This policy defines marking as formative feedback given to pupils by the comments recorded or symbols written at Orchard House School
Ethos
At Orchard House School, we fully recognise the value and importance of responding to pupils’ work through oral and written dialogue. Providing high-quality and timely feedback to our children is one of the most powerful ways of developing their skills and furthering their knowledge.
‘Feedback to any pupil should be about particular qualities of his or her work, with advice on what he or she can do to improve and should avoid comparisons with other pupils.’ – Inside the Black Box, Black and Wiliam.
‘Feedback is one of the most powerful influences on learning and achievement.’ – Hattie and Timperley 2007.
For Feedback to be effective, John Hattie says it needs to be:
- clear, purposeful, meaningful and compatible with pupils’ prior knowledge, and to provide logical connections.
- directed at the right level, so it can assist students to comprehend, engage, or develop effective strategies to process the information intended to be learnt.”
- combined with effective instruction in classrooms, and focus on what is being learnt (learning intention) and how students should go about it (success criteria)
Our Principles of Feedback and Marking
- It is timely – in that it is given either during the lesson or in the context of a subsequent review or feedback session
- It is easy to understand for the child
- It is specific and relates to the key objectives and concepts of the lesson
- It can be acted upon by the child because time has been made for meaningful response
- It is more child-led: feedback should encourage the child to think for themselves
The mode of feedback that best enables enactment of these principles is verbal. The best time for the child to respond to feedback – either by completing the task (or part of it) again or by making a note of the teacher’s feedback – is during the lesson.
Purpose of Marking
Marking pens:
Marking should only be done in green and purple pens.
Green pen – Staff members mark in green pen. Comments made in green pen should outline the strengths of the piece of work, celebrate a pupil’s effort, achievement and progress
Purple pen – A comment in purple pen at the end of a task should outline one area for improvement and/or next steps. The teacher may address misconceptions, identify challenges, offer opportunities to correct or provide next steps aligned to the learning objectives in order to consolidate and deepen pupils’ learning. Children should respond to purple pen comments if appropriate, using pencil (or pen if they have their pen licence). Purple pen should be used at least times a week in Mathematics and English and once per topic in Science and Knowledge subjects.
General Marking Code
This should be applied to all written work in KS1 and KS2. The teacher indicates next to the learning intention how well the work completed has been grasped by the pupil.
| ✓✓✓ | Three ticks indicate the LI has been securely grasped by the pupil |
|---|---|
| ✓✓ | Two ticks indicate that the pupil would benefit from further consolidation |
| ✓ | One tick indicates that the pupil has not grasped the LI |
| Self Assessment (smiley face) | Self Assessment (smiley face is KS1; traffic light in KS2) |
EYFS Marking Code
Reception All subjects
Verbal feedback is the main strategy for pupil feedback. Stamps can be used as a motivational tool.
| VF/VF stamp | Verbal feedback |
|---|---|
| I WS | Child completed work independently. Child needed support |
| WH | Child needed help throughout |
| Self Assessment (smiley face) | Self Assessment (smiley face) |
KS1 Marking Code:
Subject: English /Knowledge /Science
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| SP | Spelling mistake |
| VF / VF stamp | Verbal feedback given to child during the lesson |
| I | Child completed work independently |
| WS | Child needed support in the lesson |
| Self Assessment Sticker (smiley face) | Self Assessment Sticker (smiley face) |
Books and presentation
- Short date and three ticks above the Learning Intention
- Marking code stuck on the front page
- Year 1 – 12 mm ruled without a margin
- Year 2 – 10mm ruled with a margin
Subject: Maths
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| VF/VF Stamp | Verbal feedback given to child during the lesson |
| I | Child completed work independently |
| WS | Child needed support in the lesson |
| ___ (number/answer underlined) | Incorrect answer |
| Number formation corrected | Children to correct their number x3 times |
Books and presentation
Short data and three ticks above the Learning Intention Marking code stuck in front page
KS2 Marking Code:
English & Knowledge Subjects
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| VF / VF stamp | Verbal feedback given to child during the lesson |
| I | Child completed work independently |
| WS | Child needed support in the lesson |
| SP (with single word underlined) | Incorrect spelling. Pupil to rewrite at least twice at the end of their work |
| // | New paragraph needed. Teacher may ask the pupil to rewrite |
| ~~~ (squiggly line) | Grammatical / sense error Teacher may ask the pupil to rewrite |
| = (letter underlined twice) | Capital letter needed |
| o (around an empty space) | Punctuation missing. Teacher may ask the pupil to rewrite the sentence / fill in the missing punctuation |
| Arrow pointing up or down | Insert word or phrase Teacher may ask the pupil to rewrite the sentence / fill in the missing word or phrase |
Subject: Maths
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| VF/VF Stamp | Verbal feedback given to child during the lesson |
| I | Child completed work independently |
| WS | Child needed support in the lesson |
| ___ (number/answer underlined) | Incorrect answer |
| Number formation corrected | Children to correct their number x3 times |
Books and presentation
- Margin (3 full boxes wide + whatever is left)
- Short date e.g. 06.09.2023 – starting from the margin
- One digit in each box
- Underline the date using a ruler
- Title of work/LI
- Name of book and page number (if relevant)
Feedback by Teaching Assistants
Work should be predominantly marked or reviewed by the teacher who taught the lesson; however, it is acceptable for some work to be marked by the teaching assistant. As marking children’s work allows teachers to assess the children, it is important that work marked by an assistant is also reviewed by the teacher concerned.
Marking by pupils
On some occasions, it may be helpful for pupils to mark their own work or have their work marked by their peers. Marking by pupils must always be reviewed by the teacher.
Self Assessment by Pupils
In KS1, a traffic light stamp is used for most recorded work to demonstrate the pupils’ perception of their attainment in relation to the objective. Green indicates that they feel they have mastered the LI, amber indicates that they would like more practise, and red communicates that they are very uncertain and would like help with the learning intention.
In KS2, a small square coloured in using the RAG code is used for most recorded work to demonstrate the pupils’ perception of their attainment in relation to the objective. Green indicates that they feel they have mastered the LI, amber indicates that they would like more practise, and red communicates that they are very uncertain and would like help with the learning intention.
Grades and Marks
Grades or marks are not used unless for a specific test. Percentages in 11+ examinations are given on occasion in Form 6 as preparation for the examinations for future schools.
