Spanish

Curriculum Leader: Mr B Chapelard - chapelardb@alkerdenacademy.co.uk

"1 planet • 7 continents • 195 countries • 7159 languages (11 at Alkerden) • 8 229 993 832 people - Languages: a world of opportunities."

Intent

We aim to provide an enjoyable, rewarding and meaningful experience to prepare all our learners to be confident, independent, lifelong language learners ready to seize the opportunities of an increasingly globalised world.

We aim to:

Inspire all our learners to succeed and embrace learning a new language, culture and way of life
Ensure all learners, including those with SEND and disabilities, can access and enjoy Spanish by embracing the Extensive Processing Instruction method.
Provide a curriculum that is broad, balanced, and sequenced, drawing on the Model Languages Curriculum (DfE, 2021) and the National Curriculum for Modern Languages.

Implementation

We use the Extended Processing Instruction (EPI) method. EPI mirrors how we learn languages naturally according to the latest academic research. We believe this approach will help our learners become more confident, accurate and fluent language learners and users.

Learners have four one-hour lessons of Spanish per fortnightly following a carefully planned journey.

As the school grows, our all-through curriculum will extend into Early Years and Primary phases, building towards language qualifications in the secondary phase.

Implementation is enriched by:

Educational visit to Spain in 2026-2027. Dates have yet to be confirmed.
Spanish independent learning club for tailored support.
Student subscriptions to online learning platforms
Adaptations are made to ensure learners with additional needs are fully supported and can flourish in Spanish.

Impact

The impact of Spanish at Alkerden Academy will be seen in the joy, curiosity and confidence of our learners as communicators of Spanish. By the time they leave, learners will have:

Have started their language-learning journey by developing an interest and a deeper understanding of languages.
Be able to speak with increasing confidence and spontaneity to express and justify opinions, and ask and respond to questions.
Develop and use a varied and deepening vocabulary that allows them to communicate their own interests and needs
Be able to produce short creative writing texts in a range of contexts, giving and seeking information and opinions and justifications.
Use grammar and punctuation with confidence and accuracy
Develop understanding of metacognitive skills, independent and cooperative learning skills to generate high levels of achievement, and excitement and enthusiasm for Learning

Above all, Spanish at Alkerden reflects our Alkerden Heart - nurturing learners’ creativity, fostering community, and supporting every individual to flourish.

Spanish in Key Stage 3 (KS3)

Our KS3 languages learning journey is carefully sequenced to ensure progression in knowledge and skills. As with all areas of the curriculum at Alkerden Academy, it remains responsive to the needs of our learners and may be adapted over time to ensure that every learner can thrive.

Spanish Future Career Paths

Any language course has practical benefits for students wishing to make themselves more marketable in the workplace as well as being very useful in social contexts such as holidays and visits and providing students with valuable skills for later life.