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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Comment on PE report

70 replies

ASpoolofBlueThread · 13/07/2021 15:16

DS (year7) has just got his school report. It's a very good report and is "working beyond" in almost all areas.

However, he's been given "Limited Progress Towards" in PE. It's not a big surprise as DS has an IEP in relation to motor skills (gross and fine) and core strength.

What has annoyed me is the comment on the report. It says under development points
"Participate in competitive sports and extra curricular activities". Due to the motor skills issues there are exceedingly slim opportunities for competitive sports, in fact, I couldn't find suitable, competitive football provision at all locally. I also don't think competitive sports are a necessary part of physical education and it's a rather old fashioned attitude. He does participate in dodgeball outside of school as the dodgeball club is very inclusive. He also runs a bit, but doesn't enjoy it and other opportunities have been quite limited due to the pandemic.

I have a highly driven DS who is quite hard on himself and will be more disappointed by the low PE score than he will be pleased with his success across core GCSE subjects.

WIBU to flag this to the school or should I just let it go?

OP posts:
Reallyreallyborednow · 13/07/2021 17:19

Has he thought about gymnastics or trampolining? Most clubs now have disability sections, and there are very inclusive disability competitions that get high attendance. I taught a dyspraxic lad once and he ended up at a really high competitive disability level. You can not compete, compete locally, or nationally. And because it’s an individual sport no worries about affecting team mates.

Fwiw my dc was failing PE in year 7. They didn’t have comments, just got a failing grade. I laughed. At the end of the year dc missed a week and the pe teacher asked them where they’d been. In Germany competing for Team GB 😂😂😂. The grade mysteriously improved after that Grin

WorraLiberty · 13/07/2021 17:20

Let it go

But help him work on this...

I have a highly driven DS who is quite hard on himself and will be more disappointed by the low PE score than he will be pleased with his success across core GCSE subjects.

IToldYouIWasFreaky · 13/07/2021 17:26

Let it go. If it helps, my extremely sporty DS got "not meeting expectations" for PE in year 7. When I queried it, I was told that he was in fact excelling at PE, it's just that they hadn't covered all sports in the syllabus yet, so couldn't assess him as "meeting expectations". Which seems like a bizarre way to assess and write reports to me but there you go!

LostArcher · 13/07/2021 17:26

My super dyspraxic son is a brilliant dinghy sailor. PE at school was always a disaster. It is a stock phrase. Remember one PE teacher probs teaches 200 plus kids so these generic comments will occur.

The3Ls · 13/07/2021 17:26

Body balance classes are worth a look. Like yoga but less mediation and cooler music my teen liked them now actually goes to yoga but think it would have to new age for her to begin with

AlmostSummer21 · 13/07/2021 17:29

Flag it to the HoY and ask how helpful they think this comment is to a child with an IEP (for gross & fine motor skills) trying his best is?!

Suggest that perhaps the PE teacher understanding DS's IEP might be a good idea snd that encouragement is important, as is the PE teacher being aware of the activities DS does out of school before being critical that he's not doing enough.

If they don't know the child well enough, then they should make a positive comment, not a negative one, unless the child is disruptive in the class.

In the scheme of things it may not make much difference, but it might make them think twice before crushing another child and in future DS might get encouragement, not criticism.

Worth a shot!!

Original poster
ASpoolofBlueThread · 13/07/2021 17:30

@sirfredfredgeorge

I would say the report was overstepping a bit, not all children want or are able to participate in competitive sport

But not all children want or are able to participate in maths, but a report still gives the expectations, PE has expectations the same, and it doesn't sound like the pupil is meeting them, of course it's harder for some people to meet expectations, but then it's harder for people to meet expectations in all sorts of place.

Whilst the OP doesn't feel that competitive sport is necessary, but it is part of the national curriculum, so a report should report against it.

So it is! Thanks for this comment, this was helpful to know as I definitely won't bring it up with school having confirmed this.

I am quite surprised about this though, and I don't agree with it as a principle, but it is what it is. Personally I'd prefer it if extra-curricular competitive mathematics was a thing!

OP posts:
Hercisback · 13/07/2021 17:35

Extra curricular maths is a thing, it's just not very mainstream!

Joking aside, chess clubs, mathsjams when he's older, universities sometimes do maths outreach too.

Original poster
ASpoolofBlueThread · 13/07/2021 17:38

@WorraLiberty

Let it go

But help him work on this...

I have a highly driven DS who is quite hard on himself and will be more disappointed by the low PE score than he will be pleased with his success across core GCSE subjects.

I think that goes without saying Smile. He's pretty self-aware and we are working on it.
OP posts:
ThePlantsitter · 13/07/2021 17:38

I just read it as 'if you want to improve do this...' but he's / you're not bothered. I find the exclusive focus on competitive sport irritating too.

Learning to take helpful criticism and act on it or not is a really good life skill actually. He needs to know that not reaching the sports target does not make him a bad person and he can try to improve if he wants to.

thing47 · 13/07/2021 17:40

it is part of the national curriculum, so a report should report against it.

