This is a summary of the curriculum in year 8. More detail for each subject including curriculum journeys and knowledge organisers can be found in the subject pages.
At the bottom of this page is an overview of the assessment for year 8 you can jump to that here.
Students in year 8 will deepen their sense and understanding of number by identifying and using primes, factors, multiples and indices. They will manipulate shapes on a 2D axis using transformations and even combinations of multiple transformations. They will bring their work to life when looking at compound measures and relationships between different variables. Their understanding of probability will strengthen when looking at independent and dependent events as they move away from labelling probability with words and use fractions, decimals and percentages to calculate them. Students will also be able to apply their coordinate plotting skills to questions involving straight line graphs and equations of straight lines.
Literature through a lens
Building on the work of year 7, this year will focus on how language is used by a wide variety of writers to express attitudes and ideas; beginning with a focus on the history of rhetoric from Aristotle to the modern day. Students will write and deliver their own rhetoric, communicating their viewpoint and perspective on a topic that is important to them. We then move to our second Shakespeare study (The Tempest) exploring the theme of power through the ideas of racism, slavery and colonialism, looking closely at how the play has been affected by it’s historical context. An exploration of Gothic literature encourages students to examine how writers presented their fears of the unknown and how interest in this genre has stood the test of time. We then move to Animal Farm and finish with a range of War Poetry with a strong focus on analysing writer’s intentions; examining the close links between literature and politics. Throughout the year, students are encouraged to engage with a range of linked reading to explore these ideas further and deepen their knowledge.
BIOLOGY: Breathing, digestion and looking after your body will take us on a journey of nutrition and drugs. Key biological processes such as respiration and photosynthesis are all around us and we will discover why they are so important. Inheritance and extinction will conclude biology with a look to the past and to the future.
CHEMISTRY: We will classify elements and look at their chemical and physical properties. We will find out why chemical reactions are so important to us and how the Earth provides materials for these reactions. We will also discuss our impact on Earth and how to be sustainable.
PHYSICS: Our forces topic will explore motion and pressure; We will model magnetic fields, build electromagnets and discuss their uses. We will take a closer look at energy stores and energy transfer in the world around us and we will find out how waves can be useful and sometimes harmful.
In year 8 Computing we start the year using a program called Flowol where students will use mimics to replicate real world scenarios through the construction of flowcharts. Students will see the programming constructs introduced in year 7 being used in a different way. At the beginning of November students will be entered into the Computing Bebras Competition which looks at computational Thinking and Problem Solving. Students next look at their ICT Skills through the use of spreadsheets where they will use different formulae, functions and charts to create suitable spreadsheets. Students will then have their second Computing Principles unit, this time looking at searching and sorting algorithms and Computer Crime. The next unit of work sees students develop their Digital and creative skills through Graphics Editing using Photopea. In the final term we look at how computers communicate through Hardware and Computer Networks, before finally developing an App using App Lab.
In the Autumn term students cover the ‘Great War’ its causes, key events, the armistice and the subsequent peace treaties.
This is followed by the history of Russia through to the establishment of the USSR.
In the spring term students study the rise of Nazism in Germany and the Holocaust study.
In the spring/Summer term students study the key events and impact of the Second World War.
Students build upon the key concepts developed in year 7, first looking at the physical and human characteristics of Brazil, focusing on the Amazon Rainforest and Rio de Janeiro. We continue this term looking at student’s perceptions of a country’s development in our topic ‘uneven world’, with a key focus upon inequality and the causes and consequences of uneven development.
Our spring term is focused upon two contrasting places within the world. We look at the big question of ‘who owns the Arctic?’ focusing upon the Arctic’s physical characteristics and development of this unique landscape.We then explore the continent of Asia and what life is like in different parts of the continent. We look at the physical Geography and how it can influence settlements, globalisation and differing levels of development.
Our final term takes us back to the UK, where we explore the opportunities and challenges within the UK, using key physical and human threads of Geography to debate these opportunities and challenges. We finish the year looking at river systems in the UK and how surfaces can impact the flood risks.
Developing Key Language Skills
At the beginning of Year 8, the present tense is revisited through the topics of television, cinema, reading and internet. This lays the foundation for students to be able to use the past tense. This begins with a description of what they did last night, and is developed through an imaginary trip to Paris, where the students will describe what they saw and did, giving and justifying opinions in the past. The Year 7 All About Me topic is extended with an introduction to describing relationships, talking about music tastes and clothes, which includes an introduction to the near future tense. Towards the end of the year, a variety of grammatical structures are introduced, which will be developed further during the transitional Year 9.
