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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

My dd is in year 4, her last 2 pieces of homework have been marked with a tick and nothing else. I am annoyed

32 replies

Morosky · 28/09/2009 17:58

I am a teacher (although secondary) and have a huge respect for primary teachers. However my dd has been back a few weeks now and does 2 pieces of homework a week as well as her reading. She works very hard on these and I am quite dissapointed to see that all she gets is a tick. No comment, no merits no reward or advice on how to improve.

I do work a little too hard but I teach approximately almost 300 students and once a fortnight they all get detailed feedback on one piece of homework. I am not expecting a lot but some form of feedback would be good. DD is quite disheartened that she works so hard and yet gets no more than a tick. Her homework planner is also never signed by her teacher. She sees me mark my books and wonders why she is not getting comments, stickers etc as well. Of course I have not seen her clasbooks but I would have thought that her homework books and planner would be a good way to communicate back to me how she is doing and how I can help her improve.

Do you see evidence of feedback from primary work? Am I expecting too much?

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Original poster

Morosky · 28/09/2009 17:59

sorry she is in year 3

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primarymum · 28/09/2009 18:14

I think there tends to be the reverse between secondary and primary when it comes to marking books and homework. In primary we mark every piece of classwork, often in great detail, literacy has spellings, ommissionss, highlighted good parts, two good areas and two areas for improvement on all pieces, maths has next steps and extension marking etc, but homework is usually just ticked and crossed, whereas, certainly if my sons secondary school is anything to go by, homework is increasingly important and well marked yet classwork seems to be infrequently marked ( and in some subjects not at all!)

Hulababy · 28/09/2009 18:17

Do they get verbal feedback from the teacher, in class? Rather than it being written on her books?

DD is in Y3 and some homework is just ticked, some comments. Most we do not see again at home, but DD talks about it. Most of the time the teacher will comment tot he child direct about a piece of work. I prefer this to a written comment at this age.

DD's homework diary is also not signed AFAIK. We don't have to ign it either. However, there are comments between teacher and parent in there should we wish. eg I exchanged comments via the diary about DD's reading at the start of term.

IMO the feedback should be for your DD, not for you. Hence I prefer it to be verbal.

Original poster

Morosky · 28/09/2009 18:21

Hula I did ask dd this, as I know that some of my colleagues give a lot of verbal feedback. But dd said no and I think she would say, because she knows that I wil say something if I am not happy. Her previous teacher did give brief written comments and would leave messages for me in her diary asking us to focus on certain things at home.

I agree about feedback being important for dd but when they are that little we need to kept in the loop.

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TheFallenMadonna · 28/09/2009 18:22

DS gets a tick and a short comment (of the type we're not supposed to give any more!). But I've seen his classwork books and they are marked much more rigorously than I would mark a piece of classwork, if I did indeed mark it, which I wouldn't necessarily do for a note-taking exercise.

cat64 · 28/09/2009 18:26

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Kelloggs36 · 28/09/2009 18:28

I agree - I have set homework and when it comes back, it is blatantly obvious that the child has not done it independently - and I usually write a comment such as 'did you write this all yourself?' on it! Or I will put a note in the homework diary that whilst help is encouraged, it does not mean that the work should actually be done by the parent!

Hulababy · 28/09/2009 18:29

Agree with others that so long as classwork is marked fully and discussed, it wouldn't bother me.

Does seem a shame she is getting no feedback at all for her hard work though yes.

Feenie · 28/09/2009 18:33

Agree with cat64 - so you end up setting work which can both be accessed by the child who gets stacks of help and also the poor little scrap who doesn't even possess a clear surface, never mind a pencil, to do the homework with.

Hence it ends up being open ended stuff, or straight forward revision - i.e. stuff they either can or can't do. If they can't, you can go over it with them or use to inform future planning and if they can you give a sticker/tick/verbal praise - no need for detailed comment, we do so much of that in classwork.

CNyle · 28/09/2009 18:34

MOROSKY

did you do the h/w?

Original poster

Morosky · 28/09/2009 18:36

I find it odd that at the start of the year the marking is so lax. We have more energy and as a teacher you are setting out your stall, making clear your expectations. Marking becomes a training tool.

