Reporting

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Reporting is an important way of including parents and guardians in the process of their child’s education. Since 2010, schools have been required to provide an annual report for parents of all post-primary school pupils.

Reporting at a Glance

  Key Stage 4
Year 11 Year 12
Provide an annual report to parents by 30 June.
Provide a summative record of achievement.  

Annual Report to Parents/Guardians

Schools need to plan reporting alongside assessment and should establish efficient and manageable reporting processes and procedures. They must provide annual reports to parents by 30 June each year, although they may choose to do this more often. Schools can choose the format of the annual report, but there are requirements on what they must include:

1a. Annual assessment results in relation to Communication (taking account of the pupil’s achievement in the Language and Literacy Area of Learning) For most pupils, evidence for this will come from English (and/or Irish in Irish-medium schools and units) at the level of the qualification relevant to the pupil (for example GCSE or Entry Level).
Note: Schools should not use the Levels of Progression for Communication to make judgements at Key Stage 4.
1b. Annual assessment results in relation to Using Mathematics (taking account of the pupil’s achievement in the Mathematics and Numeracy Area of Learning) As with Communication, evidence for this will come from Mathematics at the level of the qualification relevant to the pupil (for example GCSE or Entry Level).
Note: Schools should not use the Levels of Progression for Using Mathematics to make judgements at Key Stage 4.
2. Brief details of the pupil’s achievement in any other Area of Learning or activity that forms part of their curriculum, including:
a. Using ICT If pupils are completing a formal qualification for ICT, evidence should come from the work completed for this. Otherwise, it should come from the designated subject(s)/option block taking responsibility for ICT within Key Stage 4.
b. Other Skills: Problem-Solving, Self-Management and Working with Others As with Using ICT, evidence for the Other Skills should come either from work completed as part of a skills qualification or from the subjects/option block taking responsibility for Problem-Solving, Self-Management and Working with Others within Key Stage 4.

The DE Circular 2009/15 (11 November 2009) paragraph 8 states that ‘if a school wishes to incorporate the “Other Skills” into its reporting of the Areas of Learning, it may do so provided that they are specifically covered and that it is clear to parents which part of the teacher comments relate to thinking skills and personal capabilities’.
c. Learning for Life and Work
d. Physical Education
e. Religious Education (optional)		 If pupils are completing a formal qualification for Learning for Life and Work, Physical Education or Religious Education, evidence should come from the work completed as part of this qualification. Otherwise, evidence should come from Learning for Life and Work, Physical Education or Religious Education delivered as part of the statutory curriculum for Key Stage 4.

While reporting on Religious Education is included in the Regulations as ‘optional’, if it forms part of the pupil’s curriculum, the school is encouraged to report on it.
f. Interests and Strengths
g. Focus for Development		 Schools have the flexibility to decide how and where to report comments on the pupil’s interests and strengths and their focus for development. These might come from the form tutor or could appear in subject comments, as appropriate.
h. Any further optional content

There are opportunities to involve the pupil in writing the Interests and Strengths comment as part of a Personal Statement developed through the Progress File.


Schools should also include ‘brief particulars of the pupil’s achievement in any other Area of Learning which forms part of his curriculum’ (Schedule 1, Part 4 of the Reporting Regulations) and information on qualifications, awards or certificates gained by a pupil, or credits towards a qualification (regulation 6(4)). This might include, for example, other subjects studied, grades/marks attained or qualifications obtained. For pupils in Year 11, this might also include the outcomes of modules completed as part of a final qualification.

Please note that Optional Content relates to curricular activities only, which is the requirement of the Reporting Regulations 2009. Achievements outside of school can appear in the Interests and Strengths section of the report.
In addition, schools should provide a summative record of achievement at the end of Key Stage 4. This should be made available to the pupil or their parent, based on requirements set out in Regulation 9 of the Reporting Regulations 2009.

Irish Medium

Irish-medium schools can report to parents in either Irish or English, or in a bilingual format.

Exemptions

If a pupil has been exempted from any part of the curriculum for any reason, teachers must state this on the annual report.

Severe/Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties

If a pupil has severe learning difficulties or profound and multiple learning difficulties, schools can adapt the annual report to include appropriate headings. Or they can use another format, if more appropriate.

Key Legislation