To worry that Y7 report implies DS can't even hope to reach an age appropriate target in PE or art.

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DS bought home an Autumn term progress report last night. I've never seen one before and am quite unfamiliar with the format.

The scores are all related to how well a child is performing in relation to what is expected for their age.

At the start of term DS was allocated a target of 'succeed plus' for every subject (including art, French, PE etc). He did well in his SATS FWIW, and I think that's the reason he was allocated the highest target. Obviously SATS performance isn't really an indicator of ability at sport, art, music etc., so it all seems a bit odd.

The report suggests he is working effectively towards his targets for everything except PE and art where he is far below what is expected for his age. In both these subjects not only is he working at the lowest level (classed as not yet approaching the beginning of an age appropriate level), but he has been reallocated an end of year target of 'well below' his age related expectation, so I guess he is struggling to an extent that they can't even see any hope of improvement?

I completely accept that few people are good at everything. But I'm concerned that the layout of this report implies that his target for these subjects is to remain well below what is expected of his age group.

I guess it's the PE that worries me. DS is not very good at sport, but he does try. He's a great golfer, skier and is motoring through a kayak and canoe qualification. However, he's never been fast or competitive enough to take part in team sports. I'm happy to accept he's not in the least talented at sports but should I be worried that he's not even been given a target of achieving a result typical of his age group? It makes it feel like he is judged as incapable of doing sport to any level?

In both art and PE he has been given the highest score that can be allocated for behaviour- implying that he is putting the effort in.

I don't want to be a tricky parent but I'm not sure if I should bring this up with his tutor? I also wonder if his PE teacher is implying that DS has some sort of inbuilt issue with sports- which may be the case, but maybe I should talk to the teacher about it?

Not worth worrying about. Art is great if he's interested if not it's hardly a big life problem. Sports is good because it helps people healthy - but neither of mine like competitive sport. However they both love hiking, swimming, and non competitive sports they do for their own pleasure (such as surfing, SUP).

I get fed up they seem to want children to achieve high scores in every area, often they are good at some stuff, not so good at other. Provided English and Maths are reasonable I wouldn't worry.

PE teachers can only assess what they see a child do. lf they do athletics, hockey, football, rugby, swimming, netball, tennis etc at school but your dc is great at golf, archery or orienteering, then your dc's teacher cannot mention that on the report as they haven't seen it!

TBH most kids who are good at sports are good at several sports - eg if you can run fast, this is helpful in lots of sports.

I don't like the sound of the format of your reports...

What the heck is age appropriate for either subject anyway? If you’re shit at sport and art then you probably always will be. I wouldn’t trust the schools measure of that anyway, particularly art, which is completely subjective. Maybe they’ve only looked at his drawing but he’s a brilliant sculptor?

Does it really matter in the general scheme of things if he doesn’t achieve in PE? He can drop it as a sunjext when he takes his options and just do it for the general exercise.

Fwiw my dc is team gb, international junior elite medallist, and has been on the gb squad since 8. For a pretty demanding sport.

Y7 i got a full year of reports where achievement was “well below” average. I. found it funny tbh.

Even when the pe teacher thought to ask about the multiple absences and discovered it was competition/training squad it was only marked up to average.

Voted “sportsperson of the year” in yr8, despite still barely scraping a pass in PE.

Yr 9 and i’ve just recieved a letter identifying my child as G&T in PE.

Some of it is because dc’s strength is in an individual, althletic sport.
Throwing and catching is not a strong point, and this is generally what school sport involves.

It’s school pe. Who cares.

Honestly, don't worry. I wouldn't waste my time emailing the teacher. The main things for me are his behaviour and the academic subjects' progress . Believe me, I detest the whole "ace marks in y6 SATS = outstanding ability at GCSE in practical/artistic subjects" because as a teacher in one of those subjects, I know it's bollocks.

Tell him to keep doing what he is and not to worry about PE or art. I told my own kids that it gave less academic kids the chance to shine. They too counted down the days til they could drop art & DT because their skills lay in other areas. However, once they got to year 9, their PE lessons offered more choice so they played to their strengths in dance and badminton rather than hockey or netball. Their reports reflected that they would never be great at hockey/athletics/netball but that they tried hard, and were both great dancers.

Realistically, at this point they are assessing him over a very short time period and probably across a very limited range of activities. All his report tells you at this stage is that he wasn't great at whatever they have done in a handful of art lessons and likely one sport.

Over a longer time period they might find things in art and PE that he is better at and his targets will change. Even if they don't, if he is healthy and happy and trying his best then that, in itself, is great.

