English Department Assessment Policy

Aspect of Marking
Grading / Years 7/8: No formal grades will be used in class books but work completed will link directly to the mastery statements. Formally assessed pieces willbe marked in accordance with English Department criteria and marking will relate directly to the appropriate mastery statements. The mastery focus should be clearly identified with levels easily discernable. Years 9 - 11: Formally assessed pieces will be marked by the class teacher according to GCSE criteria and will be converted to a level when appropriate. Class books will also reflect the GCSE criteria but this can be self, peer and teacher assessed and will be in accordance with the English Department criteria.
Corrections / Mistakes will be highlighted/circled with the appropriate symbol, as stated in the marking code. Mistakes will not be corrected and pupils will be expected to correct these mistakes during reflection time, using a different coloured pen. Mistakes are to be peer marked to enable immediate feedback. Errors will be highlighted and teachers will ask questions to enable the pupil to consider their misunderstanding in depth. For common errors, teachers will address misunderstandings during reflection and class time.
Thoroughness / All books are to be marked regularly by the class teacher. To ensure all pupils feel valued, class notes which do not require in-depth marking will be acknowledged by teacher initials. This will avoid thetime consuming marking of basic note taking, whilst ensuringtime is dedicated to the effective marking of more critical pieces of work. Marking will be consistent with our department code, which addresses different areas of focus.
Pupil Responses / After every formally assessed piece, there will be a one hour dedicated reflection lesson. This will involve pupils correcting their work and redrafting one paragraph to improve it using the targets which were set by their teacher. During this time, pupils will be expected to correct errors in spelling, punctuation and grammar. At the end of the reflection lesson, work will be peer marked in order to give immediate feedback.
Creating a Dialogue / When work is assessed, teachers will ask questions to encourage learners to consider ways in which they could improve their work. Response to questions will be in a different colour/dialogue box to demonstrate pupils’ engagement and understanding. In addition, a verbal feedback stamp will be used to encourage dialogic marking during class time; this will promote immediate feedback which will prove to be timely and actionable for each pupil.
Targets / Targets will be clearly linked to the Assessment Objectives for Years 9 – 11 (which will be in the front of books for reference) and the Mastery Statements for Years 7 and 8. These will be communicated as success criteria and will be integral as part of the feedback and reflection process. Pupils will work on short-term targets through peer assessment and more focused targets will be addressed during the one hour reflection time. As part of the reflection process, redrafted work will be peer assessed so that immediate feedback is given.
Frequency and speed / Class books will be checked twice every half term by the teacher and this will adhere to our department marking code. The codes used to mark will be clearly displayed in the front of exercise books. As part of our assessment policy, the expectation is that a variety of marking styles will be evident such as peer and self-assessment. All teachers will be provided with a verbal feedback stamp, which will be used in addition to regular marking. When a teacher offers advice to a pupil, they will stamp their work accordingly; pupils must respond immediately by recording the advice they have been given. This will ensure that pupils are able to self-manage and become more independent as part of the process, whilst also providing them with timely and actionable feedback. Assessment books will be marked within two weeks of each assessed piece of work. Each assessment will be marked according to the GCSE Assessment Objectives/Mastery statements with a formative mark and a summative comment to highlight strengths and targets. It is an expectation that marking highlights errors in spelling, punctuation and grammar. However, there should be no more than five spelling mistakes indicated per page so that pupils with learning needs, such as dyslexia, are not demotivated.