The teaching of Spanish is underpinned by a knowledge-rich curriculum, focusing on the progression of skills. Spanish knowledge has been organised to allow children to develop a clear understanding of vocabulary and grammar. The knowledge and skills build incrementally so that by the end of Key Stage 2 children can know, understand and apply the subject content taught, through speaking, listening, reading and writing. Progression is carefully planned into our MFL curriculum. We evidence this in a number of ways including the following:
Topic knowledge development with reference to key vocabulary
Skills progression
High Frequency words progression
Phonics and grammar progression
Language acquisition progression including creation of own original exchanges
At Old Mill the teaching of Spanish aims to ignite pupil’s enthusiasm and curiosity about language and deepen their understanding of the wider world. Our Spanish curriculum is centred around promoting cultural awareness and appreciation for the Spanish language. We intend to immerse our pupils in the richness of the language, promoting respect and understanding.
At Old Mill, we aim to provide a high-quality Spanish curriculum that fosters an enthusiasm and confidence for the language through interactive and engaging learning experiences.
Our intent is to allow pupils to:
Develop a positive attitude towards the Spanish language.
Foster curiosity and help deepen their understanding of the world.
Acquire the key skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing in Spanish in an engaging, progressive way.
Express their ideas and thoughts in Spanish through speaking and listening.
Have opportunities to interact and communicate with others for practical purposes both in speech and in writing.
Use Spanish with increasing accuracy and confidence, applying knowledge of vocabulary and pronunciation.
Teachers will deliver the Spanish curriculum through:
A carefully sequenced scheme of work that builds knowledge and skills progressively from Year 3 to Year 6.
Regular opportunities for pupils to hear and speak Spanish, ensuring strong foundations in pronunciation and fluency.
Practical and engaging activities such as songs, stories, role-play, games, and real-life scenarios to make learning enjoyable and meaningful.
The use of visual, auditory, and kinaesthetic resources to support different learning styles.
Links across the curriculum where appropriate, embedding Spanish in other subjects and wider school life.
Revisiting and consolidating prior learning to ensure secure understanding and long-term retention.
Throughout Key Stage 2 children will acquire the basic skills and understanding in Spanish and develop their speaking, listening, reading and writing abilities. This will enable the children to communicate effectively in everyday situations and allow them to express their thoughts and ideas clearly. Our intention is for the children to leave primary school with a solid base in Spanish, enthusiasm for languages and the confidence to continue their language journey into secondary school and beyond.
At Old Mill Primary School, we achieve excellence in Spanish through following thoughtfully sequenced and knowledge rich units and lessons which are derived from the National Curriculum objectives and supported by the Twinkl Plan It scheme enabling children to build on prior knowledge and develop their skills year by year. Teaching is carefully sequenced to ensure that the children receive a curriculum that contains clear progression of knowledge and skills across KS2. Cultural knowledge is integrated throughout the curriculum to deepen pupils’ awareness of Spanish-speaking communities. Teachers use consistent retrieval and repetition that is built into the curriculum to ensure prior knowledge is embedded for the long-term retention of knowledge. Use of regular retrieval and end of unit assessments ensure that core knowledge and skills are retained. Teachers ensure that children develop the four key skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing by modelling and emphasising accurate pronunciation and intonation of new and previous concepts. Assessment in Spanish is consistently ongoing through questioning, observation, short written or spoken tasks and end of unit quizzes to monitor progress and inform planning.
At Old Mill, reading is at the heart of the curriculum, we place a strong focus on vocabulary development, ensuring that Spanish vocabulary is explicitly modelled by teachers and that the children are provided with regular opportunities to practise pronunciation and conversational skills.
Rich learning experiences are incorporated for the children through engaging and interactive approaches such as songs, rhymes, games, role-play, stories and digital resources to ensure all learners, including those who are vulnerable, are immersed in the language.
In Spanish lessons, vulnerable pupils including those that are disadvantaged are supported through a range of strategies to ensure that they can achieve the intended learning outcomes. Adaptive teaching and scaffolds are used within lessons to ensure that each individual is supported. Scaffolds are thoughtfully incorporated including the use of word mats, visual aids, adapted worksheets and alternative methods of recording knowledge, to help pupils understand Spanish concepts and overcome barriers to learning and to make progress. Pupils are given the opportunity to listen to words and phrases, practice speaking and play games to demonstrate their knowledge, as well as being sat in mixed-ability pairs. Conversations and hands-on activities are incorporated into learning to ensure inclusivity and to ensure all pupils can participate. For end of unit assessments and summative assessment pupils are given a variety of ways to demonstrate their knowledge and skills. These accommodations ensure that all pupils can succeed in Spanish lessons and feel confident and enthusiastic about the subject.
The impact of our Spanish curriculum is seen through pupil’s ability to use skills and knowledge to communicate in Spanish with confidence and accuracy. Children at Old Mill will be able to show enthusiasm and confidence when using Spanish, both inside and outside the classroom context. Pupils will demonstrate curiosity about language learning and show positive attitudes towards other cultures, appreciating and respecting the traditions of Spanish-speaking countries while also developing an interest in other languages. Through their understanding of core vocabulary and grammatical structures, they will be able to engage in conversations, ask and answer questions, and express their opinions. They will also be able to read and understand sentences and begin to write simple sentences in Spanish. The teaching of Spanish will ensure that pupils make clear connections between Spanish and English, strengthening their overall understanding of language and gaining an appreciation of cultural diversity. By the end of Key Stage 2, pupils will be equipped with strong foundations in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The impact of our Spanish curriculum will be evident through pupil voice, in children’s engagement and enjoyment, progress and readiness for the next stage of their learning journey as confident and motivated language learners.
Pupils attainment in Spanish is assessed through continual teacher assessment through questioning, observation, short written or spoken tasks throughout the different units to inform the planning and teaching of Spanish.
In Spanish we have developed an assessment tool carried out at the end of each unit, to check pupil’s understanding. These end of unit assessments check pupils understanding of:
Key Vocabulary
Core Knowledge
Translation of words and phrases from Spanish to English and vice versa
Answering questions in Spanish
Key skills – speaking and listening
Pupils will be assessed as ‘working at the expected standard’ (EXS) if they are able to answer most questions correctly. If a pupil answers less than half correctly, they will be assessed as ‘working towards the expected standard’ (WTS).
Old Mill Primary School
Station Road
Broughton Astley
Leicestershire
LE9 6PT
Old Mill Primary School
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