Primarymum if I thought my child's secondary books were not being marked I would make a very forceful complaint.

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CNyle · 28/09/2009 18:37

yes I do mine once a week for KS4( four classes) and once a fortnight for KS3( fewer lessons)

But even a spread the red is better than nowt
AGree that you shoudl start off better...

Original poster

Morosky · 28/09/2009 18:38

No I don't do the homework, I am very strict about not doing it. She does it at the dining table while I am marking my books.

Dd says she just gets ticks on classwork as well.

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Hulababy · 28/09/2009 18:38

I do think there is a difference in marking styles required between secondary and primary, and the method and focus is, and should be, very different.

Was a secondary school teacher for 10 years and now work in a Y1 class BTW.

Hulababy · 28/09/2009 18:39

If she is only getting ticks in classwork too and no feedback, even if verbal - as I say I prefer this at this young age - then it is something of a concern IMO. And it is something I would bring up early on at a parental consultation.

FabBakerGirlIsBack · 28/09/2009 18:40

My son is in year 4 and he gets a tick and sometimes 1 tree points. He got lots of comments in year 3.

Original poster

Morosky · 28/09/2009 18:41

Her literacy work tends to be very open ended, and I often extend it for her and give her something else to do in addition. I checked with the school that it is OK to do that. I don't expect the extra to be marked , acknowledged would be nice. In her previous class she would do an extra project at home and it would be passed on to a deputy head teacher and she would get a certificate.

Her maths homework looks as if it is revision of work done in class, this is a different teacher though as she works in the year 5/6 class.

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Original poster

Morosky · 28/09/2009 18:44

I may get dp to say something tomorrow. Rather than taking dd's word for it I might ask if he can look at her books. He is very good at doing it without offending people.

I am sure there is a difference hula which is why I am asking. I also know that i am a tad obsessive with my marking ( I love marking!) so am trying to take that into account.

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Original poster

Morosky · 28/09/2009 18:45

I was hoping hula you would post as you have experience of both primary and secondary and state and independent.

Thanks

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Hulababy · 28/09/2009 18:46

Yes, maths homework to consolidate class work sounds right. A good use of homework I think. You may find this does just get a tick and the teacher uses it to help in planning for work for the next sessions. the feedback comments would be as a whole, for classwork and homework, in such a situation.

The additional work you set is opional for you only. It is not required and the teacher has no requirement to mark it or even acknowwledge it TBH. Obviously many will, but it isn;t a necessity. Doing extra projects should be for your child's enjoyment and benefit only, nt for extra acknowledgement at school.

The literacy work set should be marked yes, and ideally some feedback given - verbally or written is acceptable.

Feenie · 28/09/2009 18:48

No comments in classwork sounds strange - how does she know what she has done well, or what her next step is in Literacy, for example?

Hulababy · 28/09/2009 18:48

I would ask gently if concerned no feedback/marking is happening. Sadly in some places this does happen and it is definitely bad practise at primary and secondary alike. I'd speak to the teacher.

Maybe the teacher is giving verbal feedback but needs to make it more explicit. The children may not really be picking up on what they are getting feedback for.

Does the school have a marking policy? One I am at, and DD's school have maring policies which set out what will be marked and how.

Feenie · 28/09/2009 18:53

So do we.

Original poster

Morosky · 28/09/2009 18:53

If a child that I teach did an extra proect - and quite a few do - I would mark it with pleaure but fully acknowledge that her teachers have no responsibility or obligation to do so.

I recognise that dd is very very clever and that if she only did what the school set her she would be very bored and start to play up. As I see her education as my repsonsibility as well as their's we follow things up. Sometimes this is a museum visit or day out, other times she will do some written work or make something. I have checked with the school if it is OK. They give me a curruculum map so I can do this.

I think you may be right about the formative maths homework, as it was after her first piece of homework that they moved her into the top class.

She hands in her third piece of literacy work on Wednesday, I may wait and see what happens.

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Original poster

Morosky · 28/09/2009 18:56

I imagine they do have a marking policy, they are rated outstanding by OFSTED and the inspection was not long ago. Good thinking Hula I will look into it.

I will let dp ask, he thinks I can come across as intimdating and dont want to, I want to support.

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