The Year 7 curriculum for 2023-24 will be as follows, delivered across a two week timetable in three 100 minute lessons per day:

Over a two week cycle, students will have the following number of lessons per subject area:

English Maths Science Spanish Technology PE Computing
6 6 5 2 2 2 1
History Geography Religious Studies Music Drama Art
1 1 1 1 1 1

The Year 7 curriculum was praised by Ofsted for being broad, ambitious and demanding. It is designed to ensure that all students gain the necessary knowledge, experiences and skills to become curious, reflective and resilient learners who are ready to reach their potential in a complex, rapidly changing world. Through our curriculum we take pride in all that we do, respect the thoughts, beliefs and personal qualities of others and seek to be the best we can be both personally and academically. 

More detail about what students will learn in each subject can be found below. All teachers, in particular English and maths teachers, will ensure that they address any gaps in essential knowledge and skills from the KS2 curriculum that were caused due to periods of school closures in Year 5 and Year 6.

What will all students learn in Year 7?

English 

  • Unit 1: Modern Short Stories (taken from AQA’s Telling Tales anthology)
  • Unit 2: Shakespeare (Othello or King Lear)
  • Unit 3: Novel (Salt to the Sea, Mortal Engines or Revolver)
  • Unit 4: War poetry
  • Unit 5: Myths and Legends and Murder Mystery

Maths 

  • Half-term 1: Algebraic Thinking: Sequences; Understand and use algebraic notation; Equality and equivalence
  • Half-term 2: Place value and ordering; Fraction, decimal and percentage equivalence; solving problems with addition and subtraction
  • Half-term 3: Solving problems with multiplication and division; Fractions and percentages of an amount
  • Half-term 4: Operations and equations with directed number; Addition and subtraction of fractions
  • Half-term 5: Constructing, measuring and using geometric notation; Developing geometric reasoning
  • Half-term 6: Developing number sense; Sets and probability; Prime numbers and proof

Science 

Alongside these topics, students will also learn practical science skills including lab safety skills:

  • Unit 1: What makes up our universe?
  • Unit 2: What are cells and organs?
  • Unit 3: How does energy transfer between materials?
  • Unit 4 How do we inherit our features like eye and hair colour?
  • Unit 5: What is everything made of? (Atoms, elements, compounds and mixtures)
  • Unit 6: How do animals and plants rely on each other through ecosystems, food chains and food webs?
  • Unit 7: What is electricity and how does it work?
  • Unit 8: How do we know chemical reactions are happening?
  • Unit 9: What forces keep us on the ground and make objects change speed?

Spanish 

All Year 7 students will, through the following topics, develop their speaking, listening, reading and writing and translation skills:

  • Greetings and introductions
  • Alphabet and numbers
  • Family
  • Pets
  • Descriptions
  • Sports and free time
  • House and home
  • Town and directions

Technology

 Resistant Materials

  • MDF and its impact on the environment. 
  • The use of MDF to create a peg creature using specialist hand tools (coping saw, mental files, vice)
  • Understanding of the design process from design brief to product analysis and creation of a final product.
  • The use of plastic and its environmental impact with a focus on single use plastics, reducing, re-using and recycling.
  • A final product made from a reusable plastic where isometric drawing is used to create the design ideas and then developed to a final piece 

Textiles

  • An introduction to basic sewing skills, including a range of hand-sewing techniques and the use of the sewing machine. 
  • Sewing skills are implemented to create a final piece inspired by textiles artist Rachel Parker.
  • An art/textiles collaboration using inspiration from designer Alexander McQueen and textiles artist Elizabeth Powel. 
  • The inspiration gained is used to develop a piece of fabric artwork that has its pattern cut by hand and embellished using a range of decorative hand embroidery stitches, applique shapes and decorative components

Food Technology

  • Basic food safety and hygiene with scientific links
  • Healthy Eating
  • Basic knife skills (fruit salad, coleslaw, soup, high fibre apple crumble)
  • Sensory evaluative skills 
  • Basic cake-making methods (scones, flapjack, melting moments and cupcakes)
  • Food science investigation – fats
  • Health conditions related to an unhealthy diet – Discussion

Physical Education 

  • Table tennis
  • Netball 
  • Badminton 
  • Volleyball
  • Tag Rugby
  • Basketball 
  • Handball 
  • Fitness Suite 
  • Gymnastics 
  • Netball 
  • Athletics
  • Summer Games

Computing

  • Autumn term: staying safe online (digital literacy and e safety) 
  • Spring term: programming in Scratch 
  • Summer term: modelling data using spreadsheets

History 

In all units, students will learn how to make chronological and thematic links, assess change and continuity, evaluate significance, and analyse and evaluate primary and secondary evidence, including different interpretations:

  • Unit 1: Industrial revolution through a local study of Wallsend
  • Unit 2: The Norman Conquest
  • Unit 3: Medieval Britain
  • Unit 4: World empires: Mongolian, Persian and African kingdoms
  • Unit 5: Medicine through time

Geography

In all units, students will learn map skills (including OS maps and compass directions) , numerical skills including data analysis, how to analyse graphs and how to use case studies and carry out investigations.

  • Unit 1: Exploring the UK
  • Unit 2: Rivers
  • Unit 3: Tectonic Hazards
  • Unit 4: Energy
  • Unit 5: Enquiry into the school’s microclimate

Religious Studies 

Across these units, students will learn the key beliefs and practices of Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Sikhism, Buddhism and Hinduism as well as considering their responses to philosophical and ethical dilemmas.

  • Unit 1: What is God?
  • Unit 2: Who makes the rules?
  • Unit 3: How do we know what’s true?
  • Unit 4: Who owns the world?
  • Unit 5: How does religion give people a sense of belonging?
  • Unit 6: War: what is it good for?

Music 

Over the course of the year, students will develop their skills in musical theory through listening to Music, performing and composing. 

  • Describing elements of music and appraise Music through listening
  • Composing simple musical ideas using Keyboards and Computer software
  • Perform simple pieces and patterns using keyboards, ukuleles and djembe drums in an ensemble and as a solo
  • Study the Building Bricks of Music, Rhythm, Music tech, Programme Music and Folk Music

Drama 

  • Creating a character and script writing
  • Devising based on a theme (Christmas)
  • Characterisation through rehearsal – monologues
  • Character development 
  • Performing Arts Careers and Interviews
  • Using a script
  • Treasure Island
  • Rehearsing in role
  • Acting styles: Naturalistic, Comedic and Dramatic

Art 

  • Topic 1: Graphics. A visual graphics page of technical drawing skills with a growth mindset focus.
  • Topic 2: Colour theory. Students explore colour mixing, technical terms and how to create tonal value in different media.
  • Topic 3:  Artist pages, a study of Dean Russo, Minty Sainsbury, Erica Dal Maso and Alfred Basha. Analytical skills developed and zentangle portraits explored. This then leads to an imaginative final piece whereby students produce their own creative art inspired by the 4 artist pages.
  • Topic 4: Art History (study of art movements/ great artists) Students will create a timeline of events with their own artistic samples in various media and techniques.
  • Topic 5: 3D Surrealism creature. Students utilise a range of art techniques to create parts of a creature. This is then assembled using 3D methods.