Log In
Try Tapestry
We're hiring!
Try Tapestry for Free

The Tapestry Early Years Survey 2026

A Data Report by Tapestry

Survey Open 23rd April - 29th May 2026

Since 2020, we’ve asked the early years sector how it’s really doing. This year, 637 early years educators told us what’s happening on supervision, Ofsted readiness, and the fast-rising use of AI in their day-to-day work.

Here’s what they said.

Contents

Staff supervision - More than a tick-box exercise

Ofsted & inclusion - Prepared, but not always clear

Use of AI - The sector's quiet AI adoption

Appendix - Who we surveyed

Supervision icon

Staff Supervision

More than a tick-box exercise

Supervision isn’t just a box to tick for early years staff – over three quarters of those who took part in the survey cited that it helps them to manage stress and workload, improves their wellbeing, and offers a sense of belonging.

0
%

believe staff supervision is very or extremely important

0
%

only get supervision once or twice a year

0
%

said the quality of their supervision affects whether they’d stay in their role

Tapestry Survey 2026 illustration of a staff supervision

What's limiting the effectiveness of supervision?

Respondents could select multiple answers.

41%
Lack of time
35%
Staff shortages
18%
Supervision isn't frequent enough

How often does supervision happen?

47% Once a term
Once a term
25% Every 5–8 weeks
Every 5–8 weeks
16% Twice a year or less
Twice a year or less
13% Only when required
Only when required
5% Not at all
Not at all

Not everyone agreed that supervision needed to happen more often.

A couple of respondents pushed back the other way:

"[Supervision is] too frequent so lack things to talk about as talk to staff all of the time anyway."

"[Supervision is] too often, it needs to be termly and if I have a problem I can go to the manager anytime."

Only a small minority, but their words serve as a useful reminder that “more supervision” isn’t a universal fix; frequency has to match need for it to be effective.

Trusting educators supports their growth

Supporting educators isn’t about ticking boxes or chasing data targets; it’s about trust. When staff feel genuinely valued for who they are, not just what percentages they hit, they’re better able to attune to children’s needs. In the video below, Stephen and Becca of Tapestry’s in-house Education Team explore why performance management should be person-focused, not just process-focused.

Supervision: Key Takeaways

Early years educators value supervision, but workforce pressure is making it harder to access.

Nearly half said supervision quality is a factor in their choice to stay in their current role.

Time, not willingness, is the real blocker, but its not just frequency – supervision also has to be useful.

Supervision Resource

Want to revisit supervision in your setting? Tapestry’s co-founder, Dr Helen Edwards, has put together a comprehensive Beginner’s Guide to Staff Supervision, packed with useful information on statutory guidance, what Ofsted are expecting and best practices. The guide also contains worksheets, with space to answer reflective questions, come up with ideas and make additional notes.

There are two versions of the guide; one that can be printed and written on, and one that you can save to your computer or device and fill in digitally.

Download the interactive version
Download the printable version
Inclusion icon

Ofsted and inclusion

Prepared, but not always clear

Despite ongoing debate about the new inspection framework, most settings said they felt ready for Ofsted’s focus on inclusion – even if the guidance itself could be clearer.

0
%

told us they feel very well prepared for Ofsted’s inclusion focus

A further 32% felt they were moderately prepared, which means nearly 9 in 10 early years educators feel at least moderately ready for Ofsted’s inclusion focus, even amid ongoing debate about the new inspection framework.

A further 32% felt they were moderately prepared, which means nearly 9 in 10 early years educators feel at least moderately ready for Ofsted’s inclusion focus, even amid ongoing debate about the new inspection framework.

0
%

said they feel very confident they could evidence inclusive practice if inspected tomorrow

0
%

of respondents believe that Ofsted’s guidance on inclusion is clear

57% however felt the guidance from Ofsted was only moderately clear. Preparedness is strong; clarity hasn’t quite caught up.
57% however felt the guidance from Ofsted was only moderately clear. Preparedness is strong; clarity hasn’t quite caught up.
Tapestry Survey 2026 illustration of a family with a SEN child

How confident do educators feel evidencing inclusive practice?

Confidence seemed to follow a similar shape to preparedness – most educators landed somewhere between “very” and “fairly” confident, with only 1 in 10 saying they wouldn’t feel confident at all if inspected tomorrow.

