At Sandringham school we have adopted the principles outlined by the Department for Education Marking Policy Review to develop a new whole school marking policy. The 3 principles of effective marking are that it should be:
Meaningful: marking varies by age group, subject, and what works best for the pupil and teacher in relation to any particular piece of work. Teachers are encouraged to adjust their approach as necessary and trusted to incorporate the outcomes into subsequent planning and teaching
Manageable: marking practice is proportionate and considers the frequency and complexity of written feedback, as well as the cost and time-effectiveness of marking in relation to the overall workload of teachers
Motivating: Marking should help to motivate pupils to progress. This does not mean always writing in-depth comments or being universally positive: sometimes short, challenging comments or oral feedback are more effective. If the teacher is doing more work than their students, this can become a disincentive for pupils to accept challenges and take responsibility for improving their work
The quantity of feedback should not be confused with the quality. The quality of the feedback, however given, will be seen in how a student is able to tackle subsequent work. Other forms of feedback can be as valuable as written marking, for example self assessment, peer feedback, whole-class feedback and comparative judgement.
Effective marking is an essential part of the education process. At its heart, it is an interaction between teacher and student: a way of acknowledging students’ work, checking the outcomes and making decisions about what teachers and students need to do next, with the primary aim of driving student progress.
All our students should be able to answer two questions about their learning:
What am I doing well in this subject?
What do I need to do to improve my work in this subject?
The Mindful Marking work aims to improve the learning and progress of students, whilst relieving the workload upon teachers.
