Spanish
“Knowledge of languages is the doorway to wisdom ".
Roger Bacon
Languages Vision
The Languages department at the Malling School believe that the purpose of education is to open doors, broaden pupils’ horizons and deepen their understanding of the world. Learning languages is central to this mission as it empowers young people to connect with others, appreciate different cultures, and become confident, informed global citizens.
In Spanish, our curriculum nurtures curiosity about the wider world and gives students the tools and courage to initiate and take part in not only transactional conversations but also dialogue that allows them to express their thoughts and opinion. By learning another language, pupils develop not only the ability to speak, read, write and understand authentic communication, but also resilience, empathy, and a deeper awareness of how language itself works. These skills strengthen learning across all subjects and support our school vision of fostering caring, determined and reflective learners.
Our curriculum prioritises:
- High-frequency vocabulary that enables real communication.
- Core grammar structures that unlock independent expression.
- Phonics and pronunciation to build confidence and accuracy in speaking and listening.
- Cultural knowledge that widens perspectives and encourages respect and curiosity.
- Retrieval and mastery of key language so pupils can use it flexibly and fluently.
We build this knowledge progressively from KS3 to KS4, giving students repeated opportunities to practise and apply what they learn in meaningful, motivating ways. We ensure the skills of listening, reading, writing and speaking are consistently covered in our schemes of work. Pupils encounter rich, authentic texts and spoken language so they can see how Spanish is used in real life and understand the value of what they are learning.
Ultimately, our languages curriculum aims to inspire students to communicate with confidence, embrace other cultures and believe that the world is accessible to them. We want every learner to leave our school knowing that learning languages expands their future choices, enriches their personal identity, and strengthens their ability to play an active, positive role in a diverse and interconnected world.
YEAR GROUPS
Year 7 - KS3
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Term One |
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Mi vida: |
| WHY? |
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Students will be getting used to Spanish Pronunciation Introducing themselves, talking about their personality using adjectives and definite articles. Also learning about verb endings. ¿Tienes hermanos? Talking about age, brothers and sisters using the verb ‘tener’, saying when their birthday is, using months and numbers. |
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Curriculum Booklet Knowledge Organiser Pearson Active Learn |
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Term Two |
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Using numbers and the alphabet and talking about their pets making adjectives agree with nouns. |
| WHY? |
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| ¿Cómo soy? Writing a text for a time capsule adding variety to their writing developing writing skills – high-frequency words, the indefinite and definite articles and regular verbs ‘hablar, vivir’ in the present tense. |
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Curriculum Booklet Knowledge Organiser Pearson Active Learn |
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Term Three |
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Mi tiempo libre |
| WHY? |
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| Students will say what they like to do giving opinions using me gusta + infinitive, and what they do in their spare time using -ar verbs in the present tense. Also using expressions of frequency ‘todos los días, a veces, nunca, de vez en cuando’ |
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Curriculum Booklet Knowledge Organiser Pearson Active Learn |
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Term Four |
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¿Qué te gusta hacer? |
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Students will practise saying what they like to do, giving opinions. ¿Cantas karaoke? Saying what they do in their spare time using -ar verbs in the present tense. Starting ¿Qué haces cuando llueve? Talking about the weather using ‘cuando’ (when). |
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Curriculum Booklet Knowledge Organiser Pearson Active Learn |
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Term Five |
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¿Qué deportes haces? |
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Saying what sports they do using ‘hacer’ (to do) and ‘jugar’ (to play). Also ¿Qué haces en tu tiempo libre? Students will read about different hobbies, understanding more challenging texts and taking part in a longer conversation using question words using question words – making sentences more interesting. |
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Curriculum Booklet Knowledge Organiser Pearson Active Learn |
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Term Six |
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El festival de cometas |
| WHY? |
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| More practice on saying what sports they do using irregular verbs ‘hacer’ (to do) and ‘jugar’ (to play) and end of Year Movie Project to promote colloquial language and cultural awareness. |
