Year 8
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 including dystopian fiction, graphic novels, gothic fiction, and poetry.
• Develop comprehension, inference, and deduction skills; analyse language, author’s purpose, structure, and viewpoint; compare texts and justify responses with evidence.
Key Texts
• Dystopian Fiction: City of Ember, Noughts and Crosses, Lord of the Flies, Animal Farm, The Giver, Among the Hidden, Hunger Games, War of the Worlds.
• Graphic Novels: When Stars are Scattered, Breadwinner.
• Gothic Fiction: Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, A Christmas Carol, Frankenstein, Mr. Creature, The Signalman.
Writing
English
• Write for varied purposes including descriptive passages, narratives, persuasive speeches, articles, blogs, newspapers, and letters.
• Develop narrative writing in dystopian and gothic contexts; compose persuasive and discursive texts; use tone, style, and vocabulary suited to audience and purpose.
• Use varied sentence structures and wide vocabulary.
• Organise writing into logical paragraphs and follow the full writing process: plan, draft, revise, edit, and self-assess independently.
SPAG
• Apply knowledge of parts of speech, verb tenses, sentence types, and active/passive voice.
• Use accurate punctuation (full stops, commas, apostrophes, colons, semicolons, speech marks, ellipses, brackets, hyphens/dashes) and apply direct/reported speech correctly.
• Spell high-frequency and ambitious vocabulary accurately, including thematic words from dystopian, gothic, poetry, and graphic novel contexts.
• Learn and apply common spelling rules and exceptions regularly.
• Number: calculate percentages of amounts, percentage increase and decreases, percentage change, one number as a percentage of another all with and without a calculator.
• Algebra: expand and factorise single brackets; solve equations involving brackets and division; continue or find missing values in arithmetic, geometric and other sequences, including Fibonnacirelated patterns; derive and use the nth term of linear sequences; plot straight lines.
• Geometry: transform shapes by reflection, translation, rotation and enlargement; describe transformations; solve problems with linear and area scale factors.
Maths
Science
French
• Measure: calculating and problem solving with speed, distance and time.
• Statistics: read and interpret different statistical charts; read and interpret pie charts given angles, percentages or fractions.
• Additional Curriculum (only for those sitting this extra assessment at CE): Rearrange formulae; cancel an algebraic fraction by factorising; form and solve simultaneous equations; round numbers to significant figures; calculate reverse percentages; calculate the average speed of multi-part journeys; plot curves.
• Calculating: Pressure, Density & Speed
• Classification & Variation: Inherited vs Environmental Variation & Importance of Biodiversity
• Producers: Photosynthesis, Food Chains & Webs, Ecosystem Balance
• Purity & Mixers: Pure vs Impure Substances, Separation Methods, Solutions, Solubility.
• Talking about computers and mobiles / regular ER-verbs
• Talking about which sports you do / Jouer à and revision of er-verbs
• Talking about activities / Using faire du-de la-
• Saying what you like doing / aimer + infinitive
• Using ils/ells
• Talking about your town-village / Using il y a – il n’y a pas
• Giving directions (revisions) / Use of tu and vous
• short week (extension – revisions according to needs and abilities)
• Talking about where you go / Using à + definite article
• Saying what you can do in town / On peut + infinitive
Spanish (SFC)
My Life
• Talk about their hobbies, free time activities, and routines using the present tense.
• Express and justify opinions about music, television, films, and social media.
• Use vocabulary to talk about technology use and screen time.
• Describe nationalities and friendships.
• Use the near future to talk about leisure plans and future aspirations.
• Express ambitions using the conditional tense (me gustaría ser…).
• Combine present and near future tenses in short narratives.
• Show cultural awareness of how teenagers in Spain use media and plan for their future
Health and fitness
• Reviewing parts of the body
• Talking about exercise
Kiswahili
Geography
History
• Talking about illness
• Talking about injuries
• At the sports field
• At the hospital
• Population Introduction: Global trends and predictions
• Where in the world are people located? Why?
• China’s One Child Policy
• The new demographic challenge
• Detailed examples: Rapid population growth in Lagos, Nigeria; Life in informal settlements (Kibera, Kenya);
• Sustainable living in Singapore
• Migration: Forced vs voluntary migration
• Development: Why are some countries rich and others poor? What can be done to reduce the ‘gap’
• Fieldwork to Elsamere, Naivasha will also take place this term (Final Report worth 25% of final grade)
Leaders in History and Notions of Leadership
• Leadership defined - What makes a great leader? (discussion of personal qualities/traits) and leadership types/styles.
• Leader 1: Adolf Hitler – impact of WWI and the early years (domestic success); Consolidation and aggressions, the war years and his generalship.
• Leader 2: Nelson Mandela – background, the impact of Apartheid, resistance, the prison years, Presidency and the formation of a ‘Rainbow Nation’. The legacy and qualities of Madiba.
• Leader 3: Jomo Kenyatta (*Anindependent/guidedstudy). - Background, resistance to colonial rule and the driving force behind the Mau Mau rebellion. Triumph and independence for Kenya. The enduring legacy of Jomo Kenyatta
• End of Unit Assessment – A choice of completing an extended essay on either (i) the successes of a specific leader or (ii) comparisons between two chosen leadersPupils 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.
• World Religions – A look at some Western, Eastern and East African religions
• Philosophy and Ethical studies
• Philosophers - including some African influences
Art
Design Engineering
• Explore how self-portraits have been a tool for self-expression throughout art history
• Learn about paintings from different art movements – Impressionism, Cubism, Surrealism and Fauvism
• Explore different drawing styles using a range of media – realistic and expressive portrait drawings from life inspired by Chris Gambrell
• Use correct proportions and apply a wide range of tone and mark-making techniques
• Experiment with printmaking techniques in response to Alison Lambert and Lucien Freud
• Dry point etching workshop and canvas making workshop
• Be inspired by Jenny Saville and Elle Smallwood to create final paintings
• Explore colour and self-expression – experimenting with dry and wet media, mixing flesh tones, applying tints and tones, layer brushstrokes
• Systems and control – Mechanical systems, Mechanical advantage ·
• Types of motion - Mechanisms that bring about change - Cams and cranks
• Control programme examples
• Market research checklist
• Use of machines and tools –Pillar drill, Jig aw, quick fix clamps, Sander machine
• Design and make – Movement feature, Go Kart
• CAD (Computer Aided Design)
• Quality assurance
• Exploded drawings
• Evaluating products
Computing
Music
Drama
P.E.
Games
Swimming
P.S.H.E.
• Applying logic and rationale to software programming, Publishing on The Web – Creating Web Pages in HTML; Exploring what makes a good website; Adapting the script for a webpage using the web browser, to create a linked, interactive website; Safety features in a webpage
• Researching, writing and presenting project work
• Innovation & Inspiration: Reggae & Blues
• A New Voice: Jazz Harmonies & History
• Melodramatic Action: Modernisation & Technical Application
• Au Naturel: Stanislavski Theories & Natural Performance
• 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 7 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.