A medium shot of two school girls sitting down at their desk in a school classroom. They are both holding pencils over a piece of paper while smiling. Their male teacher is sitting in the background. The girls are both wearing a school uniform…Videos are available similar to this scenario. Credit: Getty

SCHOOLS out for summer – which means reports will have landed on kitchen tables across the country. 

No doubt, parents will pore over every carefully chosen word in search of clues about how their child is really getting on.

As schools break up for the summer report cards will be hitting homes across the country this week Credit: Getty

Experts say that parents need to be positive with their children Credit: Getty

However, research shows that many think reports are too vague.

A recent poll which quizzed a 1,000 parents found that 57 per cent believed that they were too generic, and over a third of primary school teachers agreed. 

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In response parenting forums have come alive in recent days, debating what their child’s report really means. 

A Mumsnet thread, posed the question ‘do primary school end of year reports all sound similarly positive?’, and received dozens of responses. 

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One teacher said: “If you’re good at decoding, you can work out what they wanted to say.”

Dr Adam McCartney, an educational psychologist who advises schools on behaviour management, said: “It is understandable that parents want to know exactly what their child’s teacher is trying to say, but they need to remember that put simply – they are trying to be nice.”

So, what do some of the most common school report phrases really mean? Here Dr McCartney reveals the light-hearted translations of some of the most-used words and phrases…

Chatter box 

Teachers may not be able to write “your child talks for England” but they’ve become experts at saying it without actually saying it. 

Here’s how the classroom chatterbox often ends up being described. 

Dr McCartney said: “If a teacher says something along the lines of ‘confident in expressing their opinions then they are like to dominate conversation and are a class chatterbox.” 

Other phrases that signal a talkative student according to Dr McCartney are if your child is described as “inquisitive”, which means they often interrupt to ask questions,  and “energetic”, which means that they are likely to struggle to focus.

Class favourite 

Every class has that one pupil who gets on with absolutely everyone. 

Teachers have plenty of glowing ways to describe the children who help others, include everyone and make the classroom a happier place.

One of those experts says if your child is described as bubbly, they’re an efficacious personality that everyone gets on with. 

However Dr McCartney that there are a number of phrases that err on a child being a people pleaser. 

He says: “One of those is if they say ‘very enthusiastic’.

“While it sounds positive it can indicate that they may be too much of a people pleaser, although this a trait that children tend to grow out of.”

Teacher’s pet 

Experts say that if you your child is called ‘capable’ they may be a teacher’s pet Credit: Getty

Being described as ‘bubbly’ may mean that they are a class favourite Credit: Getty

Some pupils seem to make every teacher’s day just a little bit easier. 

Their reports are often packed with glowing praise that leaves parents wondering whether they’ve been raising an angel.

Dr McCartney said: “Often teachers do not even realise that they have a ‘teachers pet’.

“But if they say your child is capable or the report is full of praise and positives, this is likely what they mean.”

Class clown 

Everyone wants a child who is described as having a good sense of humour, but when it pops up on a report card is that what the teacher really means? 

Experts say that rather than being someone who cracks a good well-meaning joke, it may mean that they are a bit of a ‘class clown’ instead. 

Dr McCartney said: “Good sense of humour can certainly be genuine from the teacher, but also mean that they are a bit of a class clown. 

“What is really important with this one — as it is with other comments – is what follows.

“If it is something negative, like ‘struggles to focus’, then a good humoured comment is likely verging more on class clown.”

Bossy boots 

If your youngster always wants to lead the group, hand out the jobs and make the rules, don’t expect the report to spell it out. 

Instead, teachers have a knack for dressing up “bossy boots” in much kinder language.

Dr McCartney says, “These phrases can go both ways, as being willing to lead a group is admirable.

“But if they say for example ‘can be a leader’ it may mean that they are a bit dominating of the group.”

Room for improvement

No parent wants to hear that their child isn’t top of the class, so teachers have devised a number of phrases to say just that. 

Dr McCartney said: “If the teacher says something like could achieve more or needs to apply themselves, then it means that they are smart but they could try harder.

“Or if they write that they are ‘beginning to mature’ it means that they are just catching up with their classmates.”

However, experts warn against reading too far into general comments by teachers. 

“These are obviously generalised meanings, and they can be different for individual kids. Parents need to keep in mind that reports should be read as strength based, and they should not focus on the negativity,” says Dr McCartney. 

“It is better to keep the disappointment in your back pocket and use it in small doses, working with your child across the year. If you deliver it all at once you risk damaging that relationship.”