33%
Feel very confident
54%
Feel fairly confident
10%
Don't feel confident

Inclusion Is Just Good Teaching

Is inclusion its own separate strategy, or just what good teaching already looks like? In this video, Stephen makes the case that high-quality inclusion comes down to knowing your children well, rather than a standalone document ticking a box.

Inclusion: Key Takeaways

Early years educators feel more prepared for Ofsted’s inclusion focus than the wider sector narrative suggests.

Confidence is real, but guidance could be sharper: a third want more clarity, not more pressure.

Looking for more resources around inclusion in educational settings? Tapestry’s SEND Advisor and Outreach Teacher, Stephen Kilgour, has written/co-written several guides on responsive provision, as well as created a downloadable library of free support and timetable symbols for educators to use in their settings and schools.

Explore the Inclusive Practice area

Opens on our Education site

AI icon

Use of AI

The sector's quiet AI adoption

AI use among early years educators has jumped since last year, but guidance and training don’t appear to have kept pace.

0
%
told us they have used AI to support their job in the last 6 months

+ 13pts increase in AI use since the 2025 survey

0
%

of these said AI is saving them time on admin and paperwork

How it's grown:

Last year, a third (33%) of early years educators told us they’d used AI. This year, that’s up to 46% – the clearest sign yet that AI has moved from experiment to habit for a growing share of the sector.

Tapestry Survey 2026 illustration of a practitioner using AI

What they're using it for:

Writing communications to parents and carers
58%
Research
44%
Writing policies or risk assessments
34%
Planning activities or next steps for children
30%

How much time is it saving?

Nearly half of the respondents who said they are using AI (45%) claim to be saving 1–3 hours a week.

Almost 1 in 10 (9%) said they are saving 5+ hours a week.

But educators feel guidance is still unclear

Only 31% of settings have provided guidance on using AI to their staff, with only 21% providing any training.

55% said they’d need more training to get the most out of AI before attempting to use it.

Use of AI Resource

Thinking of introducing AI tools as part of your workflow? Early Childhood Technology and Online Safety Advisor Richard Waite gave us a simple list of 5 Do’s and Don’ts for using AI in the Early Years to help you get started.

Download the AI Do's & Don'ts

Why some aren't using AI

Respondents could select multiple answers.

39%
Don't know enough about it
28%
Don't feel it's relevant
27%
Feel AI has no place in Early Years
20%
No time to explore

For the 27% who feel AI has no place in early years, the objection often isn’t about the sector at all, it’s environmental and ethical:

"I think AI is environmentally, and morally, disastrous and actively avoid using it in my personal and professional lives."

"AI uses vast amounts of fresh water, pollutes areas in its immediate vicinity, and is trained on stolen data. It also is highly flawed and often 'hallucinates', thus proving it to be a poor and sometimes dangerous tool."

"AI is awful. AI is going to reduce productivity. Read books instead."

Others simply said it was “unnecessary,” or that they “do not agree with AI” – a stance, rather than a skills or knowledge gap.

Some practitioners however are using AI more as a tool to support the work they already do:

"I teach childminders how to use AI safely, efficiently and uniquely to their setting. It's now a CPD-approved course."

"I use AI as a tool only to help me write targets and strategies for the graduated approach. I always then put it into my own words. It is important to use AI as a tool and not a reliable way to work."

That range, from outright refusal to CPD-accredited training, is telling: only around a quarter of the surveyed sector object to AI in principle. For most of the rest, it isn’t resistance holding them back, but practical barriers – time, confidence, and knowing where to start.

Use of AI: Key Takeaways

AI adoption in early years is accelerating fast, faster than sector guidance can keep up.

1 in 4 educators believe AI has no place in early years at all, often on environmental or ethical grounds rather than practicality.

Some educators are already using AI thoughtfully, as a tool, not a shortcut, and even training others to do the same.
Training seems to be what’s missing: over half want more of it.

Are you AI ready? Tapestry Education Team members Jack Dabell and Ben Case explore the increase in AI use in the early years sector, and provide some practical steps for nursery managers and policy-writers who are interested in using AI in their setting, or wish to provide guidance to their staff who may already be using it.

Read the article 'Are educators AI ready?'

Opens on our Education site

Appendix: who we surveyed

Overall, 980 people began the survey, with 637 from the early years sector participating beyond the background questions.

