Elmhurst School
Marking and Feedback Policy
FOR
ELMHURST SCHOOL
Adopted:
June 2016
Next Review Date:
June 2019
Responsible Committee:
Curriculum, Pupils & Community Committee
Signed:
Headteacher:
Mrs R. Lee
Chair of Governors:
Mr D. Gamble
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Aims
We aim to use marking in order to give pupils constructive feedback on the quality of their work. All
marking must have a clear purpose for either the learner or the teacher depending on the WALT (the
learning intention for the lesson). These guidelines will give consistency of marking and feedback
across the school.
Purpose
 To assist learning;
 To provide information for assessment and inform planning;
 To encourage, motivate, support and promote positive attitudes;
 To promote higher standards;
 To correct errors and address misunderstandings;
 To recognise achievement and effort;
 To provide constructive feedback;
 To encourage pupils to become independent learners, self evaluating their own and other’s
work;
 To show pupils that we value their work;
 To allow pupils to reflect on their learning and identify their next step targets;
 To facilitate peer and self-assessment; and
 To recognise the value of presentation.
In addition to this marking and feedback should:

Be consistent across the whole school and key stage, as appropriate;

Relate to the WALT (learning intention) and success criteria (where relevant); and

Support the pupils in achieving their next step targets.
Implementation
 All work must be marked regularly and feedback given promptly.
 All marking and adult handwriting should adhere to the school handwriting policy.
 Focussed marking must give clear steps to help the learner improve the standard of the work or
challenge them further.
 Marking may take the form of verbal feedback; this will be indicated on the pupils work.
 All adults who work with a child or group are expected to mark the work using the guidance.
 Marking by teachers must be completed in green pen.
 Marking by LSAs (Learning Support Assistants) must be completed in black pen.
 Marking by ALL adults should be in Standard English and punctuated correctly.
 Teachers must recognise positive elements of a child’s work and where necessary a suggestion
for improvement; positives in yellow, improvement in pink.
 Pupils are expected to peer mark and evaluate their own and others work; where possible, all
pupils will self and peer mark using a red polishing pen.
 Time will be given for the pupils to read, reflect and respond on marking.
 Teachers and LSAs will encourage pupils to respond to comments made on their work using
their red polishing pens.
 Marking will include a variety of verbal and written comments, depending on lessons.
Recording in Books
There should be something recorded in English and Maths books each day. Where work is not
recorded directly into books, a sticker (WALT and synopsis of learning) or comment should be used as
a replacement to indicate the learning for the day. It is not necessary for teachers to stick in
photographs of all learning opportunities unless significant learning is visible. An outdoor learning
sticker should be used for KS1 pupils taking part in outside learning activities with a short synopsis of
the learning taking place.
Success Criteria
It is not expected that pupils have a success criteria written or stuck in for every lesson as this can be
ineffective and lose the sense of purpose behind it. It should be used with discretion by the teacher for
learning which lends itself most to the pupils being able to use it effectively, e.g. column addition,
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features of descriptive writing, features of journalistic writing or drawing bar graphs. Any success
criteria used must clearly focus on supporting the child to achieve the WALT, and be generic and
transferable to other areas of work. Where appropriate, KS1 pupils will have weekly success criteria
for English and Maths to go alongside their weekly WALT.
Teachers may wish to prepare printed success criteria using the features of the work generated with/by
the pupils. It may be helpful to leave some blank points on the success criteria so the pupils can add
their own additional criteria relevant for them (linked to their next step targets or feedback from
previous lessons), or additional features that arise.
Next Step Targets - Developmental Marking
Key Points:
1. Marking does not have to be at the end of the lesson.
2. Marking does not have to be at the end of a task or activity.
Marking is a waste of time if it has no impact on pupils’ progress. Marking should praise but also give
guidance, consolidation and challenge. At Elmhurst we think of marking as an intervention, the
teacher/LSA steps in to support, consolidate, accelerate or challenge and it is a continuous process of
formative assessment.
 Next step targets are the most effective form of marking and help a pupil move on in their
learning. They are used as an assessment tool and should contain constructive comments that
clearly identify the next step in learning.
 It is expected that a detailed mark with a next step will be carried out in English and Maths three
times a week, and where possible once per week in Science.
 If the piece of work does not have a specific success criteria, then teachers should highlight
successes in yellow.
 Positive yellow comments should not repeat the WALT e.g.
WALT: order numbers.
Teacher comment: Well done! You have ordered these numbers well.
In this instance it would be appropriate for the teacher to indicate the WALT has been met by
using a yellow mark next to it.
Marking should always aim move the child’s learning on, however positive affirmations can be
used at the teachers’ discretion.
 Where a pupil has an opportunity to improve, up-level or edit their work, they should be given a
next step target. Using a pink highlighter the teacher will highlight where the next step
improvement or edit is required. This may be a word, part of a calculation or sentence. If in
English the improvement/next step is within a paragraph or section of work, the pink highlighter
may be used to highlight brackets around the section for ease.