Don’t worry about it. Art is very subjective - famously there is a Turner Prize winning artist who wasn’t deemed good enough at art to take O level art by his school. PE is also subjective in that, as other posters have said, they can only assess what they see at school and not everyone is good at every sport.

My dd is academically top of the year, works hard and is loved by the teachers of the academic subjects at school. I skim read the art and PE sections of the report and avoid those teachers at parents evening.

It’s PE and art so who cares. Once he gets to gcse year art will cease and PE is just for exercise only.

DS's first report had him well below in sport - he is ridiculously sporty, but not amazing at football which was the sport they played first term. The Games teacher grabbed me at parent's evening (had no plans to see him), and said DS had amazing potential at another sport, and was putting him straight into the team.

he has represented school at county finals level in three different sports now, and has qualifications linked to two of them. Still not great at football, so his reports still show as average!

If your ds isn't planning on taking either for GCSE, then both are subjects that he can just throw himself into for fun.

These targets are a joke, I recall a pupil who went on to get a First in Mathematics and Computer Sciences having a laugh when they first came out, he was supposed to get A/A* across the board, including languages he'd never studied, Sports Studies when he couldn't play any sport nor had any interest any either and in Woodwork. All they do is extrapolate from KS2 SATS, statistically meaningless.

There are very few school concerns that can't be solved by a civil, polite, we-both-want-the-best-for-the-child conversation with the teacher involved, where you respect them as an educational professional and they respect you as a parent of a child.

My DS is in Y7 and his school sent out the first report with a note saying art and PE are not included in the Y7 first report as the teachers haven't had a fair chance to assess the children's abilities yet.
I think that's a fair way to do it and I'm surprised more schools don't do the same.

I've been waiting for a PE teacher to come along here and defend their profession against all these people saying it doesn't matter in Y7, but nothing. Weird.

Do n’t hold your breath rainatnight.

I'm a teacher and I have never remotely cared that my dd's PE report is always her worst. She hates team sports and is not naturally sporty (but does a martial art outside of school). I'd also echo what others have said about school PE and PE teachers.

Thank you everyone for your input, it's been really helpful.

I have a lot of time for DS' PE teacher, and for the first time ever DS does seem to be enjoying school PE.

I can see I need to accept that for whatever reason his teacher doesn't even think he should have a target even approaching that of a typical child his age.

I am happy that DS is getting enough fresh air and exercise and participating in more niche type sports like golf, kayaking and skiing regularly.

I strongly feel that young people should be encouraged to be active and participate in sport regardless of their level of talent. I am not naturally sporty and for a period in my life this led me to avoid physical activity- I was ashamed that I wasn't very good at it. I've got past this now and do activities that I enjoy and which keep me healthy.

Actually, thinking about this again, my younger ds is in year 7 and is not remotely sporty. They have just set the Games groups, and he is in one of the bottom sets.

He is now loving Games far more, as he gets to play at his level, and actually gets to have a go. He says the children who take it seriously are in the higher sets, whereas he can just enjoy himself.

My DH was apparently hopeless at PE at school. In his late 40s, he is one of the first and most active people I know. He cycles 30 miles to work and back every day, has entered 5 mile open water swimming races and has completed several Ironman races (12 hours of swimming, cycling and running). He loves exercise, just physicay developed later than his peers and hated traditional team sports.

So many typos....

Sometimes these reports are pretty much fiction. DS is one of the most naturally musical children I know, he has perfect pitch and has been able to hold a tune since before he could talk. His reports consistently say he is working below expectations in music. Most primary teachers don't know their arse from.their elbow when it comes to music in my experience, so I take it all with a big pinch of salt.

I am pretty attentive to my children's progress and their reports generally, but I have to say I couldn't give a witch's tit about PE. Art - either they're talented or they aren't, but if he's doing his best and behaving respectfully I wouldn't push it.

Dd has only made it into her PE kit twice since September. Dread to think what that will have done to her flight path! More to the point I hope she gets better before she grows out of it as it was hideously expensive .

My son always got dreadful grades in PE and art (all my children do). He's just getting good university offers and is active with a sport of his choice.

When I was at school I played hockey at club, county and regional level. Always got rubbish PE reports though, I hated cross country running, was terrible at athletics events, etc.

Encourage him to enjoy his sports outside of school and let him tell his PE teacher or form tutor if he takes part in a tournament, wins a medal, gains a certificate or whatever. If he were to go on and win a golf major or something you can guarantee the school would be boasting about their former pupil.

"Art - either they're talented or they aren't"

That is really, really not the case!