How can I facilitate more meaningful marking and feedback in English lessons for a year 2 class, to ensure pupils understand the next steps to improve their writing?

Marking is one of the most time consuming activities for teachers. As a year 2 teacher, I found marking an insightful window to the children’s conceptual understanding but always questioned the impact and value of my marking for the children. During the Spring Term 2016, I explored alternative methods of marking and feedback for writing with my class through practitioner inquiry. I examined how effective the marking was in informing the children of what they had done well and their next steps in learning and the time constraints placed on the teacher when feeding back. This practitioner inquiry highlights verbal feedback is more impactful when given during the lesson. It allows children time to correct and improve their work in context. In comparison, written feedback via ‘distance marking’ regardless of approach, is less effective. Children struggle to remember what they have done previously and more prolifically, distance marking is difficult for children to read, understand and reflect on even when they are able readers