OUR LADY IMMACULATE CATHOLIC PRIMARY SCHOOL
FEEDBACK AND MARKING POLICY
‘Feedback is one of the most powerful influences on learning and
achievement’ (Hattie and Timperley)
At Our Lady Immaculate, we recognise the importance of feedback as an integral part of the teaching and
learning cycle, and aim to maximise the effectiveness of its use. We are aware of the research
surrounding effective feedback and also the workload implications of extensive written marking.
Following guidance from expert organisations such as the Education Endowment Foundation we
recognise that effective feedback should:
• Redirect or refocus either the teacher’s or the learner’s actions to achieve a goal
• Be specific, accurate and clear
• Encourage and support further effort
• Be given sparingly so that it is meaningful
• Put the onus on pupil to correct their own mistakes, rather than providing correct answers for them
• Alert the teacher to misconceptions, so that the teacher can address these in subsequent lessons.
Key Principles:
• The sole focus of feedback should be to further children’s learning;
• Evidence of feedback is incidental to the process; we do not provide additional evidence for external
verification;
• Feedback is age related and age appropriate.
• Feedback should empower children to take responsibility for improving their own work.
• Written comments should be limited for the majority of marking.
• Children should receive feedback either within the lesson itself ‘live marking’ or in the next appropriate
lesson.
Live marking refers to “ a simple but effective technique which involves the marking of books during a
lesson / series of lessons with a particular class. This doesn’t mean you simply take all the pupils’ books
and tick and flick them: it means sitting down with learners and discussing their work in detail with
them.”
• Feedback is a part of the school’s wider assessment processes which aim to provide an appropriate
level of challenge to pupils in lessons, allowing them to make at least good progress.
Feedback and Marking in Practice
It is vital that teachers evaluate the work that children undertake in lessons, and use information
obtained from this to allow them to adjust their teaching. Feedback occurs at one of three common
stages in the learning process:
1. Immediate feedback – at the point of teaching
2. Summary feedback – at the end of a lesson/task
3. Next lesson feedforward – further teaching enabling the children to identify and improve for
themselves areas for development identified by the teacher after review of work.
These practices can be seen in the following practices:
Type
What it looks like
Immediate
• Includes teacher gathering feedback from teaching
within the course of the lesson, including mini
whiteboards, bookwork, etc.
• Takes place in lessons with individuals or small groups
• Often given verbally to pupils for immediate action
Evidence for observers
• Lesson
observations/learning
walks
• May involve use of a teaching assistant to provide
support of further challenge
• May re-direct the focus of teaching or the task
Summary
Takes place at the end of a lesson of activity
• Often involves whole groups or classes
• Provides an opportunity for evaluation of learning in
the lesson
• Lesson
observations/learning
walks
• Some evidence of self – and peer-assessment
• May take form of self or peer- assessment against an
agreed set of criteria
• May take the form of a quiz, test or score on a game
• Quiz and test results
may be recorded in
books or logged
separately by the
• In some cases, may guide a teacher’s further use of
review feedback, focusing on areas of need
teacher
Feedforward: ‘the
next step is the next
lesson’
• Lesson
• Staff will evaluate planning in light of children’s
performance in the lesson and will make
amendments as required to ensure
misunderstandings and next steps are addressed
in subsequent lessons.
observations/learning
walks
• Evidence in books of
• Staff will indicate their judgement of a piece of
work and their need for them to move on (M)
revisit (R) or consolidate (C).
How to mark
pupils editing and
redrafting their work
will be clearly labelled
▪ Teachers and Learning Support Assistants will mark in red pen during the lesson, giving live
feedback, as much as possible.
▪ When marking takes place outside of the lesson, staff will work, record if the work was
independent (I), supported (s) or initially supported before independently completing the task
(SI)
▪ Any written feedback should be kept to a minimal and done using legible writing.
▪ All children at Our Lady Immaculate Primary School write in pencil or blue pen (once they have
been awarded a pen licence). All marking by teaching staff will be carried out in red pen. Peer
marking by pupils should be done in purple pen. Corrections from ‘live’ marking or feedback
should be completed in purple pen.
▪ No more than 3 spellings will be identified and children are expected to write the corrected word
three times in the margin.
• Homework can often be marked by the children themselves. In this way the class can discuss and
explain the answers.
