MFL

Intent-Why do we teach what we teach? 

At Prince Rock Primary School, we believe that learning a foreign language provides valuable educational, social and cultural benefits. Spanish plays a key role in developing pupils’ speaking, listening and literacy skills, boosting self-confidence and supporting cross-curricular learning.

As an inner-city school with high levels of deprivation, we place strong emphasis on inclusion and cultural understanding. Language learning helps foster positive attitudes, build self-esteem and challenge prejudice. We are proud to hold the International School Award and maintain strong links with local secondary schools, receiving support from specialist language teachers.

Spanish was chosen as it is the fourth most widely spoken language in the world, with over 500 million speakers. It shares many similarities with English and other Latin-based languages, making it accessible and relevant. For pupils with English as an additional language, learning Spanish enhances language awareness and supports their development in both English and home languages.

Spanish lessons at Prince Rock are designed to be fun, inclusive and engaging. Pupils are encouraged to ‘have a go’ without fear of making mistakes. They explore phonics, stories, rhymes and the culture of Spanish-speaking countries. They also learn how language works and identify links between Spanish and English.

Our Primary Languages curriculum is aspirational and central to the LAT ‘We Wills’, providing all Key Stage 2 pupils with the opportunity to explore the languages and cultures of the world and understand their place within it.

Learning Spanish helps prepare pupils for future language study, introduces them to global cultures and supports cognitive development such as memory and problem-solving. The use of cognates (similar words in English and Spanish) aids learning, and bilingual pupils often find connections with their own languages, boosting confidence.

We are committed to making language learning a meaningful and valued part of school life.

Implementation - What do we teach and when?

At Prince Rock, we are proud to offer Spanish as part of our Key Stage Two curriculum, using the iLanguages scheme of work. This innovative programme supports teachers in developing confident and capable linguists through engaging, well-structured lessons that bring language learning to life.

iLanguages promotes active learning, independent thinking, and creativity—values that are deeply embedded in our school ethos. The scheme is designed to motivate pupils and foster a lifelong interest in language learning.

We have worked closely with a local secondary school to identify key topics that will best prepare our pupils for the transition to Year 7. As a result, we prioritise areas such as greetings, classroom instructions, and animals—topics that secondary colleagues have highlighted as particularly beneficial for learners starting their language journey in Key Stage 3.

Phonics is taught weekly to reinforce learning through retrieval practice, and key concepts are revisited regularly to ensure they are embedded. Spanish is delivered during PPA time in Years 3 to 5 by fluent Spanish speakers with strong subject knowledge. In Year 6, both classes are taught by a more fluent speaker to further support progression and accuracy.

Supporting Language Progression

We believe that progression in language learning is most effective when:

• Pupils have regular opportunities to practise key language and sentence structures;

• Vocabulary is continually expanded beyond the basics;

• The target language is clearly modelled by teachers;

• A positive learning environment encourages pupils to persevere with pronunciation, without fear of making mistakes;

• Links are made between English and Spanish to help pupils understand key grammatical concepts.

Our approach ensures that all pupils leave Key Stage Two with a strong foundation in Spanish and a positive attitude towards language learning.

Curriculum Impact - How children show what they know and remember more?

Children really enjoy their Spanish lessons at our school. They are becoming confident young linguists with a love for learning different languages. Our lessons equip them with the confidence and skills to hold basic conversations when visiting other countries and to adapt to the languages they may encounter in Key Stage 3.

Pupils record their learning in Spanish books, providing a clear record of their progress. They are also given regular opportunities to practise their speaking skills during lessons. Each session includes practice of Spanish phonemes to support accurate pronunciation. Retrieval quizzes are used to revisit content from previous lessons and earlier years, helping to strengthen long-term retention.

Assessment is carried out termly and focuses on vocabulary recall, translation, and speaking skills. This allows us to monitor progress and ensure that key learning is embedded.

Through these engaging lessons, we believe our pupils are not only developing as confident linguists but are also excited to use their language skills beyond the classroom and in real-world settings.

Assessment 

In Spanish lessons, we teach a range of new vocabulary each term. We give the children a cold assessment to see what they already know. We then complete an assessment at the end of the term to see how much knowledge the children have imbedded. We also assess how well the children pronounce the Spanish vocabulary by testing how well they can read sentences. 

Enrichment 

Languages Matrix 

Useful Links

www.rachelhawkes.com/ 

www.duolingo.com/

www.spanish-games.net/

www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/zxsvr82