Understanding a professional report

Reports about your child are written for other professionals. You are allowed to ask what they mean.

What it is

Reports from educational psychologists, therapists, paediatricians and specialist teachers describe assessment findings and make recommendations.

Where it applies

Anyone with a child being assessed.

How it works

Standardised scores are usually reported as percentiles or standard scores, which say how a child compares with others of the same age. The recommendations section is the part with practical consequences and is where provision comes from.\n\nRecommendations are frequently watered down between the report and Section F of a plan.

What you can ask for

Ask for the full report, not a summary, and ask for anything you do not understand to be explained. That is a reasonable request and professionals expect it.

Read the recommendations against what ends up in the plan and query any that disappeared.

Ask what the scores mean in practice — what the child can and cannot do in a classroom — rather than what the number is.

Where to get help

SENDIASS for free local advice, IPSEA and Contact nationally.