Modern Languages- Spanish

Staff

Head of Department:
Mrs A Salt

Departmental Staff:
Mrs J Hay, Miss M Goan

Overview

In Grosvenor, our students study Spanish in Year 9 and choose to carry it on to Year 10. We continue to see strong numbers choosing to study the subject at both GCSE and A Level, reflecting the increasing importance of Spanish as one of the world’s most widely spoken languages.

Staff use a range of teaching methods to ensure that pupils have the confidence to communicate in oral and written form and the staff ensure that they are up to date with the latest pedagogy re language learning. There is a class set of iPads which enables pupils to work independently, to contribute fully to all activities and to tailor their learning.

Each class has a dedicated page on Google Classroom where they can upload assignments, access materials and ask for help if required. Similarly, the Spanish Department provides pupils with links to useful websites, study skills pages and display examples of pupil work on its dedicated website http://spanishingrosvenor.blogspot.com We also blog about trips to Spain and other news of interest to the department on the blog and there is a departmental Twitter account @spanishinggs

Visits to areas where Spanish is spoken and providing opportunities to speak Spanish are important to our department. At present students have the opportunity to participate in an educational visit to Spain thus practising their language skills at the same time as gaining useful insights into the customs and culture of Spain. Our A Level students participate in an annual Spanish immersion event to give them confidence ahead of their oral examinations.

Aims

Within the department the focus is upon encouraging pupil’s independent language skills within the classroom and providing opportunities for “real world” language learning.