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.

That's is worth doing as it may simply be succinct in linguistically characteristic way so lose in translation.

Yes, worth getting a native to make sure it isn't a bit 'linkisch'. i got a friend to do this when my last German employer wrote me a reference.

DS's school report last year was on the whole pretty accurate of what we think about him, so no real surprises. However there was one report (Music, MUSIC FFS!) which was out of this world. Apparently not only is DS a musical genius with astonishing natural talent, but he is also a natural leader who in addition takes time to help out weaker performing members of the class and so confirm his role model status.

You have to feel sorry for the people with the model small boy who that was really intended for. I'm assuming theirs said that their DS bimbles around in the back row with a triangle

I emailed you some of dd's German report from 1st year to compare

My music report for year 8 stated that despite being unable to read music I was a good joiner in class.

I could sight read, and was teaching myself to play the cornet, for which I would disappear away from the class for the entire lesson.

I've sent the comments form back for my dd's form querying some aspects of it.

The numeracy part said that she is able to recognise numerals 1-9 and count objects and sort them up to 10.

Strange that her January report said she could count beyond 30 and her nursery report over 12 months ago that she could recognise and count to 20.

I have to admit that at the end of reception year I feel like DS's report could have been about any child, not specifically him, too many "DS has reached the stepping stone goal for this that and the other". Annoying.

But the thing that annoyed me most was 5/9 for creativity. I was TBH and I did question it with the teacher at parent's evening. She said he just isn't interested in arts and crafts or drawing at school so she marked him 5/9.

Now I know the state of our dining room table most of the time, there is so much arts and crafts stuff on it we have to eat our dinner on our laps or just find a space at the table! He is constantly drawing on any piece of paper he finds and loves painting and general making and doing.

My point... eventually ha ha... is that because he does so much creative stuff at home he doesn't need to do it at school when there is other stuff going on so the teacher doesn't see his ability in this area.

Maybe your DD doesn't read widely at school because she does at home so the teachers don't know her true ability?

!!

DD3's report said she could count confidently up to 20. She could do that well before she was three. However, I forgive them because apparently 'she is a delight to teach'. Which is lovely, if doubtful.

It's worth haggling over the Year 5 report as secondary schools often ask for that one; there may also be similar transfer issues in other years where there are separate junior and infant schools or middle schools. Otherwise, just file the awful reports in a drawer until your child is famous for whatever the teacher said they were a complete no-hoper at .

ah thanks you all made me laugh. Love the reports praising your dc for something they never did! Brilliant

Admylin, thanks so much for sending me those phrases from your dd's year1 report. I see then that dd's must be fairly standard. To me it sounds cold and unpleasant and I'm sure if I translated it into English to present to an English school they would think : uh-oh this doesn't good. Maybe because there are no nice personal comments AT ALL. My primary school reports weren't like that at all.

And I am just at some of the phrases you mailed. Reading that report tells me nothing much about your dd but it definitely tells me that her year1 teacher was one heck of a COW.

doesn't SOUND good !

ok so I filed the thing away now! Done

Ach, Ssandy, we were going to go back and say, ever so politely, "I think you may have got the wrong child here - ours is the one who bimbles about in the back row with a triangle".

But then DH pointed out we may just need it at some stage in the future, so we just laughed and let it lie!