End of Year report Reception- what to expect.

[wineandharibo]

I've just received an end of year report for DS who is due to finish reception. The report was 5 pieces of A4 paper folded in half with a large paragraph on each piece about what the class had done in each category, and then a 3 line comment about DS. There was also a small comment about half a line long, about what needs to be worked on, but the way this is worded it looks like it has been taken out of a script and does not even make sense.
To say I am disappointed is an understatement. The comments on DS's progress sound very impersonal (scripted) and there are no specifics what DS needs to work on. Therefore, I can't tell what he may need help with and what I could help him to improve.
I was also expecting that the format may be a little more formal, other than five pieces of paper, not even in a plastic wallet or with a cover page.
DS is at an independent school with 11 other pupils in the class. There are also 1 or 2 TAs on most days, and specific subject teachers for Maths, English, IT, Sport and Music- so I don't think there is a staffing/ timing issues. The school is very small, and most teachers know all pupils very well.
The report does state that he is very polite with good manners and there have never been any behavioural issues.
Am I expecting too much? What is normal at the end of the year? What we have looks and feels like it has been drawn up in half and hour, using stock phrases. Plus I get the feeling that because DS is so polite and well behaved, that he has been overlooked in favour of less well behaved/ more confident and loud/ struggling pupils.
Please can I have some advice.

At DD's unpopular state school we have had 2 written reports already in Reception, with another due on the 11th July. Each has been 5 A4 pages, stapled in top left corner with name/class on front. Then there is a paragraph about each of the 7 areas explaining what they are, and which age band she is in for each of the 17 subsections and whether secure/entered/developing (in the March report it has both Autumn's rank and Spring's)

Then there is a paragraph or 2 about her development and how she is in the class.

Then there are targets for Reading, Writing and Mathematics.

our R report last year was disappointing to me because it just grouped things into categories and then said what the child could do, word for word standard blurb for having met the expected levels in the EYFS. I asked to see how she had actually done because as I read the report it honestly looked like she could do the things she could do when she had started R so I was a bit puzzled. Turned out she had done much better than the standard report could show.

I would expect all the reports are the same - well not literally but all will be in the same format with the same standard blurbs that are applicable to that child in that specific area. The teacher will probably be able to give you more information and you may well find your child did better than is indicated.

Could you ask the teacher for a quick chat just about the report? I felt much better after literally a 3 minute chat with the teacher and if the report is similar for child number 2 this year then I will do the same (and for child number 1 again if I feel it is necessary).

To me it is important that I know how they are doing, education is both the parents responsibility and the school's.

Go and talk to the teacher saying you don't understand the report. There are some teachers that just copy paste and even forget to change the child's name. In my experience the better the teacher the better the report. In a class of 11 really the teacher should have made a bit more effort.

I have just finished writing mine! They have all the ELGs described and then whether the child is working towards, has met, or has exceeded them. For writing, reading, number and shape space and measures there is more detailed info about what the child has achieved ie they are blending/segmenting simple words, using finger spaces, answering comprehension questions, using blocks/fingers to solve calculations, and a target for all of these areas ie to learn all sounds, to consolidate key word recognition, to begin to work mentally on calculations as appropriate to the child. Then there is a bit about their learning style (characteristics of effective learning), and then the personal comment which is about their behaviour, interests, friendships, attitude etc. They took me about an hour and a half to do each one (plus all the assessment before etc) so I really hope the parents are pleased and find them useful. They only thing I would say is that once again the standard expected for both writing and number is considerably higher than it was before the changes last year, and some parents may be disappointed that their child has not met those expectations. Don't get me started on the expectations for getting 'exceeding' in writing, which in our borough equates to about a level 2c.

Hi wineandharibo:

I agree with Nonemoreblack in that you should be receiving some indication against Early Years descriptors about whether your child is at/ below/ above expected level.

This figure (1.1. - page 12 of 38 on this link: www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/190639/DFE-RR291.pdf) - is the kind of simple table that a teacher could fill out to quickly convey how your child is doing in their opinion.

If this kind of information isn't presented in the end of year report - my advice is to request that the school provide your child's achievements against Early Learning descriptors because you are not able to gather this information from the report they have prepared.

I fear the days of a simple report card are gone (in England at least).

However, given teachers seem to hate the amount of work involved in preparing these things (cut & pasted/ computer generated/ etc...), parents don't exactly respect these reports and given tax payers are funding achievement tracking software in state sector schools at least - perhaps it's just time to print us out the tracked progress report (which is simply a push of a button - let's be honest) for our child.

I suspect a simple printout would save everybody a great deal of time, much more swiftly convey areas of successful/ unsuccessful achievement and cut through the nonsensical verbage of the 'typical school report' - although I am truly heartened to learn of my child's growing pleasure in expressing herself through dance, I am content for forego that kind of 'fine detail'.

I suspect a simple printout would save everybody a great deal of time, much more swiftly convey areas of successful/ unsuccessful achievement and cut through the nonsensical verbage of the 'typical school report'

And what exactly would you get from a report, that has nothing but a simple tick in a particular box? So, you know your child is "emerging" in the box "Technology". What is that supposed to mean to parents? To plonk them in front of a computer more often? To buy a floor robot for home use? That they shouldn't send them out to play so much, because their child is underachieving in that area and should spend more time on the Playstation?
I teach UKS2. Reports take forever to write. It's four to five pages of information per child...in a class of 29. Each of them is written specifically for that child. We don't use comment banks and I don't copy and paste. I actually think it's important for parents to know why their child might be underachieving and how they can be supported,..and also whether it's an issue. I have children in my class, who have made amazing progress this year, with very low starting points in September. Given just a tick box, they'd still just be underachieving. No mention of the hard work they have put in this year and the fact that they can be so proud of their achievements, having exceeded what was expected of them by miles.
I also got a "tick box" report for one of the pupils, who started in my class. There was no indication that he was underachieving and it was quite a shock to his parents to be told that (well, actually) their child was quite a bit behind...not just "emerging".

It does sound like the teacher could've done more to make the report personal and more informative. However, it's a school report, it's not meant to be laminated or in a special folder or anything. When my DC's were in reception (last one 10 years ago) the reports were very informal and quite child friendly so I wouldn't expect KS1 reports to be that formal tbh.