Reporting advice
The Curriculum planning and programming, assessing and reporting to parents K–12 policy outlines schools’ obligations regarding reporting to parents.
Principals have flexibility in choosing a report format that suits their students, families and school context. Decisions about reporting should be made in consultation with parents and carers.
- Changes to report formats between Semester 1 and Semester 2 are not encouraged.
- Principals decide when to issue the two reports each year – for example, at the end of Term 2 and again in Term 4, based on when they are most helpful to families.
- A principal toolkit (staff only) is available to help schools communicate changes in reporting to their communities.
Optional report templates
To support schools, optional report templates are available for:
- Kindergarten
- Years 1–6
- Years 7–10.
These templates are not mandatory but support consistency and clarity in reporting. They are designed to:
- align with updated reporting requirements
- include a plain English achievement scale
- make reports easier for parents and carers to understand.
Schools may adapt these templates to suit their context, in line with the Curriculum policy standards requirements.
- Kindergarten reporting template blank (PDF 399 KB)
- Primary reporting template blank (PDF 193.1 KB)
- Secondary reporting template blank (PDF 240 KB)
Annotated versions of the report templates highlight key features and offer clear guidance.
- Kindergarten reporting template annotated (PDF 742 KB)
- Primary reporting template annotated (PDF 740 KB)
- Secondary reporting template annotated (PDF 352.5 KB)
For guidance on writing comments, visit the Report comments webpage.
Communicating with parents and carers
Strong communication with families supports learning. Between the formal reporting periods, schools may update parents and carers using:
- parent-teacher interviews
- collaborative curriculum planning
- informal channels like emails or phone calls.
Parent-teacher interviews
Schools must offer parents and carers an opportunity to meet with their child’s teachers after formal reports are issued.
This can be achieved through:
- face-to-face parent-teacher meetings
- three-way learning conferences
- invitations for parents and carers to arrange individual discussions with teachers.
Whole-school approaches to meet this requirement should be efficient and supportive for teachers, students and families.
Digital reporting systems
Schools may use a school management system (SMS) to deliver reports digitally or in print. When selecting an SMS, consider:
- clear and accessible language (plain English)
- parent portals (family-friendly design)
- translation capabilities (multilingual support)
- secure delivery to multiple caregivers.
Alternative formats must be available for parents and carers who cannot access digital reports.
Reporting on outcomes
Syllabus outcomes describe the essential knowledge, understanding and skills that students are expected to demonstrate as a result of teaching and learning. They represent a progression of learning and form the basis for student achievement and growth.
These outcomes are critical for teacher planning, programming and assessment, however, syllabuses are written for teachers not families.
Kindergarten to Year 6 – Early Stage 1 to Stage 3
- There is no requirement to include syllabus outcomes in reports to parents and carers for primary.
- While outcomes must inform teaching and assessment, they do not need to be communicated directly in reports.
Years 7–10 and Years 11–12 – Stages 4 to 6
- For Stage 4 and beyond, reporting practices should align with syllabus and course requirements.
- In these stages, it may be more appropriate to include or refer to syllabus outcomes in reports.
General guidance
- Schools decide how many syllabus outcomes to report on per subject/course. It is recommended to report on no more than 7 per subject per reporting period.
- Reported outcomes should reflect those taught and assessed during the reporting period.
Use of the National Literacy and Numeracy Learning Progressions
The National Literacy and Numeracy Learning Progressions are a valuable tool for supporting teaching and learning but are not syllabus outcomes must not be reported on as part of twice-yearly reporting to parents.
The progressions include indicator points that can help teachers identify students’ strengths and areas for improvement. When sharing this information with parents and carers, always use plain English to ensure clarity and understanding.
By focusing on the NSW syllabuses and using the progressions as a supplementary resource, teachers can provide clear and meaningful insights into student learning and achievement.
Achievement scales
Teachers use the common grade scaleExternal link to make professional judgement about student achievement against NSW syllabus standards. When reporting to parents and carers, schools can use the plain English achievement scale.
Plain English achievement scale
The plain English achievement scale helps parents better understand their child’s progress by using clear, accessible language.
| Achievement description | Word descriptor | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Your child's achievement in this subject is outstanding. They confidently apply their knowledge and skills in a range of new and complex situations. | Outstanding | A |
| Your child's achievement in this subject is high. They confidently apply their knowledge and skills in a range of familiar and new situations. | High | B |
| Your child's achievement in this subject is at the expected standard. They apply their knowledge and skills in familiar situations. | Expected | C |
| Your child's achievement in this subject is basic. They apply their knowledge and skills in familiar situations with support. | Basic | D |
| Your child's achievement in this subject is limited. They apply their knowledge and skills in some familiar situations with significant support. | Limited | E |
Kindergarten – Early Stage 1
The common grade and plain English scales are not used. Teachers provide written comments for each key learning area describing student achievement in relation to syllabus expectations.
Years 1 to 10 – Stages 1 to 5
Schools may use:
- plain English achievement scale – section 3, Curriculum policy standards
- the common grade scaleExternal link
- personalised reporting scale (for students with disability) – section 3.2.6, Curriculum policy standards.
Reporting on effort
Reporting on effort is optional. If used, it can support family conversations about learning. Schools may choose the following descriptors.
| Description for parents and carers | Effort |
|---|---|
| Your child actively participates and engages in most learning activities. They always try to complete and present work to a high standard. | High |
| Your child actively participates and engages in most learning activities. They regularly try to complete and present work to the required standard. | Satisfactory |
| Your child sometimes participates and engages in learning activities. They occasionally try to complete and present work to the required standard. | Low |
Teacher professional judgement
Teacher professional judgement about student achievement should be based on quality evidence of student learning. Evidence may include results from formative and summative assessments as well as teacher observations.
Non-curriculum inclusions in the report
In addition to reporting on student achievement, schools must report on the following areas for each student.
Whole school activities
Schools will need to decide how best to record their students' engagement in whole school activities, informed by their school context and reporting system.
Whole school activities that can be included:
- extracurricular activities, such as gardening club or school performances
- academic events and competitions, such as public speaking, maths Olympiad, or Tournament of the Minds
- student leadership opportunities, such as student representative council
- community involvement projects, such as volunteering for local community groups or helping with Breakfast Club
- sporting events and competitions, such as inclusive school sports events, dance competitions or zone swimming.
Attendance information
Attendance information must be included in a student’s report. This can be completed by administration staff or automatically generated by a SMS.
Social development and commitment to learning
Schools may choose to include information on a student’s social development and commitment to learning in each key learning area/subject/course. Alternatively, they may choose to collate the information into a general overview of the student’s social development and commitment to learning. If schools choose to take the alternative approach, it should be completed by the core teacher or the year adviser.
A scale to report on these areas is not mandated. If schools do choose to use a scale, the various levels should be explained in the report.
Signing reports
There is no requirement to include a principal or teacher signature on the report. However, reports need to be distributed in an un-editable format with the statement 'Issued without any correction'.
If you choose to include a signature, the use of digital signatures or images of a signature is recommended, as this may make the sign off process more efficient.