TaleTykes has a side for schools as well as one for families. A teacher starts a class, adds students, sets books with questions, and sees the class's reading and any safety alerts in one place. Students sign in on a classroom device and read books written for their age group. Our page for schools has the plans and a short tour.
Classes are opening soon. A school accepts the school agreement before any student is added, and until that agreement is in force nobody can start a class, add students or buy a school plan. Until then, every teacher and school page says "Classes are opening soon". You can read our page for schools now, and write to us with any questions.
Who agrees for the students
The school does. Before any student is added, a school official, or a teacher with the school's permission, reads the school agreement and accepts it for the school. The agreement allows students' information to be used for the school's own teaching and for nothing else. The school also agrees to tell parents that the class uses TaleTykes, and what that means.
A teacher can accept the agreement for their own class. When they do, they confirm that their school has given them permission, and they give the name and job title of the person who gave it. The school is then the party to the agreement, just as if a school official had accepted it. We keep a record of who accepted it, in which role, and which version they accepted. Starting a class walks through each step.
Four steps to a class that is reading
- Start a class. Set up your school, accept the agreement, and start your class. Then paste your class list, one name to a line. Only a first name and last initial are kept for each student.
- Print the sign-in cards. Each student gets a card with their pictures or PIN. They sign in on a classroom device you set up, so no student needs an email address. See Sign-in cards and classroom devices.
- Set a book with questions. Choose a book, add questions of your own, and read each student's answers once they have finished. See Setting a book with questions.
- See the class in one place. Each class has its own pages for its students, reading, assignments and safety alerts.
What students do
On a device you have set up, a student taps their name and signs in with their pictures or PIN. Their home screen then shows:
- "From your teacher", with the books you set and your note, once you have set a book.
- "Our class library", with your pick at the front, and a "Class books" button.
- "Make a book", if you switch on "Students can make books" in the class's Settings.
- "Our week", the class board, if you switch it on and the student is not in the 2 to 5 age group. See The class board.
On the "Class books" page, a student outside the 2 to 5 age group can offer a book they made with "Share it with my class", while "Students can offer their books to the class" is on in Settings. You decide whether each one goes into the class library. If you switch on "Linked families can read school books at home", a parent who has linked their own account can start their child's school reading on their own device. See Linking your child to their class.
What is different for students
A student's reader is for reading at school, so some things a family's reader has are not there:
- A student's books are never offered to the public TaleTykes library, and students never appear to family readers.
- Students cannot write comments or appear on the public weekly board, and a heart a student presses stays private. The class library, which you look after, takes the place of the shared library.
- Learning from what a reader enjoys is always off for students, and nothing about a student shapes what other readers are shown.
- Students see no advertising and we send them nothing. We never ask for a student's email address.
- Students are never told whether their answers to your questions were right.
Everything a student types or says goes through the same safety checks as a family's reader. When something needs a grown-up, the class's teachers, the school's safety lead and any linked parents are told. See Safety alerts for a class.
Where to go next
- School plans compares Free, Classroom and School.
- What schools keep sets out what is kept about students and for how long.
If you are already teaching, Help for teachers has short answers. Otherwise, write to support@taletykes.com or use Contact.