Marking policy

							Bredon Hancock’s Endowed C. of E. First School




          Marking Policy




                                    April 2009
Marking is the formal and informal communication with children which is both
verbal and written. The marking of children work is an important part of the
learning process and will be carried out with care. A marking policy creates
consistency in the way children’s work is marked across the school.

The aims of our marking are:
      To improve the quality of work and raise standards.
      To indicate to children what they need to do in order to improve.
      To celebrate and value the children’s achievements.
      To motivate children to further effort and giving them the confidence to
       progress.
      To show children and parents what is valued and to reinforce
       expectations.
      To inform children about their progress.
      To contribute towards the teacher making continuous assessments on
       child attainment.
      To inform future planning.

Marking and feedback procedures
Recorded work will often have the success criteria written on it before the task is
started. Teachers will write the success criteria for children in the Foundation
Stage and the beginning of Year 1. During Year 1 and into Year 2 the children will
begin to record the success criteria for themselves. All success criteria will be
written in language that the children can easily understand.

Marking will usually be against the success criteria and/or individual/group
targets. The children will be made aware of this focus before doing the
activity.



Written comments, when used, will indicate ways to work towards achieving the
success criteria or building upon successful progress. House points may also be
used to convey appreciation of achievement and effort. All marking will be done in
blue or black ink.

Whenever possible marking will take place along side the child. If this is not
possible, work will be marked quickly and the marking shared with the children.
Children will be asked to reflect upon their achievement and marking of their work.

A delicate balance has to be achieved. Children should not receive the
impression that things are right when they are not. On the other hand, they
should not be discouraged from being adventurous for fear of having faults
emphasised. Comments will focus on one or two key areas for improvement and
feed back. Staff will comment on spelling and grammar only if spellings and
grammar were part of the lesson focus, if it is related to the child’s target or if
it is a spelling/high frequency word that they should know.

Staff will date Reception work in the first instance. Children should then be taught
to date their own work and give a title where appropriate. The numeral date will
usually used for all work except English, when the written date will be used.

      Marking will make it clear as to whether the focus has been met and may
       comment on evidence to support the judgement. This may be achieved
       through highlighting. This will help children to take responsibility for
       their learning and show them what they need to do in order to improve.
      Children should feel that they are able to learn from mistakes. Marking is
       to help children learn not to find fault.
      Marking will aim to instil confidence and increase self esteem.
      Marking will reflect upon the child’s achievements and progress made.
      Activities will be challenging and matched to the children’s ability;
       mistakes will be at a level so as to not shake the child’s confidence.
      Guidance given to children through marking will be realistic/appropriate
       to their needs.
      Every piece of work deserves a response, this may be verbally or
       recorded. This may be indicated by written comment or symbols.
      Marking will be regular and frequent; however in the case of a long term
       project it may not be marked until its completion.
      Comments will be made in a way which can be understood by the child.
       Where appropriate teachers will help children read the comments made.
       Comments may take the form of questions.
      Marking will be clear, legible and in the appropriate form of handwriting
       for that year group.
      It is recognised that simply grading work is not usually a useful means of
       communication with children. Where a grade is given teachers will ensure
       children understand what is implied.
      Children may be asked to revisit work as a result of marking. Staff will
       ensure that any revisiting of work has appropriate learning intensions.
      Where children self mark or mark another child’s work it will be reviewed
       by the teacher.
      Children may be asked to write a draft version. This may be discussed,
       shared, amended or rewritten before it is marked.
Children
      Are encouraged to evaluate their own work and will at times be involved in
       commenting on each others work. When commenting on the work of
       others children will be encouraged to be a critical friend (‘Three stars
       and a wish’). The children will use a pen/pencil of a different colour from
       the original work.
      Will put a thin line through any error and write the correction next to it.
       In mathematics they will not alter work once it has been marked. Children
       are not encouraged to use rubbers when correcting mistakes.
      Will be expected to record neatly whether using an exercise book, loose
       leaf or worksheets.
      May be encouraged to communicate their response to a comment by
       writing a reply.

Parents
      will be able to see marking at parents’ evening, when work is sent home or
       if they request to do so (following a reasonable preparation time).
      will have access to the marking policy.

