Reporting on progress

What is a progress report?

Following any monitoring, review or evaluation activity it is important that you report on progress. A progress report can refer to:

Learner standards
Standards of teaching
Progress against strategic objectives in the area, for example amending schemes of work, developing new systems/arrangements etc.

The purpose of a progress report is to capture the findings of your monitoring, review and evaluation activity in order to identity strengths as well as areas for development. When you write your progress report it is important that you refer in depth to the priorities that you have decided to focus upon and refer to the evidence seen during your monitoring activity that has informed your judgement. It is also important that you write evaluatively in order to ensure strengths / weaknesses are absolutely clear.

At the end of the report you will set out recommendations to further develop the area. These recommendations will be incorporated into your strategic plan, and you will be expected to detail the steps required to achieve the improvement in question.

Guidance

Here are a few top tips to assist you to write your reports:

Use concise and evaluative language at all times
Be clear about your judgement - use evaluative vocabulary to convey your judgement clearly, for example weak / strong / significant progress
Be honest - do not be afraid to include a negative comment. Any significant weaknesses need to be conveyed, as well as identifying strengths.
Do not use long sentences and vague language.

Estyn's writing guide offers guidance on how to write successful reports. It is important that you try to use the same writing style as Estyn when drawing up your report. Here are a few of the main useful sections:

Evaluative words

• appropriate

• beneficial

• competent

• comprehensive

• efficient

• exceptional

• exemplary

• extensive

• highly effective

• inappropriate

• ineffective

• inefficient

• insufficient

• limited

• mediocre

• not fit for purpose

• outstanding

• poor

• positive

• purposeful

• relevant

• restricted

• satisfactory

• skilful

• solid

• sound

• strong

• successful

• sufficient

• suitable

• superb

• thorough

• unsuitable

• useful

• valid

• valuable

• weak

• well

• worthwhile

Quantities and Proportions

It is important to be careful when writing about various proportions of learners. Terms and expressions related to proportions can mean different things to different readers.

nearly all = with very few exceptions

most = 90% or more

many = 70% or more

a majority = over 60%

half = 50%

around half = close to 50%

a minority = below 40%

few = below 20%

very few = less than 10%

Personalisation

Do not refer to individuals by name in reports. As far as possible, you should also try to avoid making comments in reports that refer to specific teachers or learners or that might allow readers to identify specific individuals. In some cases, this is unavoidable as certain individuals have specific roles and responsibilities, for example the headteacher of a school or the principal of a further education college. However, the focus in these situations should be on the role, not the individual. If there is one pupil with a statement of special educational needs in a school or one pupil eligible for free school meals, it is important to write in a way that doesn’t identify that individual. Where the provider is very small, write in a way that avoids individuals being easily identified, particularly for comments on learning and wellbeing.

Examples

Example 1

This is part of a progress report following scrutiny to review and evaluate progress and progression in Oracy during Year 7:

Example 2

This is part of a progress report following scrutiny to review and evaluate progress and progression of reading skills in Year 8:

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