At St Helena’s, our Spanish curriculum aims to instil a love of language learning and an awareness of other cultures. We want children to develop the confidence to communicate in Spanish for practical purposes, using both written and spoken Spanish.

Our curriculum provides a firm foundation in language learning. Utilising the structure of Kapow, we have carefully planned and sequenced the teaching of the three building blocks of a language system: phonics, vocabulary, and grammar. Pupils connect these building blocks to create meaning in a variety of contexts, allowing them to develop their skills.

Through our ambitious and cohesively planned curriculum, we seek to "unlock the potential in all, empowering a community of hope." Languages are for life, and at St Helena’s, they are seen as a unique part of our pupils’ education, enriching our strong and inclusive community and the wider world in which we live and work. We aim for excellence through an inspiring, ambitious, and cohesively planned curriculum, giving children the knowledge and skills they need to excel.

Our Spanish curriculum, supported by the Kapow sequencing and progression, gives children opportunities to communicate for practical purposes around familiar subjects and routines. The curriculum provides balanced opportunities for communication in both spoken and written Spanish. Pupils first develop confidence and accuracy with oral skills, then increasingly apply their knowledge to extended reading and writing as they progress through Key Stage 2.

The Spanish curriculum follows a spiral approach, with key skills, grammar, and vocabulary revisited with increasing complexity, allowing pupils to revise and build on their previous learning. Lessons incorporate a range of teaching strategies from independent tasks, paired and group work, including role-play, language games, and language detective work. Our language curriculum focuses on developing 'language detective skills' and an understanding of Spanish grammar.

Each unit is based on a specific theme with a motivating end outcome, providing children with a context and clear purpose for their learning. Teachers adapt the learning so that every lesson can be accessed and enjoyed by all.

Recognising that many teachers may not feel confident delivering the full language curriculum, we ensure they feel supported to deliver high-standard lessons that ensure child progression. Strong subject knowledge is vital for staff to deliver an effective language curriculum. Therefore, each unit of lessons in the Kapow scheme includes multiple teacher videos to develop subject knowledge and support ongoing CPD.

The impact of the language curriculum is continuously monitored through both formative and summative assessment. Children frequently evaluate their own and their peers’ performance, respond to feedback, and recognise their own progress. Each unit has a quiz used at the start and/or end of the unit.

As Year 6 linguists transitioning to secondary school, we want all learners to speak and write in Spanish with increasing confidence and skill, meeting and exceeding NC requirements. Pupil conversations reveal that our language provision makes our children confident and enthusiastic about learning Spanish through sequenced work and quality resources, as well as enrichment opportunities. By understanding the positivity of diversity, inclusion, and the joy of language learning, the children of St Helena’s will build the foundations for empowering our community of hope.