Their roles:

Qualified responses came from educators working within the early years sector, with strong representation from managers, practitioners, and childminders:

  • Childminder – 229
  • Early Years Practitioner – 181
  • Early Years Manager – 223
  • Early Years Teacher – 49
  • Reception Teacher – 54
  • SENCo (Early Years Setting) – 23
  • Trainee EYFS – 6
  • Other (Within Early Years) – 215

Responses to the individual questions varied and were lower than the overall sample size. Percentages have been rounded to nearest whole number.

Using the Care Diary

Give parents a clear picture of their child’s day, from feeding and napping to accidents, incidents and medication. Log everything in one place, let parents sign off forms digitally from their own device, and use dedicated reports to spot patterns and support safeguarding.
Device showing the Care Diary modal for a child on Tapestry

Tapestry CPD

Tapestry CPD offers high-quality, flexible professional development for your team. Created in-house in collaboration with sector experts, courses cover a variety of topics from child development, to getting the most from Tapestry.

Certificates are available on completion, and everything is included as part of a Tapestry subscription.

Screenshot of Tapestry's CPD homepage, with an illustration of an educator at a laptop.

An example Reflection

The Early Years manager at Tapestry Primary School, Gabriel, has noticed issues with storing objects for loose parts play. He adds his thoughts to Tapestry as a reflection, and outlines what he hopes to achieve.

An illustration of an Early Years manager, Gabriel, adding a reflection to Tapestry.

His co-manager, Jules, thinks it would be great to get the children’s families involved, and comments on the reflection to say she’ll speak to the Head about sending out a letter to parents.

Comments from staff members on a Tapestry reflection.

Staff member Katie reports that after the letter is sent out, several parents have brought in some excellent repurposed items to use for Gabriel’s idea.

Tapestry Reflections are designed to be returned to as many times as needed – Gabriel, Katie and Jules can keep adding comments, and report on the impact once everything has come together!

Tapestry Reflections

The Reflections area of Tapestry is a structured, staff-only space for understanding the impact of your provision. You can add individual reflections to record thoughts about specific children, your practice, or even procedures within your setting. Capture notes individually or collaborate as a team to share insights, highlight strengths, and plan meaningful next steps for children and your school or setting.

Reflection talking about purchasing diverse and inclusive books for a setting, with comments from staff members agreeing and making suggestions.

Using Documents

Tapestry’s Documents feature gives you a secure, central space to store and share important files with families and staff. Whether it’s policies, forms, or helpful resources, everything is easy to organise and access when needed.

You can control who sees each document, with built-in virus scanning for added peace of mind.

Screenshot of Tapestry's Documents feature, showing the files and folders that can be used to organise documents.

Unlimited Media

Tapestry allows you to upload unlimited photos, videos, documents, and audio, making it easy to capture and share children’s learning in ways that feel natural and meaningful. Visual media helps bring observations to life, supporting understanding for all families, regardless of language or confidence with written communication.

With no limits, you can focus on what matters most – the moments themselves.

Device showing the media picker on Tapestry, showcasing the different media types you can add to Tapestry via the app.

By encouraging Family Observations

Tapestry allows relatives to add their own observations from home, helping you build a fuller picture of each child’s development. These moments offer valuable insight into a child’s interests, experiences, and achievements beyond the setting.

By involving families, you can create a more connected and meaningful view of each child’s learning.

Device showing an observation being uploaded by a family member on Tapestry.

Using Reports

With Tapestry’s Reports feature, you can choose from a range of ready-made templates or design your own using a flexible editor. This makes it easy to create reports that reflect your approach and your school or setting’s needs.

Reports can be shared with families, helping you communicate each child’s progress, development, and next steps clearly.

Screenshots of a report written on Tapestry, about a child's transition between age groups.

Using Messaging

Tapestry’s Messaging feature makes it easy to communicate directly with relatives in a secure, familiar environment. Whether it’s a quick update before the day begins or a follow-up afterwards, conversations stay clear, private, and easy to manage.

Device showing a messaging conversation with a parent on Tapestry.

Using Activities

With Tapestry’s Activities feature, staff can share ideas for learning at home, helping families stay connected to their child’s development. Activities can be simple, flexible, and easy to fit into everyday routines, making it easier for parents and carers to get involved.

