Modern Foreign Language (Spanish) Policy

Torrisholme Primary School’s Vision

At Torrisholme Primary School, we are learning together to care for ourselves, each other and the world around us.

Aims

• In our school we teach a foreign language to all our KS2 children as part of our normal school curriculum.

• We believe that a learning a foreign language prepares pupils to participate in a rapidly changing world in which work and other activities are often carried out in languages other than English.

•  The choice of which language to teach is secondary to the lifelong language learning skills that the pupils will be encouraged to develop.

• Skills that they will be able access in the future will help them to learn new languages or to improve their competence in an existing language.

• Increased capability in the use of a foreign language promotes initiative, confidence and independent learning and encourages diversity within society.

Aims and Objectives

The aims and objectives of learning a modern foreign language in primary school are:

• To foster an interest in learning other languages;
• To introduce young children to another language in a way that is enjoyable and fun;
• To make young children aware that language has a structure, and that the structure differs from one language to another;
• To help children develop their awareness of cultural differences in other countries;
• To develop their speaking and listening skills;
• To lay the foundations for future study.

The Curriculum

• Spanish is the language that is taught in our school.
• The curriculum that is followed is based on the guidance given in the revised National Curriculum, using Language Angels scheme of work as a basis.

The children are taught to know and understand how to:

• Ask and answer questions; Use correct pronunciation and intonation;
• Memorise words;
• Interpret meaning;
• Understand basic grammar;
• Use dictionaries;
• Work in pairs and groups, and communicate in Spanish;
• Look at life in another culture.
• During Spanish lessons, children are given the opportunity to work as a class, as individuals and as part of a group.
• The choice of class organisation is determined by the learning task.
• By its nature, language learning will involve lots of interaction with visual, auditory and kinaesthetic prompts.

Inclusion

• All KS2 pupils shall have the opportunity to learn to speak a language.
• Most assessment is formative and is used to support teaching and learning and inform future planning.
• The teacher assesses the children's progress in the Spanish based on their achievement of the learning objectives in lessons.
• When written work is produced, it is marked in line with the school policy.

Monitoring

Monitoring is carried out by the subject leader in the following ways:

Informal discussion with staff and pupils

Work sampling

Learning walks

This policy is reviewed annually by the MFL subject leader. This policy is due for review in April 2024.