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Curriculum Booklet Knowledge Organiser Pearson Active Learn |
Year 8 - KS3
| TERM |
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Term One |
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Mi insti: ¿Qué estudias? |
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Students will learn to say what subjects they study using -ar verb. ¿Te gustan las ciencias? They Will learn to give opinions about school subjects and ¿Qué hay en tu insti? Describing thei school using the words for ‘a’, ‘some’ and ‘the’. |
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Curriculum Booklet Knowledge Organiser Pearson Active Learn |
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Term Two |
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Durante el recreo |
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Talking about break time using -er and -ir verbs ¿ Te gusta tu insti? Also ¿ Cómo es tu insti? Writing a longer text about your school. |
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Curriculum Booklet Knowledge Organiser Pearson Active Learn |
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Term Three |
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Repaso |
| WHY? |
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| Revising exam questions and linguistic skills with main opinion verbs ‘me gusta/me gustan, me encanta/me encantan’, and the use of Adjectives. Practising the definite and indefinite articles and the present tense verbs (regular -ar, -er and -ir verbs). |
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Curriculum Booklet Knowledge Organiser Pearson Active Learn |
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Term Four |
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Mi familia y mis amigos |
| WHY? |
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| Describing their family using possessive adjectives and ¿De qué color tienes los ojos? Describing their hair and eye colour using the verbs ‘ser’ and ‘tener’. |
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Curriculum Booklet Knowledge Organiser Pearson Active Learn |
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Term Five |
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¿ Cómo es tu casa o tu piso? |
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| Describing where they live using the verb ‘estar’ (to be). Rich Text: ‘El carnaval en familia’ Reading about the carnival in Cadiz: Looking up new Spanish words in a dictionary. Using adjectives, also the near future tense and using sequencers. |
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Curriculum Booklet Knowledge Organiser Peason Active Learn |
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Term Six |
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Mi ciudad: ¿Qué hay en tu ciudad? |
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| Describing their town or village using ‘a’, ‘some’ and ‘many’ in Spanish ¿Qué haces en la ciudad? Telling the time and using the verb ‘ir’ (to go). End of Year Movie Project to promote colloquial language and cultural awareness. |
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Curriculum Booklet Knowledge Organiser Pearson Active Learn |
Year 9 - KS3
| TERM |
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Term One |
| TOPIC |
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¡Desconéctate! ¿Cómo prefieres pasar las vacaciones? |
| WHY? |
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| Students will learn to discuss holiday activities and talking about the weather, while revising the present tense of regular and some irregular verbs, as well as verbs of opinion. Also they will be talking about a past holiday using the preterit tense. |
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Curriculum Booklet Knowledge Organiser Pearson Active Learn |
| TERM |
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Term Two |
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¡Destino Barcelona! and ¿ Adónde fuiste? |
| WHY? |
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| Describing a trip using two past tenses with opinions, booking accommodation and dealing with problems using verbs with ‘Usted’ and giving an account of a holiday in the past. |
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Curriculum Booklet Knowledge Organiser Pearson Active Learn |
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Term Three |
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Travel and tourism. |
| WHY? |
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| Exam reading and listening practice, as well as speaking and writing skills. Students will revise all previously taught topics while improving their grammar and exam practice. |
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Curriculum Booklet Knowledge Organiser Pearson Active Learn |
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Term Four |
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“Quisiera reservar…” |
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Booking accommodation and dealing with problems, using verbs with usted. Also “Mis vacaciones desastrosas” giving an account of a holiday in the past and using three tenses together. Identifying positive and negative opinions. |
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Curriculum Booklet Knowledge Organiser Pearson Active Learn |
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Term Five |
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Leer y escuchar. |
| WHY? |
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| Students will practice Exam reading and listening skills, as well as reading and some speaking practice. |
