Spanish Skills

Our Spanish students have been connecting with the elderly, putting their language skills to good use.

During the festive season, our Spanish students have the opportunity to take part in a global initiative known as Una Carta Para Un Abuelo (a letter for a grandparent). The project is run by the charity Adopta Un Abuelo, a Spanish NGO that encourages small gestures to support and uplift older generations. Una Carta Para Un Abuelo is run every year and involves people from across the globe writing letters (in Spanish) to an older person who might be feeling lonely; these letters are then received on Christmas Day. The aim is to spread festive cheer and show that the elderly in Spanish society are not forgotten but valued by people from all across the world. Our pupils enjoy getting involved in the initiative, as it offers a simple yet meaningful way to bring joy to a group of people who increasingly feel isolated from the rest of society. One of our A Level students commented: “In essence, it is a touching project that uses the simple act of writing a letter to share love, warmth and appreciation with the elderly.” 

Students have also been tuning into Spanish podcasts this term, listening to different members of staff discussing a variety of GCSE and A Level conversation topics.  So far, the girls have heard from Biology Teacher Mr Merk, Philosophy & Religion Teacher Mr Barnett, and caretaker Mr Lopez. The podcasts also feature interviews with Spanish speakers from further afield, including a Spanish Red Cross worker and a member of the Spanish Roma community, enabling our A Level students to complete listening tasks on current affairs and subjects such as immigration, media, and music.

All pupils study either French, German, Mandarin or Spanish in Year 7, as well as Latin, adding a second Modern Language in Year 8 and Year 9; all students study at least one modern language to GCSE, with several continuing to A Level and beyond each year.