Gosh, is it? I stand corrected then. I didn't know school sport was expected to be competitive, I thought it was just about getting some physical exercise.

My two both played loads of competitive sport so I'm not against it, I just didn't realise it was compulsory.

thing47 · 13/07/2021 17:46

Thanks for this comment, this was helpful to know as I definitely won't bring it up with school having confirmed this.
I am quite surprised about this though, and I don't agree with it as a principle, but it is what it is.

I'm with OP, then – not sure this should be a thing, but as it is, the PE teacher's comment seems reasonable.

thing47 · 13/07/2021 17:47

Bold fail. Need extracurricular in computer skills, clearly.

HaudYerWheeshtYaWeeBellend · 13/07/2021 17:48

How would he even know about the comment?

Reports are for parents, not children.

2 teens in secondary school, they are expected to give their views on their reports, they also see them as they are now on class charts (school app) that gives updates on everything we need to be updated on inc homework that is due etc...

0None0 · 13/07/2021 17:50

Honestly, I’ve written over a hundred reports in the last 3 days, and I’ve hardly even met the children this year. Most of the time I can’t picture the kid, and am just going on the data

It’s all meaningless.

Your kid has got a record of his progress, and some suggestions to think about

What more do you expect?

Concestor · 13/07/2021 17:52

@AlmostSummer21

Flag it to the HoY and ask how helpful they think this comment is to a child with an IEP (for gross & fine motor skills) trying his best is?!

Suggest that perhaps the PE teacher understanding DS's IEP might be a good idea snd that encouragement is important, as is the PE teacher being aware of the activities DS does out of school before being critical that he's not doing enough.

If they don't know the child well enough, then they should make a positive comment, not a negative one, unless the child is disruptive in the class.

In the scheme of things it may not make much difference, but it might make them think twice before crushing another child and in future DS might get encouragement, not criticism.

Worth a shot!!

I agree, I'd flag it generally as not being inclusive. If it's a comment bank, they need to add some inclusive options to it.
LizJamIsFab · 13/07/2021 17:53

I’d just take it as a suggestion, you’ve thought it through (already) so just move on/let it go
It may be a spark that leads another to search out something for themselves but it’s not for you/DS.

Him learning to get over/ recognise the report for what it is, is your main aim.

Wearywithteens · 13/07/2021 17:53

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn at the poster's request.

lanthanum · 13/07/2021 17:54

If there is a development point box that has to be filled in, I wonder if the teacher was struggling a bit. They obviously wouldn't want to put that he should improve on something which is impractical due to his disability, and so perhaps they chose the extracurricular suggestion as less offensive - and they probably don't know about the dodgeball, just that he doesn't do any PE clubs at school. It's probably also what they put for those where there was no particular skill they need to work on.

However it might be worth flagging up to the PE teacher that he does play dodgeball out of school, which is a more appropriate activity for him than most of the school clubs. Who knows, the PE teacher might realise that that would be a very inclusive extracurricular activity for them to offer, which might help other children with physical limitations.

IggyAce · 13/07/2021 17:54

I’d let it go, I don’t even arrange to see the pe teacher on parents evening. Unless he’s going to be taking it as a gcse pe is just for exercise in school & a break from the academic subjects.

EverNapping · 13/07/2021 17:55

My PE report always made me laugh.

I didn't do PE - I was in the library with a medical note due to health conditions.

I loved seeing everything they claimed I'd been taught that year & the assessment of my skills.

Honeybeebloom · 13/07/2021 17:59

Just playing devil's advocate here, but reading between the lines re: your son will be very upset at not doing as well in a subject, does he struggle with losing? Some of the children I teach really find ut difficult to manage their emotions when they lose. This can become particularly obvious during PE but sport can also be a great way of developing their ability to manage themselves at this time, particularly competitive team sports where there is support and camaraderie. Competitive sport doesn't necessarily mean competing at high levels, it can absolutely be inclusive too when groups are run the right way (and unfortunately not all are run inclusively, there's still a way to go with that).

Hellocatshome · 13/07/2021 18:00

Its a generic comment dont even give it a moments thought. My son is year 9.every year they write on his PE report they would like to see him join some after school sports clubs. He plays cricket for 2 teams, football for 2 teams and is in an athletics club. But because he isnt in a school run after school club they just stick it on his report every year and we just ignore it every year.

trinibrit · 13/07/2021 18:00

@Hercisback

Extra curricular maths is a thing, it's just not very mainstream!

Joking aside, chess clubs, mathsjams when he's older, universities sometimes do maths outreach too.

In the US they call the children who compete in maths competitions “mathletes”…
AlmostSummer21 · 13/07/2021 18:04

@0None0

Honestly, I’ve written over a hundred reports in the last 3 days, and I’ve hardly even met the children this year. Most of the time I can’t picture the kid, and am just going on the data

It’s all meaningless.

Your kid has got a record of his progress, and some suggestions to think about

What more do you expect?

Not to make negative comments about children you can't even picture!

Not a big ask.

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