Our strategy is to embed a variety of processes to provide pupils with personalised and diagnostic feedback that supports them to make progress in their learning.
We are committed to formative assessment to inform next steps for our learners on their continuum and each pupil’s progress is a collaboration with pupils taking an active role. Live marking is the process of practitioners working collaboratively with pupils to identify progress and misconceptions in their learning. Live marking combines verbal and written feedback. It is instantaneous to each learner and enables pupils to take positive steps in their learning. Live marking requires pupils to act and respond to feedback, which supports learners in achieving their next steps.
Parkland Primary School places high importance on metacognition and the role it plays in the classroom as its impact on learners’ progress and performance is well researched and documented. Metacognition is the ability to think about and regulate one’s own thoughts. Staff use ‘meta-moments’, which are planned and dynamic collaborative reflection periods between practitioners and pupils. ‘meta-moments’ are embedded from a young age and this allows pupils to become more proficient in articulating their learning. As pupils progress they develop a broader repertoire of metacognitive skills and language and become competent at assessing their own and others’ learning.
All teaching and support staff in Parkland Primary School utilise evaluation journals as a tool for assessing and tracking the daily progress of pupils. These journals are used by staff to reflect on pupils’ progress and identify challenges and/or minsconceptions, enabling them to make informed decisions and plan future learning accordingly. This practice ensures a responsive and targeted approach to planning, fostering continuous growth and enhancing the overall learning experience for every pupil.
During the journey of implementing the Curriculum for Wales and developing a holistic approach to assessing pupil progress, one of the key changes for Parkland was introducing staff and pupil progress meetings, which capture the progress of groups and individual pupils. The procedure of progress meetings involves practitioners and pupils engaging in a dialogue to highlight each pupil’s progress and their next steps in learning. Progress meetings are on a termly basis and all stakeholders collaborate to support pupils on their journey. Practitioners collaborate through professional dialogue and robust monitoring procedures to observe the progress that is taking place.
