Spanish Curriculum Overview
Curriculum Intent
At Chingford Foundation School, the study of Spanish opens doors to new cultures, perspectives and opportunities. Through our Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) curriculum, students become confident communicators, deep thinkers and globally minded citizens.
Spanish provides an opening to other cultures, encouraging tolerance, empathy and mutual respect. We aim to deepen students’ curiosity about the world and give them the linguistic tools to express themselves, understand others and make connections across cultures.
By learning Spanish, students gain the confidence to communicate beyond their immediate environment, to appreciate cultural diversity, and to see themselves as citizens of a global community.
The Spanish curriculum reflects the school’s four pillars:
Knowledge – Students develop a strong grasp of grammar, vocabulary and linguistic structures, allowing them to read, write, speak and listen with accuracy and confidence.
Independence – Students learn strategies for decoding unfamiliar language and expressing ideas spontaneously, helping them to become resilient, self-directed learners.
Empowerment – Communication in another language empowers students to explore new places, careers and cultures, preparing them for life in an interconnected world.
Inclusion – Lessons celebrate the diversity of Spanish-speaking countries across Europe and Latin America, ensuring every learner feels represented, valued and inspired.
Key Stage 3 (Years 7–9)
At KS3, students build the foundations of confident communication through a balance of reading, writing, listening and speaking. They learn to describe people, places, interests and routines, while developing an understanding of key grammatical patterns and pronunciation.
Each year builds on prior knowledge through revisited themes and growing grammatical complexity.
Year 7
- Mi vida (My Life): Personal information, family, pets, numbers and the alphabet.
- Mi tiempo libre (My Free Time): Leisure activities, sports, expressing opinions and describing the weather.
- Mi insti (My School): Describing school subjects, teachers and the school day.
- Mi familia y mis amigos (My Family and Friends): Describing family, friends, homes and celebrations.
- Mi ciudad (My City): Describing where you live, ordering food, telling the time and planning outings.
Year 8
- Mis vacaciones (My Holidays): Past tense, describing holiday experiences, accommodation and food.
- Todo sobre mi vida (All About My Life): Hobbies, technology use and media preferences.
- A comer (Let’s Eat): Expressing opinions about food, mealtimes and planning a Mexican party.
- ¿Qué hacemos? (What Shall We Do?): Invitations, clothes, telling the time and making plans.
- Operación verano (Operation Summer): Describing travel, accommodation and holiday activities using three tenses.
Year 9
- ¡Diviértete! (Have Fun!): Hobbies, sports, technology use and risks online.
- Viajes (Travel): Talking about past holidays using multiple tenses.
- Mi gente, mi mundo (My People, My World): Describing relationships, family life and values.
By the end of KS3, students can communicate using three time frames (past, present and future), use key grammatical structures accurately and express personal opinions with confidence. They are well prepared for the challenges of GCSE Spanish.
Key Stage 4 (GCSE Spanish – AQA, New Specification from 2026)
At GCSE, students develop the ability to understand and communicate confidently in Spanish across three broad themes:
- Theme 1: People and Lifestyle - Identity and relationships with others, healthy living and lifestyle, education and work
- Theme 2: Popular Culture - Free-time activities, customs, festivals and celebrations, celebrity culture
- Theme 3: Communication and the World Around Us - Travel and tourism, including places of interest, media and technology, the environment and where people live
Students continue to refine their grammar, expand their vocabulary and learn to use a range of tenses fluently.
Topics include:
- Módulo 1 — ¡Diviértete! Covers digital life, sports and free-time activities; arranging to meet, making plans (near future), and talking about past weekends/“a terrible day” (preterite).
- Módulo 2 — Viajes Travel and tourism vocabulary: booking and planning trips, describing holidays, festivals in the Spanish-speaking world, and saying what you did on holiday.
- Módulo 3 — Mi gente, mi mundo Family, friends and relationships plus attitudes to the wider world (online habits/risks, cultural awareness) — builds description language and reflexive/relationship structures.
- Módulo 4 — Mi estilo de vida Healthy living, daily routines, food and customs, plus opinions and comparisons — practices present / past / modal structures for lifestyle talk.
- Módulo 5 — ¡A clase! School and education: subjects, school life, rules, exchange/extra-curricular activities and describing studies and achievements.
- Módulo 6 — Mi barrio y yo Home, town and neighbourhood: describing where you live, shopping, transport and local facilities; giving directions and comparing places.
- Módulo 7 — Un mundo de esperanza para todos Global and social issues: environment, charity/social action, health and community projects — using higher structures to discuss causes and solutions.
- Módulo 8 — El futuro te espera Future plans, work and careers: jobs, money, work experience, ambitions, further study and applying future tenses / conditionals where appropriate.
Assessment Overview:
Students are assessed equally across the four language skills:
- Listening (25%)
- Speaking (25%)
- Reading (25%)
- Writing (25%)
Examinations include tasks such as translating, role-plays, reading authentic texts and writing in a variety of registers.
By the end of KS4, students can communicate confidently and accurately in Spanish, express opinions on complex topics and understand the cultural richness of the Spanish-speaking world.
Key Stage 5 (A Level Spanish – AQA)
At A Level, students explore language, literature, film and culture in greater depth, developing fluency, spontaneity and sophistication in their use of Spanish.
Core Areas of Study:
- Social issues and trends – family, youth culture, multiculturalism and equal rights.
- Political and artistic culture – music, media, regional identity, and artistic heritage.
- Grammar mastery – complex tenses, idiomatic expressions and advanced structures.
- Film and Literature – detailed analysis of a Spanish-language film and novel.
- Individual Research Project (IRP) – an independent study on a topic of personal interest related to the Spanish-speaking world.
Students also discuss current affairs and global issues entirely in Spanish, preparing for university, international careers and lifelong cultural appreciation.
Links to Other Areas of Study
Spanish links naturally to subjects such as Geography, History, Art, Food Technology and Business, providing cultural and contextual depth. Students explore the global connections between language, trade, tourism and culture.
Studying a language also strengthens literacy, memory and problem-solving skills — invaluable for all future academic and professional paths.
