing to install or set up, and once you have created an account you can get started straight away (we don't need your credit card details to sign up).
You can sign yourself up for our free 6 week trial by filling in your details on the registration form here.
To start tracking, you will simply need to enter details for your children in the My Children section. As a minimum, you need to include their first name and surname, and year group or date of birth (although more information allows you to customise the analysis reports further). You can then go to the Results section, select the relevant cohort and term from the drop-down list, and start recording your judgements.
Q. Which frameworks and/or guidance do you support in the EYFS Tracker?
A. We offer a range of tracking options in the EYFS Tracker, including:
- A) The old statutory EYFS framework which applied until 31st August 2021, and the Development Matters 2012 non-statutory guidance (by Early Education). Practitioners can still access this option on our legacy EYFS Tracker site after 31st August 2021.
- B) The revised statutory EYFS framework 2021 (which is very similar to the Early Adopter framework) is effective from 1st September 2021. From September 2021, practitioners can use this on the EYFS Tracker alongside the new DfE Development Matters 2020 guidance. This is the default option for new subscribers.
- C) From September 2021, practitioners can choose to use the EYFS Tracker with the new Birth to 5 Matters non-statutory guidance. Settings should get in touch with us if they would like to use Birth to 5 Matters.
The table below summarises these options:
Q. How was the new DfE Development Matters and new EYFS Framework adapted for the EYFS Tracker?
A. When designing the site for the new DfE Development Matters, we consulted with a working group of early adopters to look at how they would like to use the new guidance in their tracking.
You may have noticed that the Development Matters statements are split into Early Learning Goal (ELG) areas on the EYFS Tracker, but not in the Development Matters document. Our early adopter steering group felt it would be most useful to analyse progress in terms of the ELG areas, rather than just the broader Areas of Learning (AoLs). We worked closely with the steering group to agree which statements fit into each ELG area.
For example, instead of looking at overall progress in the Literacy AoL, our steering group wanted to look in more detail, to see progress for each of the separate ELG areas of Comprehension, Word Reading and Writing. This is particularly useful for identifying specific areas where a child or groups of children are struggling, as well as to see the effects of any interventions. For example, an intervention targeting a child’s reading and comprehension may not affect your assessment in Writing for that child.
Early adopters also felt that given the very broad range of the Birth to three age band, it would be important to keep the high, medium or low options. These are flexible - you can decide as a setting what your definition of high, medium or low in a band means, or not use them if you wish.
Although the new EYFSP will not have an ‘Exceeding’ option, our early adopters thought it would still be useful to have an ‘Exceeding EL Goals’ age stage option, to flag children who may benefit from more stretch.
With helpful feedback from our early adopter steering group, we have developed the system to allow you to track progress in line with the new framework, but still have the handy EYFS Tracker features you are used to, which help you to really understand the progress of your children.
Q. How much does the EYFS Tracker cost?
A. The price of the tracker depends on how many children you plan to use on the system. Please email us at eyfs@mimeconsulting.co.uk with an indication of the number of children or forms of entry you have, and we will let you know the cost. Licence costs cover unlimited use for as many users as you require on the system, technical support and free upgrades.
Q. What security measures and backup policies do you have in place?
A. We take security of your sensitive data very seriously and as such:
- Security certificates are used on the website, similar to those employed by banks, to help prevent hacking.
- Data is held on a secure server, with multiple levels of 24/7 security.
- All our employees that have access to the system are DBS checked.
- The system locks automatically after a number of minutes non-use, to ensure that a computer left unattended will not allow access to the system.
- All user passwords are encrypted and only known to users themselves.
- Where handling personal data, Mime Consulting shall abide by the terms of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
- We adhere to a strict Information Security and Data Protection Policy (available on request) to ensure compliance with GDPR. All employees and sub-contractors requiring access to confidential or Sensitive Data sign to confirm their acceptance of this policy.
- We are registered with the Information Commissioners Office (reference number: Z1059351) and have a data sharing agreement with the Department for Education (only available to companies passing a series of strict security standards).
All data is backed up and encrypted to a further ‘offsite’ location daily as part of the service which we manage.
Q. Are you GDPR compliant?
A. Yes, our systems and processes are aligned with GDPR. For more information please refer to our EYFS Tracker GDPR Key Facts document.
Q. Which Internet browsers can I use the Tracker on?
A. The EYFS Tracker has been tested on all modern web browsers (including Firefox and Chrome) but works best with Internet Explorer.
Q. Can I track from Entry?
A. Yes, you can choose to have an assessment “On Entry” in each year.
Q. What happens at the end of my 6 week trial?
A. If you want to sign up for the EYFS Tracker, you can let us know at any point during your 6 week free trial and we'll simply 'extend' your Username(s). Any data entered during the trial period would still be available to you if you do choose to go ahead.
Q. What training and support do you offer?
A. The EYFS Tracker is very easy to get to grips with, you won't need any training to get up and running. Each screen on the Tracker has a dedicated help page accessible by clicking the button in the top right corner. You can get get an overview of the functionality by watching the video demo. We also offer monitored email support for our subscribers.
We are also able to offer training sessions, depending on demand and also attend Early Years exhibitions where you can come and see us to ask any questions.
Q. How can I find out more about the Tracker?
A. If you haven’t already, please view the 10 minute video which takes you through most of the key features of the Tracker. You can also take a free, no risk 6 week trial to explore the features for yourself. If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us at eyfs@mimeconsulting.co.uk, or call us on 0208 099 4240.
Q. Will you send spam to my email address?
A. No. We take your confidentiality very seriously and will never pass your email address or details on to any third party. Your details and the details of the children you enter are held on our secure server as described above.
Q. Who are Mime and what else do you do?
A. Mime is a specialist consultancy focusing on the intelligent use of data to aid decision making. In addition to designing and developing the EYFS Tracker, we offer a range of management information (MI) consultancy services, including research, analysis, visualisations, managed services and capacity building. We also specialise in user-friendly software and website design to help automate data collection, analysis and reporting. Check our website for more information.
Q. How does the EYFS Tracker use cookies?
A. In common with most websites, we use cookies and other standard Internet technologies to help us improve the service we provide. You can use the settings within your browser to control the cookies that are set on your computer or mobile device. To find out how to see what cookies have been set and how to reject and delete cookies, please visit www.aboutcookies.org
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