This led me to think about my own experience of school reports. My first thought was that school reports ought to be honest appraisals of performance, with advice for the future. Reports are not, after all, linked directly to the high-stakes outcomes of GCSE and Key Stage assessments. Reports are private in a way that examinations are not. But when I was a teacher, we all wrote in coded language to avoid both offence and demotivation.
My second thought was the probable lack of impact of the many reports I wrote – and whether it was all wasted effort. My third thought was that reports are directed mostly at parents, not children. I certainly recall several interesting discussions after my parents opened the brown envelope that I had, somewhat reluctantly, handed over. So I then wondered about what happens to the reports of children in the care system and whether they lead to real discussions.
All that led me to search in the “family box” for my own school reports. In the summer of 1961, I attended St Mary’s Primary School and was, as an August baby, some nine months below the average age for my class, which comprised 40 pupils. There was a test for most subjects. My mark and class position was recorded with each, along with a short comment. Reading with hindsight, I can interpret the nuanced difference between Nature: “V. good – Takes a keen interest” and for Physical Education, the rather terse: “Takes an interest”. It is worth saying that although I came sixth overall in the class, I was still only a marginal 11+ pass.
Two comments stand out, the first on handwriting: “Vile – but readable.” It is true that I hated writing with a pen. And my colleagues and family would probably argue with “readable”! It was only when I could use a word processor that I developed any sort of enjoyment of extended writing. But in the light of this column, I leave you to judge whether “Composition: 48/50”, “good ideas expressed in a lively style”, proved prescient or not.
John Freeman CBE is a former director of children’s services and is now a freelance consultant
Read his blog at cypnow.co.uk/freemansthinking
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