WIBU to ask the school to amend the spelling mistakes and grammar in a report that they are circulating about my daughter's needs?

[Hiredandsqueak]

I attended the Annual Review of my daughter's EHCP three weeks ago. The format was such that notes were written on blackboards as points were raised. There were numerous spelling mistakes and grammatical errors at the time but didn't comment because I appreciated that these could be as a result of feeling rushed and not wanting to miss anything.
This morning I received the report and whilst it is an appraisal of the meeting taken from the whiteboards, the spelling mistakes and grammatical errors remain and new ones have been added where new text has been added.
This report is to be distributed to the Local Authority, health professionals, Social Care. Some of the grammatical errors have changed the meaning of what was said which obviously I have to raise but is it petty of me to ask them to change carn't for can't, there for their, and whose for who's and remove the apostrophes from the plurals and put them in where they have been missed elsewhere?
It is littered with errors and I'd be embarrassed to send it out if I'm honest but is it wrong of me to raise the errors outside of those which change the meaning?

I probably would, especially if I thought theat they were downplaying my DDs needs.

I would start with raising questions about the parts you say the meaning has been changed by the error. Ask for clarification of each and every single one of them. Explain the underlying reason and ask that the report be proof read and sent out again!

Ugh that'd really bother me too. If it's not been circulated already it's worth a try I suppose. It would worry me how to ask them to do it without sounding like a bit of a know it all though...

I am a complete pedant with SPAG but do the errors change the meaning / outcomes of what was agreed?

If not, I would let them go. They simply show how the people involved can't spell.

I'm going to have to raise three points because the meaning is altered. It hasn't been distributed I have to agree it first. I can't agree it without changing those three errors or the meaning is lost but there are many more errors that make the school look incompetent.

@MT2017

Yes, she said so

Some of the grammatical errors have changed the meaning of what was said which obviously I have to raise

Do you know what, I would raise the errors because this is supposed to be a professional assessment of your child's needs, and as such it has to be taken as seriously as possible by all professional parties who read it and rely on it.

One fights long and hard for these plans (and all reports, appointments and meetings) and the resulting plans should be correct and professional. So very much hinges on them.

I suppose it's best to stay incredibly polite and helpful in tone. I always try to do so. I'm always thinking about how a tribunal would perceive my request or comment, should it come to that.

I know people struggle with spelling sometimes (I have two with SEN in this area) but this is unacceptable.

Spellcheck at the very least will underline or autocorrect ‘carn’t’ and other errors, the other stuff should be corrected also. The odd one to sneak through is fine, but it really looks so unprofessional and does influence perception of the person writing it and the people (in your case) who have discussed this issue.

I would formally email whoever is in charge and say you are not comfortable with it being sent out in its current state. I’d be clear about the issues where you say it changes the meaning, and say basic spelling errors should also be corrected to maintain some

...oops. Clearly I can’t multitask!

Maintain an air of professionalism. And I don’t care if they think I’m an arse to do that. They’re not my friend they’re there to get the help required.

That's bad. The least the school can do is write properly.

Can you raise the 3 issues, and then additionally say you feel the whole report needs spelling and grammar checking, as you spotted a number of errors as you read it which is distracting from the content?

I would have to point it out, are there professionals dealing with your case who can't spell can't? I'd be questioning how good they are at their job. We all make spelling errors and more often autcorrect typos from time to time but that's a shockingly basic mistake to make in written English

I would talk to the person who wrote the report and ask for a proof reader to check it.
I am dyslexic and used to get this done sometimes, it doesn't mean I'm not really experienced in my field. So don't mix up the two issues.

I was pretty incredulous when I received it tbh, I couldn't quite believe that they would send something like that out. The carn't isn't even a one off it is each time the word is written which makes it worse. The plurals all have apostrophes and of course there is the ubiquitous would of and should of as well. I'll email the school secretary point out the three errors to be amended and ask that the next draft is proofread as I have noticed other errors.

I am dyslexic and used to get this done sometimes, it doesn't mean I'm not really experienced in my field. So don't mix up the two issues

If the author(s) of the report are all dyslexic then they should be professional enough to get it checked, that's not a valid excuse for shoddy work

I am an unashamed pedant with that sort of thing so I would have to point out all of the errors. I would refuse to feel awkward about it too.

This is a school. They are teaching children to read, write, spell etc. and these very basic errors from them are unacceptable. If it has been sent out in that state then I would tell them that it looks very unprofessional and you are disappointed. I would say that I would hope to see a corrected version soon, for approval before it goes off to the LEA.

If the author(s) of the report are all dyslexic then they should be professional enough to get it checked, that's not a valid excuse for shoddy work

I didn't say it was. In fact I said that OP should ask for it to be proof read.
I did however want to highlight that issues with writing reports as not necessarily linked with wider professional failings as seemed to be being hinted at.

what format do you have it in? if it's a Word (or other word-type) doc can you annotate it and send it back? that way you can highlight spelling errors (etc) by just putting the correct word.

For grammar and where the meaning is changed you can clearly write your query.

If it's a PDF or something i would go through it line by line, mark a red x in the margin where there's a mistake and write a number (1, 2, 3,...) in red where the mistake is and in an email/letter/document list them:

1. carn't -> can't
2. xxxxx - we discussed yyyy this is different. Clarification needed

etc.

Definitely take this up with the school . So unprofessional. Shame you have to .

I would raise the ones which changed the meaning. I would leave the rest.

Unprofessional. Blushes all round if that goes out. Someone on the head's carpet.

I did however want to highlight that issues with writing reports as not necessarily linked with wider professional failings as seemed to be being hinted at

We will have to agree to differ on that, there is no way I could respect a professional who allowed a report to go out with can't spelt wrongly and the other errors the OP listed.

Out of curiosity, who was the author of the report? Teacher/SENCO? Just awful if so - they are teaching the future generations....

I am a complete pedant with SPAG but do the errors change the meaning / outcomes of what was agreed?

I'm a pedant too. I also know when professional reports are being written, insisting on accuracy isn't pedantic. There isn't a standard of "does it change the content" when it comes to report writing. The standard is correct use of SPAG.

How something is written can affect how it is received. A report on a child's needs, written by teaching professionals should not contain errors. It shows a lack of oversight, a lack of QA and a lack of professionalism by the team.

OP, I would absolutely correct it and send it back before it is issued. I'd hope the management team would be embarrassed by it too.

I'm ok at spelling now but it has never been my strong suit (I had to work hard to get on top of it). I'm also an NHS clinical lead who writes countless professional reports that hold huge weight. I am meticulous at getting them checked because I know my credibility is shot if I can't even spell properly on record. No excuses.

It has come from the SENCO but supposedly approved by the Headteacher after another report was distributed without me seeing it first (in fact they didn't even bother to send me a copy that time) This came with a note saying HT had agreed it.