 When the next step/improvement has been identified and highlighted in pink, an arrow may be
drawn to where the improvement needs to be made on the page, or a pink highlighter used to
draw a * at the bottom of the child’s work to indicate what improvement/editing needs to be
completed. Teachers will use a green pen for marking in order to write the next step for the
pupil. Wherever possible, the next step/improvement should relate to the success criteria.
 Where a next step is not generated from the pupil’s work, then the pink * is still used to give the
pupil a further next step, e.g. an extension question to deepen their understanding.
 Next step targets should be responded to by the pupils in red polishing pen.
Useful next step target comments can be divided into the following categories, such as:
Reminders - e.g.
• Edit your writing for full stops and capital letters;
• Identify where you need a new line for a new paragraph;
• Label your axes on a graph; or
• Line up your digits.
Scaffolds - e.g.
• Improve this adjective;
• Use a fronted adverbial in this sentence;
• Include a subordinate clause in this sentence to describe the appearance of the girl;
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•
If I know that double 4 is 8, how can I calculate double 40?
Examples - e.g.
• ‘Choose one of these or your own: ‘He ran around in circles looking for the rabbit/The
dog couldn’t believe his eyes’
• Look at how I’ve worked the calculation out. Can you try this one?
See Appendix 1 for more examples of developmental marking.
EYFS - Developmental Marking
EYFS developmental marking should take place on a 1:1 basis or in a small group after a guided group
with a teacher. A positive comment should be made followed by a next step for the child to complete
immediately.
Allowing Time for Next Step Targets
Teachers/LSAs should give pupils the opportunity to improve their work based on their marking and
guidance on how they want the improvements to be made. Next steps should be carried out at an
appropriate time, either as early morning work or at the start of the lesson.
If a child is unable to read or understand the next step given to them by their teacher, then the teacher
should ensure systems are in place so that they can complete their next step with an adult as
appropriate (e.g. as part of a small guided group during the lesson or as early morning work).
It is important that the follow up for next steps is carried out as soon as possible following the lesson.
Marking Abbreviations
Teachers may use the following abbreviations when marking work:
T
- Teacher Supported/Guided
LSA - Learning Support Assistant Supported/Guided
SP
- Spelling
HP
- House Point
PM
- Peer Marked
See Appendix 2 for marking abbreviations to be displayed in class.
All work will be regarded as independently completed unless otherwise indicated with the above
abbreviations.
Where another teacher has taught a class (who is not the designated class teacher, including those inschool teachers), they will be required to put their initials at the end of each piece of work to indicate
who has marked and given feedback.
WALTs
WALTs are to be evident in each pupil’s piece of work and should be written by the pupils. Teachers
may prepare a printed strip or sticker for a pupil’s book if they are unable to write independently.
KS1 pupils can have a weekly WALT and success criteria in books to show their learning journey for
the week.
.
Self-Assessment
Pupils should:
 Judge their work against a success criteria (this does not have to be in books);
 Edit and improve their work;
 Self-assess/edit their work using red polishing pens.
 Pupils should only annotate and edit their work with polishing pens or colouring pencils. No
highlighters or felt tip pens should be used by pupils.
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Peer-Assessment
 A pupil reviewing another pupil’s work is encouraged to make positive comments, then make a
comment which indicates an area of development, related to either the success criteria or
differentiated challenges from the lesson.
 A child who peer assesses another child’s work must put their initials at the end to indicate that it was
peer assessed and use the code PM for peer marked.
 Pupils should use red polishing pens to peer mark. No highlighters or felt tip pens should be used by
pupils.
 Pupils should work in pairs to peer assess each other’s work. They should support each other to edit
and improve their work, writing in their own books with guidance from their partner.
 Positives should be identified as well as next steps to improve their work.
General Marking
 All pieces of work should be assessed against the WALT by the pupil and/or the teacher;
 Teachers’ handwriting should be of high quality and should reflect the school handwriting policy; (see
appendix 3)
 Teachers should take note of spelling/grammatical errors in all work to ensure the work makes sense;
 No further marking or comment is needed, unless the teacher chooses to.
Marking of Spelling
 High frequency words and key spelling words from the National Curriculum should always be identified
and corrected in a piece of work.
 The code of SP should be used to indicate where a pupil has misspelled a word.
 The code SP can be used to indicate to a pupil that they need to use a dictionary to find the correct
spelling independently.
The Marking of Home Learning
Home Learning should be marked weekly. Teachers can mark using a general positive comment and some
guided support for pupil’s home learning and presentation. No highlighting or next step targets should be
used in home learning books.
The Marking of Handwriting
Handwriting can be marked during the lesson as the adult is checking work. Next steps can be given by
teachers/LSAs for the pupils to act on immediately. Correct formation should be modelled by the
teacher/LSA. Teachers/LSAs should give pupils the opportunity to improve their work based on their marking
and verbal feedback. Where a letter formation or join is taught, teachers should follow this up through
marking in subjects across the curriculum.
Other Adults

Supply teachers (including those in-school cover teachers) will follow this marking policy; they should put
their initials at the end of a piece of work to signify a change in teacher.

