School reports & parents’ evenings, how often

[Sisip]

My son is currently in senior 2 in a secondary school in Scotland. This academic year we have had a parents’ evening online with our choice of teachers in January. We will then receive a paper report at the end of the year.

Last year we received a report 10 days into the summer holidays. My concern about this was that my son had started to mess around in one of his lessons but we didn’t find out about this until the report. So for 8 months my son had become a bit of a problem for one of his teachers but nobody thought to contact us🤷🏼‍♂️. In fairness the behaviour is described as distracted and the teacher was a little disappointed. We spoke to our son and it was sorted but I could have dealt with this a lot quicker if I had known🙄.

My question is how often and when do you receive school reports and parents’ evenings at your secondary school?
Thanks in advance.

Don’t have children but am a teacher. Our pupils get effort grades at the end of every half term and full written reports including effort and attainment reports at the end of every term except in the term when they have a parents’ evening (once a year).

We get tracking every term and then one report (which to be honest isn't much longer then a tracking) plus one parents evening.

At DD's old secondary we had one parents meeting per year, and a tracking report per term.
However they also had a 'stamp' system for every lesson. They either got a stamp (all fine) or it was marked with a letter to indicate Disruption/Uniform/Equipment/LackofProgress/ This meant that if anything started to slip you could see it immediately.

Ours (part of an academy chain) has a report every half term with attainment grades and effort grades, but no individual comments. I was unsure at first, as preferred the old once a year written reports with personal comments we had before the chain took over, but now I think I prefer this more frequent information.
Parent's evenings are either once or twice a year. We've had two this year but this could be because dd is in year 11.

1 report at the end of each term; 1 parents' evening per year.

Good behaviour/results gets noted via a postcard home; bad behaviour/effort/results would get a phone call home. I wouldn't expect this to wait until a report/parents' evening.

Well this has already been enlightening😳. I just feel that my son’s school are not tracking the kids and the level of feedback we’re receiving as parents is poor.
Thank you all that have replied it sounds like some of you have some good systems in place at your schools.

Academy school in England, just like most have said we get reports every term so 3 per year which shows grade, attitude to classwork and homework and attitude to learning. This shows whether they feel your child is coasting or applying themselves or not doing what is asked etc. Plus one parents' evening a year, 2 in year 11.

School provide a planner which you have to sign every week and you can see if they have had any disciplinary comments both negative and positive.

They also have a 48 hour return phone call policy so you can contact them or they will contact you if they have concerns or luckily in our case wish to tell you that your child is doing well, organised and involved in all things at school.

I am of the opinion that no issues raised in a report should be news to you. Issues should have been communicated to you when they arose.
We get an interim report at the end of every term, and then a full report at the end of the summer term (a week before they finish so any questions can be dealt with before they finish for the summer).
2 parents evenings, one in October and one in February.

If a kid were regularly messing around in lessons in my school they'd be given demerits which parents would be able to see online. Do they not have a behaviour system like this?

Since beginning of the year, I've had two short reports (grades for achievement, effort, focus, organisation in class/homework) and one long report plus an online parents evening - should get another short report next term I think.

But, school tend to pick up the phone or email for any issues - even ones that don't seem particularly serious, so should never be any nasty surprises.

School (state comp in London) uses Go4Schools along with ShowMyHomework, so on that I can see everything for merits/demerits, detentions, homework set, when it's due and if it's been handed in etc.

Any messing about in class, or not handing in homework will get an instant demerit and the system would email me, so I'd know the same day.

State secondary in London. At Christmas and Easter (towards end of term) we get a report with just letters and numbers indicating attainment and behaviour/effort for each subject. Near the end of summer term a fuller report also with letters and numbers but with comments as well. One parents evening per year (in Spring term).
There's also an app where "ad hoc" behaviour issues/detentions and positive behaviour comments and achievements are added in real time.

We have effort and attainment grades every half term. A parents evening in the second term and a full report at the end of the year.

However the level of disruption you describe would be instantly communicated to us as there is a system of commendations and misdemeanours which are awarded all the time by teachers and which are sent automatically by email to both student and both parents.

