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 write a report that i would want to read as a parent. I finished mind today and they were all personalised for every child and made references to their little quirky ways. So i said how proud i was of one boy who arrived at school in september saying he could not read and has finished the year loving school and my amusement at how he stuffs his pockets with food at our achievement parties. I also informed another parent that their sons only achievement of the year was to bully a whole class.

I love the teachers hidden meanings - like estate agents and horse traders. I always hunt for the phrase in my children's reports that translates as "If only he/she would sit down and shut up for five minutes he/she would get on better" This year it's "P occasionally lets his enthusiasm run away with him"

Well, > my kids both came home with hand written reports; both of which had highly thoughtful and wonderfully appropriate comments from Head and class teacher. There is a word procesed bit which details what has been taught and teachers then write personal bits about individual successes.

If you get the word processed/report bank type then indicate vocally that you dislike them. If enough parents do so then people take notice.

My most diligent colleague has used, as required, new ( hideously expensive) report/assessment package, only o have Head tell her somewhat sheepishly that they lack the personal touch so she has redone them all without using the package.

I remember when DD got her Year 8 report the first thing she did after I'd read it was to ring her best friend & start reading it out.
I asked her what she was doing & she put the phone on speaker. Her friend was reading hers and they were identical, word for word, in almost every subject...

We had (for Yr 2 & Yr 4) paragraphs of guff about what they had done - what the project was, what tables they had learned, and at the end a one liner saying your child is performing at/above/below the level expected for their age.

Told me fuck all.

DD2 was described as "quiet and well behaved" when I know (I have seen her at school as well, so know she is not one of these children who are radically different at school from home) she is the loudest, noisiest, most extrovert child in her class, and the ringleader if there is any mischief going on.

I am now wondering if she got the right report.

I used to love those pithy comments from teachers from years ago. (Well, except when they were about me )

I totally agree the reports now tell us everything and nothing.

They also come out so near to the end of term you have no time (or very little) to query them.

I mean what is all the SATS palaver about anyway? Anything I have found out about sats has been from MN and not the school.

They will put the results in the report but I won't be able to talk to anyone about them.

My two naughtiest pupils made me laugh today as they were so thrilled by another teacher's old-school, accurate but vitriolic character assassination in their report they wanted to frame it! I was crying with laughter when I read it but god knows what their parents will think!

I think most parents would like an honest report but there are now some who complain about what's written & threaten legal action . I was form tutor to one child whose parent who would take issue with any perceived criticism. I dreaded every year the inevitable meeting, overt criticism of teachers who weren't praising her child enough and the endless paperwork that followed.

Well, Heated you quite rightly do raise the other side of the coin there.

I suppose it's no wonder we're where we are when we live in a world of hurt feelings and compensation because of them. It makes it very hard to be honest.

I think that reports are pretty meaningless.

Why tell us , at the end of the year, "we have been studying Romans/water cycle..." Wouldn't it be much more useful to give us the curriculum at the beginning of the year so we can support it at home (if the whim takes us).

Why tell us, at the end of the year, that DC has been naughty/not completed coursework/been forgetting equipment... Wouldn't it be more useful to know these things as we went along so we could corect it? (It's like GCSE coursework: why do teachers only involve parents whe nthe final, final, final deadline is imminent?)

It's shutting hte stable door after the horse has bolted.

Um, the reason for 'We have been studying blah' is because you can fill up quite a lot of your word target with that (& it's identical for entire year group).

Was once privileged to see our Head's reports after he taught the boys in my form for PE.

150 words detailing the 'programme of study' (ie. footy in winter, cricket in summer ) - followed by 'Liam has made steady progress'.

I had 2 Liams in my form. The Head apparently thought I had 4...he did manage successfully to change the other 10 names...