Strategies for marking
It is recognised that marking can be a time consuming task and that the school
has a duty to consider the work life balance of it’s staff. In order to cope with
this staff are encouraged to:
     Mark selectively e.g. mark in depth one group on a rotation basis
     Mark selectively e.g. mark for one aspect of literacy such as punctuation
       (VCOP)
     Use whiteboards for interaction providing immediate feedback for the
       children and teachers
     Use of self editing and/or child self evaluation
     Children to review/evaluate the work of others.
Staff are required to:
     Make a comment fortnightly on a piece of written work, which engages
       children in what they should do to improve.
     Mark a piece of written work fully using the Ros Wilson criteria at least
       termly and to file this in the progress folder termly; following
       comment/discussion with the child to ensure they know what to do to
       improve.
     Review progress towards the ‘Numeracy Passport’ at least termly and
       ensure that the children know what targets they are working towards.
     Make a comment which engages children in what they should do to improve
       numerically fortnightly.
Marking Symbols
Where symbols are used, children must be clear as to their meaning. The
marking symbols used may be displayed in classrooms.
    Marking will not detract from the overall appearance of a child’s work.
      The colour chosen will be clear to the reader
    Tick where work is correct
    Question mark or dot where mistakes are made.
    A box may be drawn alongside an incorrect answer to show a correction
    Verbal comments will be recorded as a v in circle.
    A stamp will show that the work has been seen.
    Where work is carried out along side a ‘helper/adult’
         o i in a circle will indicate independent work (Only used when
             appropriate)
         o s in a circle will indicate support given. The initials of the adult may
             be signed along side the circle.
Foundation Stage
    Marking for the purpose of gaining a response from children will be done
      verbally along side the child. Evaluative comments will be added where
      appropriate.
    The teacher may scribe for a child or record a version of emergent writing.
    When a child is writing at greater length and words are still unrecognisable
      the teacher may write the correct version of the word above it so that the
      work can be read again.
Year 1
    As above
    Some use of a written comment as appropriate
Year 2
    Will use discretion as to whether to use the Year 1 or Key Stage 2
      approach to marking dependant on the ability of the child.
Key Stage 2
    Will use discretion as to which symbols are appropriate for each child’s
      development and the frequency of use.
    A spelling mistake will be indicated and corrected as appropriate. (Not all
      spelling mistakes will be identified.)
    ^ for a word or phrase missing
    . with a circle around it to indicate a missing full stop
    Circle around the letter to indicate a missing capital letter
      ll to indicate where a new paragraph is required
      A punctuation mistake will have a circle around it where appropriate. (Not
       all mistakes will be identified.)
Rewards
Rewards will often be public, taking place in the classroom, assemblies and
possibly the press. It may involve peers, parents, staff and Governors. Rewards
will be suited to the child and may be discreetly awarded where appropriate. It
is recognised that rewards in themselves do not close gaps in learning or bring
about improvement but they do increase self esteem and a readiness to learn.

      Praise – Staff will encourage children to recognise their achievements and
       encourage them to celebrate them.
      House points may be awarded for effort and achievement. Staff will
       usually award between 1 and 5 house points. (Refer to the behaviour policy
       for how House points are collected and rewarded.)
      Children may be placed on the green card in recognition of exceptional
       effort and achievement. They will then be awarded a ‘Green’
       Headteacher’s certificate in recognition of their work.
      Children may be presented with other certificates in recognition of
       effort and achievement where appropriate. This often occurs when
       children have been set individual learning targets.
      Stickers may be used for specific purposes.

Moderation of Marking

Marking and feedback to children will be monitored through each curriculum
area in accordance with the Governors monitoring policy, as part of the subjects
three year rolling programme by subject Coordinators. Marking will also be
reviewed as part of the English and Maths moderation.

It may be useful to also refer to the school’s policy on assessment and behaviour
when reading this document.
                     Marking Symbols

                            A tick where work is correct




        or     ?            A dot or question mark if a mistake is
                            made



                            To show a correction




V                           A verbal comment was given




 I      initialled
                            The work was done independently (only
                            used when achieved along side a adult
                            helper)


 S      initialled
                            Support was given. Initialled by the
                            adult


stamp                       Work has been seen



                            Word or phrase missing
 ^
  .                         Missing full stop



h                           Missing capital letter




 ll                         New paragraph is required