The School Report: A Chance for Confirmation or Change

Report time is coming up again. Like dropping leaves signalling the change of seasons, the regular arrival of reports marks the end of another term or semester. And like the change of season, we can be prompted to break out the jumpers, or to begin a spring clean, in our school experience. This is the real opportunity of reports - they provide all of us - parents, carers, students and teachers - the chance to consider how things are going, and to make any necessary changes. There is a really positive conversation that can develop at report time involving students and parents about how school has been going. And this conversation can continue at our Partnership Evenings early next term with subject teachers and other staff, if needed.

The first page of the School Report is the summary. For Years 7 - 10, there are grades. Grades matter, and A is good - actually really good. Grades of B and C are ok, but grades of D or E tell us that there is something amiss. We can then get a clearer picture by viewing each subject page. Did a particular assessment item stand out? Why was this? Are there good behaviours and approaches to studies in place, or is there work to be done in particular areas? 

For Year 11 and 12, percentages are used, and, obviously, the higher the better. Anything above 80% is impressive, and a score just above 45% indicates that the standard of work is really just adequate. A mark below 45% signals that there is a problem. Again, it is possible to drill down to individual subject pages to examine individual assessment item marks and the academic mindsets that are giving rise to them.

I still have my children’s school reports at home from many years ago. They are adults now, and sometimes when they visit we read their old reports and have a chuckle together. Old reports are like photographs of the past as we remember, mostly with fondness, teachers and experiences from earlier days. But a current report is different. It is about the here and now, about being intentional, and about taking positive steps forward into the future.

Matthew Ruben
Academic Performance Advisor

[The College will email parents when reports become available on Parent Portal]

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