Students study Spanish from Year 7 and can choose to continue with it in Year 8 and beyond.
YEARS 7-9 (LOWER SENIORS)
In Years 7 and 8 we follow the ‘Viva’ textbook. This provides a great introduction to the language in accessible topic areas but with a core grammatical context. Topics include family, school, town, food and clothes. In Year 9, students begin the Edexcel GCSE course and follow the Pearson Viva Foundation course. Over the year, we cover core grammatical structures and introduce strategies which promote a higher level of learning, thinking and use of language.
YEARS 10-11 (GCSE)
Examination Board: Edexcel
In Year 10, we move from the Foundation to the Higher Viva course and in lessons we work on the four key skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing. The topics covered are:
School
Identity and culture
Local area, holiday and travel
Future aspirations, study and work
International and global dimension
Students have three lessons per week alongside sessions with the foreign language assistant. In lessons, students learn a broad range of vocabulary, structures and tenses to allow them to express themselves confidently in both spoken and written form whilst being able to understand the language too. They also work on the different skills required for the GCSE which is all exam-based. The GCSE is divided into four exams which are all weighted at 25%.
OTHER INFORMATION
The Spanish department is lucky enough to have a Spanish native speaker who each year offers small group and one-to-one lessons with our students to help improve speaking and listening skills and to offer a unique perspective into Spanish language and culture.
In the Spanish department we count ourselves very lucky to have such motivated staff with a real passion for our subject. As a result of this, we try to incorporate lots of ‘Hispanic’ experiences. See below for a list of exciting happenings that our department organises each year:
European Day of Languages -a day when the Languages Department can ‘take over’ Westholme!
Y10 & 11 Tapas trip to a Spanish restaurant, where only spoken Spanish is allowed if they want to taste the delights of Spanish cuisine!
The Onatti Theatre Company –we often get a visit from native actors who never fail to amuse all Spanish students at Westholme!
And who could forget… our trips abroad!…
SPAIN…a few days in the sun in Year 9 or 10, soaking up the culture and absorbing the language in the best possible way!
Sixth Form work experience in Spain which is offered through Halsbury Travel. We believe that by instilling a passion for the subject in our teaching, in turn this passion will be passed on to our students.
¡Esperamos que os veamos pronto!