As we discussed in Learning – EYFS area at Blossoming Buddies we adhere to the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) standards. We explained what the EYFS is and how we deliver it. The link below is a brilliant document on What to expect, when? from the EYFS. It’s a guidance to your child’s learning and development in the early years foundation stage.
https://www.foundationyears.org.uk/files/2015/03/4Children_ParentsGuide_2015_WEB.pdf
Learning Journal/Tapestry
One way in which we share your child’s learning and development is through Tapestry our online learning journal.
What is a Learning Journal?
The Early Years Foundation Stage Statutory Framework requires practitioners to provide ongoing assessment (also known as formative assessment) as an integral part of the learning and development process to help parents, carers and practitioners to recognise children’s progress, understand their needs, and to plan activities and support. It involves practitioners observing children to understand their level of achievement, interests and learning styles, and to then shape learning experiences for each child reflecting those observations. In their interactions with children, practitioners should respond to their own day-to-day observations about children’s progress and observations that parents and carers share.
This is achieved through providing the parents with a Learning Journal. A Learning Journal refers to a collection of different documents collected by early years practitioners that provide a picture of a child’s development under the areas of learning identified in the EYFS through observations made by practitioners including notes of relevant conversations or comments made by the child. Practitioners link any observations to the EYFS curriculum guidance. The aim is to build a unique picture of what each child knows, feels and can do as well as his / her particular interests and learning style. This picture can then be used to pinpoint learning priorities and plan relevant and motivating learning experiences and next steps. Keeping track of when statements are achieved will help to identify evidence needs to be targeted in an observation.
Tapestry Learning Journal:
We use an online system called Tapestry to create each child’s Learning Journal, to record and store all observations and assessments relating to each child. This is a safe and secure system and one that enables parents and carers to access their child’s learning journey at any time. They can share it with their child, family and friends at home and also post any comments and photographs of their own, helping to create a fully holistic view of the child and strengthen the parent partnership.
Each child has a Key Person assigned to them who is responsible for the compilation of each child’s Learning Journal.
What is Tapestry:
Online learning journal used to help educators and parents to record, track and celebrate children’s progress in early years education. Tapestry allows staff and parents to access the information from any computer via a personal, password-protected login.
Secure profile:
- Each child has their own profile on the system.
- Each parent is given a secure login for their child’s profile.
- The activation process is started by setting, the parent or carer is emailed by Tapestry giving them a link to set up their own secure password to the system.
- Each parent can only see the profile of their own children and / or other children they care for (where permission has been given by the parent).
- Parents logging into the system are only able to see their own child’s Learning Journey.
Email notifications:
- When you first login to the system parents can edit their personal information and opt in to receiving an email when a new observation is added to their child’s journal. To do this – you click on your name at the top right hand side of the screen and then Edit Preferences from the drop down menu.
What is Tapestry used for:
- Observations on a child will include notes, photographs and at times videos. The results of the observation will be linked to the Early Years Foundation Stage and Characteristics of effective learning. The child’s next steps will be explored.
- At the end of each term the parents will be sent a complete learning Journal linking all of the observations.
- Each day a care diary will be completed for each child including all vital information such as food eaten, toileting, naps, medical intervention, accidents and any other comments.
We encourage parents to add comments to observations and daily diaries if necessary. Parent access allows input of new observations and photos or the addition of comments on existing observations and photos – parent log-ins do not have the necessary permission to edit existing material.