Modern Foreign Languages
We are passionate about the value of learning a language for students of all backgrounds and abilities. We believe that knowing more than one language opens doors to a wealth of opportunities both in our community and abroad.
We are proud that Spanish is studied by all students at GCSE, and that learners of all abilities and backgrounds achieve highly. GCSE results have improved year on year and in 2026, 89% of our students achieved a grade 4 (old grade C) or higher, significantly exceeding the national average. At A Level, over the past four years, 100% of students have achieved grades A*-C.
Year 7, 8 and 9 students
All students study Spanish. In year 7, students either build upon the knowledge they gained in primary or start from beginners if they have yet to study Spanish.
Our curriculum is knowledge-rich and interleaved in order for students to build strong connections between topics, maximising their progress. Teaching focuses on developing the breadth and depth of students’ competence in listening, speaking, reading and writing, based on a solid foundation of core phonics, grammar and vocabulary. Students learn to develop and justify their points of view with increasing independence and accuracy on a range of themes.
Year 10 and 11 students
Spanish is at the core of the curriculum; all students study Spanish at GCSE.
In years 10 and 11, building upon the core knowledge acquired at key stage 3, students deepen their understanding of Spanish phonics, grammar and topic-specific vocabulary. Students are challenged to do more and remember more by an interwoven curriculum model and frequent retrieval practice.
The curriculum builds confidence and challenges students to develop their understanding and opinions on a range of topics.
At the end of the AQA course, students are assessed on listening (25%), reading (25%), speaking (25%) and writing (25%) in Spanish.
Sixth Form
Studying Spanish at A Level is the smart route to a great future in today’s global, multilingual and interconnected world. This two-year programme builds on the skills acquired at GCSE to boost communicative fluency and to immerse students in the culture and heritage of the countries where the language is spoken.
Key topics cover contemporary political and social issues relevant to teenagers and to their future careers. Students also study works of literature and film as a means of cementing and contextualising the linguistic and cultural content of the course. At the end of the AQA course, students are assessed on listening, reading and writing (paper 1, 50%), writing (paper 2, 20%) on the film and novel studied in Spanish and speaking (paper 3, 30%) including an independent research project on the topic of their choice.