Furness Primary School

At Furness we teach a foreign language to all children from Reception through to year 6. The language taught is Spanish. As a school community we believe that the early acquisition of a foreign language enhances and reinforces the learning and development of all other areas of the curriculum. In addition, we are a school community comprised of rich and diverse ethnic, cultural and linguistic backgrounds and the opportunity to learn a foreign language serves to respect and celebrate our unique identity as a school.

Educational aims:

• To develop pupil language communication and literacy skills.
• To develop linguistic competence and extend knowledge of how language works and to explore the differences and similarities between languages.
• To enhance pupil awareness of the multilingual and multicultural world and introduce an international dimension to their learning.
• To provide a medium for cross-curricular links and the reinforcement of knowledge, skills and understanding developed in other subjects.

Objectives: By the end of KS1, children will actively engage in Spanish stories, rhymes and songs. They will be familiar with language associated with the classroom, including the language of instruction, questioning, praise and affirmation.

By the end of KS2 children will understand simple spoken and written language, to speak aloud and take part in short conversations and to write short paragraphs on areas learnt. They will also have an insight or awareness of other cultures and have an idea about how languages work and how to learn them. Children will start to become confident users and learners of a new language.

The MFL curriculum for KS2 follows the broad guidelines set out in the KS2 Framework for Languages and the new NC – Programs of Study.

(National Curriculum Modern Foreign Languages Programmes of Study)

Children have their Spanish lessons once a week:

The children are taught to:

• Ask and answer questions
• Use correct pronunciation
• Interpret meaning
• Understand basic grammar
• Work in pairs and groups to communicate in Spanish
• Read from a variety of texts
• Write words, phrases and sentences using a model
• Write from memory, using their knowledge of sounds and spellings
• Look at life in Spanish speaking countries.