Scroll down to find the Spanish Curriculum Maps

Intent (Why we learn…)

The earlier a child is exposed to a foreign language, the faster the language is acquired. For this reason, by the time our children leave St Saviour’s, they will have mastered a range of skills that will enable them to access the KS3 language curriculum, the ultimate aim being that they will become life-long language learners.

We aim for our children:

• To be enthusiastic, inquisitive, lifelong learners: we aim to contribute to the development of children’s oracy and literacy so pupils will develop a genuine interest and positive curiosity about foreign languages, finding them enjoyable and stimulating.
• To be strong communicators: we provide opportunities for children to develop a range of skills, knowledge and understanding of Spanish language and culture in order to facilitate the learning of foreign languages later in life.
• To be well-rounded, independent and resilient learners with aspirations: all children will be expected to achieve their full potential by encouraging high expectations and excellent standards in their foreign language – by the end of their time at our school, our pupils will feel willing and able to continue studying languages beyond key stage 2.
• To develop and use their God given talents by being creative: our Spanish curriculum provides children with opportunities to open themselves to experience another way of thinking, expressing themselves and experiencing the world through being exposed to a foreign language and culture. Our curriculum strives to engage children’s innate creativity and enthusiasm for learning about the world around us.
• To be responsible citizens who are eager to make a positive contribution to their community and wider society: learning a second language will offer pupils the opportunity to explore relationships between language and identity, develop a deeper understanding of other cultures and respond to the world around them with a better awareness of self, others and cultural differences.

The four key language learning skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing) will be taught in an age-appropriate way across the primary phase. However, reading will be prioritised in order to support pupils in accessing new vocabulary and grammatical concepts as well as revising prior learning. 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.

Implementation (How we teach...)

At St Saviour’s we have high expectations for all and aim for all children to reach at least age-related expectations in all areas. For this reason, all classes will have access to a very high-quality foreign languages curriculum that meets the requirements of the National Curriculum.

Our Spanish curriculum map demonstrates a progressive development of the four basic skills in foreign languages (speaking, listening, reading and writing) through regularly taught and well-planned weekly lessons in Key Stage 2. Our curriculum has been developed using the Language Angels scheme of work and resources to ensure it is not only relevant but also cohesive, so learning is built upon year by year. As well as this, incidental Spanish is used in KS1 and EYFS, exposing the children to a foreign language from an early age and encouraging them to use key words and expressions throughout the day.

Spanish lessons in KS2 are taught weekly by the M.F.L. subject leader who is a native Spanish speaker. Class teachers are expected to attend and participate in all lessons and are provided with grammatical notes and other resources at the beginning of each unit to strengthen their teaching skills as part of their professional development.

Throughout each unit, children will be taught how to listen to and read longer pieces of text in Spanish and they will have ample opportunities to speak, listen to, read and write the language being taught with and without scaffolds, frames and varying levels of support. When required, class teachers and support staff will work with S.E.N. children in small groups to enable them to access the curriculum and provide an adequate level of support during the lesson. 

Knowledge organisers are used to ensure consistency. Children will progressively acquire and apply a growing bank of vocabulary, language skills and grammatical knowledge organised around age-appropriate topics and themes. In addition, children will be taught how to research language they are unsure of, and will be able to access work completed in previous years to help them recall and build on previous knowledge throughout their primary school language learning journey.

Pupil learning and progression is assessed at regular intervals in the form of assessment for learning. The subject leader also assesses each language skill formally (speaking, listening, reading and writing) after each unit of work to be able to provide reference points against which learning and progression in each skill can be demonstrated.

Our subject leader has a clear understanding of their role and responsibilities in curriculum design and delivery. They are fluent in the language and have the knowledge, expertise and practical skills to carry out this role to the best of their ability, closely supported by senior leaders. All content will be updated and reviewed annually by the subject leader, creating a dynamic programme of study that will be clearly outlined in our curriculum map.

Our curriculum provides diverse and rich opportunities for our pupils to learn effectively, continuously building their fluency, knowledge of and enthusiasm for Spanish so that they will become life-long language learners.

Impact (As a result…)

Spanish teaching supports learners to make progress and empower them to feel resilient and enthusiastic about learning a language. We recognise that making mistakes is a necessary part of the language learning process but we maintain high expectations of individuals, creating an atmosphere for learning which is conductive to success.

All children make good or better progress in the Spanish language. Formative and summative assessments are used during Spanish lessons to ensure progress over time. The Spanish specialist teacher monitors assessments in a range of ways, including observation of participation levels, engagement, pronunciations and written work, as well as a formal assessment at the end of each unit. Data gathered is recorded to demonstrate both attainment and progress over time and to identify gaps in knowledge in order to inform the planning of future lessons to promote progress in developing language skills.

Pupils are aware of their own learning goals and progression. Pupils are able to reflect on and articulate if they have met their learning objectives after each lesson and at the end of each unit. Pupils keep their Spanish books and use them throughout KS2 as a record of what they have learnt from unit to unit and from year to year, enabling them to access prior learning and to make connections between units.

Children leave St Saviour’s with a curiosity and enjoyment for learning a foreign language and with the skills to communicate effectively as we prepare them for a smooth transition to learning foreign languages at secondary school. Our Spanish curriculum is planned in a way that generates interest and excitement about learning the Spanish language, promoting cultural understanding and cultural capital for all children, which as a result will support our children to shine as tolerant and unprejudiced adults in our diverse and vibrant world.