Tapestry Policy 

We use an online system called Tapestry to document and store all observations and assessments related to each child. Tapestry is a secure and confidential platform that provides parents and carers with access to their child's learning journey at any time. It allows them to share the journey with their child, family, and friends, and contribute their own comments and photographs, enhancing our understanding of the child and strengthening the parent partnership.

 

Observation Process: Our staff use tablets to capture photographs for observations, which are then uploaded to the child's individual journal.

Secure Access: Each staff member has a unique login with password and pin protection to ensure secure access to the system.

No Unauthorised Download: Staff members are strictly prohibited from downloading any photographs of the children onto their personal devices.

Compromised Login: If any staff member suspects that their login details have been compromised, they are required to notify the setting managers immediately. New login details will be generated to maintain security. The Tapestry online Learning Journey system is hosted on dedicated servers located in the UK, ensuring data protection.

Data Ownership and Protection: All data held within our Tapestry account is owned by our setting. We are registered data controllers with the Information Commissioner's Office and adhere to the regulations of the Data Protection Act.

Photo Deletion: Photographs stored on the tablets are regularly deleted by a designated staff member to ensure data privacy.

 

Parents:

• Parents can only access their own child's Learning Journey within the system. They can contribute new observations, photos, and comments but do not have permission to edit existing content.

• We understand the importance of capturing and sharing meaningful moments of your child's learning journey. We value the involvement of parents/carers in their child's development and aim to maintain a respectful and transparent approach when it comes to photography. Prior to capturing photographs of your child, we will seek your explicit permission.

Our Options for Permission:

a) Full Participation: By granting full permission, you allow us to take photographs of your child and upload them to Tapestry, our online learning journal. These photographs may be shared with other parents/carers of children within our setting in cases such as observations of group activities.

b) Limited Sharing: If you prefer, you may choose to grant permission for photographs of your child to be shared solely with you, the parent/carer. Any photographs that include your child will not be shared with other parents/carers in this case.

c) Opt-out: Alternatively, you have the right to opt-out entirely from having photographs taken of your child. We will respect your decision, and no photographs of your child will be captured or shared.

• We are committed to respecting your family's privacy preferences. If you choose the ‘limited sharing’ option or ‘opt-out’, we will ensure that photographs of your child are not shared beyond your specified preferences. This parental consent also ensures the protection of images of other children that may appear in their child's Learning Journey.

• If you decide to change your permission preferences at any point, please notify us, and we will promptly update our records accordingly.

• For parents without internet access, we provide printed copies of all information from Tapestry, compiled into a paper-based Learning Journey. This physical record is available for viewing at the setting and can be taken home.

 

When Children Leave:

• If children transition to another setting that also uses Tapestry, we will transfer their Tapestry account to the new setting. If the new setting does not use Tapestry, we will email a PDF copy of the child's Learning Journey to the new setting.

• When a child leaves our setting to start school, we will email the parents a PDF copy of their child's Learning Journey, ensuring they have a lasting record of their child's time with us. Once this is done, the child's information and Learning Journey will be permanently deleted from our Tapestry account to ensure data security and privacy.

 

CREATED: AUGUST 2023   NEXT REVIEW: AUGUST 2024