BedlingtonStation PrimarySchool

Feedback & Marking

At Bedlington Station Primary School we know how important it is to think about our learning and to receive effective feedback that we can act upon to support our future learning. To help us do this we use our Behaviour for Learning systems.

WALTs (We are learning to…) are used at the start of each lesson (or series of lessons if appropriate). This learning title is linked to National Curriculum objectives and once a teacher has looked at the work it should be fully (fully achieved) or partially (not fully achieved) highlighting the WALT in green.

In Nursery and Reception work may be marked with the following colours to show the level of understanding:

Green – I managed to do the work and I feel happy about it. (Independent)

Orange – I think I understand but would like more practise. (Supported)

Red – I found it hard and I am confused. (Guided)

In Year 1 – 6 it is assumed that work is completed independently. If this is not the case the following codes will be used:

S – Supported work (extra reminders, some of the work completed with adult help)

G – Guided work (fully supported/completed with an adult)

In maths it will be made clear that concrete or pictorial resources have been used (if not explicit in the work) by using the following codes:

C – Concrete materials/resources have been used

P – Pictorial materials/resources have been used.

WALT & Codes

We have developed our feedback procedures to ensure that all children have their work recognised in such a way that it will improve progress and attainment and identify next steps, develop self-confidence and raise self-esteem and to ensure consistency in the way that feedback is given to the children. Feedback should be kept up to date and, where possible, be done ‘live’ in order to maximise the benefit to the child.

Feedback

The aims and feedback are to:

recognise achievement and effort in children’s school work;
provide targets to help them improve;
offer children the opportunity to respond to marking for improvement;
give opportunities for children to further demonstrate understanding.

At Bedlington Station Primary School we use a range of feedback strategies which are dependent upon various factors including: the subject being taught, the age of the child, the ability of the child, the nature of any misconceptions etc. While there is an expectation that all pieces of work completed by the children are looked at and acknowledged, members of staff use their own judgment as to which method of feedback is most appropriate for any particular piece of work.

Feedback Toolkit

Verbal (Live) feedback

It is recognised that verbal (live) feedback is a vital tool in raising achievement. Verbal feedback is a dialogue, using appropriate language and questions, with children having the opportunity to reflect and respond. Feedback should focus primarily on issues linked to the learning.

Verbal feedback can be given as a ‘Feedback Sandwich’:

1. Opening - share something positive about the child's work/get them to tell you something they think is good.

2. Correction – give a correction/ask the child to identify something against the success criteria.

3. Closing – Be positive, focus on the improvement of the child’s work, and be clear in setting a relevant and attainable target for the next piece of work.

Any issues identified by staff during live feedback/marking can be identified using red pen (arrow underneath for spelling mistakes, line underneath for other issues) or verbally. Any editing/corrections that are made during verbal feedback or from Red Pen Marking should be done using green pen. In Nursery, Reception and Year 1, feedback should always be immediate, verbal and carried out with the child. Work can also be marked with a comment, traffic light system or reward sticker/stamp as a way of reinforcing the feedback with the child.

Whole Class Feedback Sheet

During the lesson/block of lessons, the teacher completes in a whole class feedback sheet This sheet is used to identify:·

Examples of what went well,
Common errors that can be addressed as a whole class either before or at the start of the next lesson,
Children who may need an extra challenge,
Children who may need extra support of some aspect of the work,·
Considerations for the next lesson.

This is a working document and could be used over a series of lessons. It is accessible (and completed by all adults working in the class). Exceptional work that should be celebrated and general misconceptions should be address either before, or at the start of, the next lesson.

We use hashtags in maths lessons as part of our feedback system. Hashtags can be used in a number of ways in class. Primarily as a challenge to deepen children’s understanding of a concept being covered in Maths. This could be as part of the feedback process in the ‘Show Me’ section of marking slip or as a reaction to the work produced in class as you are working with the children. The hashtags will vary depending on the child’s understanding and they can also be planned into a lesson to check children’s understanding before moving on.

Maths Hashtags

Occasionally, it may be necessary to provide some written feedback to a child who has an issue that is unique to them. This should only be done where the issue cannot be addressed during live verbal feedback and their will not be time to address the issue 1:1 prior to the next lesson. Written feedback should always give reference to a ‘Think about...’ or ‘Show me...’ comment.

A ‘Think about…’ comment should focus on the improvement of the child’s work, be clear in setting a relevant and attainable target for children to demonstrate in future work. This should be as short and concise as possible.

A ‘Show me…’ comment should help the child in ‘closing the gap’ between what they achieved and what they could have achieved. All ‘show me’ comments should expect an action/response by the pupil, they should be given time to act on suggested improvements.

Written Feedback

Superhero Sentence Stamp: capital letters, finger spaces, full stops, makes sense. (used for focussed writing)

Stickers at the top of each piece of work which includes the term, a title e.g. Independent Writing and the success criteria.

The title is then highlighted green in full when met, half when still WTS. Blank when not met.

Date/support identified on every piece of work.