What are we aiming for?
At Forsbrook CE Primary, we want every child to become a confident, curious linguist who enjoys communicating in another language and leaves Key Stage 2 with secure foundations in Spanish to build on at secondary school. Our curriculum meets the National Curriculum programme of study for languages at Key Stage 2. Reflecting our Christian distinctiveness, we want children to show respect and curiosity towards other languages, cultures and beliefs, and the courage to have a go, make mistakes and try again.
We aim to develop pupils who:
- understand how Spanish sounds and is written, and can read aloud and pronounce words accurately
- know and remember a growing bank of vocabulary, including core language such as numbers, colours, days, months, greetings and key questions
- know how Spanish sentences fit together, such as words being masculine or feminine, describing words changing to match, saying ‘not’ and verbs changing, and use this to make sentences of their own
- listen, speak, read and write with increasing confidence, moving from single words to sentences, conversations and short paragraphs
- appreciate the culture, traditions, stories and songs of Spain and the wider Spanish-speaking world, and see themselves as global citizens
How do we achieve this?
Spanish is taught as a discrete 45-minute lesson every week in Key Stage 2. We follow the Language Angels scheme, which is written around the 12 attainment targets of the Key Stage 2 programme of study. Every lesson comes with professionally recorded native-speaker audio, so pupils always hear accurate pronunciation.
Pupils study one language, Spanish, consistently from Year 3 to Year 6 so that knowledge builds year on year. Each half term is one unit of six lessons, and units move through three stages of challenge as pupils grow in confidence.
The three pillars of language learning:
Phonics
Pupils learn how Spanish sounds link to spellings, such as ll, ñ, j, z and silent h, so they can read new words accurately.
Vocabulary
Core vocabulary is taught, recycled and revisited across units so that it is secure in long-term memory, with new topic vocabulary each half term.
Grammar
Grammar is taught implicitly at first, then explicitly, so pupils can create their own sentences rather than only repeat set phrases.
Our Spanish lessons:
How lessons are designed
- Every lesson begins with retrieval of previously learnt language before anything new is introduced.
- New language is introduced in small steps, with clear visuals and models, so pupils are not overloaded.
- Each unit builds towards a final task, such as a role-play, presentation or short piece of writing, that reuses language from earlier units.
- Lesson 6 of every unit is a revision lesson with an opportunity for assessment.
In the classroom
- Teachers model pronunciation using native-speaker audio, and pupils practise through repetition, songs and chants.
- Pupils practise listening, speaking, reading and writing across each unit.
- Speaking and listening come first, before pupils read and write new language.
- Pupils ask and answer questions, take part in role-plays and conversations, and present to others.
- Greetings and simple classroom instructions are given in Spanish.
Units follow the Language Angels stages of Early Language (Year 3 and the first half of Year 4: nouns, gender and short sentences), Intermediate (second half of Year 4 and Year 5: phrase level, with more explicit grammar) and Progressive (Year 6: paragraphs and more fluent speaking from memory).
Key features of our approach:
Phonics
- Each year: pupils have dedicated phonics teaching that builds on the sounds learnt the year before and introduces new ones.
- In lessons: each sound is practised on its own, then in familiar words, then in unfamiliar texts, so pupils can read and say new words with confidence.
- Across school: phonics is revisited in every unit, and pupils use a Spanish phonics mat to support their reading and pronunciation.
Progression
Each year builds on the last. Year 3 learn masculine and feminine nouns and verbs such as soy and toco. Year 4 add the negative, possessives and simple agreement. Year 5 use y and pero and move from first to third person. Year 6 give and justify opinions and tell the time.
Retrieval and memory
Core language, such as numbers, colours, days, months, personal details and key questions, is revisited across many units. Pupils use vocabulary lists and a core vocabulary mat to support recall.
Culture and the wider world
Pupils learn about festivals and traditions of Spain and the wider Spanish-speaking world, including Semana Santa, La Tomatina, Las Fallas and Mexico’s Día de los Muertos, and in Year 6 compare life in Madrid and Lima.
What difference is this making to our pupils?
Pupils enjoy learning Spanish and are becoming confident to have a go. They pronounce words with increasing accuracy, remember core language and can build their own sentences. By Year 6, pupils can hold short conversations, give and justify opinions, and write short paragraphs about themselves, giving them a strong foundation for Key Stage 3.
How we know:
Retrieval in every lesson
Each lesson starts with a quick recall task, so teachers can see what pupils remember and address gaps straight away.
End-of-unit assessments
In Lesson 6, pupils are assessed in listening, speaking, reading and writing, recorded in the Language Angels tracking tool.
Enrichment
- Spanish linked to seasonal themes through the year, such as Christmas, so pupils learn how festivals are celebrated in Spanish-speaking countries
- Links with Blythe Bridge High School to support transition to Key Stage 3
Staff training
Every Language Angels lesson comes with detailed teacher notes and native-speaker audio, so all staff can teach Spanish with confidence.
The school also has an account with the Languages CPD Hub, giving staff access to live webinars on primary language teaching.
Documents
Curriculum
Supporting documents