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Original poster

Any primary school teachers around please? School report question.

21 replies

Reallllly · 16/07/2019 07:54

This is not a stealth boast - but a genuine question.

I won't give all the background (there is some) but just keep it short.

If a child got 118 in SATs for both English Reading and SPAG would you expect the school report mark to be "Standards related to their age"? Or would they be at "Working at Greater Depth"?

I know there is more to everything than SATs - but all the mocks the child has done have been completed at a similar high level - so not just a one off fluke.

OP posts:

AnneOfCleavage · 16/07/2019 08:51

Is your child's birthday between Sept and Feb? There is a very interesting article called "Term of birth at your school - FFT" that I found on google.

Original poster

Reallllly · 16/07/2019 09:47

No, a June child

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TeenTimesTwo · 16/07/2019 11:00

iirc there is something weird about the 'greater depth' thing in that it isn't officially given for all the different parts, only some of them.

Personally I'd just be delighted with those scores and look forward to secondary. The words will be irrelevant come September, and the scores only relevant as they will expect Great Things of your DC in their GCSEs.

Interested in this thread?

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General education

Original poster

Reallllly · 16/07/2019 14:01

We are delighted with the scores. But not the report. It just looks odd - a huge line of ticks in the "Achieved Age Related" with 3 ticks in "Exceeds" for RE/Music/PHSE!

He was so anxious about his SATS, has worked really hard and absolutely flown this year. We have actually not shown him the report (just casually, so discussed how well he has done etc but not shown him how "meh" it looks compared to his SATS results). It just feels very out of kilter.

I don't think he gives too much of a monkeys about his report in many ways - but he does like feedback - so it would have been lovely to show him a school report reflecting his achievements - if that makes sense.

And yes @TeenTimesTwo, I agree...it will be an irrelevance very soon . And he/his secondary have some stonking targets to work to!! Just feel a bit sad for him that he cannot has a well deserved, written pat on the back from his teacher. (She is currently on maternity leave so verbal one not there either).

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Original poster

Reallllly · 16/07/2019 14:05

And when I say we haven't shown him his report - it may sound wierd. But his (very high achieving) sister has just had a stonking report with 7/8/9 grades throughout. We don't compare but I know he does and so that is why we haven't shown him. It is a stark comparison - unfairly so. We want him buoyed up and confident leaving primary/starting secondary - no deflated. And his report would deflate him if he saw it.

His effort levels are all excellent - across the board. So the message the school is giving him is "You have tried really hard and we think you have been average".

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TeenTimesTwo · 16/07/2019 14:12

I've just looked at a link that referred to Greater Depth as 'unofficial but widely used'. So I suspect you school just doesn't use it and lets the scores speak for themselves.

See also: The ‘working at greater depth’ standard is not used for reading, maths or science TA.

See www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-curriculum-assessments-key-stage-2-2018-provisional/national-curriculum-assessments-at-key-stage-2-in-england-2018-provisional--2 end of section 4.

TeenTimesTwo · 16/07/2019 14:14

No, it doesn't mean the school thinks he is average. It means for the particular subjects covered by SATs it is a 'met standard / did not meet standard' measure, plus the score. You just need to understand the report and interpret it to him properly.

longesteverlurker · 16/07/2019 14:16

I had this two years ago for my dd. She got achieved standard in all the scored tests (116, 116 and 120) and at greater depth for writing. In her written report it said that she should exceed for maths and was exceeding in English.So I asked her teacher , who said that the score that is needed for exceeding doesn't come out until the national statistics come out. When it came out later in the year it was over 110 was exceeding.

Original poster

Reallllly · 16/07/2019 14:44

The school report has the spaces/tick boxes available for "exceeded". If they cannot grade it that way it should not be laid out that way. Interpreting it to him should surely not mean having to say "ignore those boxes. You can get exceeded in music but not English and Maths - despite the boxes being there."

So it is just a crap designed report?

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Original poster

Reallllly · 16/07/2019 15:39

OK, just spoken to another parent (teacher not available or I would have asked them). It was/is possible to have an "Exceeds" for all subjects (on the school report).

Obviously DS did not warrant it for his reading/SPAG for some un-known reason.

So, yes, I will "interpret" the report for DS (as we already have - by skating over the actual detail given ) but understand it? No.

