If the report makes out your dc is getting along at something s/he's actually very good at, is it worth asking for it to be changed?

[SSSandy2]

Ok this is dd's first ever report and it's just a page of writing, no grades. The criticism that she sometimes shows lack of care in copying things down are valid. She's slapdash about that but then I think it's an excruciatingly boring activity and I'm not too worried about that. It's a just criticism, her writing isn't always neat.

However it says (in translation): "dd rapidly expanded her knowledge of letters (weird cos she knew them all beforehand of course) and she was soon able to read short words and the first texts in her reader. Towards the end of the school year she no longer had any trouble with longer sentences and unknown texts."

OK this is maybe too picky (?) but she is a VERY good, fluent reader and has been reading maybe 6-8 books a night since December. She reads through chapter books aimed at 10-12 year olds and copes fine with them. She reads and reads and reads. There is no way she is only just beginning to cope with longer sentences and unknown texts.

I think they are just working with standard texts to be honest but I don't feel this does her reading justice. Although as far as I can judge it the rest of the report sounds about right.

I wouldn't ask for it to be changed

sorry but I think you are overreacting

her report sounds great
its says she no longer has trouble with long sentences and unknown texts - ie she can read fluently?

how old is she?

yes that's ok, I have BIG issues with the school tbh at the moment, so I am not sure if I am reading more into the report than is actually there IYSWIM and so I appreciate hearing someone else's views.

not worth the effort at the moment, energy better spent with dd and reading wider, worth bringing up with next teacher at next parents evening though to make sure she is moving forward

What are the issues?

bullying. She's 6 btw

have to say it rather pisses me off how little teachers, who spend such a vast proprotion of the day with our children, seem to know about them on occasion

Are the school tackling the bullying SS? If not, I'd consdier moving schools

Twig - when DD brought her report home, it was very detailed adn DH muttered that he could have written it himself.

I said thats a good thing, shows they know DD well

agree some of the phrases were suspiciously like stock phrases

I thuink they have to use stock prhases do they not? in state schoosl anyway?

dd2s private prep nursery report on the other hand was so beautifully written and perceptive it made me cry in the car

no, the school aren't tackling it at all. The teacher apparently on principle not (!) and the school won't speak to me about it, I have to go through her so I am well pissed off as you can imagine.

I would like to move her but stumped for good alternatives just at the moment. Still working on it though

I have found that school reports are useless! (sorry and this is only MHO) I had a school report that didn't even get relate to my child (as the teacher had "cut and paste the wrong bit" her words not mine!

We have a page to add our comments and I might be tempted to put "I was surprised by the comments regarding XXX reading ability as it isn't reflective of the ability they demonstrate at home." or would ignore it and just make sure that her teacher next year is aware of your child's ability. (give them time to settle in first though!

HTH

that sounds shite

Complain to teh governors.
They MUST tackle this now

Enid - really? I didn't know that. Big pat on the back for DD's teacher then

same teacher next year unfortunately.

OK speccy , I just may be LOOKING for problems in the text, you know.

sounds like the private schools have a fancier report writing computer programme than the state schools,

hmm my comment to speccy looks weird. Actually I was just agreeing with you but don't what I did there! Sorry

Yes, I like that "my perception of her reading skills bit" I will attach a short note to along those lines.

Will defo have to write some letters I know.

Fluently in German or English ? I suspect given the circumstances(ie not a native speaker) she may display rather less confidence in the classroom situationwhich this perhaps reflects. I'd let it pass.

sometimes you have to get the child pushed along. The aim now is to bring everyone to the 'average' so the less able are given alot of input and the bright ones left to it. I'm always having to get my 5 year old moved up a stage with her reading. She's on stage 8 of the ORT but finds it easy. It's a constant battle.

Not true that all state schools in the UK have to use stock phrases, though some schools have a policy of doing so. My dd's reports have contained some obviously cut and pasted phrases, but I really didn't mind - how many ways could a teacher find of describing a yr1 child's ability to count in threes? The bits that mattered were clearly personal to my child, and were written by someone who knew her well and cared about how she has been learning and developing.

Anyway - to the OP, if you're finding it hard to get the school to tackle the core issue of bullying (and they sound dreadful), better to suck this up and focus on that, or you risk being labelled by them as someone who makes a fuss about everything - including what might, in this case, be a very minor difference of perception/representation.

yes ok zazette. Think I'll accept that view. I will ask a Geman to read through the report, they would pick up better than I perhaps the tone of it all. Wish I could see another couple of dc's reports just to know whether hers is pretty much the kind of thing the other girls in the class are getting. Maybe I am picking up on sub-text that in fact really isn't there too. It sounds very cold and not that nice to me as well but really only the reading rankled.

GeRman obviously