Spanish

​Spanish is taught in mixed ability groups. Spanish is taught to students in Year 8 and 9 who do not speak Urdu. However, from September, Year 7 students can choose to study two of the following languages: Arabic, Spanish and Urdu.

Why study this subject?

Spanish is spoken by at least an estimated 350 million people around the world and is currently the 4th most commonly spoken language worldwide. Spanish is from the Romance language family of languages, its roots coming primarily from Latin. Because many English words originate from Latin, Spanish helps speakers of English broaden their vocabulary. In addition, a recognition and understanding of these words of Latin origin is especially helpful in certain professions in science, medicine and law.

What we do at KS3

At Key Stage 3, we follow the textbook Viva and students learn how to express their opinions on a range of topics and giving reasons. The following topics are covered at KS3:

Year 7: describing yourself, hobbies, school, family and friends and your town

Year 8: holidays, media, food, going out and describing a holiday destination

Year 9: things you like, future plans, healthy living and current issues

Homework is set once a week. It can involve the following tasks: a written piece, completing an assignment on the ActiveLearn website, learning vocabulary, translating a text into Spanish or into English.

Assessments take place at the end of each module (usually towards the end of each half-term). Students have to sit a reading and a listening exam, as well as a speaking or a writing exam.

What we do at KS4

Students will have four exams in Year 11: listening, speaking, reading and writing. Each exam will be worth 25% of the GCSE. Each exam is tiered and students must be entered in the same tier for all four exams.

Homework is set once a week and assessments take place at the end of each module.

How will this help our pupils?

In today’s society, being able to speak a foreign language can only be an advantage and gives students a competitive edge when searching for jobs or maintaining current employment.

Learning a new language gives you a greater global understanding of the world we live in. Even by learning a few phrases you will access many fascinating cultures around the world and understand the differences between the two countries.

Pupils will study EdExcel specification.