EYFS reception “flags” help / advice

[Mamato2girlss]

Hello, my daughter started reception this term and her school uses an app called Tapestry. There’s a few posts on there with pictures of her in school and I have seen underneath each post is an area highlighted named “flags”… as below

EYFS 2021
Communication and language
Personal, social and emotional development
Physical development
Understanding the world
Expressive arts and design

There is literally zero chance of a quick handover at drop off or collection - the school are very quick to send them off and avoid eye contact so I haven’t heard a peep (I guess what parents evening is for!) but reading these I am spiralling a little. Feeling like I haven’t supported her enough. She is super shy (all my three are, myself included when I was small) so I expect the top two but can anyone explain more re the three later sections ? I have x3 under age 5 so my time is split and I’m feeling I’ve really done her a disservice. Can anyone in a similar situation report on any feedback they have had like this? Are these flags normal for this stage or do I need to worry? Thanks

Hi, I may be mistaken but I think the flags were to do with the activity they were doing, so you could see what elements of the curriculum they were working on. Not flagging up issues per se.

i’m sure you’re a fantastic mummy, please don’t worry so

They are the areas of the curriculum:
Communication and language
Personal, social and emotional development
Physical development
Understanding the world
Expressive arts and design

Presumably they are uploading children's work or photos of activities and then 'flagging'/tagging them to show which areas of the curriculum they are working on with that activity.

As above, if I remember correctly from DS’s preschool using the app, the flags are just to show you the curriculum areas that were covered during the activity.

Have they provided you with any info on how the app works? If not email the teacher and ask if she can provide an explanation (other parents not used to Tapestry may also be thinking the same as you) or point you to an explanation in the app

I work in EYFS and use Tapestry, the flags are there just to highlight what skills/curriculum areas they are covering during the activity detailed. Please try not to worry! 3 under 5 is a lot of work and it's still very early in the year so even IF she had areas to work on, she's very much still settling and if your teachers do have any concerns at any point they will raise them with you.

I hope I can also help put your mind to rest OP, my DC has also just started reception and they also use Tapestry - same as the replies above it is referencing the different areas of curriculum that were covered in the activity/ activities. Nothing to worry about at all and sorry the school didn’t explain this better for you. I love the cute photos and descriptions that come via Tapestry (my eldest also had it a few years ago), you can see little snippets of their day and what they’ve been up to 🥰

Oh my word you are all wonderful ! Thank you so so much for coming to my aid and rescuing me 😭😭 I was desperately searching for EYFS aids on Amazon and vinted on how I can help her and googling things to do together. I still will do this but not led by panic ! I appreciate you all so much - thank you. @sittingonabeach that is a really good idea, I will bring this up because I imagine so. This mothering malarkey honestly it’s got me beat 😂❤️

As someone who has worked in Early Years for nearly 15 years, a decade of that using Tapestry, I do forget that to an unknown eye it can look like we are flagging up problems on it!

Previous posters are right though - those flags are curriculum links - they basically are matching what your child was observed doing to the curriculum, ie Bob has worked collaboratively with friends (so a tick in the Personal, social and emotional development category and likely in the Communication and Language section too).

The EYFS is divided into 7 sections, which are then subcategorised into age brackets from 0-5, and each subcategory contains statements. These statements are ticked by the teacher when the child is observed doing something. They are targets essentially, so if they are flagged on the observation, it means something your child has done, not a flag for development.

So please do not panic! But do make contact with the school to clarify your understanding. We hold an information evening at the start of the year where we run through what parents see on the app and what it means.

A lot of parents find this transition hard, from getting a full breakdown of the child’s day at nursery to basically no daily feedback at school (I have done both jobs and initially found it strange myself!) This unfortunately is just how it goes - 30 kids leaving at the same time, we cannot do a daily rundown unless we need to specifically find some parents.

I would contact the school and teacher, and maybe just ask for a general “how is my DD doing chat” but also stating you are unsure of the EYFS and the app and could they please run through it with you? I’ve had to do this most years a few times, it shouldn’t be an issue.

These are the different areas of the curriculum that early years children have been using for years.

the flags will be because the corresponding photos are showing learning in that area. Understanding of the world relates to lots of things like understanding basic science (like does something sink in water), awareness of other countries, families, animals and basically everything that is going on in a child’s life. That is a rubbish explanation, but you can look it up and I can guarantee that if you are a normal, engaged parent, you will be doing plenty towards all of the areas of the curriculum, but especially that one.

Expressive art and design is about the obviously arts and crafty type things that children do, but also about singing and dancing, using toys in different ways, imaginative play, and it’s all about allowing children to build confidence and express themselves.

Just let nursery do their thing and carry on doing all the things that common sense tell you is good for you to do with your child. You’re doing fine!

Don't panic! As others have explained, they're not 'flags' to say it's an area of concern for her personally. It's literally just a tag saying that the activity shared showed evidence towards those areas of learning.

School is so different to nursery. You won't get a personal handover I'm afraid. Don't hold it against them. It's impossible when everyone arrives and leaves at the same time. If the staff haven't spoken to you yet about how she's getting on, that means she's doing fine.