Spanish
Spanish is now taught throughout the Senior School starting in Year 7. Pupils study Spanish as their first modern language in Year 7 or as a second modern language in Year 9. It is a compulsory subject at GCSE level in Years 10 and 11. Currently we follow the AQA GCSE Specification A. The full specification details can be found at www.aqa.org.uk . Results in Spanish at GCSE are excellent and a good number of pupils continue with Spanish at A Level. For AS / A Level we follow the AQA specification as in French. Full details of the specification can be found at www.aqa.org.uk . Many A Level pupils go on to read Spanish at University combining it with other Modern Languages, Law, Business, Marketing or Tourism. Classes are taught by Mrs Hampson (Head of Department), Miss Edgar and Mrs Hunt. We are lucky to have the help and support of our native Spanish assistant, Mrs Pilar Wilcock who works with pupils from Years 10 to Upper Sixth in small groups or individually.
YEAR 7
In Year 7, pupils start to develop the 4 key language skills of listening, reading, speaking and writing. We currently follow the “¡Listos!” text books and pupils cover the following topics:
- Introducing self and others
- Family and pets
- School
- Where you live
YEARS 8 & 9
Pupils continue to develop and improve the 4 key skills and build up their vocabulary and grammar. The following topics are covered over the two years:
- Town and directions
- Free Time
- Food
- Shopping
- Holidays
- Health
YEARS 10 & 11 (GCSE AQA)
Over these two years, pupils build on work they have learned in Years 7 - 9 as well as being introduced to new topics. They also develop further the 4 key skills. Pupils have 3 hours of teaching per week and small group sessions with our Spanish assistant. Topics they will cover are:
- Lifestyle
- Leisure
- Home and Local Environment
- Work and Education
In Years 10 and 11, pupils will complete pieces of controlled assessment in writing and speaking. Two of each will be submitted at the end of Year 11 and counts for 60% of the final examination. At the end of Year 11, pupils will sit a reading and listening examination worth 40%.
YEARS 12 & 13 (AS / A2 AQA)
In the Sixth Form, students will significantly improve their knowledge of the language and their ability to communicate in Spanish. Pupils will have 4 -5 hours of classroom teaching per week plus individual sessions with our Spanish assistant. In addition to lessons, pupils are expected to follow up their class work
AS Level topics:
- Media
- Popular Culture
- Healthy Living and Lifestyles
- Family and Relationships
A2 Level topics:
- The Environment
- The Multicultural Society
- Contemporary Social Issues
- Two Cultural Topics (e.g. A Spanish artist and Literature)
EXAMINATION RESULTS
Students of Spanish at Westholme are successful in their GCSE and A Level examinations and gain good results. Within the department we have a 100% pass rate at both GCSE and A Level standard.
Several students in recent years have gone on to read Modern Languages at prestigous universities. In 2011 emma Waterhouse was accepted at Emmanuel College, Cambridge to read Spanish and French.
TRIPS & EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
As a department we are committed to exposing pupils to the Spanish speaking world. Successful trips have been organized to Barcelona and there is an annual Summer water sports trip to the Costa Brava. Over the years Sixth Form students have successfully completed their work experience in Spain in the towns of Burgos, Santiago de Compostela and more recently Salamanca. Theatre and cinema visits are organized to allow pupils to see Hispanic films and plays. This year we have taken our Sixth Form groups to see theatre productions in Leeds and London, of plays by the Spanish dramatist Lorca which they are studying for their cultural topic. As a group, we often go to see Spanish films at the “Cornerhouse” cinema in Manchester.
Also, the department has taken pupils from Years 10 to Upper Sixth to Ewood Park, home of Blackburn Rovers Football Club, to take part in a “Spanish Media” Day. The girls thoroughly enjoyed the day where they had the opportunity to film a tour of the ground in Spanish and interview a Spanish speaking football player. They also learned how to edit all their footage from the day in the media suite.
In February, the department was lucky enough to have two actors from Valencia into school to perform a play in Spanish for pupils in Years 10 to 13. The play was called “Primera Cita” (First Date), and the girls found it a most enjoyable experience and were amazed at themselves at how much of the play they understood.
This year, some Year 7 pupils have been taking part in a National Spanish Spelling Bee competition and 3 girls made it to the North West Regional final held in Manchester. It was a very unique experience which has greatly benefited their learning and spelling of topic vocabulary.
Westholme's new Senior Boys' School from September 2012!
