End every report with one next step
Parents skim reports for two things: is my child OK, and what should we do. Write for that reader.
Oct 26, 2026 · 1 min read
Report comments fail in predictable ways: jargon a parent cannot decode, praise so generic it fits any child in the year group, and no indication of what anyone should do next. A tired parent reads a report at nine in the evening looking for two answers, how the child is doing and what would help. So write exactly three sentences: what the child can now do, what they are working on, and one concrete thing that would help, phrased so a parent could act on it this week.
In practice
- Ban curriculum jargon. 'Working towards greater depth in composite measures' becomes 'can add fractions but still guesses when the denominators are different'.
- Make the next step doable at home without teaching: 'ask her to explain her method aloud', not 'consolidate multiplicative reasoning'.
- Read the comment aloud before submitting it. If it could describe three other students in the class, it is not finished.
- Keep it to one next step, not three. A single action gets tried; a list gets filed.
Quick takeaway: three sentences, no jargon, one action a parent can take.