Curriculum Overview
Year 8 & 9
The leadership team at Charles Read believes that the design of the curriculum is key to ensuring students achieve their academic potential,
and experience a broad and balanced range of subjects. We continually evaluate its effectiveness to ensure it meets the needs of our
students.
Key Stage 3: Year 8 & 9
As a small academy Charles Read it is essential we offer an innovative and enriching curriculum. This year we have combined Year 8 and Year 9
to create a ‘Stage not Age’ curriculum. This means that students in both year groups work side by side in many lessons to ensure that they are
working at a sufficient level to both stretch and support their learning. This means that despite our small numbers in these years we can
achieve setting in Maths, English and Science which enhances differentiation in their learning. Students also work together in Technology and
the Arts.
Subjects: English, Maths, Science, ICT, Food Tech, Resistant Materials, French, PE, Humanities, CPC, Music, Dance, Drama, Art
Enrichment
As part of the curriculum offer students must choose 3 Enrichment activities a week. These activities take place during the day and are rotated
or amended termly. As an academy sponsored by the David Ross Education Trust we are committed to developing individuals with a broad
range of experiences. These activities include, but are not limited to;
Fitness Classes, Photography Club, Multicultural cooking, Netball, Rugby, Small animal care, Drama, Glee Club, Smash It Up Badminton, Young
Journalist and much more!
Curriculum Overview
Year 8
English
SUBJECT TEAM
KS3 CURRICULUM
Students develop a more analytical approach to their studies in English,
commenting upon creative choices.
1. ‘Spooky Stories’ and story-telling
2. Media – Presentations of War
Subject Leader:
3. ‘Globetrotting’ travel writing
Miss E Reynolds
4. Macbeth
5. Graphic Novels
KS3 Teachers:
6. Crime Scene Investigation
Miss J Jackson
Mrs C Whatton
Final term – examination preparation
Throughout the year, students will develop their understanding of spelling,
grammatical and punctuation rules to ensure accuracy in their written work
across the curriculum.
HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT LEARNING
AT HOME/SUPPORT MATERIALS
Encourage your child to read a wide range
of genres for pleasure throughout the
year.
Read the books in which your child takes
an interest and discuss them together.
Remind your child that they should
redraft and write with accuracy in all their
written subjects.
Curriculum Overview
Year 8
Maths
SUBJECT TEAM
KS3 CURRICULUM
HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT LEARNING AT
HOME/SUPPORT MATERIALS
Each child will have a question-by-question
Years 8 and 9 apply the basic skills they have learnt in Year 7 and below and analysis for their main assessments. If your
apply them to more challenging contexts
maths is strong enough, re-teach the topics
your child has performed poorly in. Please
Become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics. Through varied and
frequent practice with increasingly complex problems over time, pupils will contact the school for help and guidance.
Subject Leader: develop conceptual understanding and the ability to recall and apply
Mr S Bannister
knowledge rapidly and accurately.
KS3Teachers:
Mr G McBride
Mr S Bannister
Ensure your child is completing all homework
set and on time to keep up with the
curriculum.
Reason mathematically by following a line of enquiry, conjecturing
relationships and generalisations, and developing an argument, justification Seek opportunities to use maths in everyday
or proof using mathematical language.
life. Best buys at the supermarket; distance,
time, speed and acceleration calculations can
break up long car journeys.
Solve problems by applying their mathematics to a variety of routine and
non-routine problems with increasing sophistication, including breaking
What maths do you use in your job? Could you
down problems into a series of simpler steps and persevering in seeking
show your child some examples?
solutions.
Curriculum Overview
Year 8
Science
SUBJECT
TEAM
KS3 CURRICULUM
Students will cover physics, chemistry and biology through the year through the 11 topic
areas, building on the work covered in previous years.
The course covers:1. Inheritance and selection
2. Fit and healthy
3. Plants and photosynthesis
4. Plants for food
Subject Leader:
5. Reactions of metals and metal compounds
Mrs Booth
6. Patterns of reactivity
7. Environmental chemistry
KS3Teachers:
8. Using chemistry
Dr Jagger
Ms Burrell
9. Energy and electricity
10. Gravity and space
11. Speeding up
12. Pressure and moments
The lessons will contain both theoretical and practical work
There will be tests completed at the end of each section of work.
Throughout the year, students will cover a large number of topics and development skills in
using practical equipment in the science room to help embed their knowledge
HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT
LEARNING AT
HOME/SUPPORT MATERIALS
Encourage all students to revise
work covered in lessons and
complete all homework set.
Curriculum Overview
Year 8
ICT
SUBJECT TEAM
YEAR 8 CURRICULUM
HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT LEARNING
AT HOME/SUPPORT MATERIALS
Students will learn about a wide range of computing areas including
programming, online safety and producing creative outcomes.
Subject Leader:
Mrs Booth
Year 8 Teachers:
Mr Spendlove
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
How a computer works
Graphic Design Magazine Covers
Cloud computing
Algorithms
Binary
Programming - Python
Throughout the year, students will be learning through a wide range of
computing activities to improve their knowledge in preparation for year 9 and
KS4.
Encourage all students to revise work
covered in lessons and complete all
homework set.
