^{Our Vision}

The ability to communicate is a fundamental part of life. Developing literacy skills (speaking, listening, understanding, reading, and writing) enables children to play a positive and active role in their communities. Equipped with these skills, they can find meaning and participate fully in life’s rich opportunities, developing self-confidence, well-being, and the ability to form positive relationships. Our English curriculum is at the centre of all our practice. In the early years, our focus is on oral language development and comprehension. We aim to develop children’s understanding of language and their spoken vocabulary through real-life, meaningful experiences. We know that those who develop a strong oral language skill in the early years will learn to read well. We consider reading to be a crucial aspect of our curriculum and we aim to instil a love for reading that will remain with our children throughout their lives. We want to equip children with the skills and knowledge necessary for reading through discussion, a systematic teaching approach and regular exposure to high quality literature. It is our intention that through our English curriculum, our children will have opportunities to develop spiritually, culturally, emotionally, intellectually, and socially. Through our nurturing approach and positive relationships, we hope that children will develop their skills in a safe environment, developing the confidence to become successful language users.

Reading and Phonics at AMPS

The Phonics scheme we use is Read Write Inc. This is used from Foundation and throughout KS1. In Year 1 children take a Phonics Screening Test which is done throughout the country. These checks allow us to support children's reading levels.

Reading at Home

Foundation stage

Children in Foundation stage will choose a share at home story book and once the children are ready, they will also bring home a reading book that matches their phonic ability. The children will get a new book on their book change day. Please read with your child at least three times a week and sign their diaries so that they can work towards their reading pins. Reading could include bedtime stories as well as the books they bring home from school.

Key Stage One

Children in KS1 have two reading books. Their Read! Write! book and a share at home book. During the week they will have been learning to read their Read! Write! book so that they can read this to you with confidence and expression. Their share at home book is one you can read together. Both books will be changed on a Friday. Please read at least three times a week. When you have read with your child please write it in their diaries, then they can work towards their reading pins. We’d also love to know what you are reading for pleasure, so feel free to share that with us in their diaries as well.

Key Stage Two

Children in KS2 will be coming home with two books; one book is a book of their choice; the other is an allocated Banded Reading Book (chosen to stretch their reading ability, it will be easy to spot as it will have a bright, coloured sticker on the spine). The banded book is selected after a one-to-one assessment and plays a vital role in tailoring your child’s reading experience, ensuring they are matched with appropriate content that aligns with their skill level. Please read the banded book with the sticker with your child for 5–10 minutes at least three times a week so that they can earn their reading pins. 

Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar

At Arnold Mill Primary School we use Spelling Shed to support the children with the spelling patterns and rules that they need to know to be successful in their learning. All children have a login to the Ed Shed and assignments are set weekly online to support. We do weekly spelling tests and quizzes to support this. 

In every lesson at Arnold Mill we teach a Grammar Revisit element to support the prior knowledge of children's grammar knowledge. As part of an English lesson children are exposed to grammar elements throughout their learning sequence to ensure this is then seen in their writing consistently. 

We do termly assessments to track children's progress.