At Key Stage 3, we follow the ‘Viva’ course. Teaching is dynamic and lively, and staff use a variety of activities and approaches to best teach the four skills required in a language classroom: listening, speaking, reading and writing.
Year 7 enjoy a 6-7 week introductory Spanish course. They then choose the two languages they would like to learn from January, with 4 periods of each language per fortnight. Years 8 and 9 pupils receive 5 periods of teaching in each language per fortnight. Class sizes vary from 15 – 25.
At Key Stage 4, the Pearson Edexcel IGCSE specification is followed. The skills of listening, reading, speaking and writing are assessed in a Reading and Writing exam, a Listening exam and a Speaking exam towards the end of Year 11. The topics covered are lively and interesting and include aspects of the Hispanic world which pupils find exciting. In Years 10 and 11, pupils receive 6 periods of Spanish teaching per cycle and approximately 2 hours of homework.
All pupils in Years 10 and 11 benefit from the help of a native speaking Spanish Assistant who is familiar with the examination content. Support sessions and extra clinics where needed are available from the dedicated subject teachers.
At A Level, the AQA course is followed. In Years 12 and 13, pupils receive 12 periods of teaching per fortnight. The class sizes do not exceed single figures to ensure that pupils receive the right level of individual attention. All A Level pupils benefit from at least one hour per fortnight of timetabled conversation practice with the Spanish Assistant.
At A Level, the topics covered include Aspects of Spanish-speaking society: current trends; current issues; artistic culture in the Spanish-speaking world; and aspects of political life in the Spanish- speaking world. All examinations are taken at the end of Year 13. The examination consists of a speaking exam and two written papers; Paper 1 covers listening, reading and writing and Paper 2 is an essay paper based on the study of a Spanish book and a film. The speaking examination lasts about 20 minutes in total and includes a presentation based on an individual research project. For the Sixth Form, we recommended a minimum of Grade 7 at GCSE level to embark on Spanish at this level, although pupils achieving a Grade 6 at GCSE Spanish may be considered on an individual basis.