Marking and feedback Policy for Canterbury Cross Primary School

Aims

  • To provide a consistent approach in marking throughout the school so that it may best meet the needs of the various audiences and purposes it serves.
  • To help children value their work and promote self-esteem

Purposes of Marking

  • To point out precisely what was good and what needs to be done to improve next time.
  • To provide an opportunity to assess children’s work and progress
  • To provide a means of communication between teacher and child, a two way process
  • To be able to reward the child for successful work and provide an incentive for improvement
  • To improve a child’s confidence
  • To enable children to reflect on their learning and their future targets

The Principles Underlying Practice

  • To mark selectively, focusing on the purpose of the work, learning objective, and identified success criteria relating to the level and ability of the child
  • To involve children in marking
  • Achievement in all areas of the curriculum is celebrated by constructive comments and encouragement
  • Next steps - comments should give children next steps to improve their work. These steps should relate to the current level of the children and what is needed to move to the next sub-level
  • Gap tasks – A short task can be included after the next steps. E.g. correct the punctuation in this sentence “hello Sam, said mum. Children must be given time to complete these tasks.

The Process of Marking

  • A WALT & WILF (just WILF in KS1) must be in children’s books every day. If it is a practical activity children can still self assess against the WILF
  • Pupil Absence – If a child is away write and date this in their books e.g. Pupil absent 14/11/08
  • Staff mark in red ink; pupils mark in coloured pencil
  • In KS1 and KS2 when work is marked by anyone other than a class teacher, comments will be initialled
  • When an answer shows a mistake the following is applied: Spelling tests ~ the correct spelling should be written next to the error. Maths ~ errors in the process to be underlined; incorrect answers will be indicated with a x. If the child is repeating the same mistake throughout the work, stop marking, check the work visually and write a general comment.
  • Incorrect spellings must only be corrected if a key work or spellings appropriate to the lesson have been wrongly spelt. This should be done by underlining and writing the correct spelling above the child’s attempt.
  • Children will be encouraged to self mark where appropriate e.g. spellings tests, & maths. This will be done using a coloured pencil.
  • Children should be given the opportunity to read or discuss the marking regularly and join in with the setting of targets.
  • All children will initial the teacher’s comments once they have been read.
  • All children will traffic light the success criteria (WILF) at the end of English and Maths lessons as part of their self assessment process.
  • Any work for display will not contain teacher’s comments.

Marking Key

  • Teachers will mark to the success criteria and learning objective:

- Achieved, ~- Partly Achieved, X – Not Achieved

  • The following annotations will be made next to work when appropriate

P ~ paired workCT ~ cover teacher T ~ worked with Teacher

  • TA ~ worked with Teaching AssistantV ~ verbal feedback given
  • CL – Missing Capital letter – circle incorrect letter
  • ^ - Shows children where they have missed a word
  • // - start a new paragraph
  • WW – KS2 – wrong homophone used – circle word
  • P – Indicates missing punctuation but doesn’t say what is missing
  • KS1 and children with specific needs should have the punctuation added
  • * - Merit stickers

Traffic Light System

The system will be introduced in the Spring Term. This system allows the children to evaluate their own understanding of the success criteria (WILF) by annotating their work with the following to show their understanding.

I have met the success criteria and I am pleased with my work (Green)
I understand the work today but I need a little more help (Yellow)
I found my work hard today and I need a lot more help (Red)

Examples of the marking system in practice will be attached