‘School reports reveal more about the school than about a pupil.’ Discuss.

As the summer term draws to a close, school reports will be delivered to parents and carers. The reports will contain information about the child’s performance during the past year and advice for the future. 

One of my grandsons is in Year 6, and so coming to the end of of his primary school education. I was proud to hear that he had been given the ‘Sportsman of the Year’ award at his school’s Prize Giving. The presentation acknowledged his commitment, enthusiasm, sustained effort, unwavering reliability, resilience, self-control, in addition to the fact that he displayed a perfect balance between competitiveness and sportsmanship. Quote: ‘Overall, this boy cannot be recommended highly enough.’

In the same child’s end of year report, while all of his effort grades were at the highest level, the Headteacher’s summary comment was a cause for concern. There was reference to my grandson needing to work harder to control HIS anxiety, in addition to the need for HIM to find strategies to self-regulate HIMSELF so that HE could make correct choices. 

My concern was twofold. Firstly, my grandson is transitioning from primary to secondary school. The dictionary definition of the word ‘transition’ is – ‘the process of changing from one state to another.’ The whole of childhood should be viewed as a transition from infancy through to adulthood, requiring on-going support from adults with whom the child has regular contact. Surely my grandson should not be told to develop strategies to control his anxiety, without any offer of help from those adults in charge of his welfare at school?

Secondly, how does the school reconcile a pupil displaying such a plethora of desirable characteristics in one context, and the notable dearth of the same traits in other situations? Could differing teaching approaches within the school play a part? What accommodation is made by the school for individuality, or is the emphasis on the child fitting into the school? Would staff be able to help the boy transfer those skills so well honed in sport, into other aspects of school life?

Perhaps the school should take note of one of my grandson’s responses in his Year 6 Leaver’s Questionnaire. When he reached the question asking what he felt the school could do to improve, he wrote that there should be more SEN and wellbeing provision for the children. Perhaps my grandson’s end of year report on the school is more perceptive than the Headteacher’s end of year report on him.