Fast Feedback: How one primary school abolished written marking

‘An honest, down-to-earth story of one school’s journey towards replacing the tyranny of teacher marking with conferencing and feedback.’ - Dame Alison Peacock, Chief Executive, Chartered College of Teaching

One day, a headteacher saw a new teacher wheeling a suitcase out of school. ‘Going anywhere nice?’ he asked her. ‘Oh! No, unfortunately,’ she replied with dismay. ‘This is my marking for the weekend.’

Sound familiar? Determined to make a change, Lavender Primary School in North London took on the challenge of abolishing written marking altogether by introducing the revolutionary approach of providing immediate verbal feedback. The outcome? Reduced teacher workload, improved staff retention and more effective learning for children. Backed up by educational theory and full of practical advice, this entertaining and informative book takes you through the highs and lows of Lavender Primary School’s journey, so you can confidently follow the same steps to reform marking in your school. It features quick tips, reflective questions, fact files and chapter summaries for easy navigation. The topics covered include success criteria, effective questioning, mindset and resilience, reward and motivation and verbal feedback.

Fast Feedback is written in an open, easy-to-read style and includes a foreword by Matthew Kleiner-Mann, leader of Ivy Learning Trust. It’s perfect for senior leaders looking for a new whole-school approach to marking and feedback, as well as teachers searching for strategies to implement in their classroom.