Report writing phrases to avoid — and what to say instead

Some phrases in school reports have been circulating for so long that they've become wallpaper. Parents have read them so many times that they process them as filler rather than information. They're not dishonest, exactly — they just don't say anything.

Here are the most common offenders, and what to write instead.

“Is a pleasure to teach”

The problem: Every child's report says this, including children who are genuinely hard work. Parents know it. It has become meaningless.

Instead: Say something specific that actually is a pleasure. “Her curiosity about science made our forces unit genuinely enjoyable to teach” says the same thing and means something.

“Works well with others”

The problem: Vague, universal, nothing.

Instead: “She is a generous collaborator — she listens carefully to others' ideas before adding her own, and the group work in our class is better for it.”

“Could try harder”

The problem: It doesn't tell a parent anything about why, or what that would look like.

Instead: “There are moments when [Name] is capable of more than he produces, particularly in independent writing tasks. With more sustained focus in these sessions, his work would better reflect his ability.”

“Has made progress”

The problem: Every child has made some progress. This tells a parent nothing about the nature or significance of that progress.

Instead: Name the progress. “At the start of the year, [Name] was not consistently using full stops. She now punctuates her sentences accurately and is beginning to use commas with confidence — that is meaningful progress.”

“Is working towards the expected standard”

The problem: Parents often don't know what “expected standard” means in practice, so this phrase creates anxiety without context.

Instead: Briefly describe what that means. “She is not yet consistently working at the level expected for her age in maths, particularly with multiplication. We are working on this with targeted support, and there are clear strategies she can practise at home.”

“Has a good attitude to learning”

The problem: Also wallpaper.

Instead: Show it. “When the class was finding fractions genuinely difficult in the spring term, [Name] was the one who asked if we could go over it again. That kind of self-awareness is worth a lot.”

“Particularly enjoys...”

The problem: Not a problem in itself, but often used as padding rather than genuine information.

Instead: Only use it when it's specific and true, and say why. “He particularly enjoys history, which has been noticeable this year — he regularly reads around topics beyond what we cover in class, and brings that knowledge into discussions.”

The general principle

The test for any report phrase is: could this be true of a different child in this class? If yes, make it more specific. The parent reading the report knows their child — they will notice when a report could have been written about anyone.