School report 'code' - which ones have you spotted/do you know about?

Loving this thread. Ds 2 got:

Kept us entertained for weeks reenacting the pantomime.

And:

Has a fabulous sense of humour

Translates into is the class clown.

Which was a surprise as he isn't the most confident child.

Loved the "excellent posture".

A French teacher once offered me up as inspiration to her new class: "Biblio was never a great student but by hard work and the power of prayer, she got her A".

Ah, rural Ireland, 20 years ago, when exam results were understood to depend on how many novenas your gran had done for you.

Hmm, my mother dug out my school reports a few weeks ago
Age 14: Didactylos 'is acerbic and provocative'
Perhaps teachers have got better at nuance and subtext since then.....

comment by my geography teacher one year...'it's a wonder she can find her way home'..... I shall be reading small persons report with new eyes after this thread :-)

DS1 has a "big personality" = never shuts up and always wants to be involved, sometimes overwhelming his classmates. A change from my reports which tended to be "could contribute more in class".

DD has a "unique personality ", apparently....

DD1 reluctantly participates in PE was my fav. No code breaking skills needed there.

Minipp can also be very helpful around the classroom when he wants to be

Dd1 has only had one report as such except it was a parent's evening and not written.

They utterly assassinated her. It was all negative. Then at the end her teacher piped up 'mind you, she has excellent posture'.

My DS had "cheerful" used several times when in primary. DH and I always suspected it meant "lovely, polite and a weeny bit dim but we like him".

To be fair I did ask one teacher at parents' evening - when she used it again - what she really meant by it and straight off she said "oh, reliably good natured: some of the class are a bit.. erm.. dramatic and he never is".

I still think our interpretation is the correct one

Dd is usually a "very determined child".

Thank you so much PacificDogwood. You have no idea how much that meant.

I once had in a school report pretty is very charismatic and finds it easy to influence others.
My best friend the same year got prettys friend is easily influenced and should work on making herself heard.
Code we know pretty is the ringleader for all the shit thats happened this year we just can't prove it. Oh and we'll be separating them next year!

Sme of these are brilliant

The secondary school reports seem rather more straightforward "DS2 should bear in mind that clowns prosper only in the circus"

A lot of the codes are only really noticeable if you know your child well. For the first 5 years of primary, DS1s basically said he was loud, opinionated and doesn't shut up. I knew my son so spotted it immediately!

I remember my first parent teacher meeting 3 month into DD first year of primary schooling (she had just turned six):

I came in, the (brilliant) teacher looked at me and very slowly said:

"Firstname, ..... Firstname Lastname .... a very special character..."

-and I knew I was doomed.

Love this thread. Can't wait for this years reports. It has ben a ...Ricky...year for ds1!

I had a great one towards the end of high school: 'Awkward would be a leading light of French class. If she showed up.' My mum was dead impressed.

Best piece I ever got given as a new teacher was to be honest and give specific examples in reports, so I have written (and it cured the problems)...

• x prefers to start the lesson with the bin lid on his head, this is rather distracting for those around him.

• x makes little Britain noises whenever I turn to write something on the board.

The last one was fab, some year 8 kids decided that they wanted to start doing it a week before the reports were going out. I threatened to write it on their reports if they didn't stop, they didn't think I would. Reports went out next day I had 6 apology letters!

I'm a teacher so immediately spotted the code in my DDs report. Unfortunately I fear that having "xx is an enthusiastic and bright pupil who is incredibly excited..." In paragraph one followed by "XX is an excitable and happy member of the class" does not bode well. = does not shut up

Paragraph 2, "xx is an excellent team player but must remember to let everyone have their input" alongside "XX's next steps are to let others lead occasionally" and "xx is developing the skills to problem solve in her friendships" = bossy little madam.

Paragraph 3 "XX thrived as XXXX in our KS1 nativity and I hope more acting opportunities present themselves to her" = drama queen.

So my DD is a bossy little prima Donna who always like to have her own way. But she is also "a pleasure to teach" so she's a likeable bossy little Prima Donna

can't wait to get the ds's reports. will be reading with newly opened eyes!!

"...has made good progress on his organisational skills this year" = by the end of the year he mostly brought the right books to class