To expect DS's scholl report to be written in english?

[Clumsymum]

I mean correct english, with proper sentences, paragraphs that are all in the same tense, and an approximately correct use of puntuation.

One section(knowledge of the world) doesn't make sense at all.

These are all supposed to be checked by the headteacher before they come out to us too!!

I'm a school governor, and having just read the report, I'm inches away from writing a complaint.

Love scholl pedicures

people make mistakes.
is s/he otherwise a good teacher? because in which case I would hold off, to be honest.
a little kindness, tolerance and respect goes a long way in a school imo

I think scholl pedicures should be available on the NHS. Feet are very mistreated.

I have sympathy for you as your child's report was cleary inadequate.

However, as a teacher who spent days on writing 30 reports for children in my class, I will just say that it is equally frustrating to have only received 2 comment slips back. Is it really so arduous to write a line or two back to the teacher to demonstrate that the report has actually been read, or that SATs results have been seen? Sorry, I know this is off topic but it is an issue that has annoyed me somewhat this last fortnight!

I'm also glad that the governors of the school in which I work are actually supportive of the staff and the job teachers do, rather than describe us as 'whining'. I work an 8-5.30 day on average in school, with other work on top. I'm not moaning OP, I think I have the best job in the world, but you seem unsupportive of teachers. I do, however, recognise that this may have been exasperated by the report you have just received. Are you unhappy with their teaching generally?

I'm a teacher. I've just written 32 reports.
There's no excuse for not bothering to proof-read accurately, and my TA checks them as well.

i don't think there's any problem with teachers using stock phrases which they can cut & paste BUT they should be written to make sense, NOT just copied from govt speak.

mind you, now you know how the govt 'talks' to us - half the time i didn't have a clue what the latest govt babble was about, let alone how to 'cascade' it to my staff, disseminate it, and then make it pupil aware.

in 3 different schools i have helped put together a bank of phrases which could be used for the 'basics' e.g. x can spell confidently, and is able to use common spelling patterns to work out longer words (govt speak would have me using words like high frequency polysyllabic).

THEN we were expected to write out up to 50 words of an individual comment for each pupil.

whilst i accept that many jobs have a range of stresses, there aren't that many on equivalent pay to teaching that expect the long hours, have no tech. support (so if you want statements to work on a report, you spend your eve working out the software system 'for fun')and have up to 200 individual reports to write in just two weeks on top of your normal work mode.

sadly, it is also true that the employment systems, unions and 'culture' of teaching is that you don't get rid of staff, unless they are truly horrendous. i used to have to check reports for up to 300 pupils, and some staff just did their own sweet thing, and refused to make any corrections. management would then say 'well, we can't sack them' and the reports went out like that!

so, complain, and if you're a gov. ASK the head what systems are in place for staff who don't complete their jobs satisfactorily - perhaps the next training day should be spent on how to do reports, with time to get the systems sorted out.

and some subjects, like

ignore last line

" people make mistakes."

I understand that (God knows, I understand it), but this isn't one mistake. This is poor English used throughout the report. I've only transcribed a couple of examples.

"is s/he otherwise a good teacher? because in which case I would hold off, to be honest.
a little kindness, tolerance and respect goes a long way in a school imo "

I'm sorry, but I find it I find it very hard to have respect for someone who lets herself down so badly.
This is supposed to be a professional report. It is one of the MAJOR communications between school and the teacher. It is supposed to communicate how my son is doing in his education.

Do you honestly believe all the other reports will be well written, and ours is the only one that is a shambles? I doubt it.

You sound like a very supportive governor.

Yes the grammar is rubbish but it's clearly a programme that's been sanctioned/ bought by the head so take it up with --them- him/ her.

FWIW a salary not much more than an experienced teacher is much more than most earn because lots leave the profession way before that. This is because of the obnoxious parents, badly behaved children and unsupportive SMT and board of governors they are too lazy to do what is required of them.

'lots leave the profession way before that. This is because of the obnoxious parents, badly behaved children and unsupportive SMT and board of governors they are too lazy to do what is required of them.'

Agreed, but that's why I don't give the opposition ammunition. It's tough enough without handing them the tools to batter you with.

here we go ...

cupoftea, I am very supportive of our teachers generally. But I see no excuse to do this aspect of the job (or any other) inadequately. I expect professional people to do their jobs in a professional manner,

Last year the governors and teaching staff had long discussions about how to help the teachers provide more meaningful reports. We worked with the IT specialist to find a good application to help.
This has been 'dashed off' without care, and then passed through the HT who apparently hasn't even looked at it.

Pedicures apart, I do understand what you are saying. A lot of teachers haven't actually had the benefit of working in an exacting professional environment outside teaching though, and might not appreciate the difference, unless you provide the feedback. So I do think you should provide the feedback, hopefully in a constructive and meaningful way.

