Arno Vale Curriculum Statement

At Arno Vale, we believe that our curriculum should give the children the knowledge, skills and experiences that allow them to develop into responsible members of society. We thrive on the diversity our learners bring to the school and encourage them to develop socially, educationally and personally. You will find information about our curriculum below, but if you need further information, please contact your child's class teacher or the school office.

Intent

We follow the 2014 National Curriculum and have adopted a tailored approach for the wider curriculum and science. Subject leaders have created a curriculum that is progressive, builds upon prior learning and allows the children the time and opportunity to revisit past learning and embed this in their long term memories. Our curriculum draws heavily upon our core school values of determination, respect, independence, curiosity and honesty and we look to include these values in all areas of our teaching. We intend for our curriculum to equip the children to contribute to a diverse society of which they are a part. You can see the curriculum maps at the bottom of this page.

Implementation

Each subject for each year group has been carefully thought through to ensure the vital knowledge the children need is taught building upon prior learning and sequenced effectively with programmes of study and carefully selected resources. Key knowledge is identified in each subject and taught in ways that are engaging and enjoyable for the children. Knowledge may be substantive (specific facts and content) or disciplinary (how we gain substantive knowledge). The use of formative and summative assessment allows us to identify the progress our children are making and make adjustments to our teaching sequences where necessary. Children are supported to allow each one to make progress in their learning; this is through differentiation and scaffolding, trips, visits and residentials across the year groups. We use a variety of curriculum schemes and resources to reinforce our planning as follows:

Music: Charanga

PSHE: Jigsaw

Maths: White Rose Hub, NCETM, Times Tables Rock Stars

English: Literacy Volunteers, No-nonsense Spelling, Switch On Reading

Phonics: Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised

Computing: Teach Computing, Project Evolve

RE: The Nottinghamshire Agreed Syllabus

Art and Design: Access Art

D&T: Kapow

We have structured our timetable to ensure coverage of all subjects over a two week period. Maths and English are taught every morning and the children have a guided reading lesson daily. The foundation subjects (including science) are usually taught in the afternoons. Art and DT are taught in alternative half term blocks as are History and Geography meaning the children will each be taught three units of the subjects across the year.  The table below shows how the afternoons are structured but the actual timetabling of the individual lessons will vary from class to class.

The first lesson of the day is called ‘Practice Time’ where the children are able to revisit prior learning, re-cap on learning that they may have found difficult, engage in a phonics session or take time to practise a skill they have been learning. Practice time is structured to allow all relevant subjects to be visited across the week. The first maths lesson of the week is a recap of prior learning, therefore no new content is introduced then.

Impact

Assessment is a very powerful tool in ascertaining what knowledge the children have gained and how follow-on teaching is shaped. It allows us to understand how our children learn, what works well and how we can ensure that the relevant knowledge and understanding has had the intended impact. In the core subjects of maths and English, we have three data collection points each year which is usually towards the end of each term. This is generally a form of summative assessment. Phonics is assessed every six weeks. In our wider curriculum subjects, we regularly use formative assessment to ascertain the progress the children are making in their learning against the objectives taught. This can be through quizzes, tests, challenges and discussions with the children. The use of formative assessment and assessment for learning allows us to tailor our teaching to the needs of the individual children, review what has worked well and allow us to plan subsequent lessons. Subject leaders are given release time to monitor their subject areas through book looks, talking to the teachers and children and observing learning. We aim to make sure that by the end of key stage 2, the children are ready and prepared for the next phase in their learning.