The aim of the MFL department is to create confident and competent life-long language learners. We encourage students to apply their linguistic knowledge to understand and communicate confidently and effectively in a variety of situations. We work as a team to deliver stimulating, challenging and enjoyable lessons that are accessible to all students and which enable them to realise their full potential. We also aim to raise awareness of the richness and diversity of other cultures so that pupils encounter different ways of seeing the world, and develop an international outlook.
All boys in Key Stage 3 are entitled to study a modern foreign language, and we encourage boys to continue with either French or Spanish at GCSE level. In Year 9, Spanish students start studying topics covered in the GCSE specification. We aim to develop the practical skills involved in language learning: communication, team-working, inter-personal, problem-solving, and organisation.
At Isleworth & Syon School, we strongly believe that learning a language can be good fun. Furthermore, the ability to communicate in a foreign language is invaluable when applying for universities and jobs. Speaking a foreign language is a vital skill, as 75% of the world’s population does not speak English and 60% of Britain’s trade is with non-English speaking countries. British businesses lose millions every year because they cannot speak their customers’ languages, and universities value MFL qualifications very highly.
Each year, we aim to offer trips to Spain in order to enable our students to put the language skills they have learned into practice. We also have a range of extra-curricular activities for students to get involved in.
Summary
All boys at Isleworth & Syon learn either French or Spanish at KS3.
The MFL curriculum is fully differentiated to challenge and support students of all abilities. In Key Stage 3 Spanish, we use the ‘Viva’ textbooks, interactive electronic resources, games and songs to engage students in the language.
Curriculum Content
Year 7
Curriculum
In Year 7, students study the following topics in Spanish:
Autumn 1 – My life (Spanish pronunciation, your personality, your family and birthday)
Autumn 2 – My free time (hobbies, sports, the weather)
Spring 1 – My school (school subjects, the building, opinions)
Spring 2 – My family and my friends (physical descriptions, describing where you live)
Summer 1 – My city (describing your town, telling the time, ordering in a café)
Summer 2 – Revision for end of year test and cultural studies
Assessment
Each half-term students will complete either a speaking, listening, reading or writing assessment.
In the speaking assessment, students are asked questions in Spanish by their teacher based on a role-play and they should answer in the target language.
In the listening test, students complete exercises after listening to several extracts in the target language. In the reading test, students complete exercises on texts written in the foreign language, including authentic texts. Finally, students produce a piece of writing on the topic and translate short pieces of language into and out of English.
Progress & Preparation Activities (PPA)
Students will be required to complete PPA each week, with each task available to view on the Insight App.
Further Resources
The school has a subscription to The Day, an online news service for schools. Click the button to the right, in order to view activities and discussion points for Spanish.You can log in with the following details:
User: isleworthtw75lj
Pass: theday
Please see below for a number of resources to maximise students’ progress during their Year 7 curriculum.
Duolingo – free app that provides the user with a ‘coach’ who reminds them every day to practise their language skills. Helps with pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar.
YouTube – ideal to listen to Spanish music. This is useful to develop listening skills.
YouTube – search for Extr@. It is a soap made for language learners. There are around twenty episodes, which tell the story of people living in the same building. Really useful for listening skills and vocabulary enrichment.
Linguascope – ask the teacher for the password! Great tool to revise vocabulary.
Study Spanish – a good website to revise vocabulary and grammar.
Year 8
Curriculum
In Year 8 students study the following topics in Spanish:
Autumn 1 – Describing travel in the past and present (students describe past holidays and their holidays this year).
Autumn 2 – Describing events in the past, present and future (where you go and what you do in three different tenses)
Spring 1 – Technology, social events and the environment (how students use technology, their opinions of socialising and environmental issues)
Spring 2 – What you can, must, will and want to do at school (describing your school life)
Summer 1 – Family members and where people go and went (describing your family and what they and other people do)
Summer 2 – Revision for end of year test and cultural studies
Assessment
Each half-term students will complete either a speaking or a listening/reading/writing assessment.
In the speaking assessment students are asked questions in Spanish by their teacher based on a role-play and they should answer in the target language.
In the listening test, students complete exercises after listening to several extracts in the target language. In the reading test, students complete exercises on texts written in the foreign language, including authentic texts. Finally, students produce a piece of writing on the topic and translate short pieces of language into and out of English.
Progress & Preparation Activities (PPA)
Students will be required to complete PPA each week, with each task available to view on the Insight App.
Further Resources
The school has a subscription to The Day, an online news service for schools. Click the button to the right, in order to view activities and discussion points for Spanish. You can log in with the following details:
User: isleworthtw75lj
Pass: theday
Please see below for a number of resources to maximise students’ progress during their Year 8 curriculum.
Duolingo – free app that provides the user with a ‘coach’ who reminds them every day to practise their language skills. Helps with pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar.
YouTube – ideal to listen to Spanish music. This is useful to develop listening skills.
YouTube – search for Extr@. It is a soap made for language learners. There are around twenty episodes, which tell the story of people living in the same building. Really useful for listening skills and vocabulary enrichment.
Linguascope – ask the teacher for the password! Great tool to revise vocabulary.
Study Spanish – a good website to revise vocabulary and grammar.
Year 9
In Year 9, students start studying the topics covered in the GCSE specification. The topics are as follows:
Autumn 1 – Holidays (students describe their holidays in at least three tenses and revise the formation of present tense verbs).
Autumn 2 – School (students give their opinions about school and discuss their plans for their studies)
Spring 1 – Family and home life (students learn how to talk about social media and their relationships with their families).
Spring 2 – Free-time activities (students describe their leisure activities and discuss different types of entertainment).
Summer 1 – Towns (students talk about places in a town or city and describe the features of a region).
