Reports are going out. You've written them, reviewed a few, and you're fairly confident they're good. Before the envelope is sealed or the email is sent, here is everything worth checking.
Content checks
Every pupil is named correctly — spelling, including hyphenated names and names with accents or unusual spellings. This is the error that parents notice first and remember longest.
Pronouns are correct throughout — for every pupil. A pronoun error is distressing for a child and their family and reflects poorly on the school.
Year group references are accurate — that you're not still writing “Year 3” language for a child who is in Year 4, or carrying forward a previous year's report almost unchanged.
Targets are present and specific — that every report ends with at least one actionable, specific target, not a generic phrase.
No child has the same report as another — or a report so similar as to be effectively the same. Run a quick read across reports for any child who has common circumstances and check they've been individually written.
Academic honesty — that the report accurately reflects the child's attainment, not an optimistic or pessimistic version of it.
Tone checks
No report sounds clinical or dismissive — even for children who have had a challenging year.
No report contains language that could be hurtful if the child reads it — remember that children sometimes read their own reports.
Difficult situations are handled sensitively — any child with significant pastoral or SEND needs, any family experiencing difficulty.
The overall tone is consistent across the class — not dramatically warmer for some children than others.
GDPR and data checks
No pupil data has been stored in systems it shouldn't be — if reports were drafted using an AI tool, check that the tool is GDPR compliant for school use.
Reports do not contain information that should only be in confidential records — specific medical details, safeguarding information, or content from EHCP documents that wasn't meant for this format.
Your school's data retention policy covers how long drafts and final reports are stored — and that you're complying with it.
Process checks
Reports have been reviewed by the appropriate person — your phase lead, deputy head, or headteacher, as your school requires.
Any report that you have concerns about has been flagged before sending — not reviewed after a parent has responded.
Parent contact details are correct — that the right family is receiving the right report.
Staffroom generates reports that are specific to each child's observations and ready to review — making the checking process faster and the batch more consistent. Try it free.