Habs Boys Year 8 Curriculum Booklet 2026 by Habs Elstree Schools

Year 8 Curriculum Overview

Habs Boys | Curriculum Booklet

Contents Academic Foreword

Wellbeing and PSHE

Habits

Subjects Art

Biology

Chemistry

Computer Science

Design Technology

Drama

English

French

Geography

German

History

Latin

Mathematics

Music

Physics

Physical Education

Spanish

Theology and Philosophy

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Academic Foreword This booklet outlines the curriculum that your child will study this year in each subject, allowing you to support them further at home. If you have any concerns or questions, do please contact your child's tutor in the first instance. MR MIKE BRENNAN Deputy Head - Academic

Year 7 was an exciting year for many students as they made new friends, discovered new hobbies and developed new passions for subjects they had not studied before. Year 8 is equally rewarding, and certainly as challenging. As students progress through the School, the number of subjects they study gradually decreases, allowing room to study each in greater depth. Having sampled all three modern languages in Year 7, students chose two to continue this year, and I am sure they will enjoy the increased curriculum time this brings. In Year 8 we also stream students in Mathematics, so that the pace of lessons can be planned appropriately for all.

From September 2026 we have strengthened every subject's curriculum, set out in this booklet, to develop our Habits more deliberately. These Habits describe the dispositions pupils need to flourish academically, professionally and personally, and they matter because the world our students will enter is changing quickly. Employers and universities consistently tell us that strong qualifications must be matched by resilience, initiative, independent judgement, collaboration and clear communication. Each subject in this booklet now sets out how its curriculum builds these Habits so that students are prepared not only for the examinations and further study ahead, but for a full and impactful life beyond school.

There is a suggested further reading list at the end of each curriculum summary, provided as an indication of what students might like to read to extend their knowledge further still. At the end of this year, each student will be asked to select certain subjects to continue into Year 9. Students currently study Latin, Drama, Music, Art, Computing and Design Technology as well as two Modern Foreign Languages; in Year 9 they continue with three of these and one Modern Foreign Language, each given increased curriculum time. Further information to help with this decision will follow later this term. I wish them every success.

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Wellbeing and PSHE

Your child will receive weekly PSHE education (Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education) lessons with their Form tutors during morning tutor time.

This will continue from Year 7 to Year 11 and consists of combining our bespoke curriculum modules and resources for themed weeks or special topics. Workshops with specialist speakers are organised for all year groups at different times through the year, focusing on ageappropriate issues such as e-safety, physical health, mental health and relationships. Talks and/or workshops are also delivered to parents.

Our school is a ‘Tooled Up Education’ school. This means, in addition to all that we do at school to help pupils, we also care about supporting parents and families. Please use the link to register your free account and gain access to the digital hub of evidence-based resources covering: mental health, digital life, aspiration, learning, family life and relationships.

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Habits defines what we stand for and provides the foundation for everything our students achieve. They enhance academic performance, shape character and enrich life beyond the classroom.

By grounding our four core values in 12 practical Habits, we ensure that our students develop the mindset and skills to flourish in all areas of school life and far beyond.

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Art Mission Statement Expression, form and beyond.

HABITS IN ART

Ambition

Curiosity

Courage

Community

• Resilience • Continuous Learning • Initiative

Through sustained drawing, planning and refinement, students develop resilience and continuous learning as they revisit ideas and respond to challenges throughout the creative process. Whether constructing ceramic sculptures or mastering unfamiliar textile techniques, students are encouraged to work independently and recognise that setbacks are an essential part their learning.

• Open-mindedness • Critical Thinking • Creativity

Students develop open-mindedness by exploring artists from different periods, cultures and artistic movements, including German Expressionism, Barbara Hepworth, Henry Moore and David Hockney. Through analysis of artworks, materials and techniques, students learn how to experiment and investigate.

• Integrity • Leadership • Risk-taking

Art encourages students to take creative risks, make independent decisions and communicate personal ideas visually. Through expressive selfportraiture, ambitious sculptural outcomes and experimental textile processes, students develop integrity in their work and leadership during crits.

• Collaboration • Care • Social Responsibility

Studio practice is collaborative. Through discussion and exhibition opportunities, pupils learn to value the perspectives of others and contribute positively to a shared creative environment. Care for materials, respect for differing viewpoints and participation in events such as the Habs Art & Design Festival help students understand their role within both the artistic and wider school community.

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Art Curriculum Overview

Autumn Term

Spring Term

German Expressionism

Hepworth and Moore

Students explore the powerful visual language of German Expressionism, investigating how artists used line, tone and expressive mark making to communicate emotion, identity and social change.

Through the study of artists including Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Käthe Kollwitz and, during Black History Month, Elizabeth Catlett, students examine how art can challenge injustice, celebrate identity and respond to lived experience. Through practical experimentation and critical discussion, students analyse how expressive marks create mood, meaning and impact. They refine observational drawing skills while taking creative risks with bold and unconventional approaches to image-making.

Drawing on these investigations, students create an A4 black-andwhite self-portrait inspired by German Expressionist techniques, using mark making to communicate aspects of their own identity.

Through critique, refinement and sustained studio practice, students develop resilience, independent thinking and confidence, learning how artists use visual language to communicate powerful personal and social messages.

Students explore the work of British sculptors Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore, investigating how artists draw inspiration from nature, the human form and the landscape. Through the study of both artists, students examine the importance of negative space and organic forms, considering how sculpture can communicate ideas through shape, surface and structure. Through sustained observational drawing and analytical studies, students develop critical thinking by analysing how Hepworth and Moore transformed natural forms into abstract sculptures. They demonstrate continuous learning through planning, experimenting and refining, producing multiple drawings and design ideas inspired by nature. As students translate 2D studies into 3D ceramics, they develop resilience and risk-taking, overcoming technical challenges and adapting designs throughout the process. The project encourages creativity and initiative as pupils make independent decisions inspired by the Artists. Through critique and discussion, students develop collaboration and care.

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Art Curriculum Overview

Summer Term Textiles and Landscapes, Hockney Exploring the vibrant landscapes of David Hockney, investigating how artists interpret the natural world through colour, texture and composition. Studying Hockney's work, students see how landscapes can be simplified, abstracted and reimagined to communicate a personal response to place and environment. Through drawing, colour studies and analysis, students develop critical thinking by exploring how Hockney uses the formal elements. They demonstrate openmindedness and continuous learning through experimentation with wet felting techniques, investigating how fibres, colour blending and texture can be used for landscapes.

As students translate their landscape designs into felted outcomes, they develop risktaking, adapting their ideas throughout a process that can be unpredictable and technically challenging.

The project encourages creativity and initiative as students make independent decisions about composition, colour and texture to create original responses inspired by the landscape.

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Art Signature Project: Hepworth and Moore, Sculpture

Students study observational drawing, research and design development before changing their 2D ideas into 3D forms. Throughout the project, they demonstrate critical thinking by analysing how artists use abstraction and negative space, and continuous learning through sustained experimentation and refinement of their designs.

The challenges of constructing, joining and glazing ceramic forms develop resilience, initiative and risk-taking, requiring students to adapt ideas and solve problems independently. Students are encouraged to create original responses rather than copying artists directly, fostering integrity in their decision-making.

Scholarship and Enrichment • Yorkshire Sculpture Park • Moma collection – Expressionism online resources • Tate Kids – Who is Hepworth/Moore videos • Hepworth: 'Single form' Battersea park, 'Winged Figure' Oxford Street • Moore: 'The Arch' Kensington Gardens, 'Standing Figure' Greenwich Park

Through critique, discussion and preparation, they develop collaboration, care and leadership. The final sculptures are exhibited in the Habs Art and Design Festival.

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Biology Mission Statement Year 8 Biology asks bigger questions: how life evolved, how living things depend on one another, and how our choices shape the natural world. Students build on the scientific thinking they began in Year 7 and start to see why biology matters far beyond the classroom.

HABITS IN BIOLOGY

Ambition

Curiosity

Courage

Community

• Resilience • Continuous Learning • Initiative

Year 8 Biology asks students to take more ownership of their learning. They show resilience by persisting with a fiddly tree key until they can name a species and by treating a returned test as information about what to improve rather than a verdict. Continuous learning comes from acting on feedback and researching topics out of genuine interest, while initiative grows as students design their own investigations and audit the school grounds.

