School report

[parentonarant]

I received my child's school report today - she hasn't been back in school since 20th March. General report all fine. But to my amazement, we have been categorised in a separate section headed "engagement in home learning". We have been given "room for improvement", despite completing all but two pieces of work, and logging on daily to upload the set work, constant stream of positive encouraging feedback from her teacher and being set extra work in one area due to her doing so well with it. I am absolutely fuming, what on earth is the school thinking that this is fair, appropriate or helpful to grade us like this! My child is key stage 1 so couldn't have worked independently. Unfortunately I have juggled working from home and caring for a 2 year old at the same time as her school work. I did my absolute utmost with her home learning and now feel totally deflated. I'm furious with the school, think it's totally unfair and feel like this is an absolute kick in the teeth to parents who have done their absolute best in a really difficult situation.

I've already sent in an email to the school but am considering a formal complaint.

DGD's report noted under the heading of computing, mentioned coping with zoom, how she was able to join and leave meetings, how she asked and answered questions, and her participation in a cross curricular activity on purple mash. she's in grade 1.
i mention this only because there's a bit more measurement in this example than just a "needs improvement".
how much of what your dd did was done was of her own steam?

I think it's a useful column for years nine and above but it's ridiculous for primary.

Oblamov would be tripply pissed off.

Bloody internet!

I would be pissed off too. In our reports (secondary) our options were among the lines of
Has engaged excellently
Has shown great effort in engaging
We look forward to seeing their engagement in the new school year

So nothing negative!

I'd be furious, OP. We've found homeschooling our year 3 and 5 really challenging. If the school has given us feedback anything like what you got I would have completely lost it.
As you said, it's not the grades, it's the judgement when they really have no idea what your individual circumstances. I'd be complaining to the head (who I would expect to be the one who had initiated this).

It would seem that your DCs teacher would have to tick a box. I would suggest (1) EVERY task done, with accompanying glitter and cup cakes for the teacher (2) MOST tasks done (3) SOME tasks done or (4) OMG we are worried about this family and we can’t get hold of them by phone or email.
I suggest your teacher ticked (2) and a generic sentence appeared.
Now, bearing in mind Lockdown has massively affected families schools have been in a tricky situation. Their reports are not the same as normal years. Yes, teachers who would normally have been keeping notes and developing a relationship with your child have not been able to do so since a March.
By all means send an email or a note but PLEASE do not go in all guns blazing, for all you know, your DCs teacher has been juggling her own childcare needs, arguing with the governors, cleaning toilets, marking out classrooms etc so please bear them a thought.

Schools were then told they WERE obliged to send reports ho e, with many teachers uncomfortable with this due to the vagaries of home learning

Yes, but you write the report based on the period before, there's no obligation to report on anything else - and quite clearly it's near impossible for some. Unbiased, accurate judgement is near impossible anyway, having any sort of judgement when you see almost nothing of a student or their engagement double so.

After months of school not having your child in, it’s pretty rich that they then pass judgement on your efforts at all.*
*
Err it was the government that closed school to all children except the vulnerable and key workers children.
You seriously can't blame schools for the fact the government closed them due to a pandemic. Blame Boris Johnson if you like, blame SAGE or blame Dominic Cummings but don't blame schools for something someone else compelled them do do.

In the same way that you want the teacher to understand that it has been difficult for you during lockdown, please understand that it has also been difficult for the teacher. It might be a mistake on the report, they might be trying this new way of writing reports because it’s one way of giving some kind of feedback. It may or may not be the right thing to do but during lockdown there hasn’t been a ‘guideline’ to refer back to. The guidelines change literally every day. I work in the nhs and we have had to try new things, some have worked, some haven’t but when the public start ranting it would be nice if they could just stop for a moment and think that the person they are ranting at, may just also be going through the same anxieties as them.

Have a chat with the teacher nicely and I’m guessing you’ll either be told it was an error or be given some constructive feedback. It will also be an opportunity for you to give some constructive feedback about the format of the report.

We had a list of what they've put out on their website for home learning with DD report today, with a request to say what DD had done and how she'd found it.
I just wrote "we didn't do any of this" and wrote a few things we had done.
I think she's done one activity (that she's told me about) in school (she's been in part time, DH is a KW).

That is strange. DD3's report (Y6) clearly says it only reports to the end of March.

DD2's report has grades for engagement. To be honest, there were subjects that her engagement was low in, but it was no suprise whatsoever to me.

Take it all with a pinch of salt.

I would also be upset about this and I don't think you'll be the only one feeling this way. We have had to really battle to get DD to do anything productive at all during remote learning (possible SEN). But the report only made positive comments and the teacher emailed us privately to thank us for trying hard.

