Intent
We want pupils to thrive oracy skills and gain self-esteem and self- confidence as well as develop strong interpersonal skills through the acquisition of basic skills in speaking, listening, reading and writing in Spanish at an age appropriate level.
Since a very high proportion of our pupils have English as an additional language, we want our pupils to continue developing as global citizens and have an enhanced understanding of the different cultures in the world.
We want to sow the seeds that will inspire and generate a love and thirst for life-long language learning and prepare our pupils for their future education and careers ready for the 21st-century world.
“Learning a foreign language is a liberation from insularity and provides an opening to other cultures.” National Curriculum for MFL.
Implementation
Spanish is taught at KS2 by a specialist teacher in the school. Every Spanish lesson is based on developing the correct pronunciation in speaking and listening activities as well as the acquisition of new vocabulary with a phonics and grammar focus in reading and writing. Pupils are strongly encouraged to discover and discuss the etymology of words, seek patterns within the language, as well as comparing and contrasting Spanish, English and other native languages spoken in class.
We adopted and adapted a scheme of work which reflects the current pedagogy in Language Teaching. We use games, role plays and interactive language learning platforms such as Linguascope, to motivate children and make lessons highly enjoyable, while they help with the mnemonics of words at the same time. When teaching vocabulary, words are associated with actions to support the understanding and the memorization.
We like to expose our pupils to authentic language materials, and for this reason, in the summer term we organise for the Year 6 pupils to have a letter exchange with another primary school in Spain. This offers them the opportunity to celebrate all they have learned in the language throughout KS2 . At the end of each academic year we also like to celebrate the children’s achievement by taking the More Able Learners to a Spanish Tapas Restaurant where they can have an encounter with authentic Spanish food and culture.
“I realised that we use the language without thinking of all the structure the language has.” Year 6 native speaker of Spanish.
Impact
Children will become more confident when listening to, speaking, reading and writing Spanish. They will also understand how and why Spain and Spanish speaking countries are different from other countries.
SEND/EALs and PPG pupils continue to have access to their MFL entitlement and participate fully in MFL learning journeys, thanks to the use of additional support in class to memorise the key vocabulary, through adult modelling and repetition, and structured and consistent routines.
Pupils will develop a greater understanding and respect of cultural differences around the world, helping them to become more tolerant and accepting of people’s differences and promoting inclusivity as well as developing more awareness and pride in their own cultures.
Children will leave Keir Hardie Primary with a love of language and be equipped with an enthusiasm for Modern Foreign Languages, which will prepare them for the next stage of their education and will give them better opportunities during their working life.
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