School reports - what to do with them?

Although I'm not a teacher I know how time consuming writing reports can be, and how much effort it takes to communicate relevant and helpful information.  
 
As a parent how much notice do you take of your child's reports?  Do you read them?  Are they useful? Do you reward your child if they get certain results?  Or express disappointment if their results aren't wonderful?  Personally I'm happy if effort and engagement are rated high.

Having children at three different schools means different report styles.  At one of the schools my child's self-ratings across a number of different learning behaviours is presented alongside his teacher's.  This provides a useful tool for self-reflection. Other reports are very sparse.
 
Regardless of the style of the report you may find the following useful to keep in mind when reading your child's school reports.

1. Do not compare one child’s results with another.
2. Celebrate when you know your child’s improvement is due to increased personal efforts, such as:
   1. Working towards a pre-set goal
   2. Increased perseverance
   3. Showing help seeking behaviour
   4. Trying different learning strategies
3. Discuss possible reasons behind teacher’s concerns or unexpected low grades.
   1. Was your child physically or mentally unwell?
   2. Were there problems with social interactions in their class?
   3. Did you child have a good relationship with this particular teacher?
   4. Is there a pattern that may reflect an underlying learning difficulty?
   5. Ask your child to reflect on why they think this has happened.
4. Use parent teacher interviews to discuss any concerns identified
5. Remind yourself and your child of their strengths and abilities that are not measured by school reports.

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Positive Young Minds combines research and the experience of working with 1000s of children, adolescents and parents for over 17 years to help your child experience school success, including guidance on setting up a school success schedule. You can book a private consultation to talk about your concerns, and I can help you work through a plan to address the tricky bits of your child's educational journey.

Together creating calm, connection, and confidence.

​Kim Ross
Child Psychologist, Fierce Self-Care Advocate and Founder of Positive Young Minds​