School Report Cards

Hard to believe I still have these old school reports.  Some date back to 1967 -- 48  years ago!  These relics are from Dunottar School for Girls in Reigate, Surrey. 

When I leafed through them just now, I was struck by the fact that every single report was written in fountain pen.  Not a ballpoint or felt tip in sight.  I was also wryly amused to see how old-fashioned some of the subjects were.  Surely no one is forced to tackle Needlework and Singing as part of the core curriculum any more?  Are students nowadays still graded on Deportment and Elocution?

If nothing else, I was consistent.  Every mathematics report was dismal (“Dana does her best but finds the subject difficult”), as were needlework (“Dana seems to find this subject troublesome at present”), singing (“Dana must learn to open her mouth to produce more tone”), and netball (“Dana tries hard but lacks control.”)  On the plus side, the Form Mistress’s Reports always included such encouraging words and phrases as “good conduct”, “conscientious”, “pleasant”, “helpful”, and “lively”.  This old leopard’s spots haven’t changed much since then!