The whole school year
Year 8 plan
Three terms across all twelve subjects, aligned to the UK national curriculum. Every unit links to its lessons and quizzes, and the daily plan always pulls from the term you're in.
School calendar 2026/27
Autumn term
2 Sept 2026 – 18 Dec 2026 · October half term 26 Oct 2026 – 30 Oct 2026
Week 2 of 15 · 66 teaching days left
2 Sept 2026 – 18 Dec 2026
Autumn term
Foundations: number sense, argument and living systems
0 of 38 lessons complete · current term
4 Jan 2027 – 26 Mar 2027
Spring term
Building: proportion in data, close reading and adaptation
0 of 46 lessons complete
12 Apr 2027 – 23 Jul 2027
Summer term
Applying: algebra, poetry, forces and independent projects
0 of 48 lessons complete
Autumn term
2 Sept 2026 – 18 Dec 2026CurrentRatio and proportion
Ratio notation, sharing quantities, direct proportion
- • Use ratio notation and simplify ratios
- • Divide a quantity in a given ratio
- • Solve problems involving direct proportion
0 of 3 lessons · Maths
Persuasive writing
Structuring an argument and rebutting a counter-view
- • Structure an argument with clear reasoning
- • Use rhetorical devices for effect
- • Address and rebut a counter-argument
0 of 3 lessons · English
Ecosystems and interdependence
Food webs, energy transfer and interdependence
- • Construct and interpret food chains and webs
- • Explain interdependence within an ecosystem
- • Describe the effect of changes in population size
0 of 4 lessons · Science
Biomes and climate
Global biomes, climate graphs and distribution
- • Locate major biomes and describe their climate
- • Explain how climate shapes vegetation
- • Describe human impacts on a biome
0 of 5 lessons · Geography
The English Reformation, 1509–1603
Why England broke with Rome and how ordinary life changed
- • Understand the development of Church, state and society in Britain 1509-1745, including the English Reformation and its impact
- • Understand the theory and practice of monarchy and the origins and progress of the English Reformation
- • Use historical evidence rigorously and test interpretations
0 of 7 lessons · History
Data and databases
Representing and interpreting data
- • Design a simple relational data structure
- • Write queries to filter and sort records
- • Validate and clean a dataset
0 of 3 lessons · Computing
Observational drawing
Observational drawing and tonal control
- • Use line and tone to record observation
- • Apply proportion and measurement techniques
- • Annotate work with critical reflection
0 of 3 lessons · Art & Design
How the UK is governed
Parliament, voting and how decisions get made
- • Understand the development of the political system of democratic government in the United Kingdom, including the roles of citizens, Parliament and the monarch
- • Understand the operation of Parliament, including voting and elections, and the role of political parties
0 of 2 lessons · Citizenship
Everyday conversation in French
Everyday French: greetings, opinions and questions
- • Ask and answer questions and take part in short role plays on familiar topics
- • Initiate and develop conversations, coping with unfamiliar language and unexpected responses
0 of 2 lessons · Languages
From brief to specification
Turning a brief into a workable specification
- • Identify and solve their own design problems and understand how to reformulate problems given to them
- • Develop specifications to inform the design of innovative, functional, appealing products that respond to needs in a variety of situations
0 of 2 lessons · Design & Technology
The elements of music
Pitch, rhythm, dynamics and texture by ear
- • Identify and use the inter-related dimensions of music expressively, including pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture and structure
0 of 2 lessons · Music
Tactics in games
Attacking and defending principles in games
- • Use a range of tactics and strategies to overcome opponents in direct competition through team and individual games
- • Use and develop a variety of tactics and strategies to overcome opponents in invasion, net and striking and fielding games
0 of 2 lessons · PE
After all term lessons
Autumn term assessment
One question from every autumn unit, across all twelve subjects.