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Curriculum Booklet Knowledge Organiser Pearson Active Learn |
| TERM |
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Term Six |
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Prueba escrita. |
| WHY? |
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| More exam writing practice, and “Te toca a ti” when students will self-access reading and writing activities. End of Year Movie Project to promote colloquial language and cultural awareness. |
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Curriculum Booklet Knowledge Organiser Pearson Active Learn |
Year 10 - KS4 - EXAM BOARD AQA
| TOPIC |
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Mi gente |
| WHY? |
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| Talking about socialising and family, describing people using adjectival agreement and talking about social networks using para with infinitives. |
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Curriculum Booklet Knowledge Organiser Pearson Active Learn |
| TOPIC |
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¿Qué estás haciendo? |
| WHY? | |
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| RESOURCES |
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Curriculum Booklet Knowledge Organiser Pearson Active Learn |
| TOPIC |
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Intereses e influencias |
| WHY? |
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| Talking about sports using the imperfect tense. Talking about what’s trending using the perfect tense and talking about what’s trending using the perfect tense. |
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Curriculum Booklet Knowledge Organiser Pearson Active Learn |
| TOPIC |
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Modelos a seguir |
| WHY? |
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| Talking about who inspires them using the he/she form of the perfect tense. Ciudades: Talking about the places in a town or city, shops and describing the features of a region using se puede and se. |
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Curriculum Booklet Knowledge Organiser Pearson Active Learn |
| TOPIC |
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¿Qué harás mañana? |
| WHY? | |
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| RESOURCES |
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Curriculum Booklet Knowledge Organiser Pearson Active Learn |
| TOPIC |
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Recap and Exam Practice for the following GCSE Themes |
| WHY? |
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| Theme 1, Topic 1: Me, my family and friends; Topic 3: Free time activities. Theme 2, Topic 1: Home, town, neighbourhood and region; and Topic 4: Travel and tourism. End of Year Movie Project to promote colloquial language and cultural awareness. |
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Curriculum Booklet Knowledge Organiser Pearson Active Learn |
Year 11 - KS4 - EXAM BOARD AQA
| TOPIC |
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De costumbre |
| WHY? |
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| Describing mealtimes and talking about daily routine, illnesses and injuries. Talking about typical foods. Also comparing different Festivals and Describing a special day using reflexive verbs in the Preterite Tense. |
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Curriculum Booklet Knowledge Organiser Pearson Active Learn Recommended Revision Guide: Collins AQA GCSE 9-1 French with Audio ISBN: 9780008166304 |
| TOPIC |
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¡A comer! |
| WHY? |
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| Ordering in a restaurant using estar and adjectives ending in –ísimo (Using absolute Superlatives for H Tier). Talking about a music festival. ¡A currar! Talking about different jobs, how you earn money and work experience. |
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Curriculum Booklet Knowledge Organiser Pearson Active Learn Recommended Revision Guide: Collins AQA GCSE 9-1 French with Audio ISBN: 9780008166304 |
| TOPIC |
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¿Por qué aprender idiomas? |
| WHY? |
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| Talking about languages and travel, students will be able to apply for a summer job and discuss their plans for the future. Also, start talking about the environment. |
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Curriculum Booklet Knowledge Organiser Pearson Active Learn Recommended Revision Guide: Collins AQA GCSE 9-1 French with Audio ISBN: 9780008166304 |
| TOPIC |
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Hacia un mundo major |
| WHY? |
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| Talking about healthy eating, considering global issues, talking about local actions, discussing healthy lifestyles and international sporting events. |
| RESOURCES |
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Curriculum Booklet Knowledge Organiser Pearson Active Learn Recommended Revision Guide: Collins AQA GCSE 9-1 French with Audio ISBN: 9780008166304 |
| TOPIC |
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Revisions and Exam Practice for all 3 GCSE Themes. |
| WHY? |
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| Revision |
| RESOURCES |
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Curriculum Booklet Knowledge Organiser Pearson Active Learn Recommended Revision Guide: Collins AQA GCSE 9-1 French with Audio ISBN: 9780008166304 |