At Mary Dean’s our aim is to provide a rich and varied curriculum, focused on the delivery of the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values we feel every child needs – thus providing the basis for academic success, a life-long love of learning, and ultimately for our pupils to flourish, aspire and achieve. Reading is a skill which is fundamental to a children’s education. At Mary Dean’s, we see reading as the heart of our curriculum and the driver for the other subjects. Reading is valued as a key life skill, and we are dedicated to enabling our pupils to become lifelong readers. Texts are chosen from a range of genres and authors to promote discussions and provide an ideal platform for teaching about different cultures and diversity to learn empathy and respect for others, and an understanding of care and kindness. We ensure that our teaching of phonics and reading is taught using a high quality and consistent approach. Reading is key to academic success and so to ensure we have a holistic approach to the teaching of reading, we implement the following:

*Children in Foundation and Key Stage One take part in daily Phonics using the ‘Little Wandle’ synthetic phonics programme to segment and blend sounds together to read and write words. Children participate in speaking, listening, spelling and reading activities that are matched to their developing needs. The teachers draw upon observations and continuous assessment to ensure children are stretched and challenged and to identify children who may need additional support. Children work through the different phases, learning and developing their phonics sounds and knowledge. Children who are behind take part in catch up sessions. Those children in Key Stage Two who still need phonics support take part in daily intervention sessions