“Excellent, but oh so noisy” – ADHD school reports

If only he would try harder…

School reports

Age 11

• “He tends not to pay attention in class and is inclined to distract others”
• “Noisy but keen”
• “Andrew must concentrate more”
• “Andrew must learn to apply himself to the things he dislikes as well as to those he likes”
• “Works well but too easily distracted”
• “Volatile but excellent”

Age 12

• “Andrew is very challenging and exciting for a teacher – but at times too high in spirits”
• “Excellent but oh so noisy”
• “Excellent, excellent work as usual – though still too easily distracted”
• “Andrew lacks interest in most art work”
• “Andrew does not pay enough attention in class but has nevertheless made good progress”
• “Very good at maths, loses marks through carelessness”
• “Still volatile, still excellent”
• “Intelligent, but too often inattentive in class and sloppy in presentation”

Age 13

• “He does tend to sit back and chat when he has finished his work, which can be disturbing for the other pupils”
• “His presentation is a disgrace considering his ability. He is in no trouble as far as ideas are concerned”

Age 14

• “Andrew is an outstanding pupil, however he is still “restless” in class, despite the extra work I give him”
• “Andrew has done what has been necessary this year. I hope he will do a little more than this in future”

Age 15

• “He is an able mathematician but without practice he will not achieve the grades he deserves”
• “He needs to guard against mistakes made through carelessness and insufficient attention”
• “Work is untidy and diagrams always careless”
• “His written work of course, leaves a little to be desired, and he must concentrate on this. Always motivated and effusive with a splendid sense of humour”

Age 16

• “He does need to take more care. He is inclined to make careless mistakes simply through lack of thought”
• “If Andrew were to apply himself more to the subject and concentrate a lot harder in class, he might be able to improve upon this grade”
• “Andrew always seems to manage to do just enough to get by”

Age 17

• “Andrew’s effort has improved over the year but he is still underachieving. He is still far too casual in his approach to written work”
• “A pleasing exam result. No doubt he will pass A-level Physics, and the grade will depend upon how energetic he feels at the time”
• “Is this the beginning of the long awaited Lewis revival: or will it begin tomorrow (again)?”
• “I hope that his casual approach to punctuality will not lead to him having undue problems when he enters the less strict environment of Higher Education” – Quite depressingly prescient!
• “He tends to miss out essential detail”
• “Andrew is his own worst enemy. His casual attitude makes him a mediocre student when he should be excellent”
• “Some pleasing grades, they obviously do not reflect his true ability. He has great potential but lacks self-discipline… to gain the awards he is capable of”