why does DD's report under state her abilities so much?

[dilemma456]

Message withdrawn

[DebiNewberry]

So many times. I got told in reception that dd could only count to four, when she'd been able to do that since 2 or so. I just laughed and signed the piece of paper.

It matters not a jot, really.

[mrz]

Probably because of the way the teacher has to assess. 80% of assessment observing your child doing these things in her play (at a time the teacher is watching)

[Batteryhuman]

Maybe because they have to tick tose particualr boxes?

[LibrasBiscuitsOfFortune]

She will be fine afaik prospective employees don't ask for nursery refderences yet...

[mylifemykids]

I think it's basically saying she can do what is required of her at that age (according to Early Learning goals) rather than what she CAN actually do. Does that make sense?

It sounds like a bit of an impersonable report IMO but I guess if they have so many to do it's easier to put 'they can/can't do x,y and z'

[hana]

she's 4/5 and it really doesn't matter - reports at this age just state that they have achieved what is expected (ie national averages) i wouldn't worry about it

[SeaTrek]

This was a very common complaint amongst the parents when my son was in reception, too.

I really wouldn't worry about it. As mrz said they need to be very consistent and confident with it and the teacher needs to see it.

These ARE CVC words:

l-oo-k
f-oo-d

I think if you can read CVC words then you would be able to read CVCC as well. Maybe the teacher means she can read these consistently but is not consistent with compound or longer phonic words e.g. could she sound out and then read words like 'support', 'nightdress' consistently?

[thegrammerpolicesic]

I have had this with early years reports about ds. Some schools seem to do a tickbox exercise which does not look at what a child can do beyond those boxes.

I can't see the point of reports like this and miss the sort I had as a child which were much more informative.

I do take mrz's point but think still feel it's a bit bonkers to only report things they've seen in play rather than teacher-led activities.

[emy72]

Ah well we are in the same boat. Although I don't mind, in a sense, as I know what she can/can't do and in the big scheme of things it doesn't matter, the reason I find it worrying is that it kind of defeats the whole point of individual learning?

Surely the teacher needs to know where your child is at in order to progress them? We are having slight issues with this as the books that come home are very easy and we end up doing other things, which is putting her even more ahead of what the teacher thinks she can/cannot do....

[mrz]

thegrammerpolicesic Wed 17-Feb-10 18:38:44

I do take mrz's point but think still feel it's a bit bonkers to only report things they've seen in play rather than teacher-led activities.

EY teachers are pulling their hair out in frustration!

[TiggyR]

They are given a list of targets for each year group and the reports are largely computer generated with generic phrases used for each child, then the teacher just inserts the name. If they are expected to know 3 particular shapes then that's all the teacher will be interested in as far as reports/targets are concerned- does she or does she not know what's expected given what they've been told to teach at the end of any given term? Yes or No.

Unfortunately, if you were expecting a school report that will wax lyrical about your child's strengths, about how far ahead she is compared to her peers, and muse in a concerned fashion over any current struggles she may have and what strategy will best solve them, then prepare to be disappointed for the next 12 years! If you want a more specific, more personal conversation then you need to do it at parent teacher consultations - so long as you don't expect it to take more than 5 minutes.

The other thing you will learn is that reception teachers generally really don't take kindly to mothers who like to tell them what their child can actually already do. They like to work with the assumption of a blank canvas for every child, and they set a pace which works for the whole class. Your child could go in reading War And Peace and translating it into Mandarin, but they'll still insist on her going through the hoops. Just the way it is.

[mrz]

I've never been given a list of targets or used a computer generated report tiggy you've been unlucky with your choice of school/s

[thegrammerpolicesic]

MRZ you have my sympathies as ever. It's crazy isn't it?

You must have lots of occasions where you know child x is capable of y and can't report on it. The parents know it too and then think "huh why is MRZ underestimating my child, is this the level they're taught to?"
And yes 30 reports is quite a lot to do, but teachers used to do it.

Can we start a campaign to ban tick box school reports??!

[SE13Mummy]

I've never been given a format which required me to insert a name and tick some boxes so my reports could be computer generated either! Mind you I don't teach Reception and by the time they get to me I'd have to rummage through pages of tick-boxes in order to fnd the appropriate level for each child that it would take forever.

I write proper reports, perhaps not waxing lyrically about children but I don't let government averages limit what I report on because I think reports should be useful to the parents/child/next teacher.

[Feenie]

Another teacher here who has never used tickboxes/computer generated reports. They do take a long time to write - but if they took ages, and were then not useful, I would be so frustrated.

[golgi]

It's tick box stuff.

We were talking about it on the reception thread - my son got an "individual target" asking him to be able to count ten objects.

It doesn't matter though. He knows that he can count to 1000 and so do I. I don't need school to tell me that they've noticed.

[thegrammerpolicesic]

But surely Golgi you do need them to have noticed so they can teach him at the appropriate level?

If it's merely they don't put it in the report but you know they know what he can do that'd be okay but generally I want to know that ds' teacher is broadly aware of where he's at.

[golgi]

Grammerpolice - I think they're mostly playing this year. Not a lot of formal teaching going on from what I can see. I'm taking the view that there's plenty of time for that later, and am very glad that they've taught him to play with his friends, mostly eat his own lunch and just about get changed into and out of clothes without help.

We have a parents' evening coming up soon, so I'll see what they say then. I think talking to the teacher gives a better idea than these tick box lists.

[thegrammerpolicesic]

I see your point and yes there shouldn't be any formal teaching going on, but I do still (perhaps idealistically) think that the learning through play they do should still be pitched at vaguely the right level for a child. Not all the time, but some of the time.

Yes agree re parents evening being better.

[wastwinsetandpearls]

As other have said it is a tick box report. My dd gets these and I send them back every year and inform the school it is an insult and meaningless.

I am a secondary school teacher and can have about 150 reports to turn around in a week, all of which will be personal and a decent length.

It makes me furious.

[golgi]

Twinset - I'm about to start writing my reports too, again about 150, no tickboxes.

When I started teaching (that makes me sound really old but it was only 10 years ago) - we had to handwrite them all!

I expect the tickboxing is a decision made by the school rather than the individual teacher.

[wastwinsetandpearls]

Yes it is a school decision, so I send the reports back to the head.

I once worked in a school that had tickbox reports, I completed them and then as a protest completed a hand written report on the printed copy!

My first set of reports was handwritten.

Over each academic year I have to produce about 450 reports, which for a state teachers in my subject in a secondary school is about average. If we can manage it without tickboxes so can anyone else.

[Feenie]

I still handwrite the personal comment at the end; I think it's, well - more personal!

[gramercy]

I was when I first saw one of these reports. It was all Level 2a this or Level 3c the other and I hadn't a clue whether this was good for ds, bad or mediocre. None of the other parents I spoke to were particularly thrilled with such reports either.

We all agreed we would like to hear the good, the bad and even the ugly, but I suppose schools are afraid that if they write "Johnny is an able child but struggling a little with the Proust he brings in with him to read" Mummy Johnny will steam in and demand action is taken against the teacher who dares to criticise his abilities.