• Open-mindedness • Critical Thinking • Creativity

Biology in Year 8 is taught as a way of reasoning. Students think critically to weigh the evidence for evolution and interpret predator and prey data, stay open-minded when that evidence asks them to change their mind, and use creativity to design original adaptations and build working models of joints.

• Integrity • Leadership • Risk-taking

Scientific honesty runs through Year 8. Students show integrity by drawing only what they actually see in a dissection and referencing their sources, take the risk of reasoning aloud on questions scientists have not settled, and develop leadership by teaching their own evidence to the group and leading roles in the field.

• Collaboration • Care • Social Responsibility

Much of Year 8 is group practical and fieldwork, so collaboration is well embedded, with students sharing roles in dissections and building food webs together. Care shows in humane, low-impact fieldwork and in handling sensitive topics with respect, while social responsibility is strongest in the ecology unit, where students reason about conservation, farming and sustainability.

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Biology Curriculum Overview

Autumn Term

Spring Term

Summer Term

Origins and the Unseen World

Movement

Ecology

Year 8 begins with Origins, where students study adaptation, evolution and natural selection, the story of human evolution, and the causes of extinction, building their skill in reasoning from evidence.

Students study Movement, examining how joints and muscles work together to move the body, the different types of muscle, and what happens when joints and muscles are injured, including a hands-on dissection.

They then explore the Unseen World beneath our feet: the living system of the soil, the role of fungi as decomposers, the partnerships between fungi and tree roots, and the discovery and importance of antibiotics. Practical work, including designing their own investigations, runs throughout.

Towards the end of the term they begin Ecology, learning what ecology is and how to interpret food chains and food webs.

Ecology continues into the first half of the Summer Term. Students explore how populations rise and fall, study predator and prey relationships, and weigh the impact of humans on the environment through topics such as conservation, pollution, farming and sustainable development.

Standalone British wildlife lessons run alongside, with students learning to identify common UK trees using a key.

A standalone British wildlife lesson continues the thread, with students investigating why and how animals migrate.

The British wildlife thread concludes with fieldwork surveying local mammals from their tracks and signs.

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Biology Signature Project: Sustainability Challenge

This project runs across Biology, Chemistry and Physics and asks one big question: how can science help us live well without using up the planet? Working in teams, students take on a real sustainability problem, from energy and waste to food, water or biodiversity, and develop their own evidence-based response to it.

They are pushed to understand the science properly and then to think like engineers, designers and citizens, weighing trade-offs and arguing for solutions that could actually work. The project rewards curiosity, creativity and the ability to collaborate towards something that matters, and it ends with students presenting their ideas to an audience.

Scholarship and Enrichment In Year 8, students build on their observational and investigative skills by taking greater responsibility for planning, researching and communicating scientific ideas.

They are again encouraged to enter BioArtAttack and the Nancy Rothwell Prize, to produce more accurate and detailed representations of animals, plants or fungi.

They are encouraged to engage actively with biological reading beyond the classroom, including age-appropriate articles, scientific news and natural history writing, developing the ability to interpret new information, question sources and connect ideas to their growing subject knowledge.

In addition, they can enter the department’s Wildlife Documentary Competition, contribute to the 30 Days Wild photography challenge, participate in bird and butterfly citizen science opportunities, and develop their confidence in presenting biological ideas to an audience.

It is designed to leave them not just better scientists, but young people who believe their science can make a difference.

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Chemistry Mission Statement In Year 8 Chemistry, students will learn how to write formulae and balanced equations and use them to explain a range of chemical reactions. Through studying neutralisation, metal reactivity and metal extraction, they will develop a deeper understanding of how chemistry shapes the world around them. HABITS IN CHEMISTRY

Ambition

Curiosity

Courage

Community

• Resilience

Challenging topics and high expectations, supported by strong teaching, build perseverance in students, and allow them to achieve their full potential.

• Continuous Learning

The spiral curriculum in Chemistry revisits and builds on key knowledge and skills, enabling secure progression through the course.

• Initiative

Students take ownership through planning investigations and engaging in independent research.

• Open-mindedness

The wider scientific contexts and history are explored, encourage curiosity and open thinking.

• Critical Thinking

Students evaluate evidence, analyse data and refine their understanding throughout.

• Creativity

Open-ended tasks enable approaches to problem-solving and communication.

• Integrity

Students reflect honestly on results, identify errors and improve their work through self-appraisal.

• Leadership

Group work provides opportunities to guide others and contribute to shared goals.

• Risk-taking

Students form hypotheses, test ideas and learn through experimentation and refinement.

• Collaboration

Group tasks, such as experiments or group work develops communication and appreciation of different strengths.

• Care

Safe laboratory practice promotes responsibility for self, others and the environment.

• Social Responsibility

Sustainability and resource management highlight Chemistry’s role in society, for example the development of renewable resources.

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Chemistry Curriculum Overview

Autumn Term

Spring Term

Summer Term

Year 8 Foundation Skills

Atomic Structure

Metals and Metal Extraction

• Review and build on practical skills from Year 7 (Bunsen burners, heating, filtering)

• Development and evolution of atomic structure

• Review of properties and uses of metals

• Composition of the atom (protons, neutrons and electrons) • Key concepts of atomic structure (atomic number, mass number, isotopes, relative atomic mass)

• Rocks, minerals and ores

• Chemical Formulae and balancing equations • Conservation of mass Making Salts • Chemical theory of salts and production of salts • Practical aspects of making salts by reactions with acids • Properties and wider uses of salts

• Electron structure, energy shells and formation of ions Reactivity Series

• Order of reactivity of common metals • Displacement reactions in solution and solids, including thermite reaction

• Reactivity series and methods of metal extraction • Blast furnace for iron production, rusting and rusting prevention

• Introduction to electrolysis End of Year Science Research Project • Students engage in an open-ended research project (across science), providing the opportunity for students to investigate an area of science that they find particularly engaging.

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Chemistry Signature Project: Sustainability Challenge

Scholarship and Enrichment • Within each topic a range of extension tasks are available to stretch students understanding. • The curriculum includes enrichment activities, such as producing models of atoms, which allow students to explore topics outside of the course. • Students have the opportunity to write a scientific piece for the School science magazine, SCOPE.

It is designed to leave them not just better scientists, but young people who believe their science can make a difference.

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Computer Science Mission Statement To develop confidence, independent problem solvers who can apply computational thinking, programming and logic to create effective digital solutions.

HABITS IN COMPUTER SCIENCE

Ambition

Curiosity

Courage

Community

• Resilience • Continuous Learning • Initiative

Students move towards greater independence and programming. The Turtle Project requires them to plan carefully, work with coordinates, use variables, loops and procedures, and persist when a complex design does not initially behave as accepted. Students are encouraged to improve the structure and efficiency of their programs and to tackle progressively more demanding programming challenges.

• Open-mindedness • Critical Thinking • Creativity

Computational thinking is at the heart of Year 8. Students learn that complex problems can be decomposed, patterns identified and solutions expressed as logical processes. Their study of networks encourages them to ask how computers communicate across the classroom, a school, and the wider Internet. Python Turtle gives them a creative environment in which mathematical ideas, programming and visual design can be combined.

• Integrity • Leadership • Risk-taking

Students become increasingly willing to experiment with their own solutions rather than relying on a model answer. Debugging requires them to examine their own thinking carefully, recognising errors and making informed changes. Opportunities to explain algorithms, demonstrate programs, and support classmates encourage confidence and emerging leadership.

• Collaboration • Care • Social Responsibility

The curriculum shows students that computing is fundamentally about communication and connection as well as programming. Network study introduces shared systems, security and the movement of information, while programming projects encourage students to exchange ideas and learn from different approaches. The Flag activities also provide opportunities to recognise culture and identity through computing and visual design.

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Computer Science Curriculum Overview

Autumn Term

Spring Term

Summer Term

Python turtle and computational design

Computational thinking, logic and networks

Python programming and independent challenges

Year 8 begins with practical Python programming using turtle graphics. Students use coordinates, colour iteration, variables, procedures and functions to create increasingly sophisticated graphical designs.

Students broaden their understanding of How Computer Scientists approach problems. Through computational thinking and logic, they investigate composition, logical reasoning, algorithms and different approaches to solving problems.

Students returned to Python programming with greater confidence and experience. The focus shifts increasingly towards independent problem solving and the development of programs using the programming techniques encountered during Year 7.