▪ Erasers are used with caution. When drafting, errors are left and corrections are made around
them. This enables children and teachers to see where mistakes or misconceptions have been
made and how they have been addressed and rectified. For best work and final pieces, erasers
may be used.
Marking ‘Maths No Problem’
The principle of Mastery maths requires that ‘Live’ marking takes place during the journaling part of the
lesson, with staff enhancing teaching through careful questioning and group problem solving. Journals
may show teacher modelling and a
. Workbooks will be marked, as a class, group or on an individual
basis, making use of ‘honesty sheets’ (online answers). Children will be expected to correct answers and
where required, the teacher will address any misconceptions.
Learning Support Assistants
LSAs should only mark work produced by their group of pupils and this should only be done within the
session to give immediate feedback. They should then inform the teacher of the progress and problems
from that piece of work. It is not the role of the LSA to complete any other marking for the teacher.
Supply Teachers and Students
We expect supply teachers and students to mark work using green pen.
Monitoring
We will ensure that these guidelines are being used consistently throughout the school by carrying out
Book Scrutiny. This will be the responsibility of the Leadership Team when carrying out monitoring
activities. Feedback on the implementation of the policy will be given during staff meetings or with
individual members of staff. The Governing body will monitor the implementation of the policy.
Reviewing the policy
We will review our policy at the beginning of every academic year in order to reinforce it with established
staff and familiarise new staff with it.
Foundation Stage
▪ On all pieces of work it is indicated whether the child has completed the work independently or
with some assistance.
▪ Children always receive verbal feedback
▪ Stampers and/or stickers are used as additional rewards
Key Stage 1
▪ In Year 1 and Year 2 work is marked and discussed with the child present. This will be identified
by VF (Verbal Feedback).
▪ In Year 2, up to three spelling errors will be identified in a piece of work. Pupils will write out
these spellings in the margin.
Key Stage 2
▪ Spelling errors will normally be kept to a maximum of three to five errors per piece of work.
Pupils will be asked to correct these spelling errors by writing them 3 times in the margin. The
common errors will inform teachers’ planning of spelling sessions.
Marking Guidelines
Presentation
Pupils should be reminded to always take pride in their work. This policy should be used in
conjunction with the school’s presentation guidelines.
Points to note about presentation, marking and feedback- – All work should be dated – E.G. 12th April 2021 or 12/04/21 – The learning objective should always be evident – Child friendly learning objectives should be used – Handwriting should be in line with school policy – Teachers should use red pen for marking – Where work is marked by a person other than the class teacher, green pen should be used – Adult handwriting must be readable and in line with the school handwriting scheme – All comments must be grammatically correct – All comments or prompt questions should be written in language that the child
understands (comments will be read for non-readers and for pupils with specific learning
difficulties recording may also be accepted in different formats).
Acknowledgement Marking
This marking is applied to every piece of work, in all subjects, informing the learner about
how well they have achieved the learning objective.
Acknowledgement Marking Key
VF (Verbal Feedback)- feedback is given verbally to the child and a brief statement indicating
the focus of the feedback may be included if appropriate.
S (LSA or Teacher) Pupil has been supported when completing a piece of work.
Promoting Independence, editing and improving work-
PITSTOPs- Each child must be given time to reflect on and respond to marking in order to
make amendments and improvements to their work or to complete any challenges given.
Any editing and improving will be completed in a purple pen.
It is our aim to enable children to edit and improve their work with increasing
independence. To this end, we will ensure that our marking in terms of using symbols and
prompts, will decrease over time where this is appropriate in order to promote independent
editing and improving.
English/Writing Key – A line under a section of work indicates that the work doesn’t make sense or cannot be
read. – A line under a section of work will indicate a grammar, punctuation or spelling error. – – A circle around a letter indicates a capital letter error. (KS1 and 2)
^ – An arrow indicates and omission or prompts the learner to use an effective word. – Within extended writing tasks:
* – Good work
A Cloud – A correction or supportive feedback
Maths Key – A tick indicates that the answer is correct. – A dot indicates that the answer is incorrect. – Where it is obvious the majority of answers are incorrect marking should cease and a
comment be made or VF code should be used. – Presentation will be commented upon where it pertains directly to a numeracy issue E.G.
Drawing graphs or a digit in each square. – Purple pen to be used when pupils are self-assessing/marking.