The style of annual reports we write at Larkrise has changed entirely over the last three years inspired by the good practice we observed at Wroxham Primary School in Potters Bar.
Up to three years ago we used a computer based system based on drop down menus. Although it was possible to compose ones own comments within the system one was naturally inclined not to, seeing that someone presumably much cleverer than oneself has spent time writing every report it was reasonable to think of. To save time, the teacher could ‘group’ the children to apply comments – the result of this was that children were likely to receive very similar looking and sounding reports and if the parents didn’t feel uncomfortable about that the teachers certainly did!
Our current reports start from the other end, with comments on their learning and school experience from the children. The teachers simply respond to what the child says. While this can happen purely on the report itself we find that very often these conversations spill out into the classroom and serve a useful role in developing the teachers understanding of the child and the child’s own metacognition.
Teachers all prefer this format. They say it doesn’t take them any longer to write these reports than the old ones. They prefer them because it feels more like a human connection with the child. Parents report a high degree of satisfaction.
The example provided here is of a child in Year Five. You will see that the teacher did not censor his voice but instead replied skilfully to highlight the work she has done with him. The parents were very pleased with the report feeling it captured their son very accurately and that it gave them insights into his learning and his relationship with schooling.
This example is from last academic year, we added a couple of variations this year but suspect we will strip it back.
Mr Finch 