Spanish at Springwell Park

At Springwell Park, we teach Spanish across Key Stage Two. We plan for children to develop their knowledge of the language incrementally and sequentially, reinforced by regular revision of what they have learned previously. We teach through the disciplines of listening, speaking, reading and writing. The children’s knowledge is developed through a balance of exploration and deliberate practice, woven into rich encounters with the Spanish language in contexts which include the culture and lifestyle of Spanish-speaking people. This exposure to the language being spoken and cultures and lives other than their own is essential because we recognise that our pupils’ experience of foreign languages is likely to be far less than their lived experiences of most other curriculum subjects. The foreign languages they hear and use in the classroom are likely to be the only exposure most pupils have.

In KS2, children learn through weekly lessons and the use of incidental language. Lessons are typically planned using The National curriculum and a published scheme of work. Children are taught to understand and respond to the spoken and written language from a variety of authentic sources. They are encouraged to speak with increasing confidence, fluency and spontaneity, finding ways of communicating what they want to say, including through discussion and asking questions. There is a continual focus on improving the accuracy of their pronunciation and intonation.

During lessons, children are exposed to new and unfamiliar vocabulary and to simple grammatical structures through reading. Previous learning is continually revised and built upon. Children learn to look for patterns which help them to understand how different language structures are formed. They learn to use verbs, nouns and adjectives which help them to describe specific circumstances, and to ask and answer questions. By the end of Key Stage 2, students write at varying length, for different purposes and audiences, using the variety of grammatical structures and incorporating the vocabulary which they have learnt.

By the time they leave our school, children have become more confident, accurate and proficient when listening to, speaking, reading and writing in Spanish. They also understand some of the unique characteristics of Spain and the Spanish-speaking world.