Spanish
At Dovecot Primary School, we believe that the learning of a foreign language provides significant educational, social and cultural benefits for our pupils. Foreign language lessons play an important role in developing children’s speaking, listening and literacy skills, boosting self-esteem and self-confidence, and providing opportunities for enriching cross-curricular learning. Learning another language also promotes intercultural understanding, giving children a new perspective on the world, encouraging them to understand their own cultures and those of others.
Through the delivery of Foreign Langauges, we aim to improve pupils’ skills in these four areas:
- Listening and responding
- Speaking
- Reading and responding
- Writing
We recognise that language learning in its broadest sense has three core strands – oracy, literacy and intercultural understanding. We also recognise that children should be encouraged to apply their knowledge and that we should equip them, not just with knowledge about language, but also with strategies for language learning that they can use in the future when studying another foreign language. The language offered at Dovecot is Spanish and we provide age-appropriate learning opportunities for all children from Nursery to Year 6.
Aims
The aims and objectives of learning a modern foreign language in primary school are:
- to foster an interest in learning other languages;
- to introduce children to another language in a way that is enjoyable, fun and accessible to all;
- to make children aware that language has structure, and that the structure differs from one language to another;
- to help children develop their awareness of cultural similarities and differences;
- to support oracy and literacy, and in particular develop speaking and listening skills;
- to lay the foundations for future study, helping children to develop positive attitudes to language learning throughout life;
- to give an extra dimension to teaching and learning across the curriculum.
Assessment
Spanish is formally assessed by class teachers and the subject coordinator during the school year. The rest of the time, teachers will keep notes on pupils who are showing an aptitude for language learning, or parts of the curriculum which need revisiting later. Pupils will be assessed in their speaking, listening, reading and writing skills in Spanish, according to the expectations of their age group.
