Intent
We want pupils to thrive in their 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.
Considering that 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.
Implementation
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 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 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 of words.
To expose our pupils to authentic language materials, our school has been twinned with another primary school in Spain and every year our Year 6 pupils have a letter exchange with the Spanish pupils. This offers them the opportunity to celebrate all they have learned in the language throughout KS2 . We also have contact with Europa Centre, which is a built in learning village in East London, where we organise visits for the children to practise the language in different contexts with Spanish native speakers. At the end of each academic year we also 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.
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.
Pupils will grow with a greater understanding and respect of cultural differences around the world which will help them to become more tolerant, accepting of people’s differences and promoting inclusivity.
Children will leave Keir Hardie Primary with a love of language and be equipped with an enthusiasm to learn Modern Foreign Languages, which will prepare them for the next stage of their education and will give them better opportunities during their working life.
