From the Principal 

Midyear reports - A snapshot of learning

With student reports heading home in a few weeks, it is a good time to talk about what the grades inside them might mean, both for students and for families.

The Department for Education website defines a C grade as follows: 

“Typically a ‘C’ grade means a student is achieving what is expected of them at that point in their learning. This is a considerable achievement because of the high expectations built in to the achievement standards.” 

A “C” is a grade a student can and should be proud of. 

We always hope that students challenge themselves to achieve a grade above C. It’s not easy. Students who work to improve their grades should be commended for it. This drive to improve is an extremely important trait in student success. 

But it’s only part of the picture.

Student Self-Efficacy is the measure of how a student sees themselves as a learner. It measures how willing they are to take risks in their learning, and how confident they are that they can succeed when challenged. It’s all about having the confidence and skills to learn.

A’s are a great reward for effort. They represent a level of resilience, commitment and a love for a task that should rightly be recognised. They demonstrate good student self-efficacy. 

A’s are also great to have as a goal, as something to work towards. 

And if your child feels confident enough to aim for a high grade and misses it, your reaction to their attempt will play a big role in whether they try to aim for it again. The more encouragement you give your child to try, rather than to achieve, will in the long run benefit them more than any individual grade.

The expectation that a child will get “A” grades on a consistent and regular basis is one that over time gets harder to maintain, and can create unrealistic pressures on some children.

Learning how to learn is hard. No one succeeds immediately. And if we expect our young learners to do so, we might just stop them trying to succeed at all, for fear of falling short.

Each report card is a snapshot of a child’s progress. Celebrate your child’s wins, and support them in the challenges they might find inside.