Every year schools need to produce a statutory annual report for parents and carers, setting out ‘brief particulars of achievements in all subjects and activities forming part of the school curriculum’. This should include the strengths and developmental needs of each child. In a subject such as history, how do we gather the information to fulfil this requirement? This article explores one way in which this can be done in busy classrooms while not losing sight of the fact that the main focus of our work is on helping children get better in history.