MAB’S CROSS PRIMARY SCHOOL

SPANISH CURRICULUM

INTENT

The overall aim for teaching Languages at Mab’s Cross is that pupils’ learning is enriched by a broad and balanced curriculum, in which languages are planned and sequenced towards knowledge and skills for future success. The study of languages prepares our pupils to participate in a rapidly changing world in which work and other activities are increasingly carried out in languages other than English.

Increased capability in the use of languages promotes initiative and independent learning and encourages diversity within society. We hope that all our children of all abilities leave Mab’s Cross with a love of a language and explore another culture. As a diverse school, we want to also celebrate the culture of all of our learners through our curriculum and extracurricular events.

Our curriculum drivers of independent learning, cultural experiences and diversity thread through our MFL curriculum. Our intention is to make links with other subjects through our cross-curricular projects, such as Hola Mexico, and in particular Art and Design, where we study Picasso and Mayan artefacts.

In January 2020, we decided to change the language we offer our children from French to Spanish. The rationale for this change is that our feeder high schools are offering Spanish as a GCSE and many of our families visit Spanish-speaking countries for their annual holidays.

All classes in KS2 follow a very high-quality foreign languages curriculum using the Language Angels scheme of work and resources. This progressively develops pupil skills in Spanish through regularly taught and well-planned weekly lessons in KS2, by a specialist language teacher.

Children will progressively acquire, use and apply a growing bank of vocabulary that builds on previous vocabulary knowledge, language skills and grammatical knowledge organised around topics and themes - building blocks of language into more complex, fluent and authentic language.

All KS2 teachers and our specialist teacher, in our first couple of years of teaching Spanish, planned from the Early Language units, which are most appropriate for pupils with no previous language learning. Then in subsequent years, we have progressed to Intermediate, Progressive and Creative Curriculum units. This ensures that the language taught is appropriate to the level of the class and introduced when the children are ready. Children will be taught how to listen and read longer pieces of text gradually in a foreign language, 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.

IMPLEMENTATION

Teachers develop their subject knowledge weekly alongside a specialist language teacher who leads each session. All teachers have attended training to support the scheme of learning. Pronunciation rules and basic grammar were the focus of the training.

We chose to follow the Language Angels curriculum as it has three pillars of progression (phonics, grammar and vocabulary and these connect to create sentences and meaning. The choice of topic-based vocabulary has been carefully chosen in this curriculum.   High frequency words are also prioritised. There is also a clear structure for delivering each lesson.

 Lessons are designed to run for approximately 30 minutes each week. Class teachers practise what has been taught during the week between language lessons. Children build on previous knowledge gradually as their foreign language lessons continue to recycle, revise and consolidate previously learnt language whilst building on all four language skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing. Knowledge and awareness of required and appropriate grammar concepts will be taught throughout all units at all levels of challenge.

Teachers are provided with a Progression Map and Grammar Grid to ensure all children are progressing their foreign language learning skills and are taught the appropriate grammar at the right time on their foreign language learning journey.

We have a half-term overview in place which will serve as an overall teaching map outlining for all teachers within the school what each class in each year group will be taught and when it will be taught. Each class in each year group will have an overview of units to be taught during the academic year to ensure substantial progress and learning is achieved. Each teaching unit is divided into 6 fully planned lessons.

• Each unit and lesson will have clearly defined objectives and aims.
• Each lesson will incorporate interactive whiteboard materials to include ample speaking and listening tasks within a lesson.
• Lessons will incorporate challenge sections and desk-based activities that will be offered with three levels of stretch and differentiation. These may be sent home as homework if not completed in class.
• Reading and writing activities will be offered in all units. Some extended reading and writing activities are provided so that native speakers can also be catered for.
• Every unit will include a grammar concept which will increase in complexity as pupils move from Early Language units, through Intermediate units and into Progressive units.
• Extending writing activities are provided to ensure that pupils are recalling previously learnt language and, by reusing it, will be able to recall it and use it with greater ease and accuracy. These tasks will help to link units together and show that pupils are retaining and recalling the language taught with increased fluency and ease.

Units are progressive within themselves as subsequent lessons within a unit build on the language and knowledge taught in previous lessons. As pupils progress though the lessons in a unit, they will build their knowledge and develop the complexity of the language they use. We think of the progression within the 6 lessons in a unit as ‘language Lego’. We provide blocks of language knowledge and, over the course of a 6-week unit, encourage pupils to build more complex and sophisticated language structures with their blocks of language knowledge.

Pupil learning and progression will be assessed at regular intervals in line with school policy. Teachers will aim to assess each language skill (speaking, listening, reading and writing) at the end of each unit to be able to provide reference points against which learning and progression in each skill can be demonstrated.

In addition to following the lessons provided in the Language Angels scheme of work and resources, teachers are encouraged to also do some of the following:

• Foreign language celebration assemblies.
• Cookery sessions of traditional foods from the country of the language being studied.
• Weather forecasts are based on maps of the country of the language being studied.
• School celebrations of national feast days of the country of the language are studied when appropriate to facilitate a whole school approach to foreign language learning along with improved cultural awareness.

IMPACT

At Mab’s Cross, children are given the chance to learn a language and explore another culture. The Language Angels units direct, drives and ensure progressive learning and challenge.

Pupils will continuously build on their previous knowledge as they progress in their foreign language learning journey through the primary phase. Previous language will be recycled, revised, recalled and consolidated whenever possible and appropriate.

Teachers will have a clear overview of what they are working towards and if they are meeting these criteria. They will use the long-term planning documents provided in the form of Language Angels unit planners to ensure the correct units are being taught to the correct classes at each stage of the year. Short-term planning is also provided in the form of unit overviews (covering the learning targets for each 6-week unit) and individual lesson plans laying out the learning aims and intentions of each individual lesson within a unit. These planning documents ensure that teachers know what to teach and how to teach it in each lesson, across whole units and across each term.

The opportunity to assess pupil learning and progression in the key language skills (speaking, listening, reading and writing) and against the 12 DfE Languages Programme of Study for Key Stage 2 attainment targets is provided at the end of each 6-week teaching unit. This information will be recorded and will be monitored by the Foreign Language Subject Leader, who can use this data to ensure teaching is targeted and appropriate for each pupil, class and year group, as well as to give feedback on progress to SLT and stakeholders. Teachers will be able to record, analyse and access this data easily using the Tracking and Progression Tool that will monitor school, class and individual progress in a foreign language.

Children are expected to make good or better than good progress in their foreign language learning and their individual progress is tracked and reported to pupils and parents / carers in line with school recommendations.