Families can also respond with their own observations, supporting a more complete view of each child’s journey.

Device showing an activity linked to an observation.

Using Memos

Tapestry’s Memos feature allows staff to send messages to groups of relatives, making it easy to share announcements, reminders, and important updates in one place. Staff can even use Memos to introduce themselves to families before a child’s first day, helping everyone feel familiar and prepared ahead of the transition. Everything stays within Tapestry, helping communication remain clear, consistent, and easy to access.
Mobile device showing a Memo uploaded by a teacher, introducing himself to children and their families who are starting in his class soon.

Using Messaging

Tapestry’s Messaging feature allows you to communicate directly with individual staff members or relatives, keeping conversations private, secure, and easy to follow. It’s ideal for sharing updates, asking questions, or having more personal conversations about a child’s day.

Device showing a messaging conversation on Tapestry.

Using the Admin Toolkit

As part of Tapestry’s Admin Toolkit, you can transfer child profiles, together with their connected relatives, between Tapestry accounts. This ensures their learning journey continues smoothly, even as they move settings.

Alongside this, you can customise your account, schedule posts in advance, add unlimited staff and relatives, store unlimited data, and tailor notification settings to suit your team.

Photo of a laptop showing the modal for transferring children open.

Bring it all together

Each part of Tapestry strengthens the next. Use Memos to share reminders or keep everyone aligned for the week ahead. Follow up with Direct Messaging when a parent needs reassurance, a quick clarification, or a more personal conversation. Set Activities to extend learning beyond the classroom – whether it’s practising spellings, noticing maths in the real world, or encouraging creative thinking at home.
Laptop showing the Tapestry main login screen, surrounded by the icons for Observations, Assessments, Reflections, Care Diary, Management System, Invoicing, Activities and Memos.
Together, they keep communication clear, learning connected, and families involved in the everyday life of your classroom.

Bring it all together

Each feature on Tapestry supports the next. Observations capture the everyday moments of learning, with flags helping you highlight what matters as you go. If a child needs extra support, the Areas of Concern screen brings those flagged moments together so you can see everything in one place and from there, Reflections help you plan and record the actions you want to take.

Laptop showing the Tapestry main login screen, surrounded by the icons for Observations, Assessments, Reflections, Care Diary, Management System, Invoicing, Activities and Memos.

Together, they help you celebrate the small moments, notice emerging needs, and plan thoughtful support for every child.

Using Bespoke Frameworks

Build your own curriculum using a CSV file, ready to import into Tapestry. You can create your own areas, aspects, statements and scales, organise them into a structure that suits your setting, and assess against them in observations.

screenshot of importing a bespoke framework onto Tapestry.

Using Flags

Flags allow you to label an observation with specific points of reference, such as the EYFS areas, celebrations, or custom flags you have created. Once applied, these flags can be viewed and filtered for a specific child, or the whole setting, helping you quickly locate relevant observations.

Photo of a child with their educational practitioner, painting together in the classroom. Different Tapestry flags surround the photo, showing the areas of learning and celebrations tagged in the observation.

Using the Areas of Concern Screen

The Areas of Concern screen gives you one place to note where a child may need more support across the EYFS areas. Any observations you’ve flagged in those areas appear here automatically, making it easy to look back at what you’ve seen and what it relates to. You can also start reflections from this screen, helping you keep track of the support you’re planning, 

Screenshot of Tapestry's Areas of Concerns screen, with comments from a reflection that staff have started about a child.

Using Reflections

Use structured staff-only reflections to understand the impact of your provision. Make notes for yourself, or work as a team to share insights, highlight strengths, and plan meaningful next steps for children, or for your setting as a whole.

Reflection talking about purchasing diverse and inclusive books for a setting, with comments from staff members agreeing and making suggestions.

Using Tapestry’s Monitoring tools

Whether you’re using EYFS flags, working with specific frameworks, or building your own curriculum, Tapestry keeps everything in one place. Our monitoring screens give you a clear, holistic picture so you can celebrate strengths and plan for what comes next.

Selection of Tapestry's monitoring tools

Using Observations

Tapestry’s Observations feature allows you to capture photos, videos, notes, and audio in the moment. Add area flags and assessments, link other observations and activities, and build each child’s journal — then share updates with families with a single tap.

Device showing the observations list on Tapestry.