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Purpletigers · 16/07/2019 18:01

I’m assuming the Sats are a mark of an “on the day test “ whereas his report is over the entire term / academic year . Lots of children can perform much better in a test situation and vice versa . Perhaps compared to the rest of his class he is ‘average ‘. Most people are .

I had a colleague who cried to me after her child’s class teacher told her that her child was a good average . Apparently being a good average isn’t good enough . You can encourage them all you want but you can’t make them into something they’re not .

converseandjeans · 16/07/2019 22:06

My DD got 117 in spag and 111 in reading and above expected in writing. But on report got just "usually works well" and "working at expected level".
She was quite disinterested in the report though & DH works in her school. I was going to ask teacher but his take on it was that she doesn't put much effort in.
I don't think you should not show him because of his sister. I also think you need to focus on the positive results he got.

converseandjeans · 16/07/2019 22:08

She got that grade for English writing. For other subjects was always works well & working above expectations. I wouldn't worry tbh - they will get detailed subject report in year 7.

Chartreuser · 16/07/2019 22:23

From my experience with 3 DC's they have to have met exceeded in every single criteria per subject to be labelled as exceeding overall. If just one component is expected not exceed they cannot give an overall exceeded. It is to show that exceeded is really quite exceptional.

Plus, it is possible to ace the SATs and yet not be particularly bright. DD did, is on a high flight path in year 7 but is not actually that clever (her predicted 5s/6s year 9 brother is far more intelligent than her, and he failed his maths SAT). SATs are v formulaic and some kids just get what they are asking, DD was one of them doing nothing but SATs practise the whole of year 6 probably something to do with it too

Do your teachers not write anything about what your DS can do? Surely that is with sharing?

Lightbulbs · 16/07/2019 22:33

I'm guessing the reports were written quite a few weeks ago as they will have to be proof read/ heads comments etc. The SATS results may be put on afterwards when the school get them meaning that what the teacher says and the actual results don't quite match up. Especially if she's on mat leave.... she may have written them sometime ago....

converseandjeans · 16/07/2019 23:22

lightbulbs yes I reckon that's what happened with ours.

Original poster

Reallllly · 17/07/2019 08:23

He is bright - especially at English. He was assessed as having the reading age of a 12/13 year old a year ago (by an external company), parents evening reports glowing, work we have seen very, very good.

It is probably that he missed one element of "Exceeds" and yes probably written weeks ago.

And we are not showing him the report because he is bright...bright enough to read it and probably feel squashed at the "meh" element of it. The written comments are pretty much cut/paste - they could be written about any "middle of the road" child. There are some very, very high achievers in his class. So he (despite being very bright and having scores of 118/118/111) is probably "middle of the road" in his class. I am just really disappointed in his report. Not in him. His report. It does not, in my opinion, reflect his abilities. Nor would it (if read by him) put him in a positive frame of mind for secondary.

His teacher has been amazing with his throughout the year. I am glad that she has taught him. And yes, that is the most important bit (rather a great teacher and acrap report than the other way round) Just a bit sad he hasn't got in paper, at the end of the year, a true reflection of his school year.

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Lightbulbs · 17/07/2019 10:52

Do you know if it was actually written by the class teacher? As she has gone on may leave, maybe it could have been written by someone else making it more generic?

Lightbulbs · 17/07/2019 10:52

mat leave not 'may leave'

Lightbulbs · 17/07/2019 10:54

I'm sorry you are so disappointed in the report. Year 6 leaver reports really should be a celebration of their accomplishments and achievements....what makes them special/ unique...

Original poster

Reallllly · 17/07/2019 11:51

Checked with maternity cover this morning. Yes his teacher did write the reports before Mat leave.

DH and I have made comments on the feedback page to the school. I did ask, should I expect high attainment as per the SATs results and previous parents evenings or kind of...well..."not" as per the report? I may have popped in the question about whether he had just been taught to pass the test..opps...slight bugbear of mine

There were lots of positives as well - about how fab his teacher has been with him. It is just such a shame the report raised questions rather than being as you say @Lightbulbs a celebration of who he is and what he has achieved.

I shall hopefully now just park this and put it in the irrelevance pile.

Thank you all for letting me work through this.

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