EYFS Tapestry Introduction Letter
13 September 2021
Tapestry – Online Learning Journey
Dear Parents/Carers,
As your child begins to settle into the routines at Uphill Village Academy I would like to introduce you to the system we use to record each child’s individual ‘learning journey’, called ‘Tapestry’. This is a secure, web-based system which enables staff to record photos, videos and observations of your child’s learning and development within the Early Years Foundation Stage (Reception).
The first priority parent/carer will have access to your child’s Learning Journey through a secure username and password. This will enable you to follow your child’s individual progress closely and you can reflect upon their achievements at home, with your child. You can also add your own comments so that we find out about which activities your child really enjoyed and the learning they get up to at home.
Tapestry can be accessed on a computer or a laptop and also on any Apple or Android device such as a tablet or smartphone. The safeguarding of our children in very important to us. Everything that is added to Tapestry is contained within the school’s account and can only be viewed by the school staff who use the system. Parents/carers will only have access to their own child’s Learning Journey and this cannot be seen by other parents/carers.
In order to accurately record children’s learning and development, it is possible that photographs or videos will contain images of more than one child, i.e. group photographs. These images help to record interactions with other children, which is one of the Early Years goals. In these cases, the information will be added to the Learning Journeys of all the children appearing in the photo/video. If you do not wish images of your child to be included in another child’s Learning Journey please inform the school office in writing and we will ensure they are not used in this way. You have the right to make or change this decision at any time.
Attached to this letter you will find some Frequently Asked Questions about the system and a Parents’ Guide. I would also like to signpost you to the Tapestry website where you will find lots of information and videos: https://eyfs.info/tapestry-info/introduction. Further information regarding the security of Tapestry can be found at: https://tapestry.info/features/secure.html.
Account details will be sent via email by 5pm on Wednesday 15 September, to the first priority contact details you have already provided to the school. If you have any further questions or issues, please do not hesitate to speak with your child’s class teacher or myself.
With regards
Mrs Samantha Hodder
Principal