Key members of the BMS Teaching and Learning Team and other exemplary staff shared some simple but highly effective strategies for enabling students to smartly self and peer assess their work with a view to improving their attainment over time. The training took place on Wednesday after school and led into an extended time for staff to mark student books or the recently taken Pre Public Exam or PPE papers.

Key elements of the training included planning the assessment opportunities into the lessons, building them around a starter or plenary activity, providing exemplary ideas for recognising strengths and areas for development – perhaps from a coded menu of statements for students to choose and using adapted assessment stickers with tick box options to ensure the assessment activities work smartly.

Carefully crafted feedback moves learning on so it is an aspect of our pedagogy that we want to hone and perfect as much as possible. Staff seemed to appreciate the reminders and offer of sharing best practice and resources which we hope will help to ensure all students at BMS continue to make good progress over time.