Choosing report card software for your school: 10 questions to ask

Updated 24 October 2026

Report card software can save your staff days every term, or create a new set of problems. Ask these ten questions before you choose.

1. Can the card look like ours? Your crest, colours, layout, columns and wording, not a fixed form with your name on top.
2. Can we use our own grading? Grade bands, points, best subjects, divisions, exam weights and the new curriculum’s A to E grades.
3. How do teachers send marks? From their phones, without installing anything? What stops a mark being typed for the wrong learner?
4. Are marks checked before they reach the cards? Impossible marks, missing learners and odd jumps should be caught, not printed.
5. Who writes the comments? Can comments be written from our own comment bank, and changed for any learner?
6. Does every card fit on one page? Even with 20 subjects and a long name?
7. What internet do we need? Does it keep what we typed if the connection drops?
8. Is our data safe? Can another school see it? Can we download it, or delete it? Are photos printed only with consent?
9. What does it cost, and when? Per term or per year? By the number of learners? Can we try everything before we pay?
10. Who helps when something goes wrong? A phone number and a person, at the end of term when it matters most.