Pupils learn the skills necessary to communicate in Spanish. We follow a course based upon the ‘Viva’ textbooks. Pupils have two hours of Spanish a week. Language lessons are planned to start to build the necessary skills for the GCSE exam, as well as incorporating fun and interactive activities, in order to give the pupils a good grasp of the language. All four skills are developed (listening, speaking, reading and writing) through a variety of activities. Throughout these years, pupils are not only learning the language, but they are also introduced to the culture and history of Spain and other Spanish speaking countries.

Homework tasks are set weekly and will include a minimum of a learning task each week – pupils will be expected to learn a list of key words and they will be expected to spell them correctly. It is vital that pupils regularly learn vocabulary, as it is the key to understanding the language.

There is ongoing assessment and pupils are encouraged to check their own progress regularly. Pupils are also encouraged to ask for help when needed. Spanish rooms are always available to complete homework if needed.

In Year 9 pupils will continue to build on and perfect the skills learned in years 7 and 8, but with a heavier focus on exam skills and grammar. There is a focus on the ability to write paragraphs unaided and develop their spoken skills. They are also encouraged to be more creative and imaginative in their use of language.  Pupils are encouraged to employ a range of tenses, opinions and connectives in written and spoken tasks with a significant focus on accuracy.

Homework tasks are set weekly and will include a range of activities, ranging from vocabulary learning, to writing longer texts and to translations. In the Summer term, pupils will be set a second piece of homework which will be a retrieval practice task, to revise some of the content studied in the Autumn and Spring terms.

The Spanish GCSE is a course which builds on and further develops the work and topics covered in KS3. By the end of the course, pupils should feel confident in their ability to communicate with native speakers in both speech and writing. They should also develop an awareness and understanding of the culture and identity of the countries where Spanish is spoken. They study a range of topics under the 3 themes of: Identity and Culture; Local, national, international and global areas of interest and Current and Future Study and Employment.

All four skills (reading, writing, speaking and listening) will be assessed at the end of year 11. There is no coursework, rather the course is all assessed by exams. Pupils can be entered for either Foundation (grades 1-5) or Higher tier (grades 4-9), but must complete the same tier for all four skills. All exams will make reference to the countries where Spanish is spoken. Exams will use authentic materials e.g. adverts, poems, literary texts, emails and text messages.

Unit 1: Listening (25%) takes place in the May/ June exam period in year 11

Unit 2: Speaking (25%) takes place at school between April & May in year 11

Unit 3: Reading (25%) takes place in the May/ June exam period in year 11

Unit 4: Writing (25%) takes place in the May/ June exam period in year 11

In Year 10 and 11 pupils study the use of verbs and grammatical structures in the following contexts –

• Me, my family and friends
• Technology in everyday life
• Free-time activities
• Home, town, neighbourhood and region
• Social issues
• Global issues
• Travel and tourism
• My studies
• Life at school/ college
• Education post-16
• Jobs, career choices and ambitions

Exam title: GCSE Spanish

Exam board: AQA

Spain Trip

The Barcelona trip is open to Year 8, 9 and 10. It is a 7 day trip visiting tourist sites, historical sites and attractions. It is a great opportunity for the pupils to experience Spanish culture and to practice their Spanish with native speakers. And have course, have fun! The week consists of trips to The Barcelona Football Stadium – Camp Nou and the world famous, ‘still in construction’, cathedral designed by Gaudí over 100 years ago - La Sagrada Familia. The pupils get the chance to visit inside both of these amazing attractions. We also visit Poble Espanyol, an open-air museum show casing many different areas of Spain and their traditions in one place. Here the pupils will get the chance to try some authentic Spanish cuisine. Finally, we also visit a waterpark and a theme park with swimming pool, slides, animal shows, rollercoasters and the chance to have a photo taken with dolphins! We usually stay near the beach so spend the evenings playing some games and relaxing there too. It’s a great opportunity and an exciting trip for everyone involved.

Our next trip will be arranged Post Covid

Spanglovision

For the last three years Spanglovision has been an integral part of our European Day of Languages celebrations. All year 7 forms are given a song to learn in Spanish which they practice in their Spanish lessons and during form time. A music video is then recorded of them and their form tutor performing their song (with props and dance routines if they want!).  The videos are then shown to the whole school in assemblies in the run up to European Day of Languages. Everyone casts their vote for their favourite performance. The winner is announced in Year 7 assembly and the winning group get a trophy and prizes for the whole form.