SPANISH AT GOLDSTONE
Intent
The main purpose of teaching a modern foreign language is to promote the early development of linguistic competence, to enable children to express their ideas and thoughts in another language, and to understand and respond to its speakers; it is above all a practical tool for communication.
We also aim to promote an international outlook and an enhanced understanding of the world, helping to develop positive attitudes and respect for other languages and cultures. We lay the foundations for future learning and have strong links with local secondary schools. We aim to develop children’s speaking and listening skills and extend their knowledge of how language works, promoting progress in their own language and literacy. We aim to introduce children to a modern foreign language in a way that is enjoyable and encourages an interest in learning languages.
Implementation
All children in Key Stage 2 have regular Spanish lessons taught by a specialist teacher, amounting to two hour long sessions every three weeks. In Key Stage 1 children are introduced to key Spanish vocabulary and sounds by their class teachers using songs, rhymes and games.
Our scheme of work shows clear progression and is designed to align with the Primary MFL programme of study:
Children are given regular opportunities to listen to, join in with, read, speak and write Spanish. In the early stages of language learning, there is a focus on listening and speaking skills and children learn how to produce the sounds of the language. Joining in with songs, rhymes, stories and poems all serve to reinforce the sound-writing patterns. Pupils then begin to develop the ability to form simple sentences of their own, with relation to topics such as self, family and likes and dislikes. As learning develops, children are given more and more opportunities to engage with Hispanic culture, learning about places, festivals and other aspects of daily life in countries where the language is spoken.
Children are also taught basic Spanish grammar such as masculine and feminine nouns, adjective changes and verb endings, which provide them with an excellent start to future language learning. Language learning skills are taught throughout the course, such as looking for cognates or words that look similar to words they know to understand meaning.
Impact
The impact of our MFL teaching is that children understand the relevance of what they are learning for their future study, work and travel needs. This is born out at the transition stage when we have often received positive comments about how our children are coping with MFL learning at secondary school. Children have the skills to feel confident about their future learning and about communicating with Spanish speaking people, either at home or abroad. Children learn best in a variety of ways and pupil voice is used to gauge this and make improvements to the curriculum. All children learn a foreign language as this forms part of the school’s broad and balanced curriculum. We provide learning opportunities for all children to make progress by setting suitable learning challenges and responding to each child’s different needs.
