To wonder how often teachers take in Y8 books?

[TheLasrStraw]

It doesn't seem often to me. Is that Covid related?

Y8 books? My daughter is in y8 and all homework is done online and submitted online? Their books are really just for notes in class. Not sure they are ever taken in?
Same for all the other 12 year olds I know in different schools

My dd y11 has homework set online but does it all in books. How do you know they’re not being taken in?

What makes you think it isn't often?

I asked DD how often her teachers take hers and she said it varies but every 3-4 lessons on average. I’m guessing it’s going to vary enormously from school to school though.

Tbh - year 8 would be my last priority as a teacher.
Years 11-13 all important due to being exam classes, year 7 important to assess them at the start and find any issues. Year 10 starting GCSEs.
One piece of work assessed per fortnight for year 8 would be about as much as you could reasonably expect really.

Twice a half term is normal.

I think my y8 DD's books are taken in at least a couple of times each term, more often sometimes. It really seems to vary from teacher to teacher. Her homework's submitted on separate pieces of paper, online or on worksheets, but the subject teachers like to check that the class exercise books are kept up-to-date.

Marking is almost completely pointless, feedback is much more effective and I can see that only looking at a few books. I do nark them twice a half term but I hate it and adds no value. I assess in other ways much more effectively. I also have a million other classes that I need to prioritise like a previous poster. Marking a piece of a level coursework takes over an hour.

Depends on school to school when I first became a teacher I had to mark all books every two weeks. Now we only mark assessments (one a half term) and do other forms of marking, live marking, peer marking etc.

Depends entirely on school policy

We just take in assessments but exam classes always come first

We don't mark books, just formative and summative assessments once every half term plus check homework. When you have 7 classes it's enough. All we do is teach towards an assessment

One of my colleagues teaches 7 year 7 classes and 5 year 8 classes each week.

Secondary teacher here. Book marking for us is once every half term to check that everyone’s paying attention in class. There’s then an assessment each half term that’s marked and filed. All homework is done online.

Marking is a complete waste of time, for the teacher and student. Inmexiate verbal feedback has the biggest impact on student progress. People are all for evidence based teaching methods until the evidence points to something they don't like. Most homework is completely pointless, designed purely to satisfy a teacher's marking quota, so evidence can be produced to OFSTED. The student time would be far better spent reviewing lesson notes and making flashcards for future use.

We mark in class using green pen. Checking understanding needs to be immediate. Beautiful marking has no impact 4 lessons on. I take them in once a half term and we have a catch up lesson to make sure gaps are filled. Especially now with covid.
I have a regular look over Send kids and those I identified with issues. Pupils who are doing well in assessments and in class I leave until the next 'round up'. Not having red pen doesn't mean they haven't been looked at, just they are coping well and I don't need to write anything. Sometimes I just flick through all their books, take note of common errors and plan a lesson round that. And, of course, take note of individuals who need extra help and make sure I'm there when they need help.

I teach secondary and don't take books in very often at all. Doesn't mean I don't know where my students are though. Quite the opposite.

I do a huge amount of feedback in lessons - verbal, modelling for individual pupils, modelling to the whole class, circulating and supporting while pupils are working etc. I am rarely still in a lesson and pupils get a lot of time with me. We also do self and peer assessment. I mark their assessments and give feedback on those.

I could write endless comments on every book but it would take ages and lose impact. Feedback is generally best delivered at the point of learning.

My data shows that my pupils progress very well - just marked my y10 assessments and they have done brilliantly so I must be doing something right.

I would say, if feedback is happening in one form or another and your child is progressing, it really doesn't matter how often the teacher takes the books in. I do appreciate though that it is different to when we were at school

@Smileyaxolotl1

Tbh - year 8 would be my last priority as a teacher. Years 11-13 all important due to being exam classes, year 7 important to assess them at the start and find any issues. Year 10 starting GCSEs. One piece of work assessed per fortnight for year 8 would be about as much as you could reasonably expect really.

This was my experience at school. Year 8 was always the 'forgotten' year. Forgot to cover classes, forgot to mark work, forgot to do lots of stuff. It's a lovely, low stress year before options and exams.

Couple of times per half term Min.
I'm shocked your child is allowed to take their book home!

When I taught we had two books for each pupil. One was their notes the other was for assessments. Homework was online. Assessments were done every 4/5 lessons. Taught English and saw KS3 classes 4 times a week so was seeing their work once a week on average plus any home work.

These assessments were a mix of short formative responses and longer summative.

@monkeysox

Couple of times per half term Min. I'm shocked your child is allowed to take their book home!

You are joking. Most secondary students dont get lockers and carry round all books all day and have to take them home daily.

@JustLikea I never let kids take books home! We keep them all in the classroom. Maybe Y10 and above if they are revising for an assessment but that’s it! Otherwise we’d never get them back…

Ours have to take theirs home Yr 10 and Yr 11. Their backpacks are portable lockers and they carry round every book so they dont forget them, bloody heavy, and take them out for homework or whatever as required. Homework all handwritten written then photo taken and submitted in online. State school. Very disciplined, very strict.

@justlikea I teach secondary. I can assure you I do not let my students take their books home as they'd never bring them back. Exception may be a higher set y11 for revision purposes. They can't even bring pens to school so they're not going to take their books home to do home work and then bring it back.