Spanish

The Roche School is a Spanish specialist school with a dedicated team of experienced teachers, teaching assistants and sports coaches who are all fluent in Spanish – indeed, the majority of the Spanish team are native speakers.

Whilst we are a mainstream English-speaking school which prepares pupils for their 11+ common entrance exam in English in the usual way, our additional focus on Spanish language and learning enriches the learning experience of every child and is a natural extension for our very international school.

The choice is yours

Option One: weekly Spanish lessons from Reception onwards

When it comes to Spanish, families can choose to opt for weekly Spanish lessons, to equip children with the ability to employ a beginner’s range of key Spanish phrases and useful Spanish vocabulary covering topics such as family, food and pets. This option provides a useful stepping stone for pupils who may wish to explore Spanish a bit further at secondary school or whose families enjoy occasional trips to Spanish speaking countries for their holidays.

Option Two: an immersive Spanish experience from Reception onwards

If you would prefer your child to have a deeper and more immersive Spanish experience, we are here to help. Our immersive Spanish option goes above and beyond traditional Spanish language lessons and allows children to explore a wide range of subjects such as Art, Sport, Science, History, Geography and Religious Studies through the medium of Spanish teaching.

For children who opt for the immersive Spanish experience, the four core 11+ subjects are all taught in English. Those subjects are English (and phonics, for younger children), Maths, Verbal Reasoning and Non-verbal Reasoning. Outside of those four core 11+ subjects, most other lessons are taught in Spanish.

This expanded approach to Spanish learning is currently available to pupils from Reception to Year 3 and will be expanded further up the school, year by year. By September 2028, the Spanish immersive experience will be available to children in every year group, from Reception to Year 6.

Praise from the Spanish Embassy

We are delighted to report that our approach to Spanish language learning has the approval of the Spanish Embassy in London. In 2025, the Spanish Embassy’s education advisor, María Luisa Martínez, said that “The Roche School stands out as a remarkable institution” and that the “dedication and excellence of the teaching staff [is] evident in their well-prepared and engaging lessons, filled with creative topics that genuinely captivated the students.” Ms Martinez was impressed by our pupils’ “high level of Spanish, as they confidently followed the lessons in the language.”

Gaining a qualification in Spanish

By the time pupils are in Year 6, children demonstrating a high level with Spanish will be invited to prepare for the international A1 DELE exam for young learners if they are ready to do so. This is the first level of the Diplomas de Español como Lengua Extranjera (DELE) examinations offered by the  Instituto Cervantes on behalf of the Spanish Ministry of Education and Vocational Training.

Spanish is for everyone

What if your child has no prior knowledge of Spanish, or your family has no connection to the Spanish language? Well, then, your child will be in good company. You may be interested to learn that the majority of families who choose the Spanish immersive experience for their children have no prior links to Spanish learning. They have rightly recognised the huge benefits of bilingual learning and want to give their child the advantage of Spanish proficiency at an early age.

Our results show that children who have benefited from the Spanish immersive experience enjoy the same high level of results in English phonics, spelling, reading and writing as their peers. There is no downside to pursuing the Spanish immersive option: only upside.

What are you waiting for?

“I like learning new things in Spanish and how we say them in Spanish. My teacher is very clever and teaches us how to say all the words in Spanish. When I grow up, I will travel to Spain.” Year 1 Pupil

“Me gusta aprender en español porque tenemos muchas clases en español - podemos aprender en ciencias, geografía, historia y hablamos español todos los días, incluso cuando tenemos una fiesta.” Year 2 Pupil