What is the point of school reports?

[unknownrebelbang]

My school reports, a long long time ago, were one line for each subject; a general comment at the bottom, along with test results; A, B, or C; and class position. Ok, so I know we don't need to know the class position etc, but at least my parents knew how things were.

I've received DS2 and DS3's reports recently and tbh they're full of cut/pasted gobbledigook. There has been a trend for this over recent years, but this year it was so noticeable because they're both currently in the same class (yr5/yr6).

Obviously I'd like to know how they're doing in each subject; where progress has been made; where progress needs to be made; targets etc, but do we really need all this information?

The only thing that made any real sense was the PHSE; general and head's comments.

So, when did the reports get so complicated; and why?

I like the children's assessment of themselves. In year 1, ds wrote that he was good at "futball" "needed to practice "telling the time" and liked "chocolat brownys"

That's it Edam! That's what I don't want or need in the blardy reports.

For instance: "He is using talk for a variety of purposes." No shit, sherlock. (And it should be 'speech', not 'talk', if bloody Ofsted/schools can't use language properly how the hell are they going to teach the children to do it?)

"He uses information from a range of sources to extend his knowledge gained through observations." "He selects activities and resources independently." "He shows respect for people who have different needs, values, cultures and beliefs."

This is not a teacher writing about my son, this is cutting and pasting Ofsted buzz-phrases.

Fortunately the report does contain a few passing comments that seem to apply to ds as an individual, but they are hidden amongst the jargon.

I start my reports with a general, positive comment. I then go on to talk about how they are in the specific parts of the subject (eg written work, group work, practicals, oral contributions) - again, as positive as I can make it. I then discuss their examination result and put this into context. Lastly, I say what they can do to improve - this is where any negatives are alluded to ('Zoe could achieve more by chatting less' etc.)

When we write year 11 reports we are not allowed to make anything other than a positive or neutral comment.

So we are not allowed to write 'Your dc is bight but does no work and because of this will seriously under perform in examinations'

as a parent, if that were my child that is *exactly what I would need to know.

But we are not allowed to write that

Is that the school's decision, MB? Because it's barking. Is the head just too worn down by pushy parents?

That's crazy MB. Does the same apply to parents evening too?

(or Parent Teacher Consultations as they now seem to be called at our school)

Just noticed ds's report also sets him a target: "To name and describe three dimensional shapes." Must be Ofsted jargon because ds has known what a sphere, a cube and a cylinder etc. etc. are since his first week in nursery - it's right there in his book with the date on!

Because year 11's sometimes use their reports for a refernce.

In the past I have limited to 'He attends my class regularly'

I love your double-meaning statements, MB, and I work hard on producing these myself.

Funnily enough, as a parent, I don't think I really read them in a negative light in my own children's reports (I totally expect hard reports on DS2, but never really get them... )

Face to face meetings are usually quite frank, though.

What irritates me is DD's various subjects starting for example

"This year in history we have covered the Second World War looking at its effects on blah, blah...."

"Our art projects this year have focussed on studying cartoons and the children devising characters...."

Why can't all this info be included on an accompanying sheet (they could probably re-send the one they sent us at the beginning of th year telling us what they were planning to cover).

Then the teachers could do a couple of sentences on the child. Saves trees, saves time.

DD's school have changed report style for the third time in three years. They used to mark effort and attainment A-E and 1-5 with A1 being highest. Then they went to A-5, 1-10, A1 highest.

Now they are doing A-C, 1-3. A & 1 still highest but I think there isn't enough scope. DD was thrilled to get A1 in sport when the teacher had previously told them it could only be attained by someone reaching national level in their sport. I (in v light-hearted way) spoke to the teacher about it and, as she said, she had no choice as DD is above average ability. (But we all know she's nowhere near as good as the kids that are regularly in fixtures, play at county level, etc and it seems rather unfair that she has therefore got the same grade IMO).

"Then they went to A-E, 1-10, A1 highest"

Regarding grades.

Many schools use a class refernced grading s=ystem, which, IMHO is pointless and counter productive.

So A child above average in the class will get an 1, average for the class will get a 2 and below average gets a 3.

THis is pants. It doesn't matter where your kid is in the class, what matters is how much progress he/she is making.

