The Mendip School

Marking and Feedback Policy

Rationale

To ensure that all pupils have their work discussed and marked in such a way that feedback will improve their learning, develop their self-confidence, raise self-esteem and provide opportunities for self-assessment.

Aims

  • To ensure pupils progress knowing their achievements and what they need to do next
  • To ensure planning is amended in order that the teaching and learning meet the needs of all pupils
  • To have consistent approach that measures school progress against national standards

Principles

  • Whenever possible, teachers should provide individual, verbal feedback to pupils
  • Feedback, either written or verbal, should be integral to lessons and should provide a dialogue between teachers and pupils that addresses errors and misconceptions at an early stage
  • Marking and feedback should be linked to learning objectives, success criteria and targets
  • Teachers should look for strengths before identifying improvements when marking work
  • Pupils should be given specific time to read, reflect and respond to marking and feedback
  • Pupils should be encouraged to mark, self-evaluate and peer assess
  • The outcomes of marking should be used to inform teachers’ judgements concerning pupils’ progress and to inform teacher records and reports
  • Stakeholders should have the school’s marking and feedback procedures explained clearly to them
  • Marking and feedback practices should be manageable
  • Marking and feedback should be positive, proactive and enhance the pupils learning journey

Monitoring and Evaluation

A review of samples of work in the process of achieving should inform the following performance indicators:

  • Improvement in pupils’ achievement and attainment
  • Consistency in teachers’ marking across phases
  • Participation of pupils in the process

Equal Opportunities

The marking and feedback policy and procedures encourages the practice of inclusion for all.

Guidelines

‘It would be impossible, impractical and unmanageable for every piece of work to be used for formative assessment and ‘quality marked’. Teachers will need to decide which pieces of work to give detailed attention and which they are simply going to acknowledge’

Shirley Clarke 2001 ‘Unlocking Formative Assessment’

Quality Standards Criteria

  • Oral feedback is the most powerful. Teachers create as many opportunities for this as possible through learning conversations with students.
  • Visual and pictorial feedback to those who would benefit from this approach
  • Pupils’ work is marked as soon as possible after completion and, if possible, in the presence of the pupil
  • Feedback relates as much as possible to the lesson objective/success criteria of the curriculum focus
  • Comments are succinct and accessible to the pupil. In focused marking they point out successes and points for improvement
  • For feedback to be effective, time for pupils to make improvements/responses is planned for. Where appropriate, teachers manage this within lessons as well as in follow up sessions.

Types of Marking

Acknowledgement Marking – this may be a tick or the teacher’s initials and is used where considerable oral feedback/guidance has occurred in the lesson

Self-Marking – pupils mark their own work. Spellings, mental mathematics are obvious examples but teachers find opportunities in other contexts. The emphasis is on pupils addressing their misconceptions as well as providing opportunities for early teacher intervention. It is up to individual teachers to show how this is done. For example marked to show they have understood.

Peer Marking – when appropriate (and after considerable modelling), pupils mark a partner’s work. Initially the focus is on pupils identifying the strengths

Quality Marking – entails giving focused comments, relating to the lesson objective and success criteria, in order to ‘close the gap’ between where pupils are and where they could be. In core subjects, this should be undertaken at least once per week. Teacher’s professional judgement will be used to ascertain when this should take place in other subjects.

Key Principles for Quality marking

  • Highlight in green 1-3 places where the lesson objective has been successfully met
  • Highlight a place for improvement in orange
  • Include 1-2 positive comments and 1 improvement
  • Time is given to make the improvement e.g. at the beginning of the next session. Teachers use the time to reinforce the skills being taught.During this time students sign the teacher’s comments to show they have read it or discussed the marking with an adult. This will ensure they are aware of ‘next steps’

Marking Codes/Symbols/Pens

Code / Meaning
VF / Verbal feedback
Sp / Spelling (highlight no more than 5)
Marked by the incorrect word with the correct spelling in the margin to the left
T / Worked with the teacher
TA / Worked with the TA
IW / Independent Work
∧ / Missing words
/ / New sentence
// / New paragraph
S / Supported work
EfL / Assessment, comments and next steps in Evidence for Learning
MC / Met Criteria
GU / Gaining Understanding
RV / Revisit

Subject Specific

The above principles apply to all subjects. However some, such as Art, DT, FT, PEand Music will be predominantly oral but should still be documented for the pupil by the teacher.

Documented through but not inclusive;

  • Written conversation
  • Post it notes
  • Photos of specific pieces of work linked with success criteria and commented on
  • PowerPoint with photos and comments
  • Photos of students working

Good practice

Presentation of Work:

  • All work should have a name, title and date ( this could be done by the use of a date stamp)
  • Pupils should be encouraged to complete written work in blue or black pen or pencil
  • Diagrams and drawings completed in pencil can be enhanced with coloured pencils or felt tips
  • All completed work should be filed ready for future recording or assessment

EYFS and KS1:

  • EYFS will be assessed in line with the EYFS moderation framework
  • KS1 Children’s learning will be annotated using a 3 star system which reflects the success criteria. On occasion, there may also be the use of smiley faces and/or a magic wand wish to denote the child’s own self-assessment of their learning

Non-verbal and learners working at ‘P Levels

  • Marking and feedback will be through the use of appropriate signing and symbols, verbal feedback and showing the pupils working to achieve an activity through annotating photos and videos. Other examples may include;

Green, orange and red highlighted colour marking

Token boards that lead to a motivator of choice

Smiley faces

Stickers

Visual thumbs up

Visual high fives etc.

  • The purpose of detailed written feedback for this cohort will be to evidence the progress students have made, to inform teachers’ planning and assessment. This will allow appropriate monitoring to occur

Date Agreed:September 2015

Date of Review: April 2017

Reviewing Marking

Always / Usually / Sometimes / Rarely
• Work is marked regularly
• Marking reflects learning outcomes
• Marking makes use of an agreed code
• Comments are supportive
• Comments are developmental
• Pupils correct their own work
• Pupils understand the marking system
• Parents understand the marking system
• Marking practice is consistent
Action Notes:

Completed by LT:

Date: