"To have another language is to possess a second soul" - Charlemagne
Modern Foreign Languages (Spanish) Lead – Miss Hayley Martyn
At Berrycoombe School, our Spanish curriculum is designed to ensure all pupils can succeed, developing confidence, enjoyment and practical communication skills in a modern foreign language.
We intend for pupils to:
- develop secure foundations in Spanish, enabling a smooth transition to KS3
- build long‑term retention of vocabulary and structures
- gain confidence in listening, speaking, reading and writing
- develop curiosity about other cultures, countries and ways of life
- feel safe, motivated and positive about language learning
Our curriculum is ambitious but inclusive, ensuring all pupils make progress through carefully sequenced learning.
Curriculum Structure:
Spanish is taught through a clearly sequenced content roadmap from Year 3 to Year 6, with each year building directly on prior learning.
The roadmap sets out:
- what is taught
- when it is taught
- how knowledge and skills develop over time
Phonics and pronunciation are taught explicitly at the start of each year and revisited regularly to support accurate speaking and listening.
What Learning Looks Like:
Lessons focus on:
- high‑frequency vocabulary
- everyday language structures
- practical communication
Pupils learn through:
- repetition and recall
- songs, games and role‑play
- short reading and writing tasks
- supported sentence building
Grammar is introduced naturally and progressively, helping pupils understand how the language works without overwhelming them.
Progression Across the Key Stage:
Year 3 – Foundations
Pupils begin their Spanish journey by:
- learning greetings, numbers, colours and animals
- asking and answering simple questions (name, feelings)
- understanding basic sentence structures such as “soy” and “sé / no sé”
- recognising that Spanish grammar works differently from English
This year builds confidence, pronunciation and basic sentence awareness.
Year 4 – Extending Language
Pupils extend their learning by:
- talking about themselves and their family
- asking questions about age, where people live and nationality
- using possessive language (e.g. “my family”)
- developing role‑play skills through café dialogues
- increasing accuracy with numbers and agreement
Language becomes more descriptive and purposeful.
Year 5 – Applying Language
Pupils apply their knowledge to real‑life contexts by:
- saying dates and birthdays
- describing clothes using colour and conjunctions
- talking about the weather and locations
- presenting short spoken pieces such as a weather forecast
Pupils begin to combine ideas into longer, more confident sentences.
Year 6 – Using Language Independently
Pupils consolidate and extend learning by:
- expressing opinions about school subjects
- telling the time and using it in context
- describing weekend activities with detail
- learning about Spanish‑speaking countries and global festivals
- exploring themes of identity, equality and care for the planet
By the end of Year 6, pupils can communicate ideas clearly and confidently using familiar language.
Assessment:
Assessment is:
- light‑touch and ongoing
- focused on listening, speaking, reading and writing
- used to inform repetition, support and challenge
Progress is monitored to ensure all pupils are moving forward, with support in place when needed.