Early activities include constructing national flags, combining programming with geometry and providing, opportunities to explore culture an identity through digital designs. These skills lead directly into Year 8’s Signature Project - Python Turtle House project. Students plan and program a complete house structure, breaking the design into smaller reusable procedures and refining their code through testing and debugging. The project develops an important principle of computer science: complex problems become more manageable when they are decomposed into smaller components.

Activities encourage students to think carefully about how a solution can be represented and improved rather than simply finding an answer. The term then develops into the study of computer networks. Students explore local and wide area networks, the relationship between the Internet and the World Wide Web, IP addresses, client server and peer-to-peer systems, cloud computing and network security.

Students work through Programming Challenges 16 to 30 and further projects, with opportunities for additional independent learning using resources such as CodeMarker and W3Schools. The progression from Turtle graphics to increasing the independent Python programme helps students understand that the same fundamental ideas sequence, selection, iteration, decomposition and abstraction underpin very different kinds of software.

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Computer Science Signature Project: Python Turtle House Our Year 8 Signature Project develops students from introductory Python programmers into designers capable of constructing a substantial graphical programme. Students first learn to create national flags using Python Turtle, combining coordinate geometry with programming constructs such as loops, variables, procedures, nested procedures, parameters and colour.

The Flag activity also provides an opportunity to recognise culture and identity through computing. Students then apply these skills independently in the Python Turtle House Project, designing and programming a complete house structure. The challenge is not simply to produce a successful image but to write code that is organised, reused and understandable.

Scholarship and Enrichment Students are encouraged to explore computing creatively beyond the classroom. Scratch Club develops programming confidence through games and interactive projects, while Python Club supports both complete beginners and students ready for additional challenge. Machine Learning Club provides an early introduction to artificial intelligence, and Minecraft Club offers an enjoyable environment for creativity collaboration and problem-solving.

Recommended reading/links • MIT scratch-interactive projects https://scratch.mit.edu/ • Getting started dash an introduction to Python programming https://www.python.org/ about/getting started/

Students learn that procedures can break a complicated design into manageable components and their careful planning, debugging and refinement can transform a collection of instructions into a sophisticated graphical programme.

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Design Technology Mission Statement We want every student to leave Design Technology able to think for themselves. They learn to draw on maths, science, and art together, not as separate subjects, and to use that knowledge to design things that work, that last, and that are made with the world in mind.

HABITS IN DESIGN TECHNOLOGY

Ambition

Curiosity

Courage

Community

• Resilience • Continuous Learning • Initiative

• Open-mindedness • Critical Thinking • Creativity

• Integrity • Leadership • Risk-taking

• Collaboration • Care • Social Responsibility

To be able to reinforce existing skills from Year 7 to develop their confidence and competence through challenging new projects. To be able to transfer skills between different mediums in an accurate manner. To overcome, through lateral thinking and application of what was learnt, problems encountered. To be able to establish a unique creative flare and approach to project as their confidence grows. To be able to share the workspace and tools and take ownership of the working environment.

To be able to take ownership of their work and push themselves out of their comfort zone to seek new learnings. To provide mutual support to classmates and to seek new perspectives and opportunities to grow in learning.

Respecting the working environment and realising that the best outcome is best achieved when there is respect for one another and the working environment.

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Design Technology Curriculum Overview

Autumn Term

Spring Term

Summer Term

Inclusive Design

Tealight Holder (continued)

Desk Tidy

• Research into empathy and the issues people face when using everyday products.

• Learn to be resilient when making mistakes and apply critical thinking to resolve problems.

• Interpret a working drawing and apply parameters to create their own isometric and orthographic sketches.

• To effectively name tools and processes used and their application.

• Translate their design into CAD following scale parameters outlined in their working drawing.

CAD Masterclass

• Apply specialist workshop skills from demos to their own piece of practical work.

• Understanding how products can be adapted to suit a wider group of users with complex needs.

• Creative re-design of an everyday product (salt & pepper shaker) to suit the needs of their user. • Evaluate the success of their practical outcome. Tealight Holder • Learning to read technical drawings and transfer measurements accurately onto resistant material. • Apply specialist workshop skills from demos to their own piece of practical work.

• Recapping existing skills while undertaking a series of challenging tasks tailored to expand their CAD skillset.

• Applying skills learnt to accurately draw a real-world product in CAD. • Learning about application of 3D printing to produce a physical outcome from their CAD model (Lego figure).

• Effectively name tools and processes used and their application to prototyping.

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Design Technology Signature Projects:

Inclusive Design – Learning about empathy and designing for others needs.

Tealight– Learning specialist machines and tools for metal working.

Desk Tidy - Learning specialist machines and tools for timber and plastics.

Applying this to real world products and modelling their improvements.

Transferring accurate dimensions across different mediums and understanding the importance of accuracy.

Learning how to draw creatively in CAD while considering real world constraints leading to a feasible practical outcome.

CAD Masterclass – Developing competency in CAD, to acquire the freedom to creatively design.

Scholarship and Enrichment Year 8 opens up opportunities to apply for our sought after clubs such as VEX Robotics, STEM Racing (Previously known as F1 in Schools), alongside our new Sixth Form Scholar Led DT Club.

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Drama Mission Statement Students will continue to develop a playful, but precise approach and their physical and ensemble skills. They will begin to explore the power of drama and story-telling to create empathy and to raise awareness of the experiences of others and of societal and environmental issues.

HABITS IN DRAMA

Ambition

• Resilience • Continuous Learning • Initiative

Within the context of clear boundaries, students are encouraged to make bold , playful choices and learn to be comfortable with taking risks in order to explore, test and refine creative ideas.

Curiosity

• Open-mindedness • Critical Thinking • Creativity

Students are encouraged to observe and notice with close attention to detail and then be open to wondering how ideas can be developed and how meaning can be conveyed to an audience.

Courage

• Integrity • Leadership • Risk-taking

Students learn to offer and accept ideas. We build an ensemble culture and a safe, supportive space in which to take risks and move outside the comfort zone.

Community

• Collaboration • Care • Social Responsibility

Students develop listening skills, generosity and awareness of other people in the space and learn that the most important thing is their contribution the collective effort and the shared goal.

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Drama Curriculum Overview

Autumn Term

Spring Term

Summer Term

Ensemble Story-Telling

The Fragile Cryosphere

Haroun and the Sea of Stories

Using Drama to develop empathy and awareness

Students will build on skills learnt in Year 7 and explore ensemble, choral and physical skills such as:

Students will explore poems and written accounts in order to develop:

• Shoaling • Slow motion

• Empathy

• Still images • Fixed point

• Transitions • Non-literal use of space • Transformations

• Shared focus • Choral Speaking

Using key scenes from Haroun and the Sea of Stories, they will explore the power and magic of storytelling and ways in which they can move from the Page to the Stage, creating meaning and mood for an audience through bodies, objects, the space.

Refugees

• Awareness of the experiences of refugees • The concept of "otherness" They will continue to develop skills learnt in the Autumn Term and experience and, in addition, develop the following dramatic devices and skills:

• Creating meaning with still images • Thought aloud

• Conscience Alley • Marking important moments

• Verbatim Theatre • Split Scene and use of contrast • Understanding perspective

• Being a good audience • Giving and responding to feedback

Using Drama to raise awareness

Students will explore images and accounts of the effects of global warming, along with Simon Armitage's collection of poems "the Arctic" in order to develop awareness of how theatre can be used to raise awareness and provoke both wonder and critical thought. They will continue to develop skills learnt in Year 7 and in the Autumn and Spring Terms and, in addition, experience and develop the following dramatic devices and skills: • Creating soundscapes • More advanced choral movement • More advanced work on transitions

• Puppetry • Montage

• Using disruptive devices such as direct address, facts and statistics to provoke thought and critical awareness. • Devising in a group

• Performance to an audience • Refining work 21

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Drama Signature Project: Ensemble Piece inspired by Simon Armitage In the Summer Term, students devise an ensemble piece based on Simon Armitage's collection of poems "Arctic", to raise awareness of climate change through techniques leant and skills developed over the year: choral movement; shoaling; marking the moment; split focus, montage and contrast; puppetry; soundscapes; careful selection

of words, facts and statistics to both create wonder, but also surprise and to jolt awareness. This forms a gentle introduction to the theatre of Bertold Brecht and the role of theatre to raise awareness and advocate for change.

