Procedure 2 : How pupils work should be marked

How often should pupils books be marked?

Teachers should not be expected to mark every piece of work. Work done as a group in class or information
should be clearly marked as such in the title.

Homework should also be clearly labelled in books or folders.

Books should be marked every 2 weeks as a minimum requirement for all subjects. However, the frequency
of marking will depend on the number of lessons in a week and this should be reflected in the departmental
marking policy.

How should they be marked ?
Teachers should mark pupils work in line with their departmental policy
Teachers must also use the symbols and abbreviations outlined in the literacy policy when marking pupils work.
Marking for literacy

Pupils must use the same system when proofreading their own work or when assessing another pupils work.
Targets should be set when marking pupil work in line with departmental policy. Targets must be SMART and specific to
that pupil.
Pupils should be given time to respond to teacher marking at least once every 4 lessons. This can be doing corrections,
re-drafting parts of work etc.

Targets set in pupils books should be followed up minimum of once a term. Lesson time should be given over to allow
pupils to reflect on targets and pupils should be rewarded for targets which they have met.

How will the presentation of pupils work be monitored within departments ?
Heads of department will carry out work scrutinies in the Autumn and Spring terms as a minimum
requirement.

How will this be monitored by SLT ?
SLT will monitor departmental work scrutinies on a regular basis to identify best practice and areas for
development.

Department teaching and learning reviews will contribute to the monitoring process.

Text mark Abbreviation Meaning
O Sp Spelling error. Find the correct spelling and write it down.
O P


P+
Punctuation error. Check full stops, commas and question marks.

Complex punctuation. Check apostrophes, semi-colons, colons, speech marks,
dashes.
O C Check capital letters.
// NP New paragraph needed.
~~~~~~~~~ Exp Expression lacks clarity or is awkward; rephrase your ideas.
SS Sentence structure
Con Connectives
SE Standard English
Gr Grammar
^ Missing
From the whole-school marking and feedback policy:
* Teachers should not be expected to mark every piece of work. Work done as peer or self-
assessment, a group task in class or information should be clearly marked as such in the
title. Homework should also be indicated as such.
* In the best practice written comments and oral feedback should communicate clearly to
individual pupils and their parents the pupils strengths or weaknesses, level of
performance, suggested strategies for improving their knowledge, understanding and skills,
and goals to be achieved. This can help parents who take an active role in their childs
education
* All staff need to ensure that marking is regular and thorough enough to spot errors and
inaccuracies. Staff should point out between 3-5 errors and inaccuracies in a pupils work so
that these can be targeted for improvement.
* Books and files should be marked every 2 weeks as a minimum for all subjects. However,
the frequency of marking will depend upon the number of lessons in any given week for
individual subjects and some subjects will mark more regularly than once a fortnight.
* Pupils should be given time to respond to teacher marking regularly. As a guide, this
should be every 4 lessons. This can be doing corrections, re-drafting parts of work etc.
* Targets in pupils books should be followed up a minimum of once a term. Lesson time
should be given over to allow pupils to reflect on targets and pupils should be rewarded for
targets which they have met.
* Teachers must use the symbols and abbreviations outlined in the marking policy when
marking pupils work. Pupils should also use these symbols and abbreviations when peer or
self assessing.
* Departments should implement a common marking policy in line with the whole school
marking policy. Pupils should have a clear explanation of the departmental marking policy
in their books in pupil friendly language.
* Targets should be set when marking pupil work in line with departmental policy. Targets
must be SMART and specific to that pupil.