A Tick Too Far - The Primary School that Abolished Marking
A school in Peterborough has made the drastic decision to abolish marking altogether, taking unprecedented steps to improve the hearts and minds of both their pupils and teachers in the process.
Teachers now have one-to-one time, called "conferencing", with individual children every two weeks, where they discuss strengths and weaknesses, and open their minds to critical thought and self-reflection, rather than giving back traditional ‘red pen’ marking.
"It was a very positive change personally for me. Children were much more open and honest, much more ready to think in quite a critical way about their own work." Nick Coles, a teacher at the Peterborough school, says.
"When we changed from marking to conferencing, workload reduced dramatically. We were no longer taking those books home that we were previously. We were spending more time with the children which was a real benefit for them and for us.
Teachers and children openly discuss what worked and what didn’t. Year 5 students who have experienced both marking and conferencing felt it was a lot easier because "sometimes going overwork with red pen made it confusing to read"
Teacher's say that they now invest their extra time into improving classes.
"A huge part of it is re-planning lessons, looking at collecting exciting resources to use within the classroom and adapting teaching.” Mr Coles continues.
The children seem to like the new approach as it allows them to “express themselves” better and by sitting down, talking about the work and having the ability to “rub out a word and change it” it helps them learn more organically at their own pace.
Ofsted say that verbal feedback can be just as good as marking. But what about the parents - how do they feel about it all? Quite positive, actually.
After initial worries, most say that teachers spending more time with their kids is far more important than sitting and marking book after book for hours and that the direct feedback that is given back to both them and their children is a far better way of improving things, as marks don't always tell you exactly what needs to be improved.
One year in and the headteacher says that 'no marking' works.
Is this more of a psychological issue?
This isn’t the first time this has happened - Bedminster Down School in Bristol banned teachers from marking "because it risks damaging children's confidence"
Under the secondary school's new regime, teachers encourage pupils to challenge themselves through methods such as "live" and "impact" marking.
"Much of the marking that teachers do is unnecessary, burdensome and does not help students progress," Mr Schlick, headteacher, said.
"“But sitting down with someone and talking through their work in detail – this way, children feel as though someone giving them more individual time, it boosts their confidence.
“Picking out things they have done really well and sharing it with the class – this is a more positive approach.”
Our view
The time spent by teachers working with students enables them to foster an ethos that encourages the development of a growth mindset. Instilling in students that their abilities and skills can be developed and that they can always learn more by challenging themselves and extending their learning and the way they tackle challenges.
What do you think about this approach? Can you see it being rolled out across the country or is the traditional method of marking here to stay? Does this just prioritise teachers’ workloads over the education of their pupils? Let us know!
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