Yes, finally the report writing is over. Thanks to the new Common Report mandate issued by our former Federal Minister for Education, Brendan Nelson, we have compiled the most comprehensive reports for our students ever. Now that's not a bad thing but it strikes me that the so called Common Report isn't so common after all. The original concept involved the use of A-E gradings with the C being the place to be, working at year level. However, with the loggerheads disagreement between our teacher union and our department (disclosure, I am an AEU member) a lot of schools have looked for alternative ways of presenting this information. So, while some schools have towed the line, others have stood their ground while the dust settles. Our reports here use three columns for reporting - working towards, working at and working beyond year level. My son's school has five columns ranging from requires assistance up to excellent and the depth and amount of personalised comment is wide ranging as well. Another school I've heard about over the grapevine was using a software program that was designed to merge all the different elements together. It was supposed to save time but it has proved so quirky that teachers have been advised only to work on their reports in school time. So, again, to my point, there isn't much common about these reports this time around.

But I'm glad I'm finished.