The DfES has funded Screen Learning, in partnership with the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust, to look at how the series of 14 Smart Cats computer games can help teachers assess children at the end of the reception year.
A recent study found that native Turkish-speaking four- and five-year-olds who do not have English as a first language scored significantly higher in emotion-recognition skills when they were assessed in their mother tongue playing the Happy Cats game (News, 18 January).
Up to 100 schools will take part in the research with a smaller focus group of 12 primary, infant and nursery schools and six special schools.
Researchers will examine the potential for the use of online profiling games in assessing children's skills and the link between profiling and the early identification of learning difficulties.
Dr Ian Walker, a cognitive psychologist at Screen Learning, said, 'This is a really exciting development in early years assessment. The games give teachers a much clearer idea of a particular child's core skills and abilities before they come to rely on these skills for their early education.'
