Flamenco, films, fiestas… Baile, beaches, Barcelona...  Welcome to the Spanish department at JAGS!  ¡Bienvenidos!  We are a dynamic and energetic department and our aim is to give JAGS students a sound grounding in the Spanish language but also a wider understanding of Hispanic culture, both through our lessons and also through an extensive programme of extra-curricular activities and trips.

The majority of our pupils start their Spanish studies as complete beginners and enjoy the opportunity to sample Spanish as part of the Year 7 Activities Programme.  In Year 8 many girls elect to study Spanish as their second foreign language and, by the end of Year 9, when it is time to choose their GCSE options, they have a sound grasp of the basics of the language.  In Years 8 and 9 we follow the Listos 1 and 2 text books.

The Spanish Department is very proud of its Year 10 and Year 11 students and the excellent results that they achieve at GCSE level.  We use the Listos 3 (Rojo) text book, which is supplemented by magazines and other authentic resources, and pupils are entered for the OCR board examinations.  Undoubtedly the most popular part of the course is the study trip to Barcelona in the October half term holiday, which is offers an excellent opportunity for students to experience life in Spain.

The A Level Spanish course allows students to take their command of language to a new level as they examine topical issues such as immigration, drugs, the environment, and learn how to discuss them in Spanish.  Several works of Spanish and Latin American literature are also studied, which provide our pupils with both a source of intellectual challenge and much enjoyment. Students go beyond A Level and some girls decide to take the Advanced Extended Award every year. We are delighted that several of our A Level students each year choose to continue their Spanish studies at university and many of them plan to spend their gap year in South America.

Please do look at the rest of the Spanish pages to get a flavour of the many events and trips that we organize as a department and to see some of the superb work produced by our students.