Science · KS3 & KS4
Biology
With this curriculum, we aim to develop an interest in and passion for science by exploring answers to big questions like "How do forces make things happen?" We combine substantive and disciplinary knowledge to make practical skills, mathematical proficiency and scientific practices meaningful.
2026/27 at a glance
Each year is split into Autumn, Spring and Summer. Scroll sideways on small screens, or use the year-by-year detail below.
| Year | Autumn | Spring | Summer |
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| Year 7KS3 |
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| Year 8KS3 |
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| Year 9KS3 |
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| Year 10KS4 |
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| Year 11KS4 |
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Year by year
Year 7 Key Stage 3
Autumn
- Forces Quantifying and comparing energy transfers in different processes, such as changes in motion, electrical circuits and burning fuels.
- Cells Cell structures, their functions, and the differences between plant and animal cells.
- Our solar system and beyond Gravity as the force between masses, including calculating weight using gravitational field strength.
Spring
- Solutions Pure substances, mixtures, and diffusion in liquids and gases.
- Sound, light and vision Sound and light waves: frequency, echoes, reflection, absorption, and why sound needs a medium to travel.
- Separation techniques Filtration, evaporation, distillation and chromatography, and how to identify pure substances.
Summer
- Human skeleton and muscles The structure and functions of the skeleton: support, protection, movement and blood cell production.
- Heating and cooling Energy transfer by conduction and radiation, insulators, and thermal equilibrium.
- Climate change and living sustainably The greenhouse effect, global warming and the impact of climate change on weather events.
Year 8 Key Stage 3
Autumn
- Human digestive system The digestive system, including the roles of tissues, organs, enzymes and beneficial bacteria.
- Biodiversity How environmental change affects species' survival and adaptation, and can lead to extinction.
- Understanding chemical reactions Conservation of mass in changes of state and chemical reactions, including how atoms rearrange.
Spring
- Species and classification (differences between species) Differences between species, and using observations and data to find patterns and draw conclusions.
- Variation (differences within species) Continuous and discontinuous variation within species, using measurements and graphs.
- Series circuits Current, potential difference and resistance in series and parallel circuits.
Summer
- Fuels and energetics Energy changes in changes of state, exothermic and endothermic reactions, and energy transfers.
- Making images How light is absorbed, scattered and reflected, and using the ray model for images, refraction and lenses.
- Climate change and greenhouse gases Greenhouse gas emissions from transport and industry, and how renewable energy and better transport could reduce them.
Year 9 Key Stage 3
Autumn
- Breathing and respiration The human gas exchange system, how breathing works, and adaptations for function.
- Magnets and electromagnets Magnetic poles and fields, Earth's magnetism, electromagnets and DC motors.
- Plant nutrition and photosynthesis How plants make carbohydrates, take in water and minerals, and exchange gases through stomata.
Spring
- Hidden forces Forces, deformation, Hooke's Law, moments and work done.
- Adaptations, competition, natural selection and evolution Variation within and between species, competition and natural selection.
- Waves Sound and water waves: transverse and longitudinal motion, reflection, superposition and the speed of sound.
Summer
- Patterns in the periodic table Mendeleev's periodic table, periods and groups, and metals and non-metals.
- Resistance and parallel circuits Electrical circuits, appliance power ratings, and domestic fuel use and costs.
- Climate change and biodiversity How agriculture, deforestation and climate change affect biodiversity and food production.
Year 10 Key Stage 4
Autumn
- Eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells Sub-cellular structures in eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells, and DNA as the genetic material.
- Health and disease Communicable and non-communicable diseases and how they interact.
- Biological molecules and enzymes How sugars, amino acids and fatty acids build and break down biological molecules.
Spring
- Transport and exchange surfaces in humans The circulatory system, its link to gas exchange, and adaptations of the heart, vessels and blood.
- Coordination and control: hormones and the human endocrine system The endocrine system, blood sugar control by insulin and glucagon, and thyroxine and adrenaline.
- Inheritance, genotype and phenotype Key genetic terms, single-gene inheritance and genetic crosses, including probability and ratios.
Summer
- Cell division: mitosis and meiosis Mitosis and the cell cycle, cancer as uncontrolled division, and mutations in genetic variation.
- Stem cells and differentiation What stem cells do and why cell differentiation matters.
- Living organisms and their environments Ecosystems, biotic and abiotic factors, material cycles and decomposers.
Year 11 Key Stage 4
Autumn
- Defences against pathogens, the human immune system and vaccination The body's defences and immune response, disease prevention and vaccines.
- Aerobic and anaerobic cellular respiration Respiration as an exothermic reaction in all cells, comparing aerobic and anaerobic respiration.
- Transport and exchange surfaces in plants Water and mineral uptake in plants: root hair cells, xylem and phloem.
Spring
- Hormones and human reproduction Hormones in reproduction, including the menstrual cycle and FSH, LH, oestrogen and progesterone.
- Coordination and control: maintaining a constant internal environment Body temperature control, osmotic balance and kidney function.
- Photosynthesis: factors affecting the rate Factors that affect the rate of photosynthesis, and planning and carrying out experiments.
Summer
- Medicines and new treatments for disease Vaccines, medicines and monoclonal antibodies for preventing and treating disease.
- Classification in modern biology How new developments, including electron microscopy, have changed classification systems.
- Gene technology The human genome and genetic engineering: steps, benefits and risks.