Scholarship and Enrichment All students are encouraged to take part in the broad cocurricular drama programme including major productions, drama clubs, House events and backstage opportunities. Students are also encouraged to be an engaged and active audience, exposing them to a wide range of theatre and performance within school and professionally, in order to broaden and develop their creative and critical thinking beyond the classroom.

Drama scholars are expected to act as role models and leaders, broaden their own interests and experiences about Drama within and outside of school and contribute positively wherever possible to the wider drama programme.

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English Mission Statement We want our English curriculum to be boundless. We strive to give young people the opportunities, experiences, knowledge, skills and analytical tools to speak, write and read confidently and fluently. We want them to see language and literature as a path to achievement, intellectual vitality, self-discovery and a source of lifelong joy.

HABITS IN ENGLISH

Ambition

Curiosity

Courage

Community

• Resilience • Continuous Learning • Initiative

We demonstrate resilience when diving into complex, ambiguous texts, rich vocabulary, and diverse literary traditions, showing continuous learning as we refine our analytical and communication skills over time. We show initiative by independently driving our own interpretations, reading between the lines, and actively pursuing independent reading to expand our worldviews.

• Open-mindedness • Critical Thinking • Creativity

We approach English with open-mindedness, stepping into the shoes of characters from various eras, cultures, and contexts. We use critical thinking to deconstruct an author's craft and creativity to respond to literature - whether by crafting original poetry, reimagining narratives from alternative perspectives, or breathing new life into classic texts through world-building and adaptation.

• Integrity • Leadership • Risk-taking

We demonstrate courage and risk-taking by finding our own vocal identity, experimenting with bold rhetorical devices, and sharing original creative writing. We show leadership in oracy by anchoring group discussions, presenting structured arguments with integrity, and honouring the power of language to advocate for others.

• Collaboration • Care • Social Responsibility

We develop collaboration and oracy through vibrant class debates, dramatic performances, and collaborative literary analysis where every voice is heard and valued. We show care and social responsibility by analyzing how literature reflects realworld injustices, using our words empathetically, and understanding how stories shape our shared human experience.

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English Curriculum Overview

Autumn Term

Spring Term

Summer Term

• Brush up your Shakespeare: Exploring Shakespeare’s life, times, theatrical context and legacy along with one of the following plays: Richard II; Richard III; Much Ado About Nothing; The Taming of the Shrew; The Winter’s Tale; A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Shakespeare sonnets /

• Genre: novel or short stories Dystopian / Gothic / mystery incorporating 19th Century Literature.

• Modern drama / Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time / Woman in Black and Media / Journalism / Advertising / digital literacy.

• Writing your own sonnet. • Landmark Pieces of work (ambition: opportunity; independent thinking) Shakespeare context project, Shakespeare creative response or sonnet sequence.

• At least one unit from the AQA 19thC resource. • Poetry exploring belonging, identity, culture, heritage, nature and friendship. Could incorporate 19th Century poetry linked to genre fiction above. • Landmark Pieces of work (curiosity; critical thinking) Analytical essay on either genre fiction or poetry.

• Landmark Pieces of work (courage; community; collaboration, leadership, risktaking; team effort; new perspectives; resilience) Media Project: could be combined with Modern Drama.

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English Signature Project: Shakespeare Festival

In small groups, all students will produce a creative or academic response to an element of Shakespeare, linked to the elements of the course they have studied in the Autumn term.

Scholarship and Enrichment Year Group Challenge • Reading competition Prose passage and modern drama on a chosen theme.

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French Mission Statement We aim to continue to develop an awareness of the nature of language and language learning through the appropriate teaching of the grammar of the target language, and to encourage enthusiasm for various aspects of culture and civilisation. In addition, we aspire to develop the ability to communicate proficiently in the target language, both orally and in writing, and to develop good working habits and study skills.

HABITS IN FRENCH Making mistakes; desirable difficulty; student-led learning / independent expression; building confidence / learning by reviewing mistakes.

Ambition

• Resilience • Continuous Learning • Initiative

Curiosity

• Open-mindedness • Critical Thinking • Creativity

Exposure to new cultures, perspectives and ways of thinking; encouraging students to express themselves in creative ways; analysing grammar to help them spot patterns in language.

Courage

• Integrity • Leadership • Risk-taking

Students have enhanced cultural sensitivity. They are encouraged to take risks with language and step outside comfort zones; engaging with different cultures fosters integrity.

Community

• Collaboration • Care • Social Responsibility

Students are encouraged to learn collaboratively e.g. through peer assessment and group work. Language learning helps students develop the social awareness and responsibility to contribute positively to their communities, thereby becoming true global citizens.

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French Curriculum Overview

Autumn Term

Spring Term

Summer Term

Talking about your school and the routines of a school day.

TV, films and celebrity culture.

Describing where you live and your life at home.

Describing holidays and travel.

Sports, hobbies and going out.

Shopping and Digital Culture.

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French Signature Project: Group Cultural Research Project

In Year 8, students in all Modern Languages will conduct a group research project in the second half of the Summer Term. Their teachers will present information about a range of different countries and regions where the language is spoken; students will then decide which country or region they want to research and then present their work to their peers.

They will develop a much better sense of how widely the language is spoken, and of

the diversity of the people who speak it.

Scholarship and Enrichment

• Reading and analysing French poems and songs • The study of a French film • Looking at diversity in the French-speaking world

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Geography Mission Statement The Year 8 Geography course has a focus on the Geography of the UK. It explores a range of physical and human Geography topics such as Changing Places, Iceland and Fieldwork to give the students an appreciation of the world around them on a local and national scale.

HABITS IN GEOGRAPHY

Ambition

Curiosity

Courage

Community

• Resilience • Continuous Learning • Initiative

Through the study of Changing Places, Iceland and Coastal Issues, students develop resilience when tackling challenging geographical concepts and interpreting a range of maps, data and case studies. They demonstrate continuous learning and initiative by building on prior knowledge, asking questions independently and applying geographical understanding to unfamiliar places and real-world issues.

• Open-mindedness • Critical Thinking • Creativity

Students show open-mindedness by exploring different perspectives on regeneration in Stratford, the impacts of volcanic eruptions in Iceland and competing views about coastal management. They use critical thinking and creativity to investigate geographical enquiries, analyse evidence and develop well-reasoned conclusions about how people interact with places and environments.

• Integrity • Leadership • Risk-taking

Students demonstrate integrity by using evidence accurately and evaluating a range of viewpoints when studying issues such as regeneration, tourism and coastal development. They show leadership and risktaking through fieldwork and enquiry, confidently sharing ideas, testing hypotheses and drawing conclusions from their investigations.

• Collaboration • Care • Social Responsibility

Through collaborative fieldwork and classroom discussions, students develop collaboration skills by working effectively with others to investigate geographical questions. They show care and social responsibility by considering how human actions affect communities, environments and coastlines, and by exploring sustainable ways to manage change for future generations.

Habs Boys | Curriculum Booklet

Geography Curriculum Overview

Autumn Term

Spring Term

Summer Term

In the Autumn Term, students study the geography of changing places, exploring how and why places are perceived differently by different people.

In the Spring Term, students study Iceland as a landscape shaped by powerful physical processes.

In the Summer Term, students take part in a geographical enquiry, applying classroom learning to real-world investigation.

They investigate ideas such as insiders and outsiders, how places are represented in the media compared to lived experience, and how identity and meaning are shaped by location.

A key case study is Stratford Olympic Park, where students evaluate the social, economic and environmental costs and benefits of regeneration following the 2012 Olympics. This is assessed through an 8-mark extended writing task. Throughout the term, students develop skills in interpreting sources, analysing representations of place, using case study evidence, and constructing balanced arguments in extended written responses.

They explore the country’s unique climate, glacial environments, and tectonic activity, including volcanic eruptions such as Eyjafjallajökull eruption 2010. Students also examine how Iceland uses its natural environment for energy and development through geothermal power, hydroelectricity, and tourism.

A key focus is an 8-mark evaluative essay debating whether tourism in Iceland should be banned due to environmental impacts. Students develop skills in analysing physical processes, interpreting maps and diagrams, using case study evidence, and evaluating different viewpoints to form justified conclusions.

They complete a fieldtrip to Windsor and Eton, comparing differences between the two places by collecting primary data such as environmental quality surveys and pedestrian counts.

Students then present, analyse, and evaluate their findings, drawing conclusions about spatial differences and data reliability. Alongside this, students study coastal environments, focusing on issues such as overfishing, oil pollution, and habitat degradation. Skills developed include fieldwork techniques, data collection and presentation (graphs, maps, and tables), evaluation of data quality, and extended analytical writing.

