A POOLE school has moved to reassure parents that students are on track after report cards with incorrect data were sent out.

Report cards were sent out to parents of pupils at Magna Academy, with many of the subjects showing progress was “below expected” for pupils.

The incorrect cards were sent to pupils in years 7, 8 and 9 with parents saying the error had been “very distressing”.

However, principal at Magna Academy, Natasha Ullah said it was a technical error from an external company and new report cards would be issued.

Ms Ullah said: “Earlier this week it was brought to our attention that report cards sent out on March 10 for Magna Academy students in years 7, 8 and 9 contained incorrect data in the ‘progress’ column.

“This was caused by a technical glitch in the external management information system used to produce the report cards.

“We would like to assure parents that the information keyed in by teachers was correct but was unfortunately skewed due to this IT issue. This was beyond the control of the school and we apologise for any distress that this technical error may have caused.

“All those who attended the parent’s evening on Thursday March 11 were able to speak to tutors and received accurate information about their child’s engagement.

“The technical error has also been resolved and an extra layer of quality assurance is now in place to prevent this from happening again. New report cards will be issued within the next 10 days.

“Despite the challenges that have arisen over the last 12 months, the vast majority of our students are on track with their progress and in many instances are exceeding the targets set.

“We are delighted to have our students return to school this week and to see them so happy and settled.”

Parents were also sent a letter from vice principal Adam Potter, apologising for the distress caused.

Mr Potter said: “We have been extremely pleased with how positive our students have returned this week.

“It is inevitable that students may have gaps in their knowledge, resulting from the national lockdowns, despite applying themselves effectively. Our priority is to address these gaps over the coming months and help students settle back into routines and to engage positively with learning.”