Here’s a project which shows there are interesting and engaging ways to get students excited about languages and help them build up their confidence. The languages department at Comberton Village College got the whole of Year 7 singing their hearts out in Spanish within just a few weeks of joining the school with their ‘Spanglovision’ contest! 

‘Spanglovision’ was set up with the aim of developing memory and pronunciation skills across the whole of year 7. This was a great opportunity to develop key skills and give the students a positive start to their school career by introducing an element of fun.

Each form was given a Spanish song to learn as a group, which was then performed, videoed and shown to the rest of the year. With the excitement building and emotions high, four finalists were eventually singled out by their peers. Their videos were then shown to the rest of the school before a final group was chosen, and presented with the cup.

The project, which also receives the Spanish Embassy Language Prize, was a huge success and thoroughly enjoyed across the whole school.  Students’ feedback showed that it really improved confidence and memory skills, and Comberton has since got parents and other language teachers on board.  It’s even been incorporated into primary school projects; so the year 6s can join in the enjoyment of the competitions and test out their own vocal chords (with the help of the expert year 7s).

All in all, it’s a great introduction to foreign languages, and a whole lot of fun!

Language(s): Spanish

Comberton Village College is a mixed comprehensive school in a rural location five miles west of Cambridge.