'has the potential to achieve more' just how many school reports include this phrase?

[tigermoth]

My son's school report even when good, always has something about 'potential' and 'not always achieving it' somewhere.

I was talking to a friend about this. She says something like 'not entirely achieving his potential' is almost a stock phrase in children's school reports. I think she's got a point.

So just out of curiosity, how many parents here have found a similar phrase lurking in their children's school reports? and how many parents have a report which reads that little johnny 'has fully achieved his potential this year'?

What do you mean Janh - I'm confused since I can' find any ref to 'top table' on this thread. If you think that's how children in DD's class know who the bright ones are, it's definitely not the case. The children are moved every half term and a selection of children of different abilities are on each table.

Really SueW? That must be very hard to teach. In ds1's school children are 'streamed' on tables - the top table is called "the bananas", but that's what it is ... is that so bad? During literacy hour, for example, they have whole class teaching, but then each class has an activity, and this is graded by ability, so each child has something appropriate for their level - but they are working on the same thing as others on their table. (This is yr1, by the way).

Oh, just what you said about the children knowing which children are the brightest - the kids at our school are not shuffled around regularly, and although the staff don't use the term "top table" (they use colours - red group, blue group etc), the kids always do, right from Y1 IIRC. I assumed yours was the same (I'm always doing that, sorry!).

Other than that, they use workbooks which are graded and tend to know who's on which book, and also who has been released from the confines of the reading scheme to choose whatever they like from the class bookshelves.

Meant to say, our school has classes with 2 year groups in so mixed ability would be really complicated.

hellbell - we get 4 sides of A4, including a handwritten paragraph from the Head and it is much appreciated. I realise good reports take a long time to write, but I'm entrusting my child to his school for a large proportion of his waking hours, and I do want to know what is going on in that time.

The report we got is very personal - no stock phrases there, but then ds1 has never been a 'standard child', so you couldn't possibly write a standard report about him.

We get grades for every subject (just above average; average; below average), but also grade for effort (very good; satisfactory; could do better). We tell the boys we are just interested in the latter, but the former is useful to know too. The report particularly highlights problem areas, but also praises special achievements, and personal talents and strengths.

At the end of the report they have 'targets for improvement' - just 3 or 4 specific tasks to work on, which are within reach. This is a fantastic thing to have on a report.

Personally I am most interested in the behavioural/social side ... I can do stuff at home with kids, and see their school books, and it's pretty clear what academic standards they are at (and for us that has always been very high) ... but I don't get to see them in the playground, interacting in class, misbehaving in assembly - and so that information needs to be filled in through a report.

HTH

DD is also Y1 (entering Y2 next week). What you say janh, wrt to books and reading schemes, also applies in DD's class with the children very aware of which child is first to go onto 'free readers', who is on '5 a day/6 a day' maths, etc. They are also very aware of who runs the fastest and who is good at drawing. And according to one mum I saw today 'and today's dinner made Stephi sick again'!

kmg - I don't know how much the children are shuffled around during the day but DD tells me each half term that they have moved tables and now she sits with x, y, and z. I know from concerns expressed by parents at the gate which children are doing less well and they are just as likely to end up on a table with the bright children.

I'm not sure what happens in Y2. Time will tell. DD says they've been told they are sometimes allowed to have toys out on Fridays

I found some of my old skool reports the other day - they all say "has the potential to acheive more if she paid more attention and listened in class".

It seems that nothing has changed since 1987 (both with me and reports in general)

agree that children know what abilty groups they are in, compared to others. My son can often tell me what his report doesn't say.

Parents are not encouraged to visit the classroom after school. The school don't want strange adults wandering around at picking up time for security reasons. However when I have had to go into my son's classroom, I've seen all the ablilty group lists on the wall so everyone can see who is placed where at a glance. I'm not sure how I feel about this. It can't be too nice for those in all the 'bottom' groups.

The top groups tend to have more girls in them than boys. Yet do girls have to work harder to get into the high abilty bands when secondary school transfer looms? I believe all pupils get graded in year six. Since mixed secondary, grammar or comp schools presumably take 50/50 boys and girls, are boys who are not in the highest groups in class graded more generously than girls, because as the boys standard goes they are in the top 10%?

agree that children know what abilty groups they are in, compared to others. My son can often tell me what his report doesn't say.

Parents are not encouraged to visit the classroom after school. The school don't want strange adults wandering around at picking up time for security reasons. However when I have had to go into my son's classroom, I've seen all the ablilty group listed on the wall so everyone can see who is placed where at a glance. I'm not sure how I feel about this. It can't be too nice for those in all the 'bottom' groups.

The top groups tend to have more girls in them than boys. Yet do girls have to work harder to get into the high abilty bands when secondary school transfer looms? I believe all pupils get graded in year six. Since mixed secondary, grammar or comp schools presumably take 50/50 boys and girls, are boys who are not in the highest groups in class graded more generously than girls, because as the boys standard goes they are in the top 10%?

My report said "..could achieve a lot more if she contributed to class discussions". Guess what DS1's school report said! That's right "..could do better by participating it the group discussions!" and his report was almost glowing!

tigermoth, our grammar school doesn't take 50/50 boys and girls - they tried it for a couple of years and lots of girls' parents complained so they reverted.

They don't have 13+ intake either which I think they should, to allow for the boys developing later.

However, FWIW, at our primary school girls and boys have passed in equal numbers for several years now - and that isn't a fix! Can't explain this at all...and next year's Y6 "top table" is the same. (There used to be a huge imbalance, eg 12 girls to 4 boys. Very odd.)

janh, I'm really surprised to hear that your local mixed sex grammar doesn't take children on a 50/50 girl/boy basis. Mind you if boys are allowed places even when girls outperform them then that could be called sexual discrimination possibly. Then again, if there is no 13 plus, and boys later developement is not taken into account, anti boy discrimination might be said to exist.

Many of the rules of secondary education are a mystery to me, since I haven't yet got to that stage, but is this the norm?

It's good to hear of one school where the 'top tables' have an equal split between the boys and girls. I wonder what the secret is. At all three of my son's primary schools, girls have been far more in evidence.

Surely we all always have the potential to achieve more? We'd be a very complacent lot if we didn't.

Oops, wasn't really trying to revive this ancient thread from 2003. Accidentally changed order in which threads appeared and am half asleep so didn't notice. Ignore me !

i think every singe one of my school reports said that.
probly even my degree certificate.

Shhesh I could type better in those days

The banana thing is a book level that they have at school there are different colours for each level. i'm not happy should i approach a teacher? Any help would be appriciated - thanks

This thread is ancient.