Feedback policy
Aims
The aim of this policy is to ensure that the feedback children receive of their work consistently enables them to make progress. It is to recognise that feedback is an essential part of planning and assessing teaching and learning. We will approach feedback with love, respect and courage. This policy will outline how to do so with the aim of a reduced workload by effective feedback through a range of appropriate strategies. By using this consistent approach it is understood by staff, pupils and parents, that feedback will;
- acknowledge all work, provide praise and encouragement to value work and raise self esteem
- ensure a consistent approach to feedback throughout the school
- provide constructive feedback and clear strategies for improving learning and moving the pupils on
- promote continuous and focused communication with the pupil
- ensure feedback is regular, frequent and of a high standard
At Saint James Primary School we believe that good feedback practice:
- is based upon the teacher and pupil having shared the learning objective and assessment criteria.
- plays an integral part in classroom learning
- indicates strengths and identifies weaknesses
- is consistent throughout the school
- enables a teacher to assess the child’s learning against the learning objective
- enables a teacher to move the child forward in learning.
- corrects mistakes, addresses mis-understandings and offers encouragement
- provides assessment information and informs future planning
- enables the child to reflect on their past performance and allows them to set new targets with the teacher
- provides on-going opportunity for self-assessment
What does feedback include?
| Type | What it looks like | Evidence (for observers) |
|---|---|---|
| Immediate | Includes teacher gathering feedback from teaching, including mini-whiteboards, book work etc. Takes place in lessons with individuals or small groups. Often given verbally to pupils for immediate action. May involve use of a teaching assistant to provide support or further challenge. May redirect the focus of teaching or the task. May include highlighting/annotations according to the marking code. |
Lesson observations/learning walks. Some evidence of annotations or use of marking code/highlighting. Improvements evident in books, either through editing or further working. |
| Summary | Takes place at end of a lesson or activity. Often involves whole groups or classes. Provides an opportunity for evaluation of learning in the lesson. May take form of self- or peer- assessment against an agreed set of criteria. In some cases, may guide a teacher's further use of review feedback, focusing on areas of need. |
Lesson observations/learning walks. Timetabled pre- and post- teaching based on assessment. May be reflected in selected focus review feedback (marking). |
| Review | Takes place away from the point of teaching. May involve written comments/annotations for pupils to read/respond to. Provides teachers with opportunities for assessment of understanding. Leads to adaptation of future lessons through planning, grouping or adaptation of tasks. May lead to targets being set for pupils' future attention, or immediate action. |
Acknowledgement of work completed. Written comments and appropriate responses/action. Adaptations to teaching sequences tasks when compared to planning. Use of annotations to indicate future groupings. |
Feedback guidelines
All children’s work needs to be acknowledged against the objectives and learning outcomes for that lesson, series of lessons or piece of work. These must be clearly communicated to the children at the beginning of each lesson / series of lessons through our learning objective and success criteria. The learning objective must be present in the children’s books at the beginning of each piece of work or the series of lessons.
At Saint James Primary School, we believe feedback should:
- be manageable
- where possible happen with the child or group of children
- be individual to each child and their current attainment
- be specific and relevant to the learning object and individual targets known to the child prior to the learning.
- be constructive. Development points should be communicated by a constructive statement on how to improve so that the child is clear on what they need to do in the future.
- Respectfully support the child’s learning. For this reason, not all spelling, grammar and punctuation errors are marked in every piece of writing but should be noted for future planning and teaching opportunities. These are ‘nag’ targets. Teachers will need to use their discretion and professional judgement when deciding how many corrections to mark.
- Ensure it is specific to the learning objective and the content of the work or the child’s target. Avoid general comments such as ‘good’ unless you can validate them with why and make them meaningful in such a way that it will support further improvements in future learning. This can be done verbally with a small group or with individuals
- Provide all children with the opportunity to self-assess and edit their work.
- Use the agreed symbols and ensure these are relevant to the children
- Be initialled by the adult giving feedback if given by anyone other than the class teacher.
- There is an expectation that children respond to all types of feedback.
