Sheffield High School

Modern Foreign Languages

Spanish

Why learn Spanish?

  • If you speak Spanish, you can communicate with almost 500 million people worldwide! Think how many more employment options that gives you! And if you want to take a trip to Spain or Latin America, a little knowledge of Spanish will go a long way.
  • Spanish is the third most widely spoken language in the world, after English and Mandarin.
  • Spanish is the official language in 21 countries (Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and most of South America).
  • Spanish is the second world language as a vehicle of international communication and third as an international language of politics, economics and culture.
  • Spain has become the third most desirable country to live based on standard of living, health and economy.
  • In the USA, Spanish has become the unofficial second language
  • 29 million US residents above the age of 5 speak Spanish at home. That’s approximately 1 of every 10 US residents.

Is Spanish easy to learn?


The simple phonetic system of Spanish and its relatively straightforward grammar make it an attractive language for beginners. At the High School, it’s a popular option choice in Year 7, with many students continuing to GCSE and then to AS and A-level.

Learn Spanish in Spain!


Students learning Spanish have the opportunity to join one of our homestay trips to Spain. Recent visits have been to El Puerto de Santa María, near Cádiz. In March 2010 Key Stage 4 students went to Murcia, where we stayed with families and attended lessons.

We had the opportunity to go to the beach, markets, meet with Spanish students and enjoy cooking and dancing lessons.

In May 2009, 2010 and 2011, we ran a Year 7 residential visit to Murcia in south-east Spain. Students stayed in an all-inclusive centre only steps away from the beach. During our visit we learned more Spanish and used it in an authentic environment. The girls also visited Cartagena and the excellent market in Cabo de Palos. The girls had fun on the beach and took part in numerous sporting activities. We also went windsurfing, kayaking and sailing! We certainly experienced Spanish life and culture.

To get a flavour of our last visit, you can see our blog by clicking here.

Key Stages 3 and 4


At Key Stages 3 and 4, students follow the brand new Mira course and we aim to give students a flavour of Hispanic culture as well as the language.

In language teaching, the emphasis is on practical communication with activities including pair work, group work, games, songs, videos, dialogues, presentations and discussions. All students have contact with our Spanish assistant at least once a week. For GCSE, we follow the AQA Examining Board specification. Emphasis is increasingly on preparation for the speaking tests and on written communication as students prepare for written examinations. Students also have regular lessons in the Language Laboratory to help them to prepare for their GCSE Listening Test.

AS and A-level Spanish


In the Sixth Form, students follow the AQA specification for AS and A-level. There are 4 topics in the AS course which are modern and interesting for students of the language. At AS-level we study Media, Popular Culture, Healthy Living and Family and Relationships. At A2 we study the Environment, Living in a Multicultural Society and Contemporary Social Issues. Students also study two cultural topics which include the study of a region (Catalunya) and the Spanish Civil War.

More time is spent on the grammatical aspects of the language at this stage but we also enliven the lessons with the use of music and songs, internet, video and film. Spanish lessons are split into skills-based lessons, giving students the chance to focus on a different skill each lesson. The students have a speaking, a reading/writing, a topic, a grammar/translation and a listening lesson, which takes place in our Language Laboratory each week. Students also enjoy the increased contact that they have with our Spanish Assistant at this level. The AS-level units are taken at the end of Year 12 and the A2 units are taken at the end of Year 13.

We have an established partner school in Palma, Majorca called Sant Josep Obrer and we took our first trip there in December 2008. This link is exclusively for Post-16 students and we go with students from King Edward VII School and Language College. The school is in the centre of Palma so students get the opportunity to explore this exciting city. They stay with Spanish families and go to school and attend lessons with their exchange partner.

They are fully immersed in the language and culture. During our visit we also visit some interesting places on the island including Puerto de Sóller, Valledemosa and Deía. We ran this trip in 2009, 2010 and plan to go again in December 2011.