I think you could wait a day or two to cool down and contact the Head to politely ask them to consider whether reports could avoid commenting on the engagement of children who are too young to engage independently of parents. I think that there may well be more of this in the autumn term, otherwise I'd say let it go.

Oh that would wind me up so much and I'd be tempted to phone up to speak to the head to suggest that it was a dreadful idea to put such a grading in the reports and would only work to further disengage parents who were already struggling. Since your DD is doing well at school they are more likely to listen to you than to an angry and upset parent of a low achieving child. As long as you can do righteous anger well of course.

I do think it's inappropriate for the school to comment on this. There is inevitably going to be a massive difference between, say, Fred who is a single child with a SAH parent and a dedicated learning space at home with a state of the art computer, and Mabel who is the oldest of four children with a frazzled parent juggling trying to work from home and teach two school age children whilst looking after a baby and a toddler, with only one ancient computer and a mobile phone with a dodgy internet connection. It would be incredibly unfair to start downgrading Mabel because of her poor engagement with learning.

I also wonder how this works with children with SEN. If they're not engaging with learning because the work hasn't been adequately differentiated for them, that should be viewed as a failure on the school's part, not the child's or their parents'.

@parentonarant actually I did read your post correctly and it came across as outraged and defensive. It talked about sending an email to the head outlining such.

It did not state you were furious that this element of the report has been included as a new section post lockdown, just that you had done all you could to support your child whilst juggling everything else and it implied you were furious with the grade. Not the new section.

In reading the other replies, pretty much everyone else read it the same way as me. Clearly your stance wasn’t clear!

I think you are worrying about something that really won’t make any difference to your child atall. A year one report will never be seen again forget about it

Our reports reflect up to March not home learning. We are a secondary school.

My child’s report was shitty too much, she is in year 4.
She is a clever girl- loves school, loved her teacher-
teacher put how much well she is thriving and improved, working very hard putting extra effort in everything, huge improvements etc.
And then she has Significantly below age related expectations in EACH subject.
I just can’t believe why they contraindicated the report.
If she so rubbish in everything, why put all these excellent comments and then mark her down as bottom of the class????????

@OhMyDarling oh shut up

@OhMyDarling I'm cross about both. Have made that abundantly clear. It's totally inappropriate for schools to do this, it's also an unfair "grade". And yes I spoke about
Contacting the head because that is the person that made the decision that this needed to be included in the report. So why on earth wouldn't I contact the head?

@Hiddennameforever

She is a clever girl- loves school, loved her teacher-
teacher put how much well she is thriving and improved, working very hard putting extra effort in everything, huge improvements et

And then she has Significantly below age related expectations in EACH subject.

She may be all of those things mentioned by the teacher. I’ve taught so many hard work wonderful children who are below their age related expectations. They work super hard, lovely, do all the class work, all their homework, participate in all lessons, ask questions, answer questions but their level is below expected for that age. She may have well improved and is she keeps on improving she may hit those targets. Some children don’t though and that is also ok, all children are different as in my view seems mad measuring them against the same target!

I way way way prefer teaching those children then the one who piss about, distract all others yet still seem to Managed to get the expected standard!

Your daughter sounds like a delight and someone I would love to teach

I understand school complaints, I've dealt with enough of them. Op, you're right, contact the Head if you're not happy. Personally I wouldn't bother with a formal complaint, I'd just send an email. Then if not happy with the response (unlikely!) you could make it formal. I think you're right to be a bit put out to be honest. If you are RI I wonder what grade they gave families who did nothing? Special Measures and convert to an academy I suppose.

This makes me mad just reading it. I'd be livid.

In contrast my son's school report (he's in reception) couldn't have been more complimentary about his 'home schooling' which was done with a 20-month year old in tow whilst my partner and I juggled our full-time jobs (and therefore probably inadequate in many respects). They picked up on the positives and really made you feel like you did a great job which is very heart warming (in fact it made me cry but I am very soppy).

I think I'd approach this like an adult - I'd say that you were disappointed not to have met the standards and ask them what was inadequate? I think the question itself is very reasonable and without going much further highlights how unkind it is.

I would have laughed at it and stuck it in the cupboard with the rest so we could have a giggle over it in years to come. It takes a lot to enrage me though. I also have 2 autistic D.C. so school reports have never really been a big deal to me as I meet with school to discuss their progress often.

I wouldn’t put in a complaint.

Just contact the school to ask for it to be amended, and give your reasons. If they cannot justify the grade they will just amend it. Most likely an error.