Receiving your child\u2019s school report can be a nerve-wracking or eagerly anticipated moment. It is the moment when you get a full report on how your child is performing at school. You can find out about their strengths and weaknesses, their predicted grades and their behaviour in the classroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Understanding your child\u2019s school report can unlock opportunities to support your child further and boost communication with their school teacher. Our guide will explain school reports and help demystify what the teacher means.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
School reports differ between Primary and Secondary school, and also between schools. They can vary in style and depth. Some may be very personalised and others may use common phrases and comments. However, they typically include the same key information:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In primary school, the subjects included in the report typically include: English (reading and writing), maths and science. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Unlike in Hong Kong, students do not usually get an alphabetical or numerical grade or rank. Instead, the teacher may assess your child using one of these two styles:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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The report may also include results from key assessments relevant to that year group such as those below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reception<\/strong>:<\/strong> Phonics<\/p>\n\n\n\n Year 1: <\/strong>Phonics screening check<\/p>\n\n\n\n Year 2: <\/strong>SATs English (Reading and grammar, punctuation and spelling) and Maths<\/p>\n\n\n\n Year 6:<\/strong> SATs English (Reading and grammar, punctuation and spelling), Maths and Science (optional) <\/p>\n\n\n\n For Year 2 and Year 6 SATs results, a scaled score is used to indicate their performance in each subject.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The report may also include your child\u2019s own reflections and comments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In secondary school, students take a wider range of subjects than in primary school, and their report will include feedback from all their subject teachers in addition to comments from their form tutor. It is an excellent way of gauging how your child is performing across subjects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A secondary report usually focuses more on these areas:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Your child\u2019s report at secondary school can be an indicator of which subjects they should choose for GCSE or what they will likely get in their GCSEs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n School reports aren\u2019t often comparable between schools as schools set different guidelines for what they should include. The best way to gauge your child against their peers is to look at their performance against the national curriculum expectations – are they working at the level expected for their year group? Or if they are in secondary school, look at their predicted grades and mock grades.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n School teachers are busy people and they often have many students. Teachers only have a few minutes to write each report and some schools may give teachers templates to use when writing the reports. If your child\u2019s report comes across as very generic, the best thing to do is to speak to their teacher directly, either through a phone call or at parents\u2019 evening, to discuss how your child is performing. This way, you can get immediate responses from the teacher who can also answer any questions you may have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Your child\u2019s report only gives a snapshot of how well they are doing. It is good to check in with your child regularly to ask how they are doing at school. Students from Hong Kong are often well-behaved and hardworking, so UK school teachers may believe they are fine and overlook things that may be of concern, such as how your child has settled into the school and whether they have good relationships with their classmates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n School reports are generally positive and concerns or complaints about your child may be hidden in the language that they use. These are some common phrases that may suggest a concern:<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you are not sure what your child\u2019s report means, get in touch to speak to one of our team who will be able to decipher what the teacher means and help form a learning plan for your child.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Your child\u2019s report can reveal a lot of information about your child\u2019s progress and experience at school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The report is a helpful tool to help you support your child further and any feedback your child receives is not set in stone. If your child is underperforming, they still have the opportunity to make significant progress and if they are excelling, they will still need to continue to work hard. Therefore it is important to reflect on it positively to support your child\u2019s learning journey. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If your child needs extra catch-up support or tutoring to excel further, get in touch. Our team of tutors are on hand to cater to students with varying needs. We can work with you to make sure your child reaches their full potential.<\/p>\n\n\n\nSecondary School Reports<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Frequently Asked Questions<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Can I compare my child\u2019s performance with his friend\u2019s at another school?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
My child\u2019s report is very generic and it doesn\u2019t have any meaningful, personalised comments about my child. What should I do?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
My child\u2019s report looks fine. Does that mean I don\u2019t need to do anything?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
I can\u2019t tell if the teacher\u2019s comment is positive or negative. What do they mean?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Making The Most of The Report<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n