To think that a school report isn't much use

[Floppysphonics]

Especially when it talks about where my child was in March.

I would be perfectly happy with no report this year, given the circumstances, but to tell me where my son was, against end of year targets, back in March, isn't much help to me now.

We didn’t get any summer reports this year

We received DS2's school report this week too, I think it should have been issued back in March so that we could have hit the ground running with helping him learn at home. Instead we've had to try and work out what he needed help with which has taken quite a lot of time.

I'm happy that they sent a report eventually, it confirmed what we thought, but it wasn't much use really. However, I was pleased to have one to show DS when he is older as it is his first school report. We still have his older sibling's report and so it will be nice for him to have a 'first' too.

I think they are a legal requirement and i suppose a school cant really report on anything other than that.

I think that would be a better situation.

Ours was pretty rubbish. Could have done with some comments as to how they had actually done rather than number scales. Don't understand why the parents evening couldn't have been done via zoom or google classroom either - far more time efficient than trailing around the school had it been open.

That's it exactly. Concern was expressed in an area that it hasn't before and I just don't know what to do with that info. Especially since nothing said before lockdown and nothing since. Just a bit 🤔

They are a statutory requirement. I think most teachers would rather have an extra Parents’ Evening. They take weeks to write and weeks to check and actually pose more questions than they answer.

I am a teacher. We have no choice. Its part of statutory requirements of schools. Trust me, they arent fun, and we found them equally as useless. I spent hours filling them in just to tick a box. A conversation with parents over a zoom would have been much more productive, but I am not sure how easy that would have been with my 18 month old swinging out of me.

It's a statutory requirement. What do you want them to do?

Squidge-this might be unfair to ask, and I've done my time writing reports, trust me, but should I have expected a bit of a surprise in the report? I think this has got to me a bit because it feels a bit late to tell me about a concern.

I'm trying to get this straight in my head precisely so that I don't write an email at this stage in the term and become "that" parent.

They are a statutory requirement so schools have to send you something.

To be honest, my results were basically identical to their reports in February. I hadnt accurately assessed them as they are doing lessons at home, which is very different to a school setting, so I couldnt fairly give anything else other than basically a repeat of the previous report.

Can I ask what year is your child in? and what vaguely the surprise is?

My dd2 is in year 4 and her report was pretty pointless. Dd1 has just started year 7 though and her form tutor gave me loads of really helpful information on how she’s been getting on all year

I appreciated the teachers making an effort

You don't have to do anything. Stick it in a drawer and ignore it. Next term will be a fresh start for everyone.

Do you really think that eachers want to be spending their evenings and weekends painstakingly ticking boxes, writing personalised comments, formatting, proofreading, keeping up with ever changing requirements from senior leaders in schools?

Writing reports is more difficult than normal this year as teachers have to evidence their assessments from March by trawling through books. In many subjects. For 30 children. Our reports also have various photos of the children on them which are time consuming to upload and format.

If you'd rather not read it, shred it and shush please.

Squidge-he's year 5. The concern was, at parents evening in Feb, he was "doing well in maths" and just where he should be and report says working towards ARE.

That's it exactly. Concern was expressed in an area that it hasn't before and I just don't know what to do with that info. Especially since nothing said before lockdown and nothing since.

I would email to ask them about it tbh - I'd say this would have been useful to have known back in March and ask for assistance in helping your dc in that area.

teachers

We've had 19 different emails about reports in the last 4 weeks. Can you change this, the margins are wrong on this bit, that other bit needs to be bold etc etc.
It's not a good use of time so don't complain about it.

Ye thats fine. Thats target grade bu**it to be honest. Basically, we cannot say the kids have reached their target grade until the end of the year and even then without the evidence I cant give it. Your son's teacher probably doesnt have that evidence.

For me, being secondary English, if I give them their target grade too early, it messes up their year 11 target grade, and skews their performance on stupid spreadsheets for when Ofsted come in and scowl at paperwork. My main advice to you as a parent, forget the targets, forget the figures, and go with what the teacher says. The teacher is trying to manage the realities of a little human and the expectations of making your son a figure on a spreadsheet. Just go into the new school year with a positive attitude and see what happens, but remember, targets are utter rubbish.

We are also getting reports which seem pointless. Fair enough if it's a statutory requirement I suppose. The bit I really dont get is that 200 or so parents are expected to go into school to collect them. I have a time slot of 10am-12pm tomorrow. . I wont be asking why as I've been on the phone enough times over the last few weeks asking them about lack of work, no feedback etc. Ive given up trying to chase for explanations and am just going with the flow now.

Going to do my best, Squidge! Think it was pointless talking about attainment against end of year targets in March but breathing deeply and letting go.

Going to do my best, Squidge! Think it was pointless talking about attainment against end of year targets in March but breathing deeply and letting go.

Having spent weeks writing my class’ reports when I know they are near enough pointless, please don’t go to your school and complain. If there is something that surprised you, definitely ask the question but we knew they were pointless too. The government said we had to write them this year.

Ours has a summary of where they were relative to where the school would have wanted them to be at that point in the term for the March checkpoint and then the usual general fluff about how they were doing in each subject.

Class teachers can give a bit more of an indication on how they were as they've still been going into school in bubbles - but yeah it was a bit of an exercise of "have to do it so we're doing it" reluctance rather than anything informative. There's no way they can really fairly assess where they are now though - the last solid base of evidence they have is before the world went to shit at the end of March.

And no, shouldn't really be dropping minor bombshells in a report this late in the year unless something's completely gone to pot.

I've kind of given up worrying about it - the whole cohort will be drifting up with only the March assessment data anyway.