OF ALL THE communications between home and school the one most likely to focus parents' attention is the school report. This is the document that passes judgment on their own child's academic performance, social development and behaviour. For many parents it is the main contact with the school, and it can have a powerful effect on relationships parent with teachers, pupils with teachers and even long term attitudes towards schools.

School reports and on going classroom assessment (tests, correction, written work, etc) have to be an integral part of teaching and learning. The form of report, or assessment, should be a springboard for the selection of future work where pupils' strengths are consolidated, their weaknesses are addressed and their overall development promoted.

The purposes behind reports and assessments should be clearly understood by parents and pupils, and teacher comments and responses should provide guidance and information for the parents and encouragement for the pupils.

If reports are very general, superficial, and do not give clear indications of pupils' levels of attainment if they are really "reports for reports sake" they will cause confusion, anger or apathy, and will do little to encourage positive creative involvement of parents in the child's school work. They will certainly inhibit parents' understanding of what is expected of them and their children.

There is need for a school policy on reports and assessment if there is to be a continuity in their effectiveness, if they are to be understood by. parents, pupils and the child's future. teachers, and to make them useful in promoting the future education of the child. Standards must not vary from teacher to teacher or they will be of little benefit.

The outcomes of testing and assessment ink the class room must serve as a basis for action to improve the teaching and learning in the classroom and, ultimately, the performance of the individual pupil. There is need for a school policy, in particular, on the marking system implemented by teachers and expected to be understood and worked on by the parent. The information in reports should be detailed and comprehensive about pupils' progress and achievement and provide helpful and constructive advice. Comments should form the basis for meaningful dialogue between parent and teacher and provide a springboard for future action.

I would ask teachers and school principals to consider a few questions about reports in your school.

. Is there a school policy on reports?

. Has the staff discussed reports9 How was the policy arrived at?

. What do your school reports say about individual children?

. Are they helpful and developmental for teachers, parents and pupils?

. Are they informative and helpful to future teachers?

. Can they be destructive to a child (or parents) self esteem and self confidence.

. Are they ever used to get hack at some parent or children?

. Are they the only form of communication with some parents?

. Do they pinpoint strengths and weaknesses and encourage the child?

. Do they invite participation by parents in the education of their children?

. Do they give scope to identify some positive qualities of children who are academically weak?

. Do they offer genuine advice and information to parents?

. Do they damage the relationship between some parents and school? (If so, they should not be sent.)

. Are reports ever discussed with parents?

. Do they provide an opportunity for parents to discuss the progress of children and to become familiar with and involved in the work of the classroom?

. Does the time of the year when they are sent out have an effect on their usefulness?

When writing reports, I would suggest that we in schools should dispense with the cliche's and generalities which have traditionally filled the columns alongside the marks base the report on "how we see your child at work" and "how we see your child at play" start off with the good points so that parents can more easily accept the bad be personal when praising but impersonal when criticising avoid passing moral judgments and show how and when the pupil can and should he helped.

Sensitively written reports can be used to win the co-operation of parents and pupils.

WOULD SCHOOLS consider a "comments cage for parents on the report? Along with the written report on the child a page might.

be set aside for parents with this invitation at the top "Please sign and return this page, giving us your comments on the progress report. Any other information which you can give us about your child health, problems, interests, strengths, upsetting events will help us to teach better. This information will be treated as confidential."

It might also be useful to get feedback from parents on the type of reports which they would like and find useful.

The parents' comment page was tried in one school of which I am aware and the results were telling. Of 150 parents, 135 returned the parents' page. Of these, 104 made comments 60 favourable, 30 neutral, 14 critical.

Twenty four asked for an interview, and some of these parents had not met the teacher (or any teacher) before. It was a very interesting survey and the high level of returns certainly said something about the interest in schooling among the parents.