Habs Boys | Curriculum Booklet

Geography Signature Project: Extended Fieldwork Project

Students undertake an extended fieldwork project based in Windsor and Eton, where they collect primary data to investigate geographical patterns and differences between places. Working in groups, students carry out a range of fieldwork techniques including environmental quality surveys and pedestrian (people) counts, before returning to the classroom to process and present their findings.

Students then produce a detailed fieldwork booklet that guides them through the full geographical enquiry process, including presenting data in appropriate formats, analysing results, drawing justified conclusions, and evaluating whether their hypotheses have been proven or disproven. They also critically assess the reliability and validity of their methods and data collection. This project directly supports key GCSE fieldwork skills and helps students understand how geographers work in the real world.

Scholarship and Enrichment • Geography Society • Young Geographer of the Year • Habs Geographical Magazine Further Reading • 'Can We Protect People From Natural Disasters' by Catherine Chambers • 'No One Is Too Small To Make A Difference' by Greta Thunberg

Throughout the process, students develop important habits such as initiative, critical thinking, creativity, leadership, and collaboration. Alongside this, students also develop key geographical skills including data collection, data presentation (graphs, maps, and tables), analysis, evaluation, decision-making, and extended written explanation.

Habs Boys | Curriculum Booklet

German Mission Statement We aim to continue to develop an awareness of the nature of language and language learning through the appropriate teaching of the grammar of the target language, and to encourage enthusiasm for various aspects of culture and civilisation. In addition, we aspire to develop the ability to communicate proficiently in the target language, both orally and in writing, and to develop good working habits and study skills.

HABITS IN GERMAN Making mistakes; desirable difficulty; student-led learning / independent expression; building confidence / learning by reviewing mistakes.

Ambition

• Resilience • Continuous Learning • Initiative

Curiosity

• Open-mindedness • Critical Thinking • Creativity

Exposure to new cultures, perspectives and ways of thinking; encouraging students to express themselves in creative ways; analysing grammar to help them spot patterns in language.

Courage

• Integrity • Leadership • Risk-taking

Students have enhanced cultural sensitivity. They are encouraged to take risks with language and step outside comfort zones; engaging with different cultures fosters integrity.

Community

• Collaboration • Care • Social Responsibility

Habs Boys | Curriculum Booklet

German Curriculum Overview

Autumn Term

Spring Term

Summer Term

• Das ist meine Welt – describing yourself and talking about your family.

• In der Schule – talking about school subjects, your opinions, school rules and after-school activities.

• Mein Wochenende – using the perfect tense and key imperfects to talk about what you did at the weekend.

• Meine Freizeit – talking about sports and freetime as well as music. Discussing what you like/don’t like doing, how often you do something.

• Mahlzeit – talking about what you eat and drink, how to buy food and understand prices. Discussing healthy eating and learning about some traditional dishes in Germanspeaking countries.

Habs Boys | Curriculum Booklet

German Signature Project: Group Cultural Research Project

They will develop a much better sense of how widely the language is spoken, and of the diversity of the people who speak it.

Scholarship and Enrichment • Exploring the German-speaking school system: Students research the school systems of Germany and other German-speaking countries and discuss similarities and differences with their own school experience. This encourages cultural comparison and critical thinking alongside the In der Schule topic. • German Cooking Challenge: As part of the Mahlzeit unit, students explore traditional and regional dishes from Germany, Austria and Switzerland before taking on the challenge of preparing a German-speaking-world dish themselves. This develops cultural understanding through a practical, creative experience. • German Reading and Discussion: Regular reading challenges expose students to German beyond the textbook. Students encounter authentic material exploring aspects of life in the German-speaking world, build independent reading strategies, record new vocabulary and discuss key themes and opinions arising from what they have read.

• German Film Study: Through Das Wunder von Bern, students explore post-war Germany, the 1954 World Cup and the role of football in German national identity, while gaining valuable exposure to authentic spoken German and developing their listening skills. • Offenburg Exchange Programme: Year 8 students have the opportunity to apply to take part in the summer exchange programme with our partner school in Offenburg, experiencing German family and school life first-hand and using their German in an authentic setting.

Habs Boys | Curriculum Booklet

History Mission Statement The Year 8 curriculum challenges students to explore how empires, industrialisation and revolutions shaped the modern world, helping them develop into critical thinkers who understand the roots of today's global society.

HABITS IN HISTORY

Ambition

Curiosity

Courage

Community

• Resilience • Continuous Learning • Initiative

Students channel their academic ambition by evaluating structural causes behind historical change, such as global expansion and industrialisation. They demonstrate initiative and resilience when analysing complex administrative, economic and strategic choices made during major international events and domestic developments.

• Open-mindedness • Critical Thinking • Creativity

Students cultivate deep curiosity and critical thinking by unpacking the contrasts between isolationism and global imperialism. They maintain open-mindedness and objectivity while scrutinising global narratives, ensuring analytical rigor when evaluating historical perspectives from Elizabeth I to Robert Aske to modern China.

• Integrity • Leadership • Risk-taking

Students develop historical courage and integrity by confronting challenging topics, such as the transatlantic slave trade or political executions. They apply empathy to understand the lived experiences of ordinary individuals swept up in revolutions and warfare.

• Collaboration • Care • Social Responsibility

Students explore how local actions intersect with global communities, studying urbanisation, the abolition movement and public health. They work together with care and collaboration, building a shared sense of social responsibility by analysing how communities transform across time and geography.

Habs Boys | Curriculum Booklet

History Curriculum Overview

Autumn Term

Spring Term

Summer Term

Students examine early modern power dynamics, focusing on Elizabethan England and Spanish global expansion. They investigate domestic threats, everyday Tudor society, the Spanish Armada and the strategic motivations underpinning exploration.

Students track the evolution of battlefields and human conflict, investigating warfare from 1645 to 1854. They analyse tactical and technological milestones from the English Civil War and the Battle of Waterloo to the industrial-scale violence seen at Balaclava.

Shifting focus, students analyse Spanish expansionism under Columbus and the Conquistadors, scrutinising imperial policies and the devastating impact on indigenous Caribbean, Aztec, and Inca populations.

Furthermore, students look beyond military strategies to research the social reality of conflict, evaluating the harrowing lived experiences of soldiers and everyday civilians caught in periods of profound, state-level political upheaval.

Students investigate global empire-building and revolutionary movements, exploring transatlantic slavery, the British Industrial Revolution and China’s modern trajectory. They examine the triangular slave trade, daily plantation life, the abolition movement, and urbanisation’s impact on public health.

Throughout this term, students build critical source analysis, debate geopolitical motives, and evaluate the ethical complexities of early empires.

Finally, students trace China's evolution from the Opium Wars and imperial collapse to the Long March and 20th-century modernisation. This term refines students’ skills in exploring multicausal historical events.

Habs Boys | Curriculum Booklet

History Signature Project: Life in the 17th Century

In Year 8 History, students investigate life in the 17th century. Deciding on a research topic which matches their own interests, from art to economics, they develop critical research skills and academic study habits by reading challenging historical literature and texts.

This project encourages students to take risks as independent scholars, strengthening their ability to synthesise information and formulate mature arguments. Cultivating essential oracy skills, students then present their findings confidently to an audience.

Scholarship and Enrichment • The National Maritime Museum (London) (Elizabethan Exploration and Transatlantic History) • The Royal Armouries Museum (Leeds) (The Nature and Experience of Historical Warfare)

• ‘Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and Science’ by Marc Aronson and Marina Budhos (Triangular Slave Trade and Industrial Wealth)

• ‘The Good Immigrant’ (Kids Edition) edited by Nikesh Shukla (Black Britons, Identity, and Changing Communities) • ‘The Rest is History: Priests & Emperors of China’ (Podcast Series) Qing Dynasty, The Opium Wars, and Modern Fractures.

We hope that the project will then be displayed and to invite parents to an exhibition, celebrating the students' academic growth and historical insights.

Habs Boys | Curriculum Booklet

Latin Mission Statement The Year 8 Latin curriculum builds on students' knowledge of an inflected language, deepening their command of grammar and English derivations. Students develop critical insight into Roman life across the empire, from Britain to Alexandria, through primary sources and evidence.

