What Grade 7 curriculum designs are
Grade 7 is where learners cross from primary into Junior School, and the curriculum designs are the documents that define that step. A curriculum design is the official KICD statement of what a learner should know, do and value in a learning area by the end of the grade. Under the Competency Based Curriculum it outranks the textbook: schemes of work, lesson plans, records of work and assessments all trace back to it. For a subject-teaching model like Junior School — where a learner meets several specialist teachers rather than one class teacher — these designs are what keep every subject pulling toward the same national outcomes.
Each design spells out, for every strand and sub-strand, the specific learning outcomes, suggested learning experiences, key inquiry questions, the core competencies and values to build, the Pertinent and Contemporary Issues to mainstream, and the assessment rubric. This page collects the Grade 7 designs for each core learning area so you can open the one you need directly. They are the latest KICD editions and download as PDF.
The Grade 7 learning areas
Junior School introduces a broader, more specialised set of subjects than upper primary. Under the KICD Grade 7 lesson allocation, learners take nine core learning areas plus a pastoral programme — the list below follows that official allocation. Where KICD's latest review rationalised an area, this page links the current merged design.
English (5 lessons/week) – the language skills carried forward and extended for academic use across the curriculum. Grade 7 English curriculum design
Kiswahili / Kenya Sign Language (4) – Kiswahili kwa wanafunzi wengi, na Lugha ya Alama ya Kenya kwa shule na wanafunzi wanaoihitaji. Grade 7 Kiswahili curriculum design
Mathematics (5) – numbers, algebra, measurement, geometry and data, built on the primary foundation and pointed toward STEM pathways. Grade 7 Mathematics curriculum design
Integrated Science (5) – the Junior School science area bringing together the biological, physical and technological strands. Grade 7 Integrated Science curriculum design
Pre-Technical Studies (4) – the current merged pre-technical area covering foundational technical, technological and pre-career skills. Grade 7 Pre-Technical Studies curriculum design
Social Studies (4) – geography, history, civics and citizenship for the Junior School learner. Grade 7 Social Studies curriculum design
Agriculture (4) – the practical, project-based agriculture area, carrying nutrition and food content within it at this level. Grade 7 Agriculture curriculum design hub
Creative Arts and Sports (5) – the current merged creative and sports area spanning visual and performing arts alongside physical activity. Grade 7 Creative Arts and Sports curriculum design
Religious Education (4) – offered as Christian Religious Education (CRE) or Islamic Religious Education (IRE), following the school's programme. Grade 7 CRE curriculum design · Grade 7 IRE curriculum design
Alongside these nine, every learner also follows a Pastoral / Religious Instructional Programme, timetabled for one lesson a week, which sits outside the examinable learning areas.
What is different about Junior School
If you are used to the upper-primary designs, three things stand out at Grade 7. The subjects are more specialised — Integrated Science and Pre-Technical Studies appear as distinct areas rather than being folded into a general science or creative bucket. The designs assume subject teaching, so each one is written to be picked up by a specialist. And the whole grade is framed as a bridge: the Grade 7 designs build directly on the competencies a learner reached at the end of Grade 6 and start preparing them for the pathways they will choose at Senior School.
Who this page is for
- Teachers – the specialist starting point for whichever Junior School subject you teach, since Grade 7 is taught by subject rather than by one class teacher.
- Trainee teachers and education students – a clear reference on how the Junior School curriculum is organised, what a curriculum design contains, and how Grade 7 differs from the upper-primary structure below it.
- Researchers, administrators and sector practitioners – accurate, current detail on the nine core learning areas a Grade 7 learner takes as CBC enters Junior School.
- Anyone sourcing files for a teacher or school – every subject is labelled by learning area, so a proxy-downloader can confirm they have the correct Grade 7 design and not a different grade's.
How to use a Grade 7 curriculum design
Start from the design for your learning area and read its general and specific learning outcomes, so you know what learners are working toward before you plan a single lesson. The strands, sub-strands, suggested experiences and assessment rubric then give you what you need to write the scheme of work, break it into lesson plans, and set assessments that actually measure the design's outcomes. As always under CBC, if a ready-made resource and the design ever disagree, follow the design.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Grade 7 the start of Junior School? Yes. Under the current CBC structure Grade 7 is the first grade of Junior School, building on the competencies a learner reached by the end of Grade 6 and beginning to prepare them for the pathways they choose at Senior School.
How many learning areas does a Grade 7 learner take? Nine core learning areas — English, Kiswahili/KSL, Mathematics, Integrated Science, Pre-Technical Studies, Social Studies, Agriculture, Creative Arts and Sports, and Religious Education — plus a one-lesson-a-week Pastoral / Religious Instructional Programme that sits outside the examinable areas.
Why are some Grade 7 subjects different from upper primary? Junior School is more specialised. Areas like Integrated Science and Pre-Technical Studies appear as distinct subjects rather than being folded into a general science or creative bucket, and the designs assume a specialist teacher for each.
Why isn't my subject (for example French or Business Studies) listed here? This page lists the nine core learning areas from the official Grade 7 lesson allocation. Optional and elective subjects exist in the catalogue but aren't part of the core allocation every learner takes, so they're kept off this launchpad.
Do these download as Word or PDF? The curriculum designs are PDFs from KICD. The editable Word resources — schemes of work, lesson plans, records of work — are built from them and live elsewhere in the catalogue.
Download the Grade 7 curriculum designs (PDF)
Every Grade 7 KICD curriculum design above downloads as a PDF from our catalogue. Use the subject links to open a specific learning area, or the button below for the full Grade 7 set across all subjects.