5 tips to reduce your pupil report workload

See examples of time-saving report-writing strategies from other schools, with advice on how to streamline and improve your reporting processes to parents and carers.

Last reviewed on 30 July 2025
School types: AllSchool phases: AllRef: 35082
Contents
  1. Reduce written comments
  2. Follow a formula
  3. Relax marking/planning requirements at report-writing time
  4. If appropriate, make use of AI tools and comment banks
  5. Pace report writing throughout the year

If you're planning on changing how you write reports, check you're meeting your statutory requirements around reporting to parents in our other article.

Reduce written comments

Instead of writing detailed comments for every subject, ask teachers to provide grades for behaviour, classwork, homework and assessments per subject and/or a target for improvement.

Class teachers in primary and form tutors in secondary are then responsible for writing general comments about the pupil, based on these grades, verbal feedback from other staff members or subject teachers, and their own observations.

Use colour codes 

Save time, and make it easy for parents and carers to understand their child's progress, with a RAG system (red, amber, green).

Headteacher Michael Tidd has shared an example template of a school report that uses 4 coloured categories to clearly indicate how a pupil is doing in different subjects and areas.

Clearly explain your