University of Cambridge Primary School
Using Tapestry to celebrate and share children’s learning
The University of Cambridge Primary School (UCPS) opened in 2015, and is now a learning community of 660 children, from Nursery to Year 6. They’ve used Tapestry online learning journal from the beginning, for all children in their Nursery and Reception classes, and for their children with SEND throughout the school. At UCPS Teaching Assistants are called Learning Coaches. EYFS Phase Leader Charlotte Bray and Director of Inclusion and Community Aimee Durning MBE shared some of the ways they use Tapestry to capture children’s learning in their school.
Supporting Reflective Practice
At UCPS all educators reflect on their own practice. Video of teaching and learning taken via Tapestry Observations supports this reflection. The Learning Coaches have a short weekly meeting together, and video observations of children learning can be used as a talking point:
I think it’s important we use Tapestry as a reflective tool to help us in all that we do. I watched a video the other day with a colleague supporting a child; we considered our practice in the video to make sure that we were doing our best. It’s an opportunity to reflect back and think, does it link to our teaching and learning policy? Within that moment has it captured our values? Is there something we could be doing differently?
Capturing children’s learning and progress
When children reach personal milestones, a photo or video of these can be shared with them, their families and other staff members:
What’s great with Tapestry is that you capture those moments that the rest of the team can’t see because they’re in another classroom. Then later you can look back at the observations made that day and see a child reach a milestone within a little video. There they are, and it’s just so fantastic.
UCPS use Tapestry to share Wow! moments with the team back at base when children go on school trips, connecting everyone together. And when the children return, their self-esteem develops as different staff members celebrate their achievements.
Supporting children with SEND, and their families
Staying connected with children and families living with SEND is really important to the school community at UCPS. To make sure everyone is ready for individual children as they arrive at school, parents and carers use Tapestry to inform staff about how their child is feeling each day:
Some parents use it as a communication tool to let us know how their child’s morning has been before they arrive in school just to give us their heads up in case we need a different approach for when they walk through the door. So that’s really helpful.
All of the children with EHCPs at UCSPS use the Cherry Garden Branch Maps.
Our Learning Coaches and Teachers are able to assess children in the moment and match this to a branch, add it to a Tapestry post and share with parents. Or it might be we take pictures of their books and what they’ve put in there, or an activity they’ve taken part in and share that with parents and carers.
Aimee says that the Cherry Garden framework helps the team to positively frame conversations with parents, avoiding a deficit model and focussing on children’s learning to enable discussions about growth, progress and celebration.
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