Spanish

Spanish is a language that opens up the world, for the job market, for higher education and for travel. It is a very popular language which is fun to learn. At Hendon Spanish is delivered through a variety of activities and resources which are planned effectively to cater for all needs in the classroom. More than 500 million people speak Spanish and it is the third most widely learned foreign language after English and French. As the UK leaves the European Union, knowledge of Spanish will be increasingly useful for careers in business and more and more sought after by employers.

They receive homework at least once a week (this could be in the form of vocabulary learning or writing tasks). Lessons focus on the four key skills of listening, reading, speaking and writing but also include lots of games, songs and challenges. To develop children’s cultural knowledge, teachers use authentic materials for example video clips, films, maps etc.  Below is a summary of the content covered in each half term. For more information and resources, please visit the Spanish pages on FROG.

At KS3, students have 3 lessons per fortnight in year 7 and 4 lessons per fortnight in year 8. By the end of year 8, students will have chosen the language they wish to continue studying at GCSE which they will start in Year 9. They cover the topics listed below. 

Outside the classroom

In previous years we have offered a Spanish exchange programme to Madrid for pupils studying Spanish in years 10, 12 and 13. We are looking to run trips to Spain in the near future to give our students the opportunity to experience at first hand Spanish life and enhance their cultural awareness, as well as to practice their language skills with the locals!

Progression pathways and careers

At Hendon students are able to study Spanish all the way through school to A-level standard.
Learning a language opens up to a world of careers. Students can continue learning the language at university for careers such as interpreting and translation. However, with increased globalisation in most lines of work, knowledge of a second language is certainly an asset. Spanish is useful for those considering a career in travel and tourism, business, finance and the media. It also would be beneficial for any career that involves travelling to Spain or South America.

Useful links

Memrise.com – for vocabulary building at key stages
BBC.com – for topic vocab and self-testing
Conjuguemos.com – for grammar and vocab practice

Contact

Ian Sanz Hurst - Head of Spanish sanzhursti@hendonschool.co.uk