Of course in an ideal world the teacher would have called/emailed as soon as the behaviour started. But you might be amazed at just how many kids are low level messing around all the time.

The more parents who kick up a fuss about "nasty surprises" in reports, the more the teachers just stop giving honest reports. In my opinion:

Best case scenario - child behaves well and works hard

Next best - child messes around and the teacher informs you immediately

Next best - child messes around, but you don't find out until end of term

Worst case - child messes around a bit, doesn't try their hardest. It gets to the end of term and the teacher thinks "ugh, I should have phoned that parent 3 weeks ago. I'd better not mention that the kid isn't doing so well in case they kick off. I'll just write that they're satisfactory"

@WalkerWalking has hit the nail on the head.

I've recently stopped giving honest feedback at parents' evenings and on reports. Too much grief. Parents immediately come back with well, everything was fine last year / you're picking on them / what are you going to do about it?

You’ve stopped giving honest feedback, because the reactions you get a too much aggro?
Surely giving honest feedback at a parents evening is a core part of the job?

Yep, that's right. It was a conscious decision. Blandness all the way from now on. Many of my colleagues do the same, because being truthful just isn't worth the complaints and accusations that you are bullying the child.

This meme sums it up perfectly. Of course, not telling the truth is a Catch-22 situation as means that the pupil may well underachieve at GCSE. Hey - guess what - that'll be my fault, too!

Does your Head agree with that approach?

@ReadyToMoveIt

I know it appears shocking but honestly it’s the only safe way for teachers to continue in the profession. In many schools parents frequently hit back/ believe their own child despite overwhelming evidence/ blame the teacher rather than focussing on the child and then escalate the issue with SLT. It is a rare school where SLT will stand firm with the teacher. Teachers fear being labelled by SLT, it’s depressing, career ending and erodes classroom discipline but it is the way things are. I’ve left teaching ( SLT) partly due to this issue, I often saw both sides and very often parents cannot accept open and honest feedback, particularly about their child’s learning behaviours, this goes across countries ( taught in UK, NZ and across school deciles/ socio economic environments, but always comprehensive secondary).

Having had twenty years in the classroom and as a leader I’m afraid the resilience of parents to accept the truth has diminished, alarmingly. I would even advise new teachers to water things down. Truth is if you have a Prince/ Princess in the classroom you can bet any money the King/ Queen will be at home….. and then in your office shouting about bullying/ disliking their child the moment the child is held to account by anyone so lowly as a teacher. Headteachers often side with parents even at the expense of SLT and long-standing, well respected staff.

I once, after 6 different teachers had complained about serious rule breaking from one nasally pierced treasure ( was against the rules for students under 16) in one afternoon, had her parents banging down my door accusing each and every staff member of conspiracy to pick on their daughter and didn’t like it when I produced the list of issues and then complained about me…. Daughter was exceptionally smug the next day, despite Mummy saying she’d been inconsolable, in tears and terrified of everyone… truth was ‘treasure ‘ knew she was above the rules and her Mother would simply go for anyone who said ‘No’ to her very ‘D’ daughter. This type of behaviour by parents is very normal, very frequent and incredibly time consuming for teachers and SLT when they should be focussing on teaching and learning not dealing with outraged parents. This is why reports are very watered down, parents evenings are a series of smiles and clenched teeth…. Teachers want to keep their jobs and know that for most parents the ‘truth’ endangers their mortgage payments……

Honestly reading threads like this makes me petrified of being at the mercy of the state education system.

Bless you, @ReadyToMoveIt, what makes you think it's any different in the independent sector? I hear from friends that the parents are even more entitled and liable to complain there. It's very much an, "I pay your wages, serf" attitude.

@658Doyouknowwheremysparkis, than you for explaining the situation so clearly. As you state, it often comes down to a choice between telling the truth v paying the mortgage.

FIL is the Head of an independent school and he’s not an issue he has complained about, I have to say. I have no idea about the sector as a whole, of course.
I didn’t mean because of the attitude of parents, though.