Learning Support Assistants will be expected to follow this policy marking all work using a black pen.

Initial Teacher Training/Student teachers will also follow this policy.
Monitoring
The Senior Leadership Team will ensure that this policy is being used consistently throughout the school by
sampling marked work. This will be carried out by all subject leaders when carrying out monitoring activities.
Feedback on the implementation of the policy will be given during staff meetings or with individual members
of staff.
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APPENDIX 1
Examples of Developmental Marking in Writing
See Appendix 2 for examples of marked work from Elmhurst pupils.
Elaborating and Extending
Often used to redirect the pupil’s focus, good for more able pupils who need less support e.g.
 Write a character description of James.
 Describe the mermaid in more detail.
 Say more about the fire.
 Explain this for me.
Scaffolded Prompts for Elaborating or Extending
They often focus the pupil’s attention on specifics OR delve via two or more questions or statements.
 Can you tell me more about how the girl felt walking into her new class?
 You need to put more suspense into walking into the old house.
 Use the word ‘eerie‘ to create suspense.
 Describe what the forest looked like to Red Riding Hood. Remember to use all your senses when
describing.
 Can you tell me more about why you like playing football so much?
 How do you treat your horses? Write about the times you have anything to do with them.
Example Prompts for Elaborating or Extending
Giving the pupils models of words or phrases they could use in their work:
 Describe what you are seeing as you begin to turn into a giant. Perhaps
o Cars looks like toys.
o Houses look like dolls’ houses.
o People look like ants.

What did you see on the boat trip?
o Majestic killer whales?
o Friendly dolphins splashing in the crystal sea?

What did you find in the old house? Could it have been?
o A dusty old cobweb?
o An antique clock?
Adding a Word or a Sentence - this is usually done in a structured way
 Missing words - teacher writes out sentence for child to put missing words in - usually specific like
adjectives.
 Letting the child finish a sentence the teacher has begun.
 Asking for one or two new words e.g.
o You have written said three times, please list two synonyms for said.
o Please write a really powerful adjective to describe the wolf.
o Chose an adjective which would best describe the noise: cacophony, screeching, wailing.
Asking for One or Two More Sentences
o Can you tell me two more things about the beach?
o What did the teacher say to the young girl before they went home?
o Think of a line to rhyme with the word devour.
Changing the Text
 Replacing individual words - teacher could highlight in pink and ask for them to be changed - needs
to explain why though. Could give examples to help child and extend their vocabulary.
 Replacing individual sentences - again teacher needs to explain why and can give examples.
 Replacing paragraphs - usually the last paragraph as the child has ran out of time OR as teachers
we spend more time teaching about story openings than endings.
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o
o
o
I am not quite sure what happens at the end of this story.
Please rewrite the ending, explaining what happens in more detail.
Does the main character survive even though you have hinted he would die?
Justifying - Useful Tool to get the pupils to add more detail
o Why was his voice shaky….? Tell me more!
o Why were the ugly sisters jealous of Cinderella?
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APPENDIX 2
Examples of next step marking:
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APPENDIX 3
Presentation
We have high standards in presenting all work in school including books, display, and teachers’
writing. The highest standard is expected from every pupil. (See separate handwriting policy).
What we will accept:
Always
 The pupil’s best work
 To cross out mistakes neatly with a straight line in pencil.
Sometimes
 Ask the pupil to copy out work for display
 Low quality work if the child’s work is not up to standard for health/social reasons
 Low quality presentation if content is more important
Never
 Scribbling
 Defacing/cutting books
 Crossing out by scribbling
 Altering one letter by over-writing
 Doodling (unless a jotter is provided for this purpose)
 Filling in letters
 Giant full stops
 Felt-tip pens in books
 Writing on top of writing
 Going over letters
 Writing on other pupil’s work
Guidelines for the classroom environment
 All classroom displays should be bright and engaging
 Classrooms should display examples of pupil work

The
nelson handwriting font (NTPrintfk)
should be used for all classroom/shared area displays
 All flip chart paper displayed in the classroom should demonstrate the
nelson handwriting font
and
should adhere to our handwriting policy. An adult’s handwriting should be of the highest quality at
all times and should be representative of our handwriting policy/font.
Guidelines for adult presentation
nelson handwriting font NTPrintfk)
 All adults should write using the agreed handwriting font (
should be use by all adults in school when writing. It should be visible in planners, pupil books,
certificates, interactive whiteboards and flip chart paper.
this
Guidelines for presentation of all written work
 All work must have a date, English books must have a long date and Maths should have a short
date.
 All pupils should leave a line underneath the title/WALT before starting their work
 All pupils must lay out work as explained by the teacher
 Unsatisfactory work may have to be repeated
 All loose sheets of paper must be named and dated
 Use of rubbers to be limited and used at adults’ discretion
 Pencils should be sharp
 Pupils should position themselves appropriately on chairs
 All sheets should be trimmed to fit in the books.
Guidelines for presentation of Maths work
 Pupils should put individual digits into separate squares
 Pupils must use rulers for drawing all lines
 Pupils must leave a line under each calculation before starting the next
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