Language tour to the Bay of Cádiz in partnership with Spark, 4 days, 3 nights
This tour offers students the chance to be thoroughly immersed in Spanish language and culture. The Sparkville Residence is located in the town of El Puerto, an authentic and historic Spanish seaside town with beautiful blue flag sandy beaches. During their stay, students benefit from a mixture of Spanish lessons (taught by native Spanish teachers), excursions and cultural experiences, with many great on-site activities. You can opt for a variety of durations for your language lessons (from 1-4 hrs per day focusing on areas of the curriculum to suit you), and the level of immersion during your stay is up to you, with all staff speaking both Spanish and English. In addition, every group benefits from their own chaperone who will stay with the group for the duration of their stay.
Suggested itinerary
Day one
Fly from UK
Transfer to accommodation & check-in
Evening meal in accommodation
Day two
Breakfast in accommodation Morning language class (1hr)
Tour of El Puerto – bullring, market, castle & beach
Cooking Lesson
Evening meal in accommodation
Day three
Breakfast in accommodation
Morning language class (1hr)
Visit Jerez – Alcázar & horse dressage show
Scavenger Hunt
Evening meal in accommodation
Day four
Breakfast in accommodation
Transfer to airport for flight back to the UK
Excursion locator map
Excursion Ideas
Language lessons
Subject range: MFL, Cultural
What you’ll experience: Language lessons take place in the classrooms of the Spark Residence and all the language teachers are native speakers of Spanish. You can request from 1-4 hours per day to suit your requirements (groups tend to opt for 1-2 hours). It is also possible to focus on areas of the curriculum that suit your needs. Classes average around 10 students per class.
Select says: Your group will receive a certificate at the end of the week!
Spanish cooking class
Subject range: Cultural, Food Technology, Language
What you’ll experience: Students learn to cook a classic Spanish dish such as paella, tortilla or gazpacho. The group can go to the local market to purchase the ingredients, then return to learn the skills and put them into practice.
Select says: This is a fantastic way for your group to learn how to cook a traditional Spanish dish, whilst also building their language skills in real-life situations.
Town trail / Scavenger hunt
Subject range: Cultural, Language
What you’ll experience: Spark organise a fantastic town trail for your group in EL Puerto, or it is also possible in other cities.
Select says: This activity is possible in Spanish or English depending on the level of your language requirements.
Flamenco workshop in-house
Subject range: MFL, Cultural
What you’ll experience: An opportunity to throw yourself into the Spanish culture with a fun flamenco workshop. Learn the basic steps of the dance and the hand movements.
Select says: This is great fun and can take place within the Sparkville Residence.
Flamenco show and tapas night
Subject range: Cultural, Language
What you’ll experience: A wonderful chance for students to experience a night at the heart of Spanish culture with an evening flamenco show alongside tapas tasting.
Select says: This takes place locally in El Puerto.
Spark in-house activities
Subject range: Cultural, Language
What you’ll experience: There are numerous opportunites for evening entertainments within the Spark residence including quizzes, disco, karaoke, a film night, tapas tasting and board and card games. Quizzes can be themed to compliment your groups’ learning – for example by using Spanish history as a theme.
Select says: There is also a BBQ available on the rooftop terrace.
Jerez
Subject range: MFL, Cultural
What you’ll experience: Students spend an afternoon in the town of Jerez, with the opportunity to watch a traditional horse dressage show, visit the Alcázar of Jerez de la Frontera, and also to visit a bodega.
Select says: The Alcazar of Jerez de la Frontera is a former Moorish alcázar dating back to the 11th century.
El Puerto
Subject range: MFL, Cultural
What you’ll experience: Spend an afternoon touring the town of El Puerto de Santa María, with its bullring, market, castle, and beach.
Select says: El Puerto de Santa María is ‘The Port of Saint Mary’ in Spanish, and is locally known as just El Puerto.
Seville
Subject range: MFL, Cultural
What you’ll experience: An opportunity for students to experience the beautiful sights of the city of Seville including the Giralda, Alcázar, Santa Cruz, and Plaza de España.
Select says: The Alcázar of Seville is a royal palace originally created by Moorish Muslim kings and the upper levels are still used as the official Seville residence of the royal family.
Cádiz
Subject range: MFL, Cultural
What you’ll experience: Cathedral, Torre Tavira, museum, park and shopping
Select says: The Tavira Tower is the highest point in the old part of the town and has a Camera Obscura where students can view projected images and details of Cádiz.
Language trip to the Bay of Cádiz in partnership with Spark, 4 days, 3 nights Accommodation
Sparkville Residence
Location: El Puerto de Santa Maria
Capacity: 45
Located just outside the centre of El Puerto de Santa Maria, the Sparkville Residence has everything you need on hand, and is convenient for your language lessons being situated above the Spark Spanish Academy Complex. The accommodation is close to the historic centre of EL Puerto and near to various amenities such as shops, restaurants, banks, and the sandy-white blue flag beaches of El Puerto. Plus every group benefits from their own Spark chaperone who is with the group for the duration of their stay!
Rooms: Rooms: 14 bedrooms, 11 rooms have en-suite facilities. Sleeps 45: 40 children and 5 adults maximum (based on teachers sharing).
Facilities: Facilities: Classrooms, communal kitchen and dining area which acts as a great social gathering point, numerous chill out/social areas, such as the Plaza de las Américas (a little ‘outdoor’ space, with a tv and glass roof to protect you from rain or sun) and a big roof terrace which is ideal for barbecues sunbathing and evening drinks, all facilitating interaction with other students and staff. Select says: The residence has minimum of 1 social events coordinator who lives in the same facilities and also runs many of the cultural events such as mini excursions, tapas nights, salsa nights or general gatherings on site. They are also responsible for encouraging you to speak as much Spanish in the residence as possible, to stimulate your oral practice of the language. A staff member also sleeps at the residence during your stay. The accommodation has disabled access and 1 x disabled room and a higher function disabled room.
Links to Learning
Learning areas:
For KS2 Foreign Language: listen attentively to spoken language and show understanding by joining in and responding; engage in conversations; ask and answer questions; develop accurate pronunciation and intonation; broaden their vocabulary and develop their ability to understand new words.
KS3 Modern foreign language: develop and use a wide-ranging and deepening vocabulary that goes beyond their immediate needs and interests; listen to a variety of forms of spoken language to obtain information and respond appropriately; initiate and develop conversations, coping with unfamiliar language and unexpected responses, making use of important social conventions such as formal modes of address; speak coherently and confidently, with increasingly accurate pronunciation and intonation.
KS4 Modern foreign language: develop their ability to communicate confidently and coherently with native speakers in speech and writing, conveying what they want to say with increasing accuracy; express and develop thoughts and ideas spontaneously and fluently; listen to and understand clearly articulated, standard speech at near normal speed; deepen their knowledge about how language works and enrich their vocabulary in order for them to increase their independent use and understanding of extended language in a wide range of contexts; develop awareness and understanding of the culture and identity of the countries and communities where the language is spoken.
Select Extras:
For KS2 students to practise their language skills pre-tour try these resources:
BBC Primary Languages Spanish Topics
KS3/4 There are some fantastic video clips available here including situations such as buying food at the market:
