Spanish

“To learn another language is to have one more window from which to look at the world.”

Chinese Proverb

Learning a foreign language is part of the primary National Curriculum and is a requirement for all children within key stage 2 (KS2). The Free School Norwich has adopted a whole school approach to the teaching of Spanish to all pupils.

Intent Implementation Impact Support Curriculum Progression Your child will learn...

Intent

The Free School Norwich uses the Language Angels Spanish scheme of work and resources to ensure we offer a relevant, broad, vibrant and ambitious foreign languages curriculum, that will inspire and excite our key stage 2 pupils, using a wide variety of topics and themes. All pupils will be expected to achieve their full potential by encouraging high expectations and excellent standards in their foreign language learning - the ultimate aim being that pupils will feel willing and able to continue studying languages beyond key stage 2.

The four key language learning skills; listening, speaking, reading and writing will be taught and all necessary grammar will be covered in an age-appropriate way across key stage 2. This will enable pupils to use and apply their learning in a variety of contexts, laying down solid foundations for future language learning and also helping the children improve overall attainment in other subject areas.

The Free School Norwich has a larger than average proportion of children who already speak more than one language. The intent is that all pupils will develop a genuine interest and positive curiosity towards foreign languages, finding them enjoyable and stimulating. Knowing more than one language offers pupils the opportunity to explore relationships between language and identity, develop a deeper understanding of other cultures and the world around them with a better awareness of self, others and cultural differences. The intention is that they will be working towards becoming life-long language learners as well as open-minded global citizens.

Implementation

Language Angels grow language skills through regularly taught and well-planned weekly lessons in key stage 2 which are delivered by the Spanish language specialist and MFL Coordinator, Emma Collier. Children will progressively acquire, use and apply an accumulating amount of vocabulary, language skills and grammatical knowledge organised around age-appropriate topics and themes - building blocks of language into more complex, fluent and authentic language.

The planning of different levels of challenge and which units to teach at each stage of the academic year will be addressed dynamically and will be reviewed in detail annually as units are updated and added to the scheme. Lessons offering appropriate levels of challenge and stretch will be taught at all times to ensure pupils learn effectively, continuously building their knowledge of and enthusiasm for the language they are learning. Early Language units are entry level units and are most appropriate for pupils with little or no previous foreign language learning. Intermediate units increase the level of challenge by increasing the amount and complexity (including foreign language grammar concepts) of the foreign language presented to pupils. Progressive and Creative Curriculum units are the most challenging units and are suitable for pupils with a good understanding of the basics of the language they are learning.

The Free School Norwich has an MFL planning overview in place which will serve as an overall ‘teaching map’ outlining what each year group will be taught and when it will be taught. 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 will three levels of stretch and differentiation.
Reading and writing activities will be offered in all units.
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.
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. Progression is thought of 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 the end of each unit, assessing each language skill: speaking, listening, reading and writing. This will also ensure that every child’s progress and attainment is known at any point in their foreign language learning journey.

In addition to the Language Angels lessons, the children will also take part in regular language enhancement activities such as: Spanish assemblies, Free school Norwich Fiestas, Spanish Cafés and key Spanish Cultural events. All these are intended to enhance and excite our pupil’s language learning experience and to provide real life opportunities to utilise their new language skills. Spanish is always visible around the school and children are encouraged to use their language with each other and adults. All children from EYFS to year 6 take part in a daily language register, travelling the world to learn new ways of greeting one another, a further opportunity to develop and grow key language skills.

Impact

As well as each subsequent lesson within a unit being progressive, the teaching type organisation of Language Angels units also directs, drives and guarantees progressive learning and challenge. Units increase in level of challenge, stretch and linguistic and grammatical complexity as pupils move from Early Learning units through Intermediate units and into the most challenging Progressive units. Units in each subsequent level of the teaching type categories require more knowledge and application of skills than the previous teaching type. Activities contain progressively more text (both in English and the foreign language being studied) and lessons will have more content as the children become more confident and ambitious with the foreign language they are learning.

Early Learning units will start at basic noun and article level and will teach pupils how to formulate short phrases. By the time pupils reach Progressive units they will be exposed to much longer text and will be encouraged to formulate their own, more personalised responses based on a much wider bank of vocabulary, linguistic structures and grammatical knowledge. They will be able to create longer pieces of spoken and written language and are encouraged to use a variety of conjunctions, adverbs, adjectives, opinions and justifications.

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.

The MFL coordinator will have a clear overview of what they are working towards and if they are meeting these criteria. They will ensure the correct units are being taught to the correct year groups over time. 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 the language specialist knows what to teach and how to teach it in each lesson, across whole units and across each term.

Pupils will be aware of their own learning goals and progression as each unit offers a pupil friendly overview so that all pupils can review their own learning at the start and at the end of each unit. They will know and will be able to articulate if they have or have not met their learning objectives and can keep their unit learning intention sheets and unit core vocabulary sheets as a record of what they have learnt from unit to unit and from year to year.

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 MFL Coordinator who can use this data to ensure teaching is targeted and appropriate for each pupil, class and year group as well as to 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 the foreign language.

All of the above will ensure that the children at The Free School Norwich are given an excellent start in their language learning journey, building blocks towards becoming life-long language learners and burgeoning global citizens.

Support

Supporting your Language Learner

All KS2 children will be provided with details to access the https://www.languageangels.com/schools/Language Angels home learning portal, here children can enjoy games and songs linked to past and current lessons to help to embed learning. In addition to this, taking an interest in the new language your child is learning at school, asking them to share their learning and perhaps even enhancing it through your own research of cultural customs and new language, will all help to reinforce the value of language learning and ignite a love for language learning in your child.

Curriculum Progression

Your child will learn...