School reports..How much do you share?

[starlight1234]

I don't mean with fb but with your child. I have read selective sections to my DS but have since wondered if this is what everyone else does?

DD1's report is due today- she's in Y1. We didn't share much last year apart from saying that we were proud and pleased. She didn't really ask, but if she had I certainly wouldn't have shared grades (e.g. emerging/expected/exceeded) as I didn't agree with them- the teacher assessed her as ridiculously high. It wouldn't have been beneficial for DD.

This year, DH and I will read the report first, and we will probably share the key points rather than the whole report. The levels won't mean much to DD, but I'd be happy to share them if they're accurate. I certainly want to talk to her about targets- I find it quite frustrating that she doesn't have (or isn't aware of) any targets. She can't tell me one thing that she needs to work on at school.

Usually I read the whole thing out but with DS's this year I didn't.

Although he got great levels ( he is year 3 and got 4Cs across the board in his tests and teacher assessments) The comments were so full of things the teacher is disappointed with and lots of could do betters. ( no behavioural issues just lots of disappointment from her because she feels he should be achieving more academically)

I read it and read it to find anything encouraging in the comments I could read out to him but just felt completely deflated!

I've just said well done on the grades and I'll deal with the negative stuff once I can find a constructive way of helping him with it.

brdgrl I loath parents' evenings, precisely because the presence of the child (compulsory at all 3 schools my kids attend) invariably allows teachers to be really lazy and open proceedings with 'how do YOU think you are doing' which invariably gets the same (equally lazy but more understandable) response from each of my kids 'ok I suppose'. What a waste of time. The kids are beset by worries of on the one hand, hubris, on the other hand, wanting to be polite, and I know how they think they are doing anyway - what I want to know is what the teachers think, and I want what I know about the kids' work from grades etc to be placed in context. That's why I've taken time off work to attend. But no. It's a completely cosmetic exercise. No value added at all. At two of the schools, the reports don't even include comments just levels for effort attainment etc, at the third school (primary) the teacher just regurgitates the curriculum for that year (x has done this and that she can do this and that her target for next year is (and that bit is written by the child not the teacher! DD2 suggested 'learning how to fudge reports believably' for one target last year but got told off (not by me, I thought she was completely within her rights)).

My kids are all blessed with SEN issues, so we do get separate, useful feedback, which is placed properly in context, as a result of this, but if they weren't I think our entire lives would be lived like moles in the dark with respect to how our kids are getting on at school. Reports are designed to convey the least possible information and parents evenings the same. I don't necessarily disagree with the view that the teachers are the experts and they should just be allowed to get on with it, but I don't like the empty charade of parents evenings and I'd prefer reports to have more contextual information although I don't hanker for a return for the days of yore when ever subject teacher had to write narrative about every child - levels and grades are fine, but an added (and this is good, this is fine, this is a bit dodgy) would be useful and not onerous for them, really.

My kids usually read theirs first on the way home from school, that's fine by me.

my DD's report is all very personal, detailed comments on what she has done well and what she could do better under each topic heading. No grading or levels of any sort. There is no mention here of reading levels or bands or whatever they're called. Also, have no idea about key stage this or that, it's never mentioned, I have no idea what stage each year group falls under or what they're meant to have achieved. I just send her to school, read with her, get her to do her homework and maintain a good relationship with the school. Our school sounds like heaven compared with some of the schools I read about on mumsnet.

I had never heard of a parent teacher interview that the pupil attends too until I read about it on mumsnet. It's a strange concept to me, seems to defeat the purpose of meeting with the teacher.

Mrz whether they are interested or not isn't really the point - there is the obligation to be able to provide them if requested. Here the report is a public document, not a top secret letter from one individual to another, about a 3rd party who is definitely not allowed to see them...

Surely openness is a good thing - the report shouldn't be bringing up surprising and troubling new information that the children shouldn't see, surely - if there is a problem the teacher and parent will have been in regular contact about it long before the report stage. Children who are old enough to want to read their report are surely entitled to know how they are getting on, it seems odd that they not be allowed this information except in special circumstances where it may upset them, which would be up to the parent to decide (if the report was in a sealed envelope).

All of it.

They're too young to want to read it all but we go through it and have a chat about what they've done well at and what areas they need to work on. They're given targets to aim for so it helps them understand what they need to aim for at school and at home.

DD is Year 2. I showed her the page which detailed her levels; this is the first year I have shared her levels with her. I also shared some of the comments regarding her particular strengths and areas she needs to focus on for improvement; I felt this was important, particularly as her levels are the same for English, Maths and Science, and levels alone are rather meaningless.

I have always read/given reports to my children to read. Mainly because I hated the fact that my dad would never share any of my reports with me.

Only DD1 who is just finishing year 5 has any idea of what the levels mean and to be fair having just sat mock sat papers at school she is well aware of what her levels are and mean.

I read it first so I know what's coming and then let DS. Yes, it's a report to parents but if anything in there is a surprise to the child then I would have a problem with the school. The children know what their targets are (not levels but improve handwriting/quantity of work etc) and should know how their behaviour good or bad is perceived.

Children are not invited to parents' evenings and I have far more enlightening communications with teachers then.

My children read their reports - in fact, the school include a section written by the children about how they feel they have done and what their next targets are. The children also write a response.

I think it is useful. DS2 had a fantastic report. He is fairly laid back and doesn't talk much about school, so doesn't tend to tell me about house points, praise etc. It was a joy to see him read it and his face light up!

My older DC (year 3 and year 1) read theirs. DC3 is in nursery so I just told him he'd had a good report and I was pleased with him.

Mine can read the whole thing, but don't always choose to. I've summarised highlights for them today. I don't like the idea of them being discussed without being involved (and I'm a teacher). I don't write anything in children's reports that I wouldn't be prepared to say to them directly.

DC1 is in Y2. I started to read highlights but DC was enjoying it so I read all the comments. I didn't mention levels at all and they didn't ask.

DC2 is in nursery. I just said that school said how delightful they were to have around. They weren't interested in the slightest.