Modern Foreign Languages
Intent
In today’s interconnected world it is more important than ever that people are able to communicate clearly and effectively. At Ladysmith’s we believe that part of a well-rounded primary education is the ability for children to express their ideas and thoughts in another language and to understand and respond to its speakers, both in speech and writing. For this reason, our teaching focuses on developing children’s abilities to communicate for a practical purpose. Learning a foreign language also fosters curiosity and helps to deepen children's understanding of the world.
Why Spanish?
As a school we chose to teach Spanish for a variety of reasons. It is widely spoken, with approximately 485 million native speakers, making it the second most spoken language on Earth. Spanish also has a regular and comparatively simple phonetic code making it easy to learn and apply to new words. This means that Spanish feels inclusive to all children when compared with other language choices. Finally, Spanish is taught by the majority of our local secondary schools meaning that children will have the choice to continue their learning in this area after leaving Ladysmith.
What do language lessons look like at Ladysmith?
Across the school children learn Spanish using the Language Angels ‘step-by-step approach’ to learning languages. The curriculum is defined in our Progression Document and is based on topics that are familiar to the children and enable practical application such as:
- I am learning Spanish
- Animals
- My Family
- At School
- At the café
- Do you have a pet?
- Me in the world
The Language Angels approach uses the three ‘pillars’ of language learning (phonics, grammar and vocabulary), which are all built into the scheme. As pupils progress through the units and teaching types, previous language is revisited and consolidated. Children learn through various tasks including writing and speaking Spanish in a context that can be applied to real-life opportunities.
How do we make sure that every child succeeds?
Our curriculum aims to be inclusive for all so our lessons are carefully adapted to ensure they are both accessible and challenging for all. Spanish lessons incorporate a wide range of activities that enable children to learn in a way that suits them best.