Spanish Lengua y Literatura
Our curriculum covers Lengua, Literatura and Sociales (Geografía e Historia de España). The Departamento de Lengua y Cultura Española is subject to Spanish educational law and inspection and our curriculum guide must comply with the LOE (Ley Orgánica de Educación). However, we adapt our teaching methods to those of the British system. Encouraging our students to be “heavy” readers is one of our foremost aims in both the Junior and Senior Schools. We dedicate a weekly session to reading and working intensively with texts in class. Students have a list of books to read and work with at home.
With the 2006 European Recommendation on Key Competences, digital competence has been acknowledged as one of the eight key competences for Lifelong Learning by the European Union. Years 7, 8 and 9 Lengua students work with their iPads in Spanish spelling and reading comprehension.
Our department has also embraced WebQuests as a way to make good use of the internet while engaging our students and encouraging them to develop the digital skills that the 21st Century requires.
Our department organises yearly competitions such as the Concurso de Microrelatos for Year 7s, the Concurso de Cuentos for Year 8s and the Concurso de Poseía for Year 9s. Our yearly Alcalá literario week includes visits to Cervantes’ birthplace el Corral de las Comedias and la Universidad de Alcalá de Henares.

Access to Spanish universities
Our students prepare their Spanish (I)GCSE, AS and A level in their Lengua lessons with Miss Muñoz (Head of Spanish Dpt.), Miss Pardo and Ms. Ramos. Since 2007 Runnymede College students do not have to sit the Selectividad in order to enter the different Spanish universities if that is their wish. The new process is the Credencial de Acceso. Registration is done at Runnymede College as well as the homologation for Bachillerato. Therefore, Lengua y Literatura and Sociales are not compulsory in VI Form. But we do think at Runnymede that students who might think of enjoying a Spanish university should have enough preparation to enable them to have an excellent start to their first year: texts comprehension, wide vocabulary, historical knowledge, Spanish literature, “cultura general” … Our VI Form students will have the opportunity of preparing at school their entrance to Spanish universities, including private ones (Comillas – ICADE, ICAI-, IE, Universidad de Navarra…)