A strong understanding of conceptual vocabulary in the Early Years supports children’s communication and thinking and forms the foundation for later mathematical and scientific learning. The Word Aware Concepts Assessment (WACA) is an informal assessment that can be used to baseline and track children’s learning of Early Years concepts such as ‘both,’ ‘through,’ ‘whole,’ ‘direction,’ ‘altogether’ and ‘equal.’

The WACA is divided into 2 volumes, each with 3 levels, and this set contains the assessment tools needed for carrying out all 6 levels. The books are designed to be used with children aged 3-5 and beyond, across nursery and reception, and contain:

• Clear instructions for using the resource in whole class sampling, as well as with individual children, including those with additional needs.
• Assessment pages for 150 concepts across two books, brought to life with engaging illustrations.

The Word Aware Concepts Assessment is an essential tool to monitor children’s progress and provide targeted teaching. It has been designed to accompany Concept Cat, a programme which provides a whole class approach for teaching concepts and will be a valuable resource for all Early Years educators, primary teachers and speech and language therapists.

Anna Branagan is a speech and language therapist, trainer and author of practical language development resources for teachers and Speech and Language Therapists. Anna has 30 years of experience working within the NHS working with a wide range of children and families.

Stephen Parsons is a speech and language therapist, trainer and author of practical language development resources for teachers and Speech and Language Therapists. Stephen has 35 years’ experience in the field, including in Hackney and the City of London where he was Speech and Language Therapy Service Manager. He is Chair of the Raising Awareness of Developmental Language Disorder (RADLD) international committee and was Chair of NAPLIC, the UK association for professionals working with children and young people with Developmental Language Disorder, from 2016 to 2024.

Sarah Smith is a specialist speech and language therapist with over 10 years of experience working across a range of educational settings. She is a mainstream clinical lead for the children’s NHS speech and language therapy service in Worcestershire and her current clinical practice is in mainstream schools, working in partnership with families and school staff. Sarah developed the original concept screen in 2018 and is a Language for Learning trainer, delivering training for school staff and speech and language therapists.