To expect a progress report for my Y9 child?

[Nix32]

If you're a parent of a child in Year 9, have you received a report this term? I'm sure we have in previous years and it feels even more important this year. Trying to work out if my expectation is unreasonable.

I have 2 DDs in High School and I've just checked back through my emails and we get reports as follows:

Yr 7 - November and July
Yr 8 - December and July
Yr 9 - December, March and July
Yr 10 - November and July
Yr 11 - January/February (once results of mock GCSEs are known)

The 3 reports in Yr 9 would usually have only been 2 (Dec & July), but they did an extra one to report on the students engagement with home learning during 2020, so that's why it's slightly skewed.

I don't think you're unreasonable to expect some sort of feedback on your DC's progress this term, even if it's not a full report. Did you have the opportunity to have a Parents' Evening (at least virtually?) this term? If so, this obviously fills that gap, but if not, I think I would probably drop the HOY a quick email asking if there will be any report forthcoming. If you have any particular concerns, are you able to email Subject Tutors directly?

At my school the teachers are on their knees. So many off sick - we have 1:1s covering classes or classes sitting in the sports hall reading. Possibly the teachers didn’t have time to do reports this year.
Anyone remember the government claiming last year that schools were safe and children didn’t get or spread COVID? Turns out the teachers were right all along…

Most schools do either a written report or a parents' evening for each year group every term. The written report might be brief mid-year, ie just effort and/or attainment grades and maybe a one line comment.

Yes, DS in Year 9 and received his data report on Thursday. Usually, they all sit assessments straight after half term in Oct, Feb and June. We then get our data summary 2 weeks or so later. This term, understandably, things have been more spread out and the data summaries late but we have received them.

With it being Y9, it is not unreasonable to expect some level of feedback this term. Options Evenings and Y9 Parents Evening will be happening online in Jan and Feb for us so some info now is really useful.

So have you received nothing @Nix32?

Not having the time isnt an acceptable sort of response, though. Inputting the data takes minutes, anyway.

I’m a secondary teacher. We sent progress reports out for every pupil on the last day of term, written reports for year 11 and 13.

Honestly, just ask school OP. Senior leadership will be working this coming week (mainly on the raft of contingency plans that everyone seems to think write themselves).

@Iwantquavers how meaningful is a data drop to parents though. I feel a lot of school reports are just done for show. Open up your kids books that’d give you a good idea of how they are getting on- I’m sure they’ll be some form of feedback in there!

It depends what the school's reporting schedule is! Have you actually asked? Reports take several weeks (subject teachers write them, head of dept checks them then some more senior person does a final check) - so it's not like they're a surprise. They are also generally lined up with when the info is useful so e.g. a report might be scheduled after a set of exams or before a parents' evening.

Contact the Head of year/phase and ask for the schedule.

We've had one but only for the main subjects and was basically a colour chart with little information. Not really worth reading, the virtual parents evening was better though.

I think it depends on the school and the class teacher, @Mcginn. I know some schools only mark assessments, so not much feedback in books. I do agree that data drops aren’t amazing but they are an indicator. I’d want it for my child.

None for my year 9 dd didn't think about it until I saw your thread. I know previously the reports have come through the post over the holidays so hopefully that will happen.

It could be that assessments took place at the end of term and therefore progress data will be shared in January?

Yes, just had the end of term progress report through. Does your school not publish an annual schedule of when all feedback points (progress reports, parents evening etc.) are due?

My year 8 had traffic light table with each subject: with working towards, expected level and exceeded. And another column for progress. That's all! We get parent's evening in January (5 mins each teacher on zoom) and maybe another traffic light table in the summer. I have zero idea how my child is doing. To be honest the school is really struggling teachers are leaving, every newsletter there's a list of leaving teachers. Those that are there are off with covid or stress and my child mainly works through worksheets with cover supervisors/TAs. The permanent teachers there are, are often not teaching their own subjects. This is partly a result of a horrible SLT driving teacher's away and COVID. I'm making plans to move my child but it's hard when you can't look around the local schools due to covid.

Did you have a parents evening in the Autumn term? There's a statutory requirement to feedback 2-3 times per year but can be in any format.

Also how is your school for staffing currently? We had so many staff absent that we had to ask TAs to teach, split classes or send classes home. Could they have been forced to shelve assessments or data reporting until January? I think you need to ask them.

@Iwantquavers

Not having the time isnt an acceptable sort of response, though. Inputting the data takes minutes, anyway.

Of course it's an acceptable response. If every minute is spent standing in front of a class due to all non-contact time being cancelled in favour of keeping classes in school, then other stuff will have to slide.

And it doesn't take minutes.

For my year 11 child I haven’t had one since year 9-including no predicted grades😱 When asked, teachers say no idea 🤦‍♀️ Am so over it now.

@PeachesPumpkin I'm a teacher too and we don't finish until Tuesday, so I know all about staff shortages and being exhausted. We've also had Ofsted this half term.

Normally we receive a report at this time of year, yes. I have tried asking - one email to to school which was forwarded to the data team - no response. Two voicemails to HOY - no response. School is closed now so I will leave it until the new year, but it doesn't sound as if a report is unreasonable. They've definitely been doing lots of assessments.

My DD will her her YR 9 report in Jan to coincide with the start of the GCSE options selection process

Generally schools would give some form of progress report each term. Are you sure it hasn't gotten lost in your inbox somewhere? If not, check the schools website, often they will say when parents can expect to receive them. It's perhaps possible it will come at the start of the next term if end-of-term assessments that have just happened are to be taken into account. If all else fails, perhaps contact the school to ask.