Colours used in feedback/marking
At Saint James we aim to mark work with the children to ensure rapid progress through instant feedback: (Children write in pencil / blue handwriting pens and adults write in black pen)
Immediate marking (feedback given during the lesson)
Green highlighter = ‘Got it Green’ - This highlights successful elements within the child’s work. Pink highlighter = ‘Think Pink’ - This highlights areas for improvement within the child’s work. Purple pen = ‘Purple Polishing Pen’ – Older children may use this to respond to feedback and make corrections or improvements.
Types of feedback
- Marking alongside a pupil
Throughout many lessons, the class teacher and teaching assistant will be working with a group of children during the main part of the lesson. This will involve giving verbal feedback to the pupils to give them guidance and support to move their learning on. Therefore, at the end of the lesson the children will need to self-assess their work against the given criteria. It is then acceptable to write S (Supported) in a circle at the end of the work to show that the child worked alongside an adult on this piece of work.
- Summative / Group Feedback
At times, during closed tasks and activities work can either be right or wrong (e.g. spelling tests, mathematical calculations) therefore it is acceptable for children to swap books / tests with one another or for the teacher to tick respond to the task. If it is ‘peer marked’ the teacher will need to maintain records of achievement to inform their planning. This can be in a “rough jotting” book but must be retained.
- Verbal Feedback
Verbal feedback is the schools preferred means to “mark” work and can be used to give feedback to individuals, pairs or groups of children. Verbal feedback is important for all children but it is particularly important in the Early Years and KS1 where children may be unable to read a written comment. Time needs to be made for a child to receive feedback on their work if oral feedback is necessary. The work will then need to be recognised with a VF (Verbal Feedback) in a circle. ‘Pink and Green’ marking is intended to give immediate feedback and when completed alongside the child provides verbal feedback in itself.
- Peer Feedback
With appropriate guidance and training from the teacher, children are able to swap books / work with a partner and mark the work according to the criteria. In KS1 the children can use a smiley face or tick system to indicate whether they feel their partner has achieved the criteria. In KS2 they can be encouraged to use the symbol marking criteria and if appropriate write a positive comment or suggestion about how their work may be further improved. This can be in discussion or in writing. If it is ‘peer marked’ the teacher will need to maintain a record of feedback to inform their planning.
- Self- Feedback
With appropriate training and guidance from the teacher, the children are able to mark, edit or improve their own work against the criteria, in a similar way to ‘peer marking’ depending on the given task. In addition, the children can also mark their work through self-assessment related to how well they think they achieved the task in the lesson.
- Check Marking
It is not necessary or always appropriate to mark every piece of work in detail. Often, checking a piece of work is all that is required. Checking of work simply indicates that the work has been seen and completed to the teacher’s satisfaction. It can be done as the teacher moves around a group or the class; as children hand their work in at the end of a lesson, or after the work has been handed in. Any key spelling mistakes and targets being worked on would still need to be referred to and time given to respond to them.
- Formative Marking / Deep Marking
Deep marking is used when a more detailed analysis of children’s learning and understanding is needed. It is not always necessary for every child’s work to be deep marked – at times for example deep marking might only be used for one group with a particular learning focus, or whose work requires additional support or development. The school’s agreed guidelines should be used to indicate/correct errors. Children must be given time to read comments or have comments read to them when their books are returned. Children should be given time to correct errors when their books are returned. Written comments should be designed to help children make progress in their learning, and every verbal or written comment must be acted on.
Feedback prompts to use when giving the next steps for a child. Children will need time to respond to these and improve their work as a result of the feedback.
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A reminder prompt - a simple reminder to the child of what to improve in their writing e.g. describe how you felt; add more adjectives.
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A scaffold prompt – a good way to develop learning for those children who need more guidance and structure in their feedback.
It could be through a directive ‘Describe something that happened which showed you they were a good friend’.
It could be an unfinished sentence ‘He showed me he was a good friend when…….’
It could be a choice ‘which word best describes him as a friend – helpful, kind or spiteful? Children to tick the one they chose.
- An example prompt – a way to scaffold ideas for all children, especially those of lower attainment. ‘He is a good friend because he never says unkind things about me.’
Appendix
You can find an example prompt in the downloadable PDF file which you can access from the sidebar (or from the bottom of the page on a mobile device).
Download original document
Policy document (PDF, includes appendices)
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