Marking & Feedback Policy

Rationale Formative and summative assessment is an integral part of ensuring that all students can achieve their potential by developing the knowledge, understanding and skills necessary to lead happy and successful lives in the future. Students are entitled to regular feedback that acknowledges their efforts and clearly shows them how they can make progress. Staff are entitled to a reasonable workload that makes marking loads manageable yet facilitates effective assessment.

Principles & standards Hyde Community College believes that effective assessment: • is part of effective planning • focuses on how students learn • is central to classroom practice • is a key professional skill • is sensitive and constructive • fosters motivation • promotes understanding of goals and criteria • helps learners know how to improve • develops the capacity for self (and peer) assessment • recognises all educational achievement

Therefore all teachers must: • know and understand how to assess the relevant subject and curriculum areas, including statutory

assessment requirements • make use of formative and summative assessment to secure students’ progress • use relevant data to monitor progress, set targets, and plan subsequent lessons • give students regular feedback, both orally and through accurate marking, and encourage students to

respond to the feedback. • demonstrate an understanding of and take responsibility for promoting high standards of literacy, articulacy

and the correct use of standard English, whatever [their] specialist subject Marking & feedback expectations Teachers must: • give oral and written feedback to students frequently and promptly • acknowledge positive aspects of work and reinforce success • identify errors and provide constructive advice for improvement • provide advice in language that can be understood by students • provide time in lessons for students to respond to feedback • show sensitivity to the needs and abilities of individual students • provide opportunities for students to undertake peer and self-assessment • ensure that marking takes account of the need to reinforce and improve basic skills relating to reading,

writing, communication and numeracy • promote high expectations for presentational standards

Department Leaders must:

• publish their own marking & feedback policies that are consistent with the college policy • ensure that staff in their department keep a record of students’ marks in their mark books or store records

electronically • undertake regular standardisation and moderation exercises to secure consistency in the use of National

Curriculum levels and Awarding Body grades • ensure that students in their department understand the relationship between the work they are doing and

the National Curriculum attainment levels or Awarding Body grades

Timescale for marking – KS3: Diagnostic marking must take place at least:

• once every six weeks within non-core subjects • twice every six weeks within core subjects

Subject areas will adapt this if necessary in consultation with the senior leadership team. This type of marking will be more in depth and will clearly highlight successes and areas for improvement, with advice for students on how to progress further. Time will be provided in lessons for students to respond to this type of marking through ‘Making a Difference’ time at the start of lessons. In accordance with formative assessment research the awarding of levels and grades need not accompany comments on diagnostically marked work, however, levels and grades achieved by students must be recorded by staff and shared formally with students at least once every six weeks. This is so that overall progress can be tracked and monitored. Work that is used to award levels or grades should:

• be available for students and others (including those observing lessons) to review in exercise books or folders

• form part of the evidence base for periodically reporting and sharing current attainment with students and parents

• be moderated by departments at least once per term to ensure teacher assessments are consistent, accurate and reliable

Acknowledgment marking must take place at least:

• twice every six weeks within non-core subjects • once every six weeks within core subjects

This will be in addition to diagnostic marking.1 This type of marking will be less detailed but will acknowledge efforts made by students with their classwork and homework and will be used to inform future teaching and learning. Levels and grades need not accompany this type of marking, however, common errors relating to basic skills must be addressed and targets set for improvement when students have produced extended pieces of work.

Timescale for marking – KS4: This will follow the KS3 timescales above, except where Ofqual and exam board regulations dictate that students may not be provided with feedback. Individual department policies should reflect this where necessary.

Monitoring

The quality of marking and feedback will be monitored by subject leaders and the senior leadership team through existing college systems. These are: • learning walks • half-termly quality assurance meetings • half-termly work scrutinies • termly lesson observations • yearly departmental reviews

Review timescales This policy will be reviewed annually each September. D. Allen 7th February 2012 1 Where departments exceed minimum diagnostic marking expectations, this may take the place of acknowledgement marking.