Year 7
Curriculum Summary for Parents Term 1 • 2025/26
This information represents a summary of plans for the term. Please understand that all plans are flexible; there is always the possibility that fewer (or more) topics will be covered than those stated.
In Year 7/8, the Common Entrance (CE) syllabi of the Independent Schools Examinations Board (ISEB) constitute the main influence on teaching and learning at Peponi House. The CE syllabi are closely aligned to the programmes of study for Key Stage 3 of the English National Curriculum (NC).
Subject Topics
Reading & Comprehension
• Read widely across genres (historical fiction, fantasy, poetry, informational texts, Shakespeare, modern and classic authors).
• Develop comprehension, inference, and deduction skills; analyse language, structure, and authorial purpose; compare texts and justify responses with evidence.
Key Texts
• Core reading includes Harry Potter, Eragon, Northern Lights, Percy Jackson, The War of the Worlds, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, Goodnight Mr Tom, Pig Heart Boy, Montmorency, and The Diamond of Drury Lane.
• Wider reading includes Rudyard Kipling, nineteenth-century mystery stories, Roald Dahl and O’Henry short stories, The Monkey’s Paw, To Build a Fire (Jack London), plus Shakespeare plays (Macbeth, Hamlet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Romeo and Juliet, Much Ado About Nothing, Twelfth Night).
English
Writing
• Write for a variety of purposes: narratives, descriptions, persuasive speeches, letters, articles, blogs, and discursive texts.
• Develop descriptive, persuasive, and narrative writing, using appropriate tone, style, figurative language, and wide vocabulary.
• Use varied sentence structures and logical paragraphs.
• Plan, draft, revise, and edit independently, building self-assessment skills.
SPAG: Grammar & Punctuation
• Apply knowledge of parts of speech, consistent tense, active/passive voice, and appropriate narrative person.
• Use accurate punctuation (full stops, commas, apostrophes, speech marks, ellipsis, colons, semicolons) and apply direct/reported speech correctly.
• Spell high-frequency and ambitious thematic words accurately.
• Learn and apply spelling rules and exceptions regularly.
• Number: add, subtract, multiply and divide negative numbers; powers and roots; order of operations including with implied brackets; order of operations using a calculator; estimate the answer to single and multi-step calculations.
• Algebra: introduction to algebra including forming and solving one and two-step equations; evaluating expressions and formulae by substituting positive and negative numbers; simplifying algebraic expression by collecting like terms, and multiply, dividing and cancelling terms.
• Geometry: plot coordinates in all four quadrants; transform shapes by reflection and translation.
• Measure: convert between units of time; convert between metric units of distance, mass and capacity.
Additional Curriculum (only for those sitting this extra assessment at CE): Solve simply quadratic equations; substitute into formulae then solve; expand and factorise single brackets; solve equations involving brackets and division; write large numbers in standard index form; calculate with numbers in standard index form.
• Organisation of Life: Cells, Tissues, Organs, Systems, Microscopes and Cell Structures
• Matter, Elements, Compounds: States of Matter, Elements vs Compounds, Simple Chemical Symbols
Science
• Energy Resources: Renewable vs Non-Renewable, Fossil Fuels & Alternatives, Energy Transfer and use
• Food and Digestion: Food Groups & Balanced Diet, Enzymes & Digestion Process, Absorption in Small Intestine
Maths
French
Spanish (SFC)
Geography
History
• Talking about likes and dislikes / Using regular er-verbs in the singular forms
• Talking about your survival kit / Using avoir in the singular forms
• Describing yourself / Adjectival agreement (singular)
• Talking about other people / Adjectival agreement (plural)
• Talking about school subjects / Asking questions
• Giving opinions and reasons / Agreeing-disagreeing
• Describing your timetable /Using the 24-hour clock system
• Describing your typical school day / Using On
• Talking about food / partitive article
• The French education system
People and Home
• Introduce their family members, pets, and professions.
• Describe physical appearance, personality, and preferences.
• Describe their home, rooms, furniture, and city environment.
• Talk about their daily routine and future plans (voy a …).
• Compare people and places using más/menos/tan como
School
• Description
• Subjects
• Teachers
• Uniform
• Sports and extra-curricular activities
• Time telling
• Introduction to Tectonic Hazards and Tectonic Plate Theory
• Earthquakes and Volcanoes (tectonic processes)
• Detailed examples: Earthquakes in a developed vs developing country
• Iceland Detailed Example: Living in a danger zone (risks and benefits)
• Tectonic activity in Kenya
The Black Death (c. 1347-1351)
• Origins and Causes- *Comparisons made to the recent Covid-19 pandemic.
• Medieval superstitions v medical causes.
• The Types of Plague and modes of transmission. Symptoms and mortality rates.
• Preventions and Cures delivered – Poster design.
• Reviewing the Consequences and Effects of the Black Death.
• End of Unit Assessment - A medieval disaster or a positive outlook? An extended piece of writing.
