Curriculum
Curriculum Rationale and Ethos and Values Statement
At Arnold View we believe that children need a curriculum which is relevant, interesting and inspiring. We also believe we must support the children to become effective learners who understand how to achieve their personal potential as well as contributing positively to their local and the wider community.
The curriculum we teach in each year group are designed to provide the children with the opportunity to ask questions and direct their own learning.
As a school we recognise the need to celebrate the diversity of backgrounds and faith we have in school whilst promoting the strong, shared (British) values of:
- behaviour and the rule of law
- tolerance of each other’s beliefs and values
- democracy
- mutual respect
- individual liberty
These are reflected through the curriculum topics we teach, our themed weeks and days, our assemblies, our school and eco councils, our work with parents and the wider community and our expectations of the children and the example we set as a school.
Each topic taught starts off or ends with a curriculum enhancement experience. This could be either a visit to a relevant place where we can deepen the children's understanding and enable them to fully understand their learning, a visitor in school who can provide the children with a relevant and thought provoking experience or an experience created by the class teachers.
Currently there are two residential experiences for children in school. In Year 2, children have the opportunity to visit Hathersage for 2 days, usually in the summer term and in Year 6 children have the opportunity to visit PGL.
The National Curriculum is the starting point for planning, with the PSHE element offering comprehensive coverage that allows pupils the opportunity to consider issues that may affect them both within school and outside of school. Pupils are positively encouraged to challenge stereotypical images and views and are aware of how, and who to report concerns to if something is troubling them. We aim to offer a balanced view with pupils able to make decisions based on their learning. We use the following schemes of work in school: White Rose Maths; Talk for Writing; Read, Write Inc and Sounds and Syllables.
Further information about what is being covered in each year group can be found in the curriculum newsletters on each class page. Click below to access our curriculum policy
Curriculum Intent & Timetable
Cultural Capital
Skills and Knowledge Progression Framework
Arnold View Primary School Curriculum Overview Plans
Reading
3 reasons you should read with your child:
1. Reading exposes your child to rich language and diverse content.
2. Reading with your children helps prepare their minds to succeed in school.
3. Reading with your child can enrich family ties and intimacy.
At Arnold View Primary School, we believe that reading is the key to all of our children’s learning and is given high priority. Success in reading has a direct effect on all other areas of the curriculum and is crucial in developing self-confidence and motivation.
Our aim is that all pupils learn to read well, gaining both fluency and a good level of understanding. We encourage children to read widely and often, for both pleasure and information. Children are encouraged to read in all subjects, at every opportunity.
Reading is about engaging and immersing the reader in a wide range of high-quality texts to be informed, entertained, make sense of themselves and the world around them. We want to ensure that when reading we use quality texts and spend time unpicking what we are reading, combining the teaching of reading and writing skills within a context that is meaningful, purposeful and creative.
In the Foundation stage and KS1, the children’s reading books run alongside their phonics to ensure that what they are reading is at the right level, accessible and develops fluency.
What can parents/carers do to help?
Set aside a quiet time with no distractions.
Make reading enjoyable and a time to share.
Be positive and reassure even if they make mistakes.
Practise regularly
Talk about the book and ask them questions about what they have read or about the pictures.
Read a variety of books, share books especially with younger readers. Reading along with you will help too.
Book lists
Children are encouraged to explore a range of genres, authors, structure and complexity of texts. We also try and link the books we use to the topics we are learning about, to give more understanding and meaning.
F1
F2
Year 1/2
Year 3/4
Year 5/6
Phonics Teaching at Arnold View 
At Arnold View we teach phonics through a programme called Read, Write, Inc. Lessons are delivered in a structured, engaging and purposeful way and are taught daily, building on existing knowledge.
Children learn how to read accurately and fluently, to spell correctly and to form each letter with a confident handwriting style. This consistent approach in phonics nurtures a ‘can do’ attitude towards reading and writing.
We teach phonics from F1 through to Year 2, with a catch up Programme tailored for any Year 3 pupils who would benefit from additional support. All children are taught in small groups, at the appropriate level for their ability and understanding.
Phonics in Foundation
Our youngest children start by learning the written single letter 
sounds and practice being able to ‘orally blend’ ie hear the sounds in spoken words. We also promote early handwriting skills. In F2, the children consolidate their single letter sound knowledge and begin to learn groups of letters. They apply this learning into reading and writing simple words. We introduce ‘alien’ or nonsense words in preparation for the phonics screener test that is taken in Year 1. Reading books also forms part of the phonics programme at this level. Our expectation by the end of Foundation is that the children have developed the skills and confidence to read and write simple sentences.
Phonics in Key Stage One
In Y1, the children continue to consolidate their learning from Foundation and extend this into learning more complex groups of Letters and applying them into their reading and writing. 
By the end of Year 1, our expectation is that children are able to read 70-80 words a minute and arestarting to read with intonation to show some understanding of what they have read. Also in Year 1, the government phonics screener takes place. In Year 2, by the end of the Autumn term, the expectation is that children can read 100+ words a minute and can read with intonation that reflects their understanding of the text. The children then move onto the spelling programme, where spelling patterns are taught and applied. This is consolidated over the rest of the year.