Feedback at St. Nicolas

At St. Nicolas School we understand well-judged and timely feedback to be one of the most powerful tools that teachers can use to support children’s learning and their good progress. 

We apply these principles in using feedback:

• All feedback will follow high quality instruction with clear learning intentions, and careful use of formative assessment to identify learning gaps.
• Feedback will be given in a timely way-with teachers judging the most effective timing to move learning forward. 
• Feedback will always focus on specific learning gaps or needs that will move learning on. 
• Teachers use strategies to develop children’s openness to feedback and will ensure time is given for children to use feedback.
• Quality feedback enables children to become reflective learners and helps them to close the gap between what they can currently do and what we would like them to be able to do.
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Teachers at St. Nicolas School use both written and verbal approaches to feedback. 

Written feedback

Written feedback includes written comments and highlighting examples where the learning objective has been met.  Not all children’s work will receive written feedback, but all work will receive either verbal or written feedback. 

‘Next step marking’ gives children clear guidance on what needs to be done to improve their work to enable them to meet or exceed their target. 

Homework is acknowledged by the teacher and marking should reflect the nature of the task. 

Verbal feedback

Verbal feedback is an important tool and includes: whole class verbal feedback (where a teacher identifies common errors, misconceptions or next steps and shares them with the whole class), individual discussions, mini-plenaries, and sharing examples of work.

In writing (Years 2-6), pupils use a ‘Purple Polishing Pen’ when editing and improving their own or others’ work.