Summer 2 – Revision for end of year test and cultural studies
Assessment
Each half-term students will complete either a speaking or a listening/reading/writing assessment.
In the speaking assessment students are asked questions in Spanish by their teacher based on a role-play and they should answer in the target language.
In the listening test, students complete exercises after listening to several extracts in the target language. In the reading test, students complete exercises on texts written in the foreign language, including authentic texts. Finally, students produce a piece of writing on the topic and translate short pieces of language into and out of English.
Progress & Preparation Activities (PPA)
Students will be required to complete PPA each week, with each task available to view on the Insight App.
Further Resources
The school has a subscription to The Day, an online news service for schools. Click the button to the right, in order to view activities and discussion points for Spanish. You can log in with the following details:
User: isleworthtw75lj
Pass: theday
Please see below for a number of resources to maximise students’ progress during their Year 9 curriculum.
Duolingo – free app that provides the user with a ‘coach’ who reminds them every day to practise their language skills. Helps with pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar.
YouTube – ideal to listen to Spanish music. This is useful to develop listening skills.
YouTube – search for Extr@. It is a soap made for language learners. There are around twenty episodes, which tell the story of people living in the same building. Really useful for listening skills and vocabulary enrichment.
Linguascope – ask the teacher for the password! Great tool to revise vocabulary.
Study Spanish – a good website to revise vocabulary and grammar.
Summary
Students at Isleworth & Syon can choose to carry on studying Spanish at GCSE level. In GCSE Spanish, we use the ‘Viva’ textbook and electronic, interactive resources alongside our own bank of games.
GCSE Spanish
The Edexcel GCSE specification covers the following themes over the two years. Students have already covered 5 modules in Year 9 and will carry on in Y10 and Y11.
Who am I? (relationships; when I was younger; what my family and friends are like; what makes a good friend; interests; socialising with friends and family; role models)
Daily life (customs and everyday life; food and drink; shopping; social media and technology)
Cultural life (celebrations and festivals; reading; music; sports; film and television)
Theme 2: Local area, Holiday and Travel
Holidays (preferences; experiences; destinations)
Travel and tourist transactions (travel and accommodation; asking for help and dealing with problems; directions; eating out; shopping)
Town, region and country (weather; places to see; things to do)
Theme 3: School
What school is like (school types; school day; subjects; rules pressure; celebrating success)
School activities (school trips; events and exchanges)
Theme 4: Future aspirations, study and work
Using languages beyond the classroom (forming relationships; travel; employment)
Ambitions (further study; volunteering; training)
Work (jobs; careers and professions)
Theme 5: International and global dimension
Bringing the world together (sports events; music events; campaigns and good causes)
Environmental issues (being “green”; access to natural resources)
Assessment
Students are assessed by a terminal examination at the end of Year 11. There is no coursework in this GCSE course. Students will be given mock examinations on a regular basis and will be assessed in at least one of the MFL skills (listening, speaking, reading, writing) each half-term.
The examinations are as follows:
Paper 1 – Listening
Listening examination – 35 minutes including 5 minutes reading time (foundation tier) / 45 minutes including 5 minutes reading time (higher tier) – 25% of GCSE grade
Paper 2 – Speaking
Speaking examination – 7-9 minutes plus 12 minutes preparation time (foundation tier) / 10-12 minutes plus 12 minutes preparation time (higher tier) – 25% of GCSE grade
Paper 3 – Reading
Reading examination including translation of Spanish to English – 45 minutes (foundation tier) / 1 hour (higher tier) – 25% of GCSE grade
Paper 4 – Writing
Writing examination including translation of English to Spanish – 1 hour 10 minutes (foundation tier) / 1 hour 20 minutes (higher tier) – 25% of GCSE grade
Further Resources
The school has a subscription to The Day, an online news service for schools. Click the button to the right, in order to view activities and discussion points for Spanish. You can log in with the following details:
User: isleworthtw75lj
Pass: theday
Please see below for a number of resources to maximise students’ progress during their Year 10 curriculum.
Spanish Language – excellent resource with regards to the cultural aspect of the curriculum, as well as revising grammar.
Vocab Express – essential for learning core vocabulary (teachers will give students a login).
Duolingo – free app that provides the user with a ‘coach’ who reminds them every day to practise their language skills. Helps with pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar.
YouTube – ideal to listen to Spanish music. This is useful to develop listening skills.
YouTube – search for Extr@. It is a soap made for language learners. There are around twenty episodes, which tell the story of people living in the same building. Really useful for listening skills and vocabulary enrichment.
Linguascope – ask the teacher for the password! Great tool to revise vocabulary.
BBC Bitesize – a good way to practise listening skills.
Summary
The A level Spanish course is aimed at good linguists who have a real interest in Spain and Spanish culture. The course is based on current issues and debate and also includes cultural topics.
A level Spanish
Specification Code: 9PS0 Level: A level Examination Board: Edexcel
Curriculum
Theme 1: The evolution of Spanish society
Theme 2: Political and artistic culture in the Spanish-speaking world
Theme 3: Immigration and the Spanish multicultural society
Theme 4: The Franco dictatorship and the transition to democracy
Assessment
Students will be assessed in the four skills (speaking, listening, reading, writing) each term.
Further Resources
The school has a subscription to The Day, an online news service for schools. Click the button to the right, in order to view activities and discussion points for Spanish.
You can log in with the following details:
User: isleworthtw75lj
Pass: theday
We organise a number of activities for our students. These include:
Cine-club – once a week at lunchtime.
British Film Institute trip to study Spanish cinemas
We will also be offering a trip to Spain. These visits represent a great opportunity to develop cultural awareness of Spain, develop confidence and fluency in the language, and increase student motivation.
As well as Spanish dictionaries, students use bespoke textbooks personalised to their learning journey.
