Tapestry/******??

[Miss freckles]

I really really need to start cutting down on paperwork as I have no time after working and I'm getting behind and I really want to be spending my weekends with my family doing non work stuff!!

I've heard about going online as its a lot quicker but I don't know where to start. Which is best for our job, or do they both do the same thing? Our local school and nursery have just started using tapestry but my friend who works there hates using it and prefers the pen and paper route.

My other concern is that I struggle getting parents to write or sigh anything I send out they don't even bother to read daily diaries let alone write in them. So I'm a little concerned that if im online they won't wven log in themselves at all and I'll have no evidence to show ofsted of working in partnership.

So I'm looking for some advice really in which is the best online service, are Ofsted happy with everything being online and no physical learning journeys. Does it cut down on paperwork and should I take the plunge thank you in advanced I'm very confused.

[loocyloo]

I use 2simple. It only does obs and you can use a smart phone/tablet /pc. I find it really easy.

Each month I can see which areas each child has covered and print the obs out to go in LJ. I also save a copy and email that to parents (along with invoices ;-) ) I ask parents to let me know they have seen the obs.
So even if parents don't respond, I have evidence I sent them!

You don't need to print them, you could keep them online/or save them into a file for each child.

I write brief daily diary each day as we go through the day-I write them up at snack/lunch/nap/tea.

xx

[Pixie dust]

Hi
I had my inspection recently and I use Tapestry...the inspector was happy with it, I just set it up on my computer so she could look through them, I explained how I used it. To be honest I have found parents are more interested in this than the paper versions. It shows when parents log in so you can use this as evidence, some of my parents add their own comments which is great. Last year I had a child who went to nursery as well as mine. It can take a little while to get used to the set up. Tapestry is only for learning journeys where some other online packages do everything.

[Miss freckles]

Thank you, that's great information to take on board for me to think about.

[FloraDora]

I use one with baby in the title - it's actual name will be starred out.
Ofsted Inspector had been on training with the company so knew her way around.
I like it as it is easy to add LO's and CofL to your observations and gives reports and graphs to analyse progress. Parents can upload photos to it and comments and you can set and review next steps.you can upload videos too.
It also has a place for policies, fire drills, everything medical, attendance register, invoices and accounts and contracts, parents can sign online, messages and newsletters and questionnaires. The invoices can be sent from here. The parents can see the menus too.

It has got some planning too and activity ideas for next steps but I don't use these.

[samb]

I use the same as floradora. Only started in June this year and it has massively transformed my way of working. I feel I am up to date all the time. It is so quick and easy to pop on. I even write my full weekly menu in for my family ready to do my shopping list. I have recently sent out feedback forms to parents and I had one who said she would prefer daily diary to be paper. Her reason was cos she had 2 other children with online things at their settings and she felt it was too much logging in to everything each day. I have therefore gone back to using an exercise book for this Child's daily diary although have told mum I won't be able to write in as much as I did online and she has been fine with that. Also another family with twins just never seem to login and so again I have gone back to paper for the diary for them. Both parents have already commented how they now have less photos. I don't think you can win with some parents. With paper learning journeys they only saw them termly and would maybe have 15 photos in that time. With online diaries, I put photos some of them I linked into the learning journeys and others I just put in for the parents meaning they may have had a few a day! I pointed out they could go back to logging in to have more photos as I won't be printing off photos every day for diaries. I think this is fair enough.

I did a trial with the other one you mentioned and I did like it especially the layout but it was too big when printing it out for my liking and too many next steps. Although I think this could be changed. But also it only did the learning journey stuff.

The one I use does everything and I really like that it is all in one place.

I haven't had an inspection since using it but feel totally comfortable to talk anyone around it and at the end of the day I use what I want to use to make my business what I want it to be and even if an inspector liked paper I don't see why I should use paper just to please an inspector. I regularly ask parents what they want and adapt to individuals and I am hoping that they see this as a positive when they do inspect me!

[hectors house]

I use Tapestry - parents didn't used to write anything on my comments sheet when they took paper LJ home, very occasionally wrote "lovely photos" - now with Tapestry I have lots of replies, I put on an observation this morning of a gymnastic free play session I took children to last Friday, within 30 mins I had a reply, just "thank you for taking L to the gym today, looks like they all had great fun and love the video of her on the balance beam". A photo wouldn't have shown the wobbles, hesitation, perseverance and the pride in achieving her goal.

It's also great for separated parents as the father can also have a log in and share what their child has done with me during the week - it's great for parents to look at with their child at home and then the child can fill them in with what they did and how much they enjoyed it, rather than the parent asking "what have you done today" and child replying "can't remember or nothing"!

It saves time as I often write up an observation, add all 3 children's names, download all the photos then go into edit and split into separate observations, delete photos that don't apply and amend it to make it applicable to that individual child - it saves me writing up the same thing 3 times and downloading 3 lots of photos.

I have a child who also attends a Nursery that uses Tapestry, they do their LJ & I do mine but we can log in to the child's journal at the other setting and see the same information as the parents. I can see when the key worker has logged in to look and have that date as evidence for Ofsted that we are sharing information, I have also commented on one of their observations but they haven't commented on any of mine so far.

[alex__17]

With tapestry can I add a photo and write a little paragraph, then print them all off every so often I can still keep things in a file for each child?

[moggy]

With tapestry can I add a photo and write a little paragraph, then print them all off every so often I can still keep things in a file for each child?

Yes, you can download learning journal as pdf at any time.

[hectors house]

I don't print LJ's anymore - when child leaves I give it to the parent on a CD, or if they haven't got a CD drive on any devices I ask them to supply a usb memory stick and convert it to pdf. All the photos save but not the videos.

[Miss freckles]

This is all great information everyone, thank you.