HABITS IN LATIN

Ambition

Curiosity

Courage

Community

• Resilience • Continuous Learning • Initiative

Students build resilience by tackling increasingly complex grammar: relative clauses, the pluperfect tense and new noun cases. They take the initiative to apply prior learning to new constructions, continuously extending their command of Latin as the language grows more demanding.

• Open-mindedness • Critical Thinking • Creativity

Students develop open-mindedness by exploring Roman life across the empire, from bathing and education in Italy to glassmaking and the worship of Isis in Alexandria. They apply critical thinking to unfamiliar pronouns and clauses, using creativity to construct accurate translations.

• Integrity • Leadership • Risk-taking

Students develop academic integrity by preparing thoroughly for exam revision and exam week rather than relying on guesswork. They take risks as young linguists, tackling unseen relative clauses and pronouns, and build leadership by supporting peers through shared revision.

• Collaboration • Care • Social Responsibility

Latin remains inherently collaborative as students revise and translate together ahead of exams. By studying Romanisation and client kings such as Cogidubnus, they discover how conquered communities were governed, developing social responsibility as they compare ancient and modern rule.

Habs Boys | Curriculum Booklet

Latin Curriculum Overview

Autumn Term

Spring Term

Summer Term

Students explore daily life in Roman Italy, from bathing culture and the education system to the elections and local government of Pompeii.

Students travel to Roman Alexandria, discovering its government, glassmaking industry and role within the wider Roman Empire, alongside the palace at Fishbourne closer to home.

Students explore religious and cultural life across the empire, from the worship of Isis and spring festivals to medicine and mathematics in Alexandria.

Grammatically, they master the dative singular and plural, encountering intransitive verbs that take this case, and extend their verb knowledge to the first and second person plural in the present, imperfect and perfect tenses.

The term turns to Roman Britain, studying the eruption of Vesuvius, the process of Romanisation and the client king Cogidubnus, alongside the infinitive, adjectival agreement and constructions with 'volo', 'nolo' and 'possum'.

Grammatically, they learn to recognise relative clauses, including those introduced by 'quos' and 'quas', and study the imperfect of 'nolo', 'volo' and 'possum’. Students are introduced to the pluperfect tense, translate the genitive case for the first time, and begin to understand gender as it applies to nouns and adjectives.

Grammatically, they consolidate agreement of nouns and adjectives, learn the pronouns 'hic' and 'ille' alongside 'is' and 'ea' in the accusative, genitive and dative, and translate negative commands using 'noli' and 'nolite' with the infinitive.

Students are introduced to the present participle and the vocative case, before a dedicated period of exam revision and exam week.

Habs Boys | Curriculum Booklet

Latin Signature Project: How Rome Governed

In Year 8 Latin, students investigate how Rome governed its conquered territories, focusing on Roman Britain and the client king Cogidubnus. Working in groups, they research a Roman site or figure of their choosing, from the palace at Fishbourne to the process of Romanisation, gathering evidence from archaeology and primary sources.

This project develops habits of collaboration and critical thinking as students weigh conflicting evidence and construct a reasoned account of the past. Pupils are encouraged to take risks by presenting their findings and fielding questions from their peers, building confidence in public speaking and structured argument.

Scholarship and Enrichment • ‘The Eagle of the Ninth’ by Rosemary Sutcliff (Autumn Term: Life in Roman Britain) • ‘Odysseus: The Greatest Hero of Them All’ by Tony Robinson (enrichment: classical mythology and heroic tales)

The project culminates in a class presentation comparing local case studies, celebrating the complex and often surprising ways in which Roman rule reshaped the province of Britannia.

Habs Boys | Curriculum Booklet

Mathematics Mission Statement In Year 8, we nurture ambition and curiosity by building on students’ growing problemsolving skills. Students develop confidence, independence, and precision, enabling them to think more deeply and engage with increasingly challenging mathematics.

HABITS IN MATHEMATICS

Ambition

• Resilience • Continuous Learning • Initiative

We develop determination and independence as students tackle increasingly complex problems. They build confidence in selecting appropriate methods and sustaining effort through multi-step reasoning.

Curiosity

• Open-mindedness • Critical Thinking • Creativity

We encourage deeper mathematical thinking by making connections between topics and exploring different strategies. Students grow in confidence when justifying their reasoning and considering more than one approach.

Courage

• Integrity • Leadership • Risk-taking

We support students in taking responsibility for the accuracy and clarity of their work. They become more confident in tackling unfamiliar questions and refining their solutions.

Community

• Collaboration • Care • Social Responsibility

We foster a collaborative mathematical environment where discussion and reasoning are valued. Students contribute thoughtfully, recognising how shared ideas strengthen understanding.

Habs Boys | Curriculum Booklet

Mathematics Curriculum Overview

Autumn Term

Spring Term

Summer Term

Fractions

Arithmetic: Fractions and Percentages

Volume

• •

Divisibility tests Prime factors

•

Pythagoras’ Theorem

Percentage increase/decrease, reverse percentages, converting fractions and decimals to percentages

•

Find the hypotenuse

•

Find a shorter side

Algebra 2

•

Word problems

•

Solve linear equations

•

Change the subject of a formula

•

Expand two brackets

Recap the four rules with integers and decimals

•

Use trial and improvement

•

BODMAS

•

Calculator logic

Angles, Bearings and Maps

Rounding and Estimating

•

Data Analysis •

Review of statistical diagrams

•

Calculation of averages

Ratio and Proportion •

Direct proportion

•

Inverse proportion

•

Ratios

Algebraic Expressions •

Substitution with negatives

•

Multiplying out a single bracket

•

Factorising

Project: Climate Stripes

•

Angle facts from parallel and intersecting lines

•

Bearings and scale drawings

Straight Line Graphs •

Plotting linear graphs

•

Calculate the equation of a straight line

Polygons •

Interior and exterior angles in polygons

•

Properties of quadrilaterals

Project: Financial Maths

•

Volume of 3D shapes

Circles •

Circumference and area of a circle

Nets and Surface Area

•

Nets and surface area of prisms and pyramids

Special Sequences •

Introducing special sequences

Project: Financial Maths

Habs Boys | Curriculum Booklet

Mathematics Signature Projects: Autumn Term – Climate Stripes:

Spring Term – Financial Maths:

Summer Term – No-Three-In-Line Puzzle:

This task uses data visualisation to show patterns over time. You will represent data (e.g. temperature or coal production) as coloured stripes, making trends easy to see and interpret.

This task explores how Maths is used in real-life financial situations like loans and mortgages. You will apply percentages and interest to calculate repayments and understand how borrowing works over time while developing problem-solving skills.

This task challenges you to place the maximum number of points on a grid without any three forming a straight line. It develops logical thinking, pattern recognition, and introduces a real mathematical problem.

Scholarship and Enrichment • Maths Club

Suggested Further Reading

• Maths Society

• ‘How long is a piece of string?’ by Rob Eastaway

• UKMT Maths Challenges and follow on rounds

• ‘Professor Stewart's Incredible Numbers’ by Ian Stewart

• ‘Alex Through the Looking Glass’ by Alex Bellos • ‘Things to Make and Do in the Fourth Dimension’ by Matt Parker • ‘Entertaining Mathematical Puzzles’ by Martin Gardner

Habs Boys | Curriculum Booklet

Music Mission Statement In Year 8 Music, we continue to develop rounded, versatile musicians through performing, composing, listening and appraising. Building on Year 7, students take increasing ownership of their musical learning, developing musicianship, creativity and critical thinking. We believe music is a culturally situated and continually evolving human practice, so the curriculum broadens students’ musical experiences while encouraging them to make connections between unfamiliar traditions, their own musical lives and the wider world.

HABITS IN MUSIC

Ambition

Curiosity

• Resilience • Continuous Learning • Initiative

• Open-mindedness • Critical Thinking • Creativity

Courage

• Integrity • Leadership • Risk-taking

Community

• Collaboration • Care • Social Responsibility

Students develop through purposeful preparation for performance and refining their compositions, responding to feedback and taking increasing responsibility for improvement. Students are encouraged to explore the wider musical world, seeking out new and unfamiliar music, traditions and perspectives. This musical exploration informs the planning of their own creative work and the musical choices they make. Performing, improvising and composing encourage students to commit to ideas, share their work and take creative risks. Regular reflection on experiences, practice and feedback helps them identify and act on their next steps with increasing independence.

Musicking is an inherently social activity. Through making music together, students develop their ability to lead others, respond sensitively and work effectively as part of a team.

