Victoria’s school reports are set to change. What does this mean for teachers and families?

Rawpixel/ Getty Images On Tuesday, the Victorian government announced it is revamping its student reporting for public schools. As part of a broader push to cut down on teachers’ paperwork, it will simplify the reports that go home to families. This includes a new approach to reduce the time teachers spend writing reports, while still giving families clear information about their child’s progress. As The Age reported, the changes will be rolled out over the next 18 months. The overall idea is to cut administrative tasks so teachers will spend less time at their desks and more time with their students. What do the proposed changes signal for schools and families? What happens now with reports? Schools are required to report student achievement and progress to parents at least twice per year. But education experts and studies have warned parents can find these reports vague, jargony and difficult to understand. For example, one could argue having a range of criteria such as “fair”, “good”, “very good”, “excellent” and “outstanding”, can create a misleading impression of satisfactory performance. Similarly, comments such as “demonstrates developing understanding” or “works well towards achieving outcomes” often provide little concrete guidance about a student’s strengths or areas for improvement. A 2025 review of Victorian teachers’ administration tasks noted more detailed twice-yearly reports to parents “do not always lead to more parental engagement”. Indeed, the review found most schools have a significant number of parents who never open the student reports. So while preparing reports creates a substantial administrative burden for teachers, there is not necessarily a strong payoff for families. Are parent-teacher interviews more useful? The 2025 review also noted spending more time meeting with or calling parents could be a more effective way to engage families about their child’s progress. Apart from the administrative burden, there are also equity concerns around reports. The use of standardised grading can disadvantage students from diverse linguistic and/or socio-economic backgrounds. Some researchers call this the “standardisation of inequality”. Teachers have noted how student needs are increasingly complex, with rising mental health challenges and neurodiverse learners requiring extra support. These factors suggest a simple written document will not always work best or be sufficient to capture a child’s needs and progress. ‘Just let us teach’ Meanwhile, numerous reports and studies have found teachers do not have time for teaching because of data collection and compliance paperwork. This is not just a Victorian issue. A 2025 NSW Teachers Federation report reached similar conclusions. In 2022, the Grattan Institute found 86% of teachers didn’t have time for high-quality lesson planning. Our 2022 research also highlighted how Australian teachers struggle to build positive teacher-student relationships amid intense administrative and performance demands. A growing number of studies suggest Australian teachers are even quitting, or considering it, due to unmanageable workloads. A common message in our ongoing research on the profession is “just let us teach”. What is needed instead? We know report processes can vary between schools, but all reports should be clear for families. They should be useful to teachers, students, parents and carers. They should be nuanced for each student and not overly technical or vague for families – particularly those from diverse backgrounds. Most importantly, reports need to provide concrete guidance about student performance, development and how they can improve. Who produces good reports? Across the world, several education systems have developed streamlined reporting practices designed to be more meaningful for families, informative for governments, and manageable for teachers. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) benchmark for reporting emphasises clear information about student progress, strengths, and areas for improvement, along with specific recommendations for further learning. A major issue – found internationally – is reports often emphasise performance without explaining how students can improve. The OECD profiles an exemplary approach from France called Livret Scolaire Unique. This emphasises continuous, student-centred reporting. It involves a digital report that follows students across years and includes subject results, descriptive teacher feedback, and competencies (rather than just grades). This approach attempts to provide a deeper understanding of each learner, focusing on progress over time in a family-friendly way. Similarly, many schools in Finland use a common digital communication platform. This allows them to share student assignments, grades, teacher feedback, and other administrative information with families. It is another efficient way to make sure students, families and teachers are all part of the same clear system around reporting.

Ilana Finefter-Rosenbluh received funding, including from the U.S. Government: The U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Australia, Social Education Victoria, the Trawalla Foundation, the Besen Family Foundation, the Loti and Victor Smorgon Family Foundation, and Victorian government and independent schools. She is International Faculty affiliated to the UNESCO Chair for Community, Leadership, and Youth Development at the Pennsylvania State University, USA Lucas Walsh has received funding from the ARC and Paul Ramsay Foundation.