So a kid in a top set, who gets a B at GCSE, the average mark in the class is an A at GCSE will get a 3 grade on the report because they are towards the bottom of the class.

Now that kid could have been expected to get a C at GCSE and is doing astonishingly well, ot they could be a clever but lazy arse who was prodicted an A*.

Referencing to the class doesn't take this into account.

We use sef referncing. So if a kid was predicted a C but got a B, they would ger an 1 grade for progress on their report. Lazy arse will get a 3.

Much more helpful for the parents

Our grades refer to the whole year group, so it shouldn't matter which set they are in.

However, the problem we get is that we have an A-E system for attainment, and 1-5 for effort, and most teachers refuse to use the whole band. It is very rare for a student to receive an E or a 5, and then there are teachers who don't like Ds and 4s.

We have level descriptors that we share with parents, but unfortunately, not all the teachers read them.

It's amazing how many teachers and parents look negatively at the word 'satisfactory', when it is a perfectly reasonable (if boring) word.

But even whole year group grades don't tell you how your child is doing.

They tell you how well they are doing with regard to the rest of the year.

What I want to know is 'Is my child making the process that they should be making' I don't really need to know where they are in the year.....that will come with time and external exams.

So my bright dd is currently underperforming

ds with SEN is over perfoming and doing far better than could reasonably be expected. But a simple 'Where are they in the year' grade would not reflect this. It would show that dd is doing 'better', which isn't the case

I try to make a statement of how the child has progressed...

I always remember my chemistry report when I was about 15 (late nineties) claiming I do no work, don't listen and just stare out of the window. All of this was true but it gave me the wake up call I needed to buckle down. How are kids going to know how to improve if they just get anodyne reports which don't tell anyone anything?

I always remember my chemistry report when I was about 15 (late nineties) claiming I do no work, don't listen and just stare out of the window. All of this was true but it gave me the wake up call I needed to buckle down. How are kids going to know how to improve if they just get anodyne reports which don't tell anyone anything?

When we have a 'full' report, I do too, but we send out effort and attainment grades 3 times a year and unless the are self referenced, it really doesn't let the parents know about progress in a meaningful way.

Can I put in a for my DS's (independent) school, whose report (received today) tells me that his teachers know him very well and understand him.

For example: "minisquiggle especially enjoys the games we play in maths, and is very competitive. He needs to remember that it is just a game and that winning depends more on the roll of the dice than on any skill"

That's my boy (and yes, before anyone leaps on me, I do take this problem seriously and we are trying to address it )

I sometimes wonder what we are paying for, but not today.

and another "minisquiggle has very good general knowledge and can talk fluently about a wide range of subjects"

That has to be the nicest way of saying "your 5yo is a know it all and never shuts up" that I have ever seen!

LOL squiggle.

DD's (also in an independent school) once said, 'Minibishop is a delightful child who wil tell anyone who will listen about what she is doing.'

Oh how I laughed, and how well they knew her!

The problem with attainment and effort grades from where I sit is:

DD can do English and maths without much effort (but she always does her best, if that makes sense and mostly enjoys the lessons and it would be harsh to ). She gets A1 academic subjects. For sport previously she has got grades like 6B (slightly above average attainment, above average effort) or maybe 6C. She perceives she always tries really hard in sport and doesn't have to try in academic stuff but I know she doesn't tackle sport with the same relish as some of the other kids so it's almost like it's not Effort marks but Enthusiasm marks!

She got an 8C or similar in recorder last year. She was desperate to learn the sax and as the fingering transferred I queried it with the teacher as I wasn't about to start paying for what would be her third instrument if her effort was that bad in class. It turned out to be a transposing error (music teacher doesn't really do computers and gave grade list to someone else to put in) but tbh that grade for recorder wasn't too much of a surprise but a great lever for me to use with DD.

oh sorry went on a bit there.

lol @ the cutting & pasting. After looking thru DS2's report (Y3) looked back @ DS1's for that year - IDENTICAL comments re their enjoyment of the Egyptian topic and trip to River Thames. I don't mind - after all when I do a customer proposal do not hand craft each one, but it just seems a waste of time for teachers to be spending time on,just ot pay lip serice to some gvt regulation - would rather they used the time to chill out after the tiring day with the kids!