Spring term
4 Jan 2027 – 26 Mar 2027Percentages and data
Percentage change, averages and real datasets
- • Calculate percentage increase and decrease
- • Interpret data presented in charts
- • Compare distributions using the mean and range
0 of 3 lessons · Maths
Reading to writing: stories that change minds
Reading comprehension, language and grammar analysis, article writing and editing
- • Understand increasingly challenging texts, making inferences and referring to evidence in the text
- • Read critically, knowing how language, including figurative language, vocabulary choice, grammar, text structure and organisational features, presents meaning
- • Compare and contrast the treatment of themes and viewpoints across two or more texts
- • Write for a wide range of purposes and audiences, selecting and organising ideas and information appropriately
- • Amend the vocabulary, grammar and structure of their writing to improve its coherence and overall effectiveness
- • Use a range of vocabulary and sentence structures for clarity, purpose and effect, with accurate spelling and punctuation
0 of 7 lessons · English
Adaptation, variation and evolution
Adaptation, variation and natural selection
- • Describe inherited and environmental variation
- • Explain adaptation to a habitat
- • Outline natural selection using evidence
0 of 4 lessons · Science
Migration, settlement and trade
Push and pull factors, human and animal movement
- • Explain push and pull factors for migration
- • Describe how settlements grow and change
- • Interpret trade and movement on maps
0 of 5 lessons · Geography
Industrial Britain, 1745–1901
Archive-led plans: factories, mapped cities, child testimony, public health and reform
- • Explain why industrialisation began in Britain
- • Investigate factories through historical evidence
- • Trace urban growth, disease and public-health reform
- • Assess consequences for different groups over time
0 of 7 lessons · History
Building for the web
How the internet works and staying safe on it
- • Structure a page with semantic HTML
- • Apply styling to support meaning
- • Evaluate a page against its purpose and audience
0 of 3 lessons · Computing
Observational drawing
Tone, texture and composition with intent
- • Use line and tone to record observation
- • Apply proportion and measurement techniques
- • Annotate work with critical reflection
0 of 3 lessons · Art & Design
Law and justice
Rules, rights, the law and justice
- • Understand the precious liberties enjoyed by the citizens of the United Kingdom
- • Understand the nature of rules and laws and the justice system, including the role of the police and the operation of courts and tribunals
- • Understand the difference between criminal and civil law, and how the legal system deals with young people
0 of 3 lessons · Citizenship
Everyday conversation in French
Verbs, tenses and building longer sentences
- • Ask and answer questions and take part in short role plays on familiar topics
- • Initiate and develop conversations, coping with unfamiliar language and unexpected responses
0 of 2 lessons · Languages
Materials and mechanisms
Material properties and simple mechanisms
- • Select from and use a wider, more complex range of materials and components, taking into account their properties
- • Understand how mechanical systems such as levers, linkages and gears create movement and change forces
0 of 3 lessons · Design & Technology
Reading and using notation
Reading staff notation and performing from it
- • Read and use staff notation, including pitch and rhythm notation, with increasing fluency
- • Use staff and other relevant notations appropriately and accurately in a range of musical styles, genres and traditions
0 of 3 lessons · Music
Fitness and how the body responds
Components of fitness and how the body responds
- • Develop components of fitness through sustained physical activity, understanding the effects of exercise on the body
- • Understand warming up, cooling down and safe practice when taking part in physical activity
0 of 3 lessons · PE
After all term lessons
Spring term assessment
A mixed review of every spring unit, with autumn skills revisited.
Summer term
12 Apr 2027 – 23 Jul 2027Algebra: expressions and equations
Simplifying expressions and solving linear equations
- • Simplify and manipulate algebraic expressions
- • Solve linear equations in one variable
- • Substitute values into formulae
0 of 4 lessons · Maths
Poetry and language analysis
Imagery, sound, structure and form
- • Analyse how writers use language for effect
- • Discuss the effect of structure and form
- • Learn and recite poetry
0 of 5 lessons · English
Forces and motion
Balanced forces, speed and pressure
- • Describe balanced and unbalanced forces
- • Calculate speed from distance and time
- • Explain pressure in solids and fluids
0 of 4 lessons · Science
Changing landscapes: rivers, coasts and ice
Rivers, coasts, glaciation, map skills, fieldwork and management
- • Explain erosion, transport and deposition
- • Describe landforms of rivers and coasts
- • Evaluate flood and coastal management
0 of 7 lessons · Geography
Empire, trade and abolition
Empire, transatlantic slavery and abolition
- • Describe Britain's role in transatlantic slavery
- • Explain the causes of abolition
- • Evaluate different historical interpretations
0 of 4 lessons · History
Algorithms and programming
Sequence, selection, iteration and debugging
- • Design algorithms using sequence, selection and iteration
- • Use variables and simple data structures
- • Test and debug a program systematically
0 of 4 lessons · Computing
Art, period and place
Art in context and critical vocabulary
- • Describe key features of an art movement
- • Analyse an artwork in its historical context
- • Produce work in response to a movement
0 of 3 lessons · Art & Design
Design and making
A design brief from research to evaluation
- • Respond to a design brief
- • Develop ideas through experimentation
- • Evaluate an outcome against its purpose
0 of 3 lessons · Art & Design
Money and budgeting
Budgeting, saving and financial choices
- • Understand the functions and uses of money, the importance and practice of budgeting, and managing risk
- • Understand income, spending, saving and the choices involved in managing personal finances
0 of 3 lessons · Citizenship
Everyday conversation in French
Reading French texts and deducing meaning
- • Ask and answer questions and take part in short role plays on familiar topics
- • Initiate and develop conversations, coping with unfamiliar language and unexpected responses
0 of 2 lessons · Languages
Food, nutrition and provenance
Nutrition, cooking and where food comes from
- • Understand and apply the principles of nutrition and health, and cook a repertoire of predominantly savoury dishes
- • Understand the source, seasonality and characteristics of a broad range of ingredients
0 of 3 lessons · Design & Technology
Music through time and place
Music traditions across time and place
- • Develop a deepening understanding of the music that they perform and to which they listen, and its history
- • Identify and describe music from different times, places and traditions, using appropriate musical vocabulary
0 of 3 lessons · Music
Analysing performance and fair play
Analysing performance, tactics and fair play
- • Analyse their performances compared to previous ones and demonstrate improvement to achieve their personal best
- • Understand the rules, roles and responsibilities of officials and players, and apply them fairly in competition
0 of 3 lessons · PE
After all term lessons
End of Year 8 assessment
A whole-year review covering every subject studied this year.