Spanish
“To learn a language is to have one more window from which to look at the world”
Rationale
At Roskear, we acknowledge the importance of children gaining an understanding of the world they are growing up in and learning how to live alongside, and show respect for, a diverse range of people and communities.
We use the Language Angels curriculum at Roskear, which equips pupils with a broad and balanced curriculum that deepens knowledge but also provides the cultural experiences they need to flourish throughout primary phase and beyond. Spanish is spoken by around 500 million people, which represents around 7.6% of the entire population in the world. Thus, making Spanish the world’s second most spoken language by number of speakers. Therefore, we have chosen Spanish as our Modern Foreign Language for children at Roskear.
INTENT
We value the importance of learning a modern foreign language and the benefits that it can provide for pupil’s development. By learning Spanish, our children appreciate and understand a new language and can make connections with their own language and culture. We strive to ensure that all our children feel confident to engage in spoken Spanish as well as develop their skills in reading, listening and writing a language, while developing a love of language that will continue beyond Key Stage 2.
IMPLEMENTATION
Our Spanish curriculum is carefully planned c, ensuring our children progress by considering the building blocks of the subject (oracy, reading, writing, diversity and creativity).
We follow the National Curriculum through the use of the ‘Language Angels’ scheme of work, which we have adapted to meet the needs of our children. Spanish is introduced in year 3, when children understand phonetics, decoding, encoding and word classes on which to build.
Our curriculum is progressive, with units that are Early language, Intermediate and Progressive. Grammar is integrated and taught discreetly through all the units. We have a long term overview of Spanish which outlines the teaching map for key stage 2. This also links to cross curricular learning across the school.
IMPACT
As the Spanish curriculum is defined and sequenced with attention to the types of knowledge, our assessment design is precise. Assessments identify the specific knowledge children have learned and can apply; it pinpoints misconceptions and is incremental. We identify how far each aspect of the curriculum has been mastered. The evidence of impact is subject specific and ranges from written outcomes, children’s articulation, oracy tasks, and visual presentations.
Types of assessment methods include:
Assessment for learning (in class)
- Using consistent feedback and marking strategies against success criteria.
- Targeted questioning.
- Pupil self-assessment and peer-assessment against success criteria.
- Reading fluency and comprehension.
- Low stakes testing – ‘Rapid Recall’.
Formative Assessment
- Learning in foundation subjects is evidenced in our learning conversations with pupils. Pupils enjoy learning a new language.
- Learning in all subjects is evidenced in targeted questioning and response.
- Rapid Recall shows evidence of what substantive knowledge has been retained.
- Moderation and assessment of exemplar work at a range of stages shows evidence of end points being met.
Further evidence of Impact:
When pupils leave Roskear, they should…
- Be able communicate with others in Spanish.
- Have an awareness that a language has a structure, and that structure differs from one language to another.
- Be able to implement the four key skills of oracy, listening reading and writing in another language.
- Have developed an understanding of Spanish culture.
- Begin to understand and recognise how language skills can be applied to a range of languages.
- Use their acquired language skills in Key stage 3.
A systematic monitoring cycle enables subject leaders to prioritise and identify a key focus from their action plan; and the most appropriate monitoring means e.g. lesson visit, book look, planning, pupil conferencing. They complete a leadership trail, which identifies areas of strength, areas for development and informs their next steps.