Spanish
WFPS Modern Foreign Languages Spanish
‘Learning a foreign language is a liberation from insularity and provides an opening to other cultures. A high-quality languages education should foster pupils’ curiosity and deepen their understanding of the world.’
The National Curriculum 2014 - KS2 PoS for Languages – Purpose of study
Language is an essential means of everyday communication and interaction. Learning another language raises awareness of the multi-lingual and multi-cultural world in which we live. It introduces an international dimension to children’s learning, giving them an insight into their own culture and those of others.
Intent
At Weston Favell CE Primary School, we use the Language Angels scheme of work and resources to ensure we offer a relevant, broad, vibrant and ambitious foreign languages curriculum that will inspire and excite our children, using a wide variety of topics and themes. All children will be expected to achieve their full potential by encouraging high expectations and excellent standards in their foreign language learning – the ultimate intention is that they will become life-long language learners.
Our curriculum intent for Spanish is based on the following key principles:
1. Language Acquisition: We aim for all children to make significant progress in the acquisition of Spanish language skills, enabling them to communicate effectively and confidently in both spoken and written forms.
2. Cultural Awareness: We believe that cultural understanding is an integral part of language learning. Our intent is to create opportunities for children to learn about the culture and traditions of Spanish-speaking countries, fostering an appreciation for diversity and global perspectives.
3. Progressive Learning: We strive to ensure that our Spanish curriculum enables children to build upon their knowledge and skills progressively. Language Angels uses retrieval and small steps to ensure all children make progress.
4. Inclusion: Our intent is to provide a language learning environment that is inclusive and caters to the needs of all children. We recognise and value the diverse backgrounds and abilities of our children and aim to create an atmosphere where everyone feels valued and supported.
5. Links and Transitions: We are committed to establishing strong links and smooth transitions between primary and secondary language education. Our intent is to equip children with the skills and knowledge necessary for them to continue their language learning throughout their educational journey.
Implementation
Our Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) curriculum is delivered using the Language Angels scheme of work which is taught in weekly lessons of 30 minutes across KS2, throughout the year.
The scheme is structured to progressively develop knowledge and skills in Spanish across each year and is designed to build on prior knowledge from units previously studied. We chose this scheme as the underlying principles matched our curriculum philosophy and ethos.
The Language Angels scheme of work and resources offers a wide variety of topics and themes. This will ensure that the foreign language knowledge of our children progresses within each academic year and is extended year upon year throughout the primary phase and, in so doing, will always be relevant and in line with meeting or exceeding national DfE requirements.
We will teach these skills through our MFL curriculum:
- Oracy
- Literacy
- Intercultural understanding and two ‘cross-cutting’ strands:
- Knowledge about language
- Language learning strategies
Children follow the scheme working towards the learning objectives outlined in the KS2 Framework for Languages as set out within the National Curriculum. All lessons have a sound-filed PPT to accompany and support delivery and the content is designed to motivate the children right from the start.
The scheme proposes the use of various resources to enrich the learning experience, including music and song, fiction and non-fiction stories, games and practical activities. These activities support the 5 key areas of language learning:
- Listening
- Speaking
- Writing
- Reading
- Grammatical understanding.
We aim to ensure that children of all abilities develop solid foundations in these key language learning skills – properly preparing them for the next stage of their language learning journey. These skills will develop children’s ability to understand what they hear and read and enable them to express themselves in speech and writing. Their knowledge of how language works will be extended, and the children will explore the similarities and differences between the foreign language they are learning and English. We will also help strengthen their sense of identity through learning about culture in other countries and comparing it with their own.
Lessons are mainly practical in focus at early KS2 and build progressively on previous knowledge, learned over the four years of study, to a more formal approach by the end of KS2 in preparation for KS3.
Impact
We measure the impact of our curriculum through the following methods:
- Observing children speaking and listening in Spanish
- Children’s engagement in lessons
- Children self-marking and correcting their work within lessons
- Ongoing assessment through learning during lessons
- Interviewing children about their learning (pupil voice)
The impact of MFL teaching on the children’s learning will be monitored by the MFL subject lead. This will ensure the progress of knowledge and skills being taught and that this is retained by the children. This will be revisited to check that the children are able to apply the skills taught in a variety of contexts, showing
independence with their learning. Impact will also be measured through key questioning skills built into the lessons of the MFL scheme.