Year 8 in Art is all about learning ‘Broadening Skills’- expanding on the core knowledge learnt in year 7 by exploring traditional, contemporary and cultural art as well as printmaking and ceramics.
Students study three projects, one each term. In Chiaroscuro, students explore exaggerated tone in Art and Photography to create a still life drawing and experiment with printmaking to create a background for their still life. In Op Art they develop knowledge of the Op Art movement and the contemporary artist Karan Singh to create an artwork that helps to refine oil pastel skills. Finally, students learn about Animals in Other Cultures, developing skills needed to make a ceramic plate and learn how animals have been used as symbolism in Art from a range of countries around the world.
In year 8 students are engaged with investigating how religion shapes the world around us.
Our first unit explores the impact religion has on the world with in terms of both peace and conflict. This is supplemented by then a further investigation into historical religious leaders within the civil rights movement from diverse backgrounds. These include but are not limited to Malala Yousafzai, Martin Luther King jr and Malcolm X.
Beginning after Christmas students then study the impact that the existence of God has on the world. We explore the impact of prayer, logical theories for God’s existence and the reliability of Biblical miracles. We then contrast this unit with a focus on the only major world religion without a God - Buddhism.
Past Easter we shift focus to the ways that religious people connect to their beliefs. We study how different religious festivals are celebrated across the globe which is then later expanded upon when looking at religious art. Our final project in year 8 is our beloved Spirited Arts award competition where students can display their religious knowledge.
KS3 study in Citizenship continues in year 8 with students debating and discussing crime and punishment with a focus on the age of criminal responsibility and youth justice. The focus then moves to global issues where students spend time analysing the causes of poverty and the methods used to help reduce the issue such as international aid and debt relief. Finally, students are introduced to government and politics and research the differing types of government as well as the role of Members of Parliament.
Autumn Term
Year 8 have been examining positive and respectful online relationships, online bullying, internet safety, family disputes, connecting with others, anxiety and depression, mental health stigma, being positive, taking responsibility for physical health, and will go on to look at healthy ways to manage relationships feelings, positive romantic relationships, and finally perceptions and expectations in romantic relationships. The lesson from our specialist teacher for year 8 this term will be on mental health and resilience
The term starts with link of genres; murder mystery, comedy, and soap operas. Students engage beautifully with this concept and transpire an air of confidence, expressions and a sense of humour in their performances. In the middle of the year students meet 6 characters for a murder mystery. Each lesson we reveal a drama skill and “who done it?” moment. The mystery, fun and creativity is adored by all. We finish the year by looking at the play The Boy In The Striped P'js by Angus Jackson. We cover sensitive topics and explore the role of director and performer.
In Year 8 PE, students will become more competent and confident in their skills and techniques and will continue to participate in a broad range of indoor and outdoor sports (including athletics, dance, games and gymnastics). They will build upon their understanding of tactics and strategies and will apply these in a range of competitive situations. Students will learn how to evaluate their own and others performances and will develop leadership attributes through developing their own practices. Students will begin to appreciate the short and long term benefits of exercise.
Building on skills from year 7
Nutrition from the Eat Well Guide. Topics include, carbohydrates, nutrition program and cooking skills.
Skills include: The reaction of yeast in pizza dough; how flour and fat gelatinises to produce a sauce; the chemical reaction of raising agents.
Students will make, scones, pizza, pasta and sauces.
Students work on a termly rotation to complete an engineering project, working with aluminium to create a Pacman inspired keyring. Students will develop their woodwork skills with more tools and core material knowledge and create a trinket box using a finger joint. The trinket box incorporates an additional textiles elements where students learn and create a cross stitch design to add onto their box.
In Year 8 we look at the musical element of form and structure; introducing Binary, Ternary and Rondo form. Pupils use their developing composing skills to turn their melodies from Year 7 into a section of music, again in MuseScore. We then revisit Musical Contexts and go back to the Classical period to find out about composers, musical development and how society has changed from the Baroque. After Christmas, we study Film Music; explore the leitmotif, and how music reflects action and moods. Students compose a section of music in Garageband for James Bond trailer. Following this, they begin to look at using their left and right hands together on the keyboard and learn either the start of Bach’s ‘Prelude in C’ or Beethoven’s ‘Moonlight Sonata’. In the Summer term we explore the development of Blues and Jazz music starting with its origins in traditional music of Sub-Saharan Africa. We learn to play the djembes, playing more complicated rhythms and together as an ensemble. We look at how the abolition of slavery encouraged travel to the big cities of America, where popular styles began to fuse to create Blues and Jazz. Students then develop their guitar playing skills from Year 7 by learning 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' by Nirvana. They also have the opportunity to learn the bass guitar.
