Does your school get your lo's to complete a 'targets for next term' form, when they get their report?

[MaureenMLove]

Just wondering if it was a standard thing or just another wonderful thing that DD's secondary school does!

She's in year 7 and just had her first report. Along with the slip that I have to sign to say I've read it, she had to fill in a form about her best and worst subjects and what she felt her targets should be for next term.

I was really impressed tbh. It means that parents have to show an interest in their lo's report and have a conversation about the content. I do it and will always do it, but its not alway the case.

DS1 has to fill in a form about best and worst subjects, targets etc. at school, not with the report. I'm not terribly enthusiastic over compulsory self-criticism at that age as I know what it's like filling in such forms at work for appraisals. DS1 doesn't really have any problems unless you count a lack of stunning brilliance at PE, and isn't keen on having to make them up - it's bringing out his facetious side badly.

No, thankfully. They do have to write a couple of sentences about how they feel they are doing, however.

No, I agree, since DD's report was pretty damn good anyway! We did struggle a bit to find 3 things that she could improve on, but so many parents read a report and then just file it, it was refreshing to actually have a contructive discussion about it!

One of DD's targets was to make sure she took a rubber to art class with her!

They are given a blank, simplified version of the report form and have to write their own report on themselves! We get both the child's version and the teacher's version in the envelope. This is primary school.

No but DS sometimes has to give himself targets and write critiques of say his essay in history.

Yes it's a standard thing, in Cornwall at least, and the targets should be what's called SMART targets, that is:

Specific - Do your targets say exactly what it is you need to do?

Measurable - Can you show proof that you have achieved your targets?

Achievable - Are your targets easy enough to achieve in the time you have been given?

Realistic - Are your targets things that you can really do something about?

Time-bound - Have you decided dates for achieving your targets?

They should have had tutor time or a PSHE lesson in which to write or begin to formulate their targets, having had it explained to them what a SMART target is, otherwise, it's a waste of time. The targets will provide the basis for the tutor report the next time round, and be a topic of discussion at academic tutoring or parents evening. They can be things like getting homework in on time; not calling out in class; not getting detentions for unfinished classwork; improving length of homework etc. reading more at home (keep reading journal). The targets and reports should go into their personal file (record of attainment as was) that will go up through the school with them.

Hope that helps.

Not to criticise these systems of detailed targets, I have to say that when they are as the basis for reports, it smacks of the teachers not actually knowing their pupils and therefore need to look up their files at report-time.

This is not the fault of the teacher but the fault of the system. When I taught in a grammar school, I had 300 pupils to teach. Now I have 90, so it is so much easier to get to know each of them personally and to remember which ones are not well organised, who doesn't put the effort in on hw, etc.

Pardon me, as a form tutor, I knew each of my year 7s very well indeed. I don't like having to use these targets as the basis for my reports as I far prefer to comment on what I know of the students, BUT SMT are on your back and the reports will be returned if the targets are not fully commented on. In my case this turned a 10 line tutor report into a very small font 15 line one, as I also liked to comment on how they were in the form, friendships, any concerns I had, something nice about each one to balance any criticism, and an overall comment on their academic performance, and where improvements might be made, and how I would help with this.

I taught 600+ students a week, and had a tutor group as well, BUT I knew the tutor group really well, had lunch with some of them most days, as they could hang out in the tutor base at lunchtime when I was there, and generally kept my finger on the pulse of what was happening with them.

If SMT want reports to be written a certain way, then that is how they are done. With that many reports to write over a year, plus academic tutoring, and behaviour, effort and attainment grades for all your students every term, it was quicker to go with the flow than not. In any case, they can now tell me what a SMArt target is, and that may help later on in life!

I like it! As I said in the OP, its kinda making some of the less bothered parents, take an interest, because they have to sit down with their lo's and discuss. I am hugely impressed with my dd's new school so far and helping her to target areas that could do with improvement, can only be a good thing. Like I said, one of the things that she has to remember is to have the correct stationery for art. We discussed together why she doesn't take the right stuff and agreed that I would get her a little pencil case together purely for art. Its only a little thing, I know, but nevertheless of great importance. Her report was pretty damn good anyway, and there really wasn't much she could improve on. Apart from maybe selotaping her mouth shut so she can't chat!

MaureenM. I teach Art at Secondary.......rubbers are not encouraged by National Curriculum. Not allowed in KS3 at our school!!!!!!!!!!!

Just shows you, no two schools are the same! She had excellent throughout for her art report. Even to the extent that 'she shows much more maturity than a lot of the class and always takes her work one step further than the re-mit!' Her targets though, were, always make sure she has the right equipment, i.e pencil and rubber. Pencil would be a start in art I suppose!