AIBU to be frustrated that there is still no report card?

[PastSellByDate]

Hello all

Just curious - has your secondary DC had their report card? Our last day of school is in four days time (this Friday) and still no report card.

DH and I are just really confused why the school is so slow in getting them out. With school wrapping up at lunch on Friday, we don't understand how parents are supposed to deal with bad news in a report card (possibly unexpected).

Is this just me - I'd want to talk to somebody about what we could do over the summer to improve things?

Is this not done in Secondary?

I'm presuming end of year reports are as required as they were in primary.

Sounds a bit rubbish. I've posted this on another thread, but yr 8 dd got short format reports at the end of autumn & spring terms, then a full (novel style ) report a couple of weeks after summer half term, followed by parents evening the next day to discuss if needed.

Fortunately the long format reports are more comprehensible than primary - less 'X has developed her sense of rhythm' and more 'X's spelling is generally much improved but she needs to work on subject specific vocabulary' type of thing.

Totally agree with op and other posters saying its frustrating.... For all the same reasons. Ours is due Thursday when they finish.....

I totally understand your frustration PastSellByDate

I can tell you it's peculiar to your school though (and clearly some other individual schools from other replies) and isn't what happens in all UK schools, or even all Birmingham schools. We get a paragraph from each subject teacher alongside 'target', and "currently achieving" grades. They all come at different dates in the year but certainly not on the last day.
We then have these pointless review day appts on the first day of each term, so, if you did have any concerns, then you could address them with (usually) the form teacher then - although I presume all staff are in and a HofDept or subject teacher might be able to see you if you were really concerned about any particular aspect. I know the HofYear is about as I've spoken to them myself before now.

Both of my children (different schools) get them the last day of term.

Just to explain why KS3 reports are coming out in the last week of term at my school at least.

Term has been 7 weeks.
The first three weeks after half term Y11 were doing GCSEs, Y7 and 8 had their exams. Lots of last minute revision sessions and marking.
The next two weeks were Y9 and 10 exams which generated a huge amount of marking because they were full gcse papers.
Then Y10 and Y12 reports had to be written. Y12 UCAS references had to be written.
Then finally staff had time to write Y7, 8 and 9 reports.

It's not deliberately to piss parents off or to not give them enough time before the summer to follow up any issues. It's because staff do not have the time to do them earlier.

Obviously when your DC are older, you will appreciate them getting priority in their exam years.

And with regard to setting we have done ours today (English) and parents and students won't know until September....

So the 'cultural' thing- is your partner from England? Don't they know what happens?

As I said last night, at our school, if there are any issues, the subject teachers contact you when they occur. Problems are not allowed to build up to the end of term, so if there were issues, you would hopefully already have had a phone call from a teacher. (I don't think our school would be unusual in this?) As you say, that is how school 'does its job' by making sure children know when they're going off track, and what they need to do to get back on the path they should be. (e.g. my DS has had an issue with writing this year. His English teacher called us in October, before parents' evening, told us what would help him, and said would review by parents' eve (six weeks later). Then at the appointment we could discuss the changes, and review what to do next. He remained in an intervention group, which now in July we have been told he will not need to continue next year)

I'm a bit about term dates. Aren't they on the school's website? Or the LAs? We get a printed sheet (A4) which gives this year's and next year's (provisional) dates at the start of each academic year, and finalised term dates go onto the website. (when they update it, as the uniform list is about 3 years out of date!)

I don't think most schools give out holiday homework though, perhaps because English break is 'only' six weeks as opposed to up to three months in USA?

So, OP, are you maintaining radio silence because you've combusted at the lack of a report? Or are you reading a weighty tome that had to come home in its own separate vehicle?

Hi all:

Have clarified with school reports come out Friday on the last day of term. So that's a relief - we do defintiely get one.

I wouldn't say it's panic, as one person commented, more frustration and a lack of certainty whether there would or wouldn't be a report card. To be honest, I'm more frustrated about September and working out when exactly DD1 starts Y8 (which the school did clarify for me today at last when I rang - they hadn't realised September was blank on the school website calendar).

Thank you noblegiraffe for clarifying that lots of things are going on in the background. I hadn't really considered that (I suppose a hangover from primary really) but it makes total sense that GCSE & A-Level years would automatically be the priority - as clearly so much revolves around those exams in English system. I also hadn't realised teachers would be directly involved in marking - just assumed exam boards would handle that.

All schools when I was growing up gave them to be taken home on the last day of term.

However at secondary level we were shown the reports a couple of weeks before the end of term, we had a double lesson with the tutor, who would talk through the report with each person. Any queries you had, the tutor would arrange a meeting between the three of you where you would discuss and possibly alter the report or arrange to speak to parents if agreement couldn't be reached.

I remember one year one girl wanted the teacher to add "if Sarah liked the teacher she would work harder" which went down well I can tell you.
I think it ended up being along the lines of "I have agreed with Sarah that next term we will have a fresh start and we will both work hard on the lesson and our relationship"

Which Sarah was pretty happy with (although I don't think actually worked any harder for it). Although we sided with Sarah at the time, I think the teacher was probably in the right here looking back.

Noble can I ask one thing. You've said UCAS references have to be written. When I was applying I don't think they had to be in until about October half term, may have been later, unless you were applying to OXbridge. Do they now have to be in in year 12?

No, they don't have to be in till Y13, but at my school subject teachers have to write contributions at the end of Y12 "Johnny showed excellent leadership skills on the geography field trip blah blah" sort of thing. The sixth form tutors then collate and add extra bits to form the final reference in Y13. It's a long process!

Got our report today - break up tomorrow. Children read them in tutor time before bringing them home.

Gave an outline of what they studied in each subject plus a detailed paragraph about DS's attainment, skills and attitude and the English teacher's comments made me cry.

Really impressed with it considering how many the subject teachers have to write. Don't envy them that job but these parents are really grateful.

Aw, notinaminute, cry for joy/pride I hope?

Last day of term is bonkers. We've had three reports this year (Yr 8). Final one was last week. "Bog standard" state comprehensive that seems better and better, the more I hear about other schools

Tears of pride & joy Amazons. He's only y7 so plenty of time for the other sort!

We won't get ours until the last day of term, but our school uses Go4 Schools so you can go on it any time and see how they've done in every single assessment they've had and also see their marks for effort, behaviour and homework. The reports really don't contain any surprises at all, though the teacher comments (from those teachers who don't use a comment bank, you can tell who they are) are always useful.

Some teachers have already sent out personalised emails to make suggestions about what DDs could be doing over the summer to maintain interest and prep for topics next year.

Each year group get them at different times of the year here.