Habs Boys | Curriculum Booklet

Music Curriculum Overview

Autumn Term

Spring Term

Summer Term

Across Year 8, students revisit and extend musical ideas first encountered in Year 7, applying them in increasingly demanding contexts and taking greater responsibility for their own musical decisions.

WCT: 17th to early 19th Centuries

Popular Music

Students encounter Hindustani and Carnatic traditions before focusing their practical work on North Indian classical music.

Through listening, improvisation and composition, they explore raga, tala and drone, creating music using Rag Bhupali and Teental. The second half of term explores Bhangra, beginning with its Punjabi folk traditions before considering how these were developed and reinvented within British Bhangra. Through live ensemble performance, students explore characteristic rhythms, instruments and performance practices, while considering how musical traditions evolve across cultural contexts.

Students continue the chronological journey begun in Year 7, exploring Baroque and Classical Music through listening and performance. In Baroque Music, they develop their understanding of texture, harmony, ornamentation and instrumental conventions. They then investigate the changing musical language of the Classical period, with particular focus on melody, texture, harmony and form, applying their understanding through practical music making.

Students explore a range of popular music styles through ensemble performance, developing their understanding of song structure, texture and instrumental roles while becoming increasingly independent in rehearsal.

They then apply this experience to songwriting, creating and refining their own material through choices of harmony, melody, structure, lyrics and arrangement. The unit gives students increasing ownership of their creative decisions and encourages them to develop their own musical voice.

Habs Boys | Curriculum Booklet

Music Habits and Musicianship: Positive habits are fundamental to musicianship. Across the year, students prepare and work as a team when performing; plan and refine when composing; and explore new music and reflect on their experiences, feedback and practice. These processes develop with increasing independence as students progress.

Scholarship and Enrichment All students are encouraged to take part in the School’s broad Co-curricular Music programme, delivered in partnership with Performance Music. Ensembles, choirs, concerts, workshops, trips and specialist tuition provide opportunities to broaden experience and develop musicianship beyond the classroom.

Music Scholars are expected to act as musical role models, broaden their interests, knowledge and experience, and contribute positively to the musical life of the school. They also follow a personalised programme coordinated through Performance Music, including specialist support, wider musical opportunities and leadership.

Habs Boys | Curriculum Booklet

Physics Mission Statement Physics helps students to understand the world through observation, measurement, experimentation and analysis. In Year 8, students deepen their understanding of how matter, forces, energy and the universe behave, while developing the practical, mathematical and analytical skills that underpin scientific enquiry. Through investigation, discussion and problem-solving, students learn to evaluate evidence, construct explanations and apply physics to both everyday experiences and real-world technologies.

HABITS IN PHYSICS

Ambition

Curiosity

Courage

Community

• Resilience • Continuous Learning • Initiative

• Open-mindedness • Critical Thinking • Creativity

• Integrity • Leadership • Risk-taking

• Collaboration • Care • Social Responsibility

•

Demonstrating resilience when tackling challenging calculations and investigations.

•

Refining practical and analytical skills through careful reflection and improvement.

•

Taking ownership of learning by seeking deeper scientific explanations.

•

Asking thoughtful questions about physical phenomena and the universe.

•

Exploring patterns, relationships and evidence to develop understanding.

•

Applying creativity when solving problems and designing investigations.

•

Sharing ideas and predictions with confidence.

•

Showing integrity by recording results honestly and evaluating evidence objectively.

•

Taking intellectual risks when testing explanations and challenging misconceptions.

•

Collaborating effectively during practical investigations and engineering challenges.

•

Working safely and responsibly with specialist scientific equipment.

•

Respecting the ideas, contributions and perspectives of others when discussing scientific issues.

Habs Boys | Curriculum Booklet

Physics Curriculum Overview

A Flexible Physics Curriculum

Matter and Pressure

Year 8 Physics is delivered through a carousel model. Students study the same core areas of Physics during the year, but not in the same order. This approach allows all classes to gain hands-on experience with a wide range of specialist apparatus, demonstrations and practical investigations.

Students use the particle model to explain the behaviour of solids, liquids and gases. They investigate evaporation, condensation, thermal expansion and pressure, developing both scientific understanding and quantitative problem-solving skills. Astronomy

Whilst the sequence of topics may vary, all students complete the same curriculum and develop the same scientific knowledge, practical skills and analytical thinking.

Students explore the Earth, Moon and Solar System, explaining day and night, seasons and lunar phases. They also examine gravity, the scale of the Solar System and our place within the wider universe.

Matter and Pressure

Moments and Machines

Students investigate turning forces, balance, stability and centre of gravity. They apply these ideas to simple machines and engineering challenges, developing problem-solving and practical skills. Heat Students study conduction, convection and radiation, learning how thermal energy is transferred and controlled. They apply these ideas to contexts such as insulation, vacuum flasks and energy-efficient design.

Energy

Students develop an understanding of energy stores, energy transfers and conservation of energy. They also explore efficiency, energy resources and the role of energy in modern society. Practical Investigation and Scientific Communication Throughout the year, students develop their investigative skills through practical work. They learn how to plan methods, present data, construct graphs and communicate evidence-based conclusions clearly and effectively.

Habs Boys | Curriculum Booklet

Physics Signature Project: Sustainability Challenge

This is a project that runs across Biology, Chemistry and Physics and asks one big question: how can science help us live well without using up the planet? Working in teams, students take on a real sustainability problem, from energy and waste to food, water or biodiversity, and develop their own evidencebased response to it.

Scholarship and Enrichment Students can extend their interest in physics through Junior Science Club. Activities include designing model wind turbines, investigating parachute performance, building comets, measuring the speed of sound, designing bridges, astronaut-training challenges and constructing balsa wood aircraft. These experiences encourage creativity, engineering thinking and scientific curiosity.

It is designed to leave them not just better scientists, but young people who believe their science can make a difference.

Habs Boys | Curriculum Booklet

Physical Education Mission Statement To help every student flourish through movement, sport and challenge. Active People – Good People – Ambitious People

HABITS IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Ambition

Curiosity

Courage

Community

• Resilience • Continuous Learning • Initiative

PE develops resilience by encouraging students to persevere through challenges and setbacks. Continuous learning is promoted through feedback, reflection, and skill development. Initiative is strengthened as students make decisions, solve problems independently, and take responsibility for improving their own and their team's performance.

• Open-mindedness • Critical Thinking • Creativity

PE develops open-mindedness by exposing students to different activities, perspectives, and approaches to performance. Critical thinking is strengthened through evaluating tactics, analysing performance, and making informed decisions. Creativity is encouraged as students adapt strategies, solve movement challenges, and explore innovative ways to achieve success.

• Integrity • Leadership • Risk-taking

PE develops integrity by encouraging honesty, fairness, and respect for rules, opponents, and officials. Leadership is fostered through teamwork, communication, and the opportunity to guide and support others. Risk-taking is encouraged as students step outside their comfort zones, embrace new challenges, and learn from both success and failure.

• Collaboration • Care • Social Responsibility

PE develops collaboration through teamwork, communication, and working towards shared goals. Care is fostered by supporting others, showing empathy, and promoting wellbeing within a positive sporting environment. Social responsibility is encouraged as students demonstrate respect, contribute positively to their community, and recognise the impact of their actions on others.

Habs Boys | Curriculum Booklet

Physical Education Curriculum Overview

In Year 8 students are introduced to skills and fitness development. The programme is taught in mixed ability form groups on a rotating carousel. FUNCTIONAL MOVEMENT

In the Functional Movement module, students learn and apply key movement patterns including the hinge, squat, push, pull, brace, and rotate. By developing these fundamental movements, students improve movement efficiency, body control, and coordination, providing a foundation for greater physical literacy and success across all physical activities. AQUATICS In the Aquatics module, students build their aquatic competence across a range of swimming strokes, developing confidence, control, and efficiency in the water. They also learn essential water safety skills through activities such as treading water and participate in aquatic games, including water polo, helping to develop teamwork, decision-making, and lifelong confidence in aquatic environments.

GAMEPLAY

SUMMER TERM

In the Gameplay module, students develop fundamental game skills through catch and throw activities. They learn how to use space effectively, work collaboratively as a team, and make decisions in dynamic game situations. Studentsthen apply their understanding by designing their own games, promoting creativity, teamwork, and a deeper understanding of gameplay concepts.

