Mayfield Grammar School, Gravesend
Spanish
Key Stage 3 (Years 7–9)
Year 7
Students begin their study of Spanish through the Oak National Academy curriculum, developing a strong foundation in pronunciation, grammar, and essential vocabulary. They learn to communicate about themselves and their world—greetings, family, pets, school, and hobbies—while developing their listening and reading skills through short, authentic texts. Students begin to construct accurate sentences in the present tense, use regular and some irregular verbs, and express simple opinions. Cultural understanding is woven through each unit, introducing students to life and traditions across the Spanish-speaking world. By the end of Year 7, learners can understand and produce short paragraphs in Spanish with increasing accuracy and confidence, expressing themselves in simple terms both orally and in writing.
Year 8
Building on their prior knowledge, students continue to follow the Oak Academy course, broadening their vocabulary and grammatical control. They learn to narrate in the preterite tense, enabling them to talk about past events and experiences, while consolidating their understanding of the present and near future tenses. Topics include daily life, holidays, technology, and the local area. Students learn to use reflexive verbs, comparatives, and connectives to express themselves more fluently and coherently. They begin short translation and extended writing tasks, applying grammatical knowledge to new contexts. By the end of Year 8, learners can communicate clearly about past, present, and future events, and understand a wider range of spoken and written material, establishing a secure bridge to GCSE study.
Year 9
In the final year of Key Stage 3, students consolidate and extend their grammatical and cultural knowledge through Oak Academy resources, preparing for the demands of GCSE. They apply their understanding of the preterite, imperfect, and near future tenses in varied topics such as food and drink, health and lifestyle, and global issues. Students are encouraged to write and speak in extended, connected paragraphs, expressing detailed opinions with reasons and evidence. Listening and reading comprehension tasks draw increasingly on authentic Spanish sources, helping students decode meaning from context. By the end of Year 9, learners can manipulate a range of tenses confidently, use a broad vocabulary base, and demonstrate strong grammatical awareness. They are well-prepared to begin the GCSE course with confidence and independence.
Key Stage 4 (Years 10–11)
Year 10
Students begin the Edexcel GCSE (9–1) course using the Pearson Edexcel GCSE Higher textbook. The course revisits and extends the language and grammar learned at Key Stage 3, deepening understanding of key topics such as school life, personal relationships, leisure, holidays, and local area. Learners practise responding to picture prompts, role plays, and general conversation questions, while developing written communication through structured, multi-paragraph tasks. They learn to express complex opinions, use sequencing phrases, and combine multiple tenses accurately. By the end of Year 10, students can use past, present, future, and conditional tenses confidently in spoken and written Spanish, justify viewpoints effectively, and engage in increasingly spontaneous conversation on familiar themes.
Year 11
In their final GCSE year, students consolidate their learning across all five Edexcel themes: identity and culture, local area and travel, school, future aspirations and work, and international and global issues. They refine their exam technique across all four skills—listening, reading, writing, and speaking—while practising authentic translation and comprehension tasks. Students gain confidence in structuring essays, using linking devices and idiomatic expressions to produce natural and accurate Spanish. Cultural awareness is deepened through exploration of festivals, traditions, and social issues in the Spanish-speaking world. By the end of the course, learners have the linguistic knowledge and cultural understanding to achieve success in their GCSE exams and to progress to A Level Spanish.
Key Stage 5 (Years 12–13)
Year 12
Students begin the Edexcel A Level Spanish course, which develops advanced linguistic and analytical skills while deepening understanding of contemporary Spanish-speaking society. Year 12 topics include:
– Family structures and changing relationships
– Youth trends, personal identity, and popular culture
– Education and employment opportunities
– Regional culture and heritage, media, art, film, and music
Grammatical accuracy and sophistication are strengthened through systematic review and application of advanced structures. Students study the film Volver by Pedro Almodóvar, analysing its cinematic techniques, themes of gender and family, and its reflection of modern Spanish society. By the end of Year 12, students can discuss complex ideas in fluent Spanish, write extended analytical essays, and express justified viewpoints on cultural and social issues.
Year 13
In Year 13, learners explore historical and sociopolitical dimensions of the Spanish-speaking world through topics such as:
– Migration, integration, and cultural identity
– Discrimination, diversity, and social change
– The Two Spains: 1936 onwards — the Civil War, Franco’s dictatorship, and Spain’s transition to democracy
Students study the novel Como agua para chocolate by Laura Esquivel, examining its narrative techniques, symbolism, and portrayal of love, gender, and tradition within its revolutionary context. By the end of Year 13, learners are equipped to analyse literary and cinematic texts with sophistication and to communicate ideas with accuracy and insight across all four A Level components—listening, reading, writing, and speaking.
Enrichment Opportunities
Students benefit from a wealth of enrichment opportunities which allow learners to develop their disciplinary knowledge, academic literacy, and cultural capital. Mayfield students are encouraged to extend their interest in Spanish by taking part in the following activities and events:
– Trip to the BFI for a foreign film workshop
– Speaking lessons with Modern Language Assistant
– Spanish Club for Years 7–9
– Spanish Support Club for Years 10–11
– Spelling Bee
– Anthea Bell Translation Prize