How We Teach Spanish
Intent
Learning a foreign language is a necessary part of being a member of a multi-cultural society and provides an opening to other cultures. Our aim is to offer a broad and vibrant foreign languages curriculum that will inspire and motivate our children. In addition, to develop an interest and curiosity about foreign languages, offering the opportunity to explore relationships with language and identity, develop a deeper understanding of other cultures and the world around them.
Implementation
Our Spanish curriculum implementation is founded on a well-sequenced, progressive approach that builds year on year. We provide detailed medium and long-term planning to support staff in delivering coherent lessons. Regular CPD enhances staff subject knowledge and confidence. Each lesson incorporates recall of previously taught material, enabling children to expand their schemata. Our inclusive classrooms ensure all children have opportunities to succeed through adaptive and responsive teaching. We emphasise cross-curricular links, developing literacy skills in English as well as the target language and exploring historical, geographical, artistic, musical, and cultural concepts through a Spanish lens. This comprehensive approach fosters a deep appreciation for language learning and cultural diversity, preparing our pupils for an interconnected world.
Key Aims
Our KS2 Spanish curriculum aims to develop pupils’ language proficiency through core linguistic skills: receptive (listening and reading) and productive (speaking and writing). We focus on teaching how phonetics, grammar, and vocabulary interplay to build understanding and production of increasingly complex language. Key objectives include helping pupils to:
- develop strong retrieval skills for vocabulary retention.
- understand and apply grammatical structures.
- listen and read for gist in a variety of authentic sources, enabling students to grasp main ideas in Spanish texts and conversations.
- recognise and accurately use phonetics to improve pronunciation.
- speak with increasing confidence, fluency and spontaneity, finding ways of communicating what they want to say, including through discussion and asking questions.
Ultimately, our goal is to foster successful communication skills, empowering pupils to express themselves confidently in various meaningful contexts. This comprehensive approach ensures a solid foundation for future language learning and cultural appreciation.
Linguistic Strands
These building blocks of language, the disciplinary knowledge, contribute to give children the tools to be able to communicate confidently in Spanish.
Assessment
Assessment includes regular book looks, pupil voice interviews, and drop-ins to oversee KS2 progression and support staff. Teachers continuously assess pupils’ ability to recall and apply phonetics, grammar, and vocabulary through core linguistic skills. They ensure students can communicate effectively in Spanish aligning with the planned curriculum objectives. Additionally, teachers evaluate pupils’ attitudes towards learning Spanish, assessing enjoyment and perceived value. This comprehensive approach ensures a well-rounded assessment of both academic progress and engagement in Spanish language acquisition.
Spanish in our timetable
In KS2, children receive a 30-minute weekly Spanish lesson from the class teacher. In KS1, we are currently developing ways we can introduce Spanish in small chunks to our youngest learners in preparation for starting more formal lessons in KS2.