Our Summer Term options are currently under review. Alongside an additional Aquatics rotation, students will be offered a Net and Racket Games pathway, where they will develop the fundamental skills, tactics, and movement patterns common to a range of net and racket sports. Through engaging and progressively challenging activities, pupils will build confidence, coordination, and game understanding, further enhancing their physical literacy and enjoyment of physical activity.

ATHLETIC DEVELOPMENT In the Athletic Development module, students develop the fundamental physical qualities that underpin success in sport and physical activity. Through learning about power and plyometrics, core strength, acceleration and deceleration, agility, change of direction, coordination, and multidirectional movement, students build a strong foundation for improved physical literacy, enhanced athletic performance, and lifelong participation in physical activity.

Habs Boys | Curriculum Booklet

Physical Education Signature Project: Our Signature Project is delivered through the Cocurricular and Games programme, where students are challenged to apply the physical literacy they develop through PE in authentic and increasingly demanding contexts.

Through participation in a wide range of sports, fixtures, sports tours, and inter-house competitions, pupils develop confidence, competence, and character while testing and extending their physical, social, and emotional capabilities.

Scholarship and Enrichment PE provides one of the school’s most extensive co-curricular enrichment programmes, with over 20 physical activity options available to students of all abilities before school, at lunchtime, and after school throughout the week. Opportunities are further enhanced through Saturday fixtures, sports tours, and competitive events, enabling students to develop skills, pursue their interests, and engage more deeply with physical activity beyond the curriculum.

These experiences reinforce the learning from PE and promote a lifelong engagement with physical activity and sport.

Habs Boys | Curriculum Booklet

Spanish Mission Statement We aim to continue to develop an awareness of the nature of language and language learning through the appropriate teaching of the grammar of the target language, and to encourage enthusiasm for various aspects of culture and civilisation. In addition, we aspire to develop the ability to communicate proficiently in the target language, both orally and in writing, and to develop good working habits and study skills.

HABITS IN SPANISH

Ambition

• Resilience • Continuous Learning • Initiative

Making mistakes; desirable difficulty; student-led learning / independent expression; building confidence / learning by reviewing mistakes.

Curiosity

• Open-mindedness • Critical Thinking • Creativity

Exposure to new cultures, perspectives and ways of thinking; encouraging students to express themselves in creative ways; analysing grammar to help them spot patterns in language.

Courage

• Integrity • Leadership • Risk-taking

Students have enhanced cultural sensitivity. They are encouraged to take risks with language and step outside comfort zones; engaging with different cultures fosters integrity.

Community

• Collaboration • Care • Social Responsibility

Students are encouraged to learn collaboratively eg through peer assessment and group work. Language learning helps students develop the social awareness and responsibility to contribute positively to their communities, thereby becoming true global citizens.

Habs Boys | Curriculum Booklet

Spanish Curriculum Overview

Autumn Term

Spring Term

Summer Term

• Talking about yourself

• Sports and hobbies

• School subjects and opinions

• Basic personal information

• Boot verbs

• School facilities and activities

• Personality

• Opinion structures

• Telling the time and plans

• Saying where you live

• Weekend activities

• Summer project

• Describing your town

• Describing people in detail

• Present tense verbsregular/irregular

• Weekend plans (immediate future)

Habs Boys | Curriculum Booklet

Spanish Signature Project: Group Cultural Research Project In Year 8, students in all Modern Languages will conduct a group research project in the second half of the Summer Term. Their teachers will present information about a range of different countries and regions where the language is spoken; students will then decide which country or region they want to research and then present their work to their peers.

They will develop a much better sense of how widely the language is spoken, and of the diversity of the people who speak it.

Scholarship and Enrichment • Develop students’ geographical and cultural awareness through exploration of Spain and the wider Spanish-speaking world and exploration of seasonal traditions such as Día de los Muertos ( Coco film ) and Los Reyes Magos at Christmas time.

• Independent extension through online platforms such as languagesonline, languagenut and quizlet allowing students to consolidate and extend vocabulary, grammar and phonics beyond the classroom.

• Develop an understanding of Spanish phonics and accurate pronunciation through dedicated phonics work ( including the Signature Project )

• Study trip to the south of Spain offered including language tuition and cultural visits.

• Exposure to authentic Spanish through song, readers and audio-visual material. • Provide opportunities to apply new language creatively through short drama sketches such as ordering in a café.

• More able students are encouraged to recognise and explore the structures underlying Spanish and deduce rules for themselves from patterns and from exposure to easy readers.

Habs Boys | Curriculum Booklet

Theology and Philosophy Mission Statement In Year 8, students explore, contrast and compare the responses of Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism to worldview questions. Students are introduced to philosophical reasoning to improve clarity, accuracy and cogency in expression. The course culminates in a study of mythology to help pupils understand how diverse cultures have used ‘storytelling’ to convey their truths.

HABITS IN THEOLOGY AND PHILOSOPHY

Ambition

Curiosity

Courage

Community

• Resilience • Continuous Learning • Initiative

Students are encouraged to use their initiative as they articulate responses to key existential questions. We foster academic resilience by testing those ideas through thoughtful debate and discussion, understanding that learning is not static and that our responses to worldview questions will develop over time.

• Open-mindedness • Critical Thinking • Creativity

Students develop open-mindedness and critical thinking as they approach ultimate questions through the diverse lenses of the Dharmic Faiths and an array of mythologies from around the world. Opportunities to demonstrate understanding through creativity abound, with pupils writing their own myth as just one example.

• Integrity • Leadership • Risk-taking

Students develop academic integrity and leadership by exploring the lives of key figures within the Dharmic Faiths and later learning the skills of philosophical reasoning. The discursive heart of the Theology and Philosophy classroom encourages students to ‘take risks’ with sharing insights and hearing those that are different from their own.

• Collaboration • Care • Social Responsibility

By cultivating a ‘community of enquiry’, the Theology and Philosophy classroom becomes a dynamic space in which students learn to exchange ideas freely, conscientiously and responsibly. Students collaborate in think, pair, share activities and specifically through group work, such as ‘philosothons’ and the ‘Sacred Spaces’ project.

Habs Boys | Curriculum Booklet

Theology and Philosophy Curriculum Overview

Autumn Term

Spring Term

Summer Term

Students begin Year 8 exploring worldview questions through a Hindu lens. They evaluate the Hindu ideas about God, the Soul and the nature of reality. The course examines the Hindu response to suffering within the cyclical frame of Samsara and the goal of liberation through Moksha.

The Spring Term commences with group projects investigating Sikh and Jain responses to worldview questions.

Mythology is a rich compendium of inherited wisdom and in this unit, we explore how diverse cultures from across the globe and over time have responded to the now familiar worldview questions, revealing sometimes unique, sometimes shared, insights into the human condition.

In the second half of the term, students study the same themes from a Buddhist perspective, culminating in a written assessment in the form of a dialogue between a Hindu and a Buddhist, critically evaluating points of convergence and uniqueness in their worldviews.

In the introduction to Philosophical Arguments unit, pupils learn how reasoning can take different forms, deductive, inductive and abductive, each with varying degrees of cogency. Assessment is in the guise of a short creative story in which students demonstrate their understanding by showing how Sherlock Holmes might employ all three types of reasoning to solve an imaginary case. In the run up to Easter, students delve a little deeper into Political Philosophy. We explore the nature and limits of individual liberty, with particular emphasis on the rights and responsibilities pertaining to free speech.

The year draws to a close with the Sacred Spaces group project. The unit analyses the relationship between a culture’s sense of the sacred and the architecture of its religious buildings. We explore how sacred sites, in addition to text and art studies in Year 7, also serve to symbolise and convey responses to complex worldview questions.

Habs Boys | Curriculum Booklet

Theology and Philosophy Signature Project: Sacred Spaces Students investigate how the narrative dimension of religion serves as a vehicle for expressing responses to worldview questions. The Sacred Spaces project builds on this, examining ways in which religious architecture contributes to the storytelling aspect of faith, and revealing how symbolism conveyed through structure can, in turn, illuminate an

understanding of self, community and transcendence. In groups, students construct a virtual tour of a sacred site from a global selection, some well known and others less familiar, including Avebury in England, Tiger Nest Monastery in Bhutan and the Great Mosque of Djenné in Mali, to name but a few. Students may use PowerPoint,

video software and AI to create their virtual tour, which they will present to the class upon completion.

Scholarship and Enrichment • Veritas (T&P Journal)