Intent

At SPWP, our teaching of Spanish intends to ensure we offer a relevant, broad, vibrant and ambitious foreign languages curriculum that will inspire and excite our pupils using a wide variety of topics and themes. All pupils will be expected to achieve their full potential by encouraging high expectations and excellent standards in their foreign language learning- the ultimate aim being that pupils will feel willing and able to continue studying languages beyond key stage 2.

We believe that learning a modern foreign language fosters pupils’ curiosity and deepens their understanding of the world. The intent is that all pupils will develop a genuine interest and positive curiosity about foreign languages, finding them enjoyable and stimulating. Learning a second language will also offer pupils the opportunity to explore relationships between language and identity, develop a deeper understanding of other cultures and the world around them with a better awareness of self, others and cultural differences.   in line with our school core value which is community.

Our high-quality Spanish curriculum reflects our firm belief that all children should have access to the rich and purposeful experiences gained through learning an additional language. Repeated opportunities throughout our Spanish lessons ensure that children learn to communicate for practical purposes, encouraging them to learn new ways of thinking, use their initiative and demonstrate independence- skills which are transferrable to other areas of the curriculum and provide a strong foundation for any language learning in the future.

Our coherently planned sequences of lessons ensure progressive coverage of the skills required by the National Curriculum, which states that pupils should be taught to:

• listen attentively to spoken language and sow understanding by joining in and responding
• Explore the patterns and sounds of language through songs and rhymes and link the spelling, sound and meaning of words
• engage in conversations; ask and answer questions; express opinions and respond to those of others; seek clarification and help
• speak in sentences, using familiar vocabulary, phrases and basic language structures
• develop accurate pronunciation and intonation so that others understand when tey are reading aloud or using familiar words and phrases
• present ideas and information orally to a range of audiences
• read carefully and show understanding of words, phrases and simple writing
• appreciate stories, songs, poems and rhymes in Spanish
• broaden their vocabulary and develop their ability to understand new words that are introduced into familiar written material, including through using a dictionary
• write phrases from memory, and adapt these to create new sentences, to express ideas clearly
• describe people, places, things and actions orally and in writing
• understand basic grammar appropriate to the language being studied, including (where relevant): feminine, masculine and neuter forms and the conjugation of high-frequency verbs; key features and patterns of the language; how to apply these, for instance, to build sentences; and how these differ from or are similar to English.

Key Spanish language themes taught at SPWP

Implementation

The four key language learning skills; listening, speaking, reading and writing will be taught and all necessary grammar will be covered in an age-appropriate way across key stage 2. This will enable pupils to use and apply their learning in a variety of contexts, laying down solid foundations for future language learning and also helping the children improve overall attainment in other subject areas. In addition, the children will be taught how to look up and research language they are unsure of and they will have a bank of reference materials to help them with their spoken and written tasks going forward.

All classes will have access to a very high-quality foreign languages curriculum using the Language Angels scheme of work and resources. This will progressively develop pupil skills in Spanish through regularly taught and well-planned weekly lessons in key stage 2, which will be taught by a combination of class teachers and language specialists. Teachers use this scheme of work and adapt it to the needs of their children.

Units are progressive within themselves and subsequent lessons within a unit build on the language and knowledge taught in previous lessons. As pupils progress through the lessons in a unit, they build their knowledge and develop the complexity of the language they use. Units, where possible and appropriate, will be linked to class topics and cross curricular themes. Children will build on previous knowledge gradually as their foreign language lessons continue to recycle, revise and consolidate previously learnt language whilst building on all four language skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing. Knowledge and awareness of required and appropriate grammar concepts will be taught throughout all units at all levels of challenge.

Our curriculum implementation can be seen in books and through pupil voice where we have the opportunity to talk to children about their learning with their books and children are able to articulate their learning. Regular drop ins reflect the schemes of work being taught in each unit.