Focusing on marking and responding to children’s work can result in significant improvements in what children understand and can do in writing. The effectiveness of the teaching of writing should also be improved through the use of assessment information in planning and in discussions with children.

This booklet also gives the materials for three training sessions. They include suggestions for ways in which teachers can review how they respond to children’s writing and develop more effective means of assessment for learning.

The first session looks at everyday marking and how best to respond to individual pieces of writing.

The second session points to manageable ways of collecting information about patterns of strength or weakness in relation to teaching objectives. Teachers can use this information to plan the next task.

The third session suggests how to look in depth at the writing of a child or small group, to gain a detailed analysis of what to focus on for improvement.

The approaches outlined in the sessions are equally valid for secondary schools.

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