KS3 Schemes of Work, Years 7–9 (England NC; equivalents for NI KS3, Wales CfW Progression Step 4, Scotland S1–S3 Third/Fourth level)
No exam boards set KS3 qualifications. These schemes deliberately build towards GCSE (and N5) content. Each term is about 12–13 weeks.
ENGLISH
| Year | Autumn | Spring | Summer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Y7 | Novel study (e.g. Boy in the Striped Pyjamas / Holes); narrative writing | Poetry from other cultures; descriptive writing | Shakespeare introduction (A Midsummer Night's Dream); speaking: presentations |
| Y8 | Gothic fiction extracts; analytical paragraphs (What-How-Why) | Non-fiction and rhetoric; persuasive writing | Shakespeare (The Tempest); modern drama |
| Y9 | 19th-century extracts (preparation for GCSE Language Paper 1 and 2 style questions) | War poetry, comparing poems | Full modern text (e.g. Of Mice and Men / Animal Farm); transactional writing |
| Objectives: comment on language and structure with subject terminology; compare texts; write for different purposes, audiences and registers; spell and punctuate accurately. |
MATHS
| Year | Units |
|---|---|
| Y7 | Place value and the four operations; negative numbers; fractions, decimals and percentages (FDP); algebraic notation and simplifying; angles; perimeter and area; averages |
| Y8 | Ratio and proportion; solving linear equations; sequences (nth term); percentages including change; area of circles; transformations; probability |
| Y9 | Indices and standard form; expanding and factorising quadratics; straight-line graphs (y = mx + c); Pythagoras; introduction to trigonometry; volume of prisms; scatter graphs |
SCIENCE
| Year | Biology | Chemistry | Physics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Y7 | Cells and microscopy; body systems; reproduction | Particle model; acids and alkalis; separating mixtures | Forces; energy stores; sound and light |
| Y8 | Digestion and nutrition; respiration and photosynthesis; ecosystems | Elements, compounds and the periodic table; chemical reactions; the Earth | Electricity and magnetism; pressure; space |
| Y9 | Genetics and evolution; health and disease (bridge to GCSE) | Atomic structure; bonding introduction | Energy calculations; waves; motion graphs |
| Working scientifically runs through all units: variables, risk, graphing, evaluating. |
COMPUTING
| Year | Units |
|---|---|
| Y7 | E-safety and the computer system; Scratch/block programming review; binary basics; spreadsheets |
| Y8 | Python 1 (sequence, selection, iteration); networks and the internet; HTML/CSS web pages; logic gates |
| Y9 | Python 2 (lists, functions, file handling); algorithms (linear/binary search, bubble sort); data representation (images, sound); cyber security; small project |