Spanish
Overview/Vision/Intent
Our vision is to inspire all students to be passionate, curious and engaged with the Spanish language and its culture.
At KWS we believe that language learning goes beyond the classroom. Our Spanish department offers a rich variety of extra-curricular activities designed to immerse students in the language and culture of the Spanish-speaking world.
Across the whole school, students can take part in Different Cultures baking competitions, celebrating traditions from across the Hispanic world through food. In Years 9 & 10, students are invited to watch a theatre company production by Onatti Productions which is performed entirely in Spanish. For year 10, a highlight of the year is the Spanish Language Immersion Trip, where students practise their Spanish in authentic settings, experience daily life abroad and develop cultural awareness and independence. We also have strong links with Illusion Flamenco in London where students learn the art of Flamenco dancing, enjoy authentic tapas, and watch live performances – a memorable way to experience Spanish culture first-hand.
We wish to foster a genuine curiosity of, and interest in, the world, as well as an understanding of different cultures. These opportunities allow our students to grow as linguists while becoming curious, confident and culturally aware global citizens. Within a supportive learning environment, we equip our students with strong linguistic skills and a solid understanding of the key grammatical concepts that they need to become conversationally fluent, so they can understand and connect with people across the world.
Curriculum Maps
Year 7
Learning Journey Overview
At Katherine Warington School, our Year 7 Spanish curriculum is designed to provide students with a strong foundation in the language, focusing on phonics, pronunciation, and sentence-building to ensure rapid and confident progress which builds on the foundations of KS2 language learning.
Building Strong Foundations
From the outset, we emphasize Spanish phonics to help students develop accurate pronunciation and listening skills. By mastering key sounds, students gain confidence in both speaking and understanding the language.
Topics and Progression
Our curriculum follows a structured approach, introducing essential vocabulary and grammar through engaging topics:
- Term 1: Getting Started
- Greetings and introductions
- Numbers, ages, and birthdays
- Basic sentence structures with sentence builders
- Term 2: Expanding Communication
- Talking about family members and describing their personalities
- Introducing verbs like ser and tener
- Expressing opinions with simple justifications
- Term 3: Everyday Life & Interests
- School subjects and daily routines
- Hobbies and free-time activities
- Giving and justifying opinions in greater detail
How We Teach
To ensure all students can communicate effectively, we use:
- Sentence Builders – Structured phrases that help students form full sentences easily
- Phonics Practice – Reinforcing pronunciation and listening skills from the start
- Spoken Interaction – Regular speaking activities to build fluency
- Scaffolded Writing – Gradually increasing confidence in expressing ideas in writing
By the end of Year 7, students will be able to hold simple conversations, describe people and activities, and express their opinions with justification, providing a solid foundation for further Spanish study.
MFL Student Voice Comments
Year 7‘’ I love Spanish. It’s my favourite subject, great teachers’
Year 7 “Mandarin is very challenging, in a good way as it pushes you”
Year 8 “Sentence builders help me to work things out”
Year 9“It gives you an opportunity to travel and is good for your brain”
Year 9 ‘It’s cool to speak a different language. It gets easier the more you learn’
Year 9 “Teacher explains expectations and to GCSE level”
Year 9 “Structuring sentences is tricky but I am coping”.
Year 9 ‘Teachers chat through 1-1 with us about our tests’