Spanish

Spanish is one of the world's major languages. It has over 300 million speakers world-wide, spread across three continents. We have a long-standing tradition of promoting the language and culture of Spain and Latin America. We use the most up to date resources and pride ourselves on the excellent progress that pupils make, right from the beginning.

Lower Third (Year 7)

Initially, pupils are then placed in a beginners group or a group for those with prior learning. Beginners follow the Mira! Express course for the first year. Pupils benefit from two periods of study a week in which they will learn how to read, speak, write and listen to Spanish across a range of topics. These include, Introductions, Describng People, School Life and Pastimes. At the end of the year the pupils are assessed and this assessment, along with the year's work determines the pupil setting for the following year.

Upper Third (Year 8)

Those who have made the greatest progress in their first year of study will go into an advanced set, where they begin to work at GCSE level. The topics covered are Holidays, Narrating Stories and Future Plans. In the Upper Third there is a greater focus on grammar, and by the end of the year the pupils are able to use a variety of verb tenses with confidence. Pupils whose progress was more steady during the first year develop the topics studied during that year and work to create a greater depth of knowledge of grammar and vocabulary, preparing them for the possibility of successful GCSE study later on. Those who started the Lower Third with experience usually start working towards completing the GCSE, if they are of a standard so to do. If they are not yet ready for that challenge then they will work on building their skills.