> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://pigeonholeapp.co.uk/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Term Summaries

> The summary each family receives from their child's termly review — what's in it, how it's drafted, approved and published, and earlier progress reports.

A **term summary** is what a family receives from their child's termly review: what their child has enjoyed and achieved this term, the next steps they've achieved, what you'll be working on next, and ideas to try at home. It's written from the review, so it builds on the key person's judgements and next steps.

![A term summary ready to publish: what Brandon enjoyed and achieved, the next step achieved from last term, a list of what's next, and ideas for home](https://mintcdn.com/pigeonholeearlyyearsltd/scN0b7d_0PnpW0pu/images/term-summary-editor.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=scN0b7d_0PnpW0pu\&q=85\&s=348cf5f31caf0a4167b0a7fc6df95173)

## What's in a term summary

When it's drafted from a review, a summary has, in order:

1. a few short paragraphs on what the child has enjoyed and achieved this term, drawn from the review's area notes;
2. the next steps achieved this term ("Last term we were working on… and now…");
3. **Next, we'll be working on**, with a list of the open next steps that are shared with the family;
4. ideas to try at home.

The draft is written to leave out concerns and support needs unless your notes say they've already been discussed with the family, so check it with that in mind before sharing. It only mentions levels if you've switched on **Mention levels in term summaries**.

## How a summary is started

* With **Start the term summary when a review is completed** switched on (the default), completing a review drafts the summary and opens it straight away for the key person to check.
* With it switched off, a completed review shows **Write term summary**, so you can share only some terms (for example, the summer term) or only when it suits you.

Each review has one summary. **Open term summary** on the review takes you to it.

## Editing and redrafting

The summary is ordinary text: edit it however you like. **Draft again from the review** replaces it with a fresh draft from the review's current state, which is useful after a review has been reopened and changed.

## Approving and publishing

Term summaries go through the same steps as observations:

| Status | What it means |
| - | - |
| **Draft** | Being written. Private to its author. |
| **Pending approval** | Submitted and waiting for a publisher or manager. |
| **Changes requested** | Sent back to the author with a comment. |
| **Published** | Shared with the family. |

Staff click **Submit for approval**; managers and staff with the **Publisher** role **Publish** directly. Approvers find summaries waiting for them on the **Term summaries** tab of the Termly reviews page: the **All** scope and the **Pending approval** filter both show a count.

![The Term summaries tab of the Termly reviews page with Mine, All and status filters, listing published summaries](https://mintcdn.com/pigeonholeearlyyearsltd/scN0b7d_0PnpW0pu/images/termly-review-summaries-tab.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=scN0b7d_0PnpW0pu\&q=85\&s=f63ad82a94eeba004885dd94ee52d676)

### Writing rules

Your setting's **Term summary writing rules** (on the Termly reviews tab of Settings → Development) are plain-language rules such as "Never name another child". The AI follows them when it drafts, and summaries are checked against them when they're submitted or published. Staff see what was flagged and a suggested fix; nothing is ever blocked. Writing rules work the same way as [observation writing rules](https://pigeonholeapp.co.uk/docs/managers/development/observations.md).

## What families see

Published summaries appear on the family's **Reports** page in the parent app, alongside the progress check at age two. See [Reports](https://pigeonholeapp.co.uk/docs/parents/reports.md) in the parent guide.

![The family's view of the published Summer 2026 summary for Brandon](https://mintcdn.com/pigeonholeearlyyearsltd/g4lF_XfIseqxXWbb/images/parent-term-summary.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=g4lF_XfIseqxXWbb\&q=85\&s=70986343a964df5051b2539fee6cdee8)

## Earlier progress reports

Before termly reviews, Pigeonhole had standalone progress reports. Any you wrote are still there: on the **Term summaries** tab, on each child's profile, and for families on their Reports page. New ones are written as term summaries from a review.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### Can I edit a summary after it's published?

Managers and publishers can edit a published summary. Families see the change straight away.

### Do families get an email when a summary is published?

No. The summary appears on their Reports page in the app.

### Can a term summary be downloaded as a PDF?

Not yet. Families can print it from their browser. The progress check at age two can be downloaded as a PDF.


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