The Peasants Revolt (1381) [*England]
• Introduction and Origins – The theme of causality (reviewing long- and short-term factors)
• Recap of the Feudal System - Definitions of rebellion/revolt, treason and traitor discussed.
• Characters and personalities involved. Genesis of this revolt- focusing on the early meetings between King Richard II and the movement of the rebels across the South East of England.
• The fateful meeting at Smithfield and the impact of events resulting.
• An evaluation of the Effects and Consequences.
• End of Unit Assessment – Why did the Peasants lose? An evaluation of primary and secondary sources.
The Mau-Mau Rebellion (1952-1963) [*British East Africa]
• Independent Research Project – A concise piece of work utilising selected sources provided.
• Pupils to receive a guidance sheet and produce an (ICT) a piece of work outlining the main origins/causes, essential timeline (charting the main events) and enduring consequences of this momentous East African rebellion.
• ‘Africans resist Colonialism – The Mau Mau story.’ We will retell the main origins, key events and impact of the resistance (i.e., the legacies) through a power-point presentation.
Kiswahili
‘Highlighting Perspective: Who were the Mau Mau?’- Source work activities and questions.
• ‘Colonialized Women Talk Back’ & ‘The Mau Mau Warrior Oath’. Class discussions and questions on both readings requiring verbal and written responses.
• Assessment – a completed piece of project work.
• Origins and Founders of World Faiths
• Stewardship and Environmental Issues: Personal and Religious responses
• Crime and Punishment and Religious /Pacifist studies.
• Develop observational Drawing: Pupils will explore line, scale, and perspective by drawing Kenyan street scenes using pen and ink, inspired by Stephen Mabatia.
• Lino Print Design: Pupils learn about the cultural history of lino printing and design prints based on personal memories, referencing artists like Picasso, Matisse, and indigenous printmakers.
• Lino Cutting Techniques: Students transfer their designs onto lino and practice safe carving methods, learning about image reversal and tool handling, inspired by Angie Lewin.
• Printing & Background Creation: Pupils refine printing skills and experiment with expressive backgrounds using mixed media to explore mood and meaning.
• Final Presentation & Evaluation: Students print final pieces, mount and embellish them, then reflect on their work and compare it with professional printmakers to identify strengths and areas for growth.
Design & Planning:
• Research dimensions and design features for different bird species.
• Consider the size and placement of the entrance hole.
• Plan for a liftable or removable side/roof panel for cleaning.
• Incorporate a slightly sloped roof to deflect rain.
Drawing Techniques:
• Practice using drawing equipment to technically represent views(Isometric, orthographic)
• Rendering
Design Engineering
Computing
Music
Drama
Construction
• Practice measuring, marking, and cutting wood to size.
• Assemble the box using screws or appropriate fasteners.
• Include drainage holes in the floor.
Assessment & Reflection:
• Present the finished bird box and explain the chosen design and target species.
• Discuss why bird boxes benefit wildlife and the importance of their role in supporting local ecosystems
• Copyright laws and ownership rights; Digital legacy, footprints and online history; E-Safety and cyber-bullying; E-Safety project- Create an e-safety video using Capcut or Clipchamp; Understanding image size and transferring data across locations
• Creating content between different software that can be collated into one new software
• Introducing programming through Python – creating simple programs using Python that also work with cross-curricular themes
• Grassroots: Folk and Protest Songs
• Axis Progressions: Chords & Harmony in Modern Music
• Weakest Link: Drama Foundational Skills and Group Image
• Suspending Disbelief: A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Imagination & Expression in World Building
TPR
Art
P.E.
Games
Swimming
P.S.H.E.
• Health related fitness - to gain an understanding of the main muscle types used in exercises and different methods of training; develop knowledge of Sports Science and its benefits on sport
• Athletics - improve techniques and skills learnt in Year 6 to facilitate improved PBs in all the following disciplines; sprinting for 100m and 200m; 400m; 800m; 4 x 100m Relays; Long Jump; Triple Jump and High Jump
• Develop techniques and rules of Shot-Put, Discus, and Javelin throws
• Develop pacing techniques for sustained running in 1,500m
• This term the children in Years 7&8 will focus on developing their core skills in cricket, football and athletics. They will compete in inter-school fixtures for the major sports.
• Year 7 and 8 Pupils will continue to develop their own swimming skills by further folllowing the swim skill stage of Swim England LTAD.
Being me in my world – the key topics covered in this puzzle piece include looking at our identity and celebrating differences. Discussions include what makes us “us” and how it changes over time which in turn leads into talks on peer pressure and online identity. Pupils will also be asked to consider what the consequences are of their actions as part of their identity.
Celebrating differences - the key topics covered in this puzzle piece include understanding that although everyone is different, they should all be celebrated. Discussions may include topics such as prejudice and discrimination, human rights and stereotypes. Through these sessions, pupils will be asked to consider what they can do to counter negative thoughts & actions they see, including bullying.