'how to help the teachers provide more meaningful reports.'

Go on, be brave. Let us tell the truth without the spin. You know you want to.
Imagine how outraged many could be then, it could run through til Christmas and the seasonal Nativity complaining.
It would stop the reports being a phantasmagoria of mysterious and enigmatic statements...

Thanks Needaname. yes I try to be very supportive. I visit the school constantly, I'm always helping with this or that, and in fact have presented a couple of techie courses at staff meetings to help teachers manage their resources better.

"yes the grammar is rubbish but it's clearly a programme that's been sanctioned/ bought by the head so take it up with --them- him/ her."

Are you suggesting it is the software's fault, and the teacher shouldn't have checked it before letting it out?

It's always the software's fault. Give me my quill.

" "C can tell the time confidently in Spanish using 5, 10 & 20 past the hour and can write phrases linked to the time and date accurately. They are able to hold a short conversation ....."

Straight from some report software which is designed to cater for girl/boy comments at the same time. Not that I approve - but not dashed off or lazy.

"C has a real sense of the wider world and their place in it as well as how they can continue to do so as they move through life" which doesn't make any sense at all, does it ??"

Yes it does, grammatically. You may not like the jargon, and that's something which you may usefully pass on (politely).

"One paragraph simply says
"To be able to solve problems in several different ways to find the best solution. "

Was the paragraph entitled 'Next step'? It should have been.

"We worked with the IT specialist to find a good application to help."

There you go - you are also part of the problem, since you helped select the software which generates the comments you dislike so much! Should we direct other unhappy parents from your school in your direction?

Goblin, My personal opinion is that school reports should give it straight.

Why shouldn't little Johnny's parents be told that he won't ever be a brain surgeon, cos bless him he's rather dim, or Tanya's mother be told that some discipline at home would help her to do as she's told at school.

If C is bright but won't shut-up and sit down and get on with it, I want to know. I KNOW he can't draw for toffee. Telling me "his artwork is improving slowly" when it isn't true is just a waste of time, money and paper.

Good Lord Clumsymum, what an old-fashioned attitude.

OP, you have received a report which is n vg. The fact you are a governor is irrelevant. Governors should support the staff they employ not seek out conflict with them. At some point in time a group of people from the governing body you now sit on gave your dc's teacher their job so I'm sure you must have some faith in their general capacity in the classroom. Take your governor's hat off when you politely mention to your dc's teacher that next time they do reports they might want to look at their approaches to proof reading.

With your governor's hat on you might want to explore how the reporting system might be more meaningful for students, parents and teachers within your teaching and learning or assessment committee.

'here we go ...' what do you mean by that?

As I said, I agree that there is no excuse for writing a report as bad as the one you received.

However, initially you did seem rather scathing about the teaching profession in general.

I feel that since you have posted more information about how you have supported the school, I completely understand your frustrations with your school.

Please don't tar us all with the same brush though!

" "C has a real sense of the wider world and their place in it as well as how they can continue to do so as they move through life" which doesn't make any sense at all, does it ??"

Yes it does, grammatically. You may not like the jargon, and that's something which you may usefully pass on (politely). "

No, it doesn't make sense. It isn't jargon, it is rubbish.

What is a "sense of the wider world"? he "can continue to do" what exactly ?

""One paragraph simply says
"To be able to solve problems in several different ways to find the best solution. "

Was the paragraph entitled 'Next step'? It should have been. "

No it wasn't. So again, no proof reading.

You have been given a badly written report. I wouldn't write off the entire teaching profession because of that.

Yes you SHOULD complain. Go and speak to the teacher and make sure it doesn't happen again.

It's part of the Reception curriculum, lifted straight from the page. The teacher didn't write that.

So now that we find you are in part responsible for selecting the application used to write the comments you dislike so much, your only complaint can be that she missed a paragraph heading. Wow. You must be incandescent.

Add message | Report | Contact poster By Feenie Fri 09-Jul-10 19:35:25

"C has a real sense of the wider world and their place in it as well as how they can continue to do so as they move through life" which doesn't make any sense at all, does it ??"

Yes it does, grammatically. You may not like the jargon, and that's something which you may usefully pass on (politely).

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FEENIE - Sorry i dont understand why that makes sense? 'as well as how they can continue to do so as they move through life', can continue to do what?? I don't think it makes sense

You are a governor as well as a parent. I'd say it is your responsibility to take it up. If you are annoyed, many other parents are likely to be too, and apart from that, may not have the experience to realise that the report should have value, and be properly written. You could start gently with the head, or your PPC committee if you have one. (I was a governor till this time last year).

I actually thought you'd done a deliberate typo - it makes it quite clear what your issue is actually!