Setting up and using the EYFS framework

[Jules]

Please note that this tutorial is about setting up the old EYFS framework on your account. To learn about setting up the new EYFS 2021, please click here.

 

This tutorial will talk you through how to enable and use the current Early Years Foundation Stage assessment framework on Tapestry. If you are an early adopter, you can enable the new EYFS through the flags section on Tapestry. Follow the instructions in this tutorial to see how to do this. 

 

First you will need to make sure you have the EYFS framework enabled, which you can do from the Control Panel.

 

 

Then go to ‘Settings’ (1) and ‘Assessments’ (2).

 

 

Here you will see all the assessment frameworks available on Tapestry. You can click on the 'Configure' button next to the  ‘Early Years Foundation Stage’.

 

 

 

An option box will appear and from here you can select ‘Enable Early Years Foundation Stage’ (if it is disabled then it won’t show up when you make an observation or view your tracking section). You can also select whether you would like relatives to see when an assessment has been made for their child in the EYFS framework. Click on ‘Submit’ and you can begin to assess using the EYFS framework!

 

 

Making an assessment

You can assess using the EYFS through your observations. You can get to the observations page by clicking on the ‘Observations’ tab at the top left of your Tapestry screen and then the blue ‘Add Observation’ button on the top right. From here you can write your observation and add any media.

 

 

 

The tutorial here explains in more detail how to add an observation.

Once you have written your observation you can make your assessment. When you scroll to the bottom of the observation page you will see the frameworks you have already enabled. For example, enabling both the EYFS and the Characteristics of Effective Learning will allow you to assess what and how a child is learning , but you may also have enabled SEND,  Leuven and Every Child A Talker. They will appear in blue buttons at the bottom of your screen. 

 

 

Click on the Early Years Foundation Stage button to open this assessment picker. You will see the different Areas of Learning (1) and clicking on one will bring up the related aspects (2). From here you can select the age band you would like to assess this observation at (3). Once you have chosen an age band, you will see some age related statements appear (4). You can choose to select any number of these, but if there is not a statement that matches what you have observed, then you can select an age band and not a statement. You can also add a refinement (emerging, developing, secure) from the drop down box (5).

 

 

The assessments you make when you add an observation contribute towards the child’s summative assessments.

Tapestry is designed to enable you to look at the ‘bigger picture’ when making an assessment, using everything you know about a child to inform your professional judgement. The statements act as prompts to remind you of the age-related expectations for a particular age band and using these as a guide you can select your refinements accordingly. But you do not have to select statements if they do not reflect what you have recorded in your observation. If you are unsure of the bigger picture at the time you make your observation, you can decide not to add a refinement. You can always return to put in a refinement later when you have more evidence.

There is an article called ‘Observing and Assessing - Extended Tutorial for Tapestry Users’ on the FSF which gives a detailed example of using the EYFS assessment framework on Tapestry to select age bands and refinements for an observation of a child.

 

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