Curriculum Overview
Year 8
Design &Technology
SUBJECT TEAM
Subject Leader:
Mrs Booth
Year 8 Teachers:
Mrs E Booth
Mr I Spendlove
Mr McBride
YEAR 8 CURRICULUM
HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT LEARNING
AT HOME/SUPPORT MATERIALS
Students will continue to develop their skills in both the use of equipment
methods of production and knowledge of food nutrition.
In Resistant Materials they will complete wood based tasks and develop their
basic electronic skills
The course covers:Food
1. Methods of cooking
2. Combining ingredients
3. Vegetable preparation
Encourage all students to practice skills
4. Children’s food
they have learnt in school and to use their
5. Nutrition
designing skills.
Resistant Materials
1. Notepad project
2. Moisture tester - Electronics
3. Tea light – Metals
4. Pull Along Toy
Homework project – Chocolate project
Throughout the year, students will develop a range of skills and gain
experience and confidence in using equipment within the room.
Curriculum Overview
Year 8
Geography
SUBJECT
TEAM
Subject
Leader :
Mrs S Revitt
YEAR 8 CURRICULUM
The inter-relationship between human and physical geography is explored
1. Settlement
2. Conservation
3. Brazil
Natural Hazards
Map work and differing scales is revisited.
Final term – examination preparation
Throughout the year, a variety of presentational skills are introduced and / or
enhanced.
HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT LEARNING AT
HOME/SUPPORT MATERIALS
Encourage all students to be aware of their
surrounding as shown in news programs or
other types of media
Curriculum Overview
Year 8
History
SUBJECT TEAM
YEAR 8 CURRICULUM
HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT LEARNING
AT HOME/SUPPORT MATERIALS
The concept of change in the historical sense:
Subject Leader:
Mrs S Revitt
1. Age of Revolution
2. The Age of Invention
3. The Age of Conflict.
The relevance of sources and the bias they may include.
Assessments occur at the end of each unit.
Throughout the year, a variety of presentational skills are introduced and / or
enhanced.
Encourage all students to be aware of
changing technologies, both historical and
present day.
Curriculum Overview
Year 8
Religious Education
SUBJECT TEAM
Subject Leader:
Mrs S Revitt
YEAR 8 CURRICULUM
The development of tolerance and understanding of others by an in depth
study of world religions.
1. Islam
2. Christianity
3. Hinduism
4. Judaism
Encourage the ability to express a viewpoint with clarity and confidence.
Final term – examination preparation
Throughout the year, a development of their own opinion on different
aspects of religion.
HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT LEARNING
AT HOME/SUPPORT MATERIALS
Encourage all students to be aware of
different standpoints of different religions
as seem through a variety of media.
Curriculum Overview
Year 8
French
SUBJECT TEAM
Subject Leader:
Mrs A Walker
KS3 CURRICULUM
Students use the 5 language skills, focusing on writing and speaking skills.
Students prepare projects throughout the year based on the following
themes:
 Making friends around
 Travel and tourism
the world
 Wider world
 All about me
 School and education
 Media
The projects enable the students to learn language to perform the tasks,
using real life communication situations
HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT LEARNING
AT HOME/SUPPORT MATERIALS
Encourage all students to listen to French
radio on the internet and French songs.
Encourage all students to use
memrise.com to learn and develop their
vocabulary.
Curriculum Overview
Year 8
PERFORMING ARTS
SUBJECT
TEAM
Subject
Leader :
Mr C Keady
Subject
Teacher :
Miss L
Chapman
KS3 CURRICULUM
Music: During this topic, students will be developing their performing, practical, listening
and composing skills. Knowledge of World Music will be developed further.
Dance: Students will develop and perform different movement patterns in a variety of
dance styles to refine their technical and expressive skills.
Music topics that are covered:
1. Blues
2. What makes a good song?
3. Samba
4. Latin Jazz
5. Programme Music & Film Music
6. Music and Media
Dance topics that are covered:
1. Learn to create dances using compositional principles e.g. motif, development,
unison, canon, group relationship and staging.
2. Learning dance sequences from visual material.
3. Students will describe, analyse and evaluate dances, developing communication
and leadership skills.
4. Perform in front of class and assess own and others performance.
Throughout the year, students’ performing and listening skills are a focus - developing
confidence, solo and ensemble work.
HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT
LEARNING AT
HOME/SUPPORT
MATERIALS
Students will need to complete a
number of research based
activities. Encouragement to
complete homework on time
and to listen to different world
music is essential.
Curriculum Overview
Year 8
Physical Education
SUBJECT TEAM
Subject Leader:
Ms L Chapman
KS3 CURRICULUM
HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT LEARNING AT
HOME/SUPPORT MATERIALS
Students develop their confidence to take part in a range of physical
activities, improving their general fitness, endurance, co-ordination,
spatial awareness, leadership skills and communication skills during
the year. Through acquiring and developing skills in traditional sports Encourage students to attend extracurricular clubs
they will gain knowledge and understanding of a range of strategies at the Academy, keep active outside of school
through either attending a fitness/sports club or
and tactical game play.
adventure activities.
Different methods of training
Conditioned games
A range of exercises and drills
Analysis of own and others’ performances.
Termly assessments
Students will know the importance of a healthy, active lifestyle
and know the different aspects that will enable them to lead one.