Every grade on her class 1 report is an A except 'listening skills'. What is that measuring?

lemon_compass_368317 Apr 2026

Our daughter's report came home on Wednesday. Reading, writing, numeracy, EVS and art are all A. Under 'listening skills' there is a C, with no remark. At home she listens about as well as any child her age. I don't know whether this grade reflects following instructions in class, attention during story time, an oral assessment, or simply that she talks to her neighbour. Those would mean quite different things. School reopens in June and the teacher may change. Is it reasonable to email now and ask what the grade was based on, or is that the kind of request that gets a polite non-answer? If you have asked about a skills grade like this, what did you learn?

1 comment

banyan_kite_316817 Apr 2026
Ask. Ours is IB, so the reports are written comments rather than grades, and even then I've had to write in twice to understand a single line. Both times the answer was specific and useful. Once it turned out she wasn't following multi-step instructions in maths, which we could work on at home. I'd ask for an example rather than an explanation; teachers find that easier to give.
- hazel_badminton_152717 Apr 2026
  Agree on asking for an example. One thing to add from the clinic side: if the example is about instructions not being followed, a hearing check is an easy thing to rule out at this age. Most of the time it's normal and it really is the chatty neighbour, but it saves you wondering.