The report writing checklist: everything to do before you hit send

Report season has a way of compressing your thinking. The deadline is looming, you are working through your class list as fast as you can, and small but important things get missed. This checklist is designed to be used before your reports go to your school office or head teacher. Save it, print it, put it next to your laptop.

It is organised into five sections: content, tone, data and privacy, school policy and final checks. Work through each one in order and you should be confident that your reports are ready to go.

1. Content

For each report, check the following before moving on.

• ✓ Every child has a comment that is specific to them. Even one observation that could only apply to that child changes the whole character of a report. If you can imagine the same comment appearing in 15 other reports, it needs something added to it.
• ✓ Attainment is addressed clearly. Parents should come away knowing where their child is working relative to expectations. Vague language like “has made progress” without context is not enough.
• ✓ Progress is acknowledged. Where a child has moved forward significantly, even from a low base, that effort and improvement should be named. It matters to children and families.
• ✓ Next steps are included. Every report should give the family something to look forward to or work towards, not just a summary of where things stand right now.
• ✓ English and maths are both covered. Some schools specify which subjects must appear. Check your school's requirements and make sure nothing essential is missing.
• ✓ Any SEND, EAL or additional needs are handled sensitively. Comments about children with additional needs should be positive in framing, factual where relevant, and should not highlight difficulties without also acknowledging strengths and support.

2. Tone

• ✓ The report sounds like a person, not a template. Read it aloud. If it sounds like it was generated from a list, it probably needs work. Parents notice.
• ✓ No three reports in a row use the same opening phrase. “[Name] has had a wonderful year” is fine once. Seven times in a row is a problem. Mix up your openers.
• ✓ Negative feedback is framed constructively. Any area of concern should be framed around what the next step is and what support is in place, not just what is not working.
• ✓ You would be comfortable if this report appeared in a parent meeting, a governor review, or a tribunal. This is a useful test. Reports should always be written to the standard where you would stand fully behind every word.
• ✓ Names are correct and consistently spelled. A child's name being wrong or inconsistent in their own report is one of the most deflating things a parent can read. Check this carefully, especially for names with unusual spellings.

3. Data and privacy

• ✓ Any AI tool used to assist with drafting does not have personally identifiable pupil data in it. If you have used a general-purpose AI tool, check that you have not included real names, year groups and specific personal information together in the same prompt.
• ✓ Reports are stored and shared in line with your school's data policy. Most schools have specific guidance on how report documents should be named, stored and sent. Make sure you are following it.
• ✓ Any third-party tool used for reporting has been approved by your school's data lead or DPO. If you are unsure, ask before you start, not after.

4. School policy

• ✓ The word count is within the school's guidelines. Most schools specify a minimum and maximum. Check the guidance and make sure each report falls within the range.
• ✓ The format matches the school's template. Font, layout, subject headings and sign-off should all be consistent with what the school has agreed. If reports are going into a template or MIS, make sure the formatting will hold.
• ✓ You have had your reports reviewed by your line manager or buddy reader if your school requires it. Many schools ask for a colleague to sense-check reports before they go out, particularly for children with complex needs or sensitive family situations.
• ✓ The deadline has been checked and you know the process for submission. Whether that is emailing to the office, uploading to a portal, or handing over a USB drive, make sure you know exactly what is expected and when.

5. Final checks

• ✓ You have proofread every report, not just spell-checked it. Spell check will not catch “their” instead of “there”, or a sentence that ends in the wrong place, or a child's name used in a comment that belongs to a different pupil. Read each report properly.
• ✓ You have slept on at least a few of the harder reports. Reports written at 11pm under deadline pressure sometimes say things that look different in the morning. For any child with a complicated story, it is worth rereading the next day before it goes anywhere.
• ✓ You are proud of these reports. Not every report will be beautifully written. But every one should feel like genuine, honest, caring communication from a teacher who knows the child. If a report does not feel like that yet, it probably needs one more pass.

One more thing

Reports are one of the few pieces of writing from primary school that many families keep. Some children will read their school reports when they are adults, years after you have retired. The ones that meant something when they were written will still mean something then.

That is not a reason to make the process more stressful than it needs to be. It is a reason to make sure the process is as efficient as possible so that you can put real thought into the parts that actually matter. Browse the free report comment bank if you need a starting point for any year group or subject.