Ask any Kenyan Junior Secondary teacher what takes the longest to prepare at the start of every term and the answer is always the same: schemes of work. If you're new to CBC (now CBE) teaching or moving into Grade 7 for the first time in 2026, this guide walks through the KICD scheme-of-work format with a full sample, and points you to ready-made schemes for every learning area — so you can spend your weekend teaching, not formatting tables.
What a scheme of work actually is
A scheme of work is the week-by-week plan showing what will be taught in a subject over a term. Under CBC (now CBE) and the KICD framework, it's a specific document with specific columns — not just a timetable.
A scheme of work is different from:
- A lesson plan (that's one lesson, highly detailed)
- A syllabus (that's the curriculum design from KICD — the scheme of work is how YOU apply it over a term)
- A timetable (that's just when each subject slots into the day)
Every subject, every term, every teacher needs a scheme of work. Headteachers review them at the start of each term. Quality Assurance officers can inspect them during school visits. They are part of your professional documentation.
The KICD scheme-of-work format
Kenyan CBC schemes of work follow a 9-column standard layout. Here is each column with what goes in it:
| Column | Content |
|---|---|
| Week | 1 to 13 or 14. Map to the actual school weeks of the term. |
| Lesson | 1, 2, 3, 4… (3-5 lessons per subject per week in Grade 7, depending on subject allocation) |
| Strand | The KICD-defined broad topic area, e.g. "Numbers", "Algebra", "Living Things & Their Environment" |
| Sub-Strand | The specific sub-topic, e.g. "Whole Numbers", "Simple Equations", "Parts of a Plant" |
| Specific Learning Outcomes | What the learner should be able to do by the end of the lesson. Use action verbs — "identify", "calculate", "solve", "classify". |
| Key Inquiry Questions | Open-ended questions that drive the lesson. "How does…?", "Why is…?", "What happens if…?" |
| Learning Experiences | What learners DO (not what you tell them). Group work, experiments, discussions, practical tasks. |
| Learning Resources | Textbooks with page references, charts, practical materials, digital tools, KICD resources. |
| Assessment | How you'll check learning — observation, oral Q&A, written task, peer assessment, practical test. Link to your CBA rubric. |
| Reflection | Filled in after the lesson. What worked? What didn't? What to change next time? (This is often overlooked — don't skip it.) |
Sample scheme — Grade 7 Mathematics, Term 2, Week 1
Let's walk through a real entry for a Grade 7 Maths class in Term 2, Week 1 — introducing "Integers."
| Week 1, Lesson 1 | Content |
|---|---|
| Strand | Numbers |
| Sub-Strand | Integers |
| Specific Learning Outcomes | By the end of the lesson, the learner should be able to (a) define an integer; (b) identify positive and negative integers on a number line; (c) order integers from smallest to largest. |
| Key Inquiry Questions | Where in daily life do we use negative numbers? What does zero mean on a number line? |
| Learning Experiences | (1) Think-pair-share on examples of positive and negative numbers from learners' lives (temperature, M-Pesa balance, elevation). (2) Drawing a number line on paper and plotting 5 integers. (3) Group-of-four sorting game: given 10 integer cards, arrange smallest to largest. |
| Learning Resources | Number line charts; Grade 7 Maths pupil's textbook pp. 12-15; integer cards (teacher-prepared); a thermometer image showing temperatures above and below zero. |
| Assessment | (1) Oral Q&A during group work (formative, observation). (2) Written task: list 5 examples of negative numbers from real life. (3) Number line exercise: mark 8 integers. Graded against CBA rubric — BE / AE / ME / EE. |
| Reflection | (To be completed after lesson) Did learners grasp the negative-number idea? Who needs one-on-one support next lesson? |
The 4 common mistakes to avoid
- Copying the curriculum design word-for-word. The curriculum design is input; your scheme of work is output. Adapt the language to your class.
- Filling "Learning Experiences" with teacher actions. "Teacher explains" is wrong. "Learners draw and label a diagram" is right. CBC is learner-centred by design.
- Leaving "Reflection" blank permanently. This column is what separates professionals from box-tickers. Even a one-line reflection per lesson is valuable for your next term's planning.
- Never revisiting the scheme mid-term. A scheme of work is a living document. If Week 3 takes longer than planned, slide Weeks 4-6 accordingly. Rigid schemes fail real classrooms.
Timing — weeks per term in 2026
The 2026 Kenya school calendar gives:
- Term 1: 13 weeks (includes Term 1 exams Week 13)
- Term 2: 14 weeks (27 April – 31 July)
- Term 3: 14 weeks (24 August – 27 November)
Build your scheme of work for the full term week count. Aim to cover the substantive content in the first 11-12 weeks, leaving the last 1-2 weeks for consolidation and exams.
How many lessons per subject per week?
Grade 7 learning area allocation per week (indicative KICD guidance):
| Learning Area | Lessons/week |
|---|---|
| English | 5 |
| Kiswahili / KSL | 5 |
| Mathematics | 5 |
| Integrated Science | 4 |
| Pre-Technical Studies | 3 |
| Social Studies | 3 |
| Religious Education (CRE/IRE/HRE) | 2 |
| Business Studies | 3 |
| Agriculture | 3 |
| Health Education | 2 |
| Life Skills | 1 |
| Sports & Physical Education | 2 |
Your scheme of work should have one row per lesson per week. So Grade 7 Maths scheme has 5 lessons × 14 weeks = 70 rows for Term 2.
Ready-made schemes
We've built KICD-aligned schemes of work for every Grade 7 learning area for all three terms of 2026. Each one is a fully-formatted PDF you can print or paste into your own Word document and adapt with your school-specific details.
- Grade 7 Mathematics — Scheme of Work (Term 2)
- Grade 7 English — Scheme of Work (Term 2)
- Grade 7 Kiswahili — Scheme of Work (Term 2)
- Grade 7 Integrated Science — Scheme of Work (Term 2)
- Grade 7 Social Studies — Scheme of Work (Term 2)
- …and the rest of the Grade 7 scheme library
Pricing: KSH 100 per subject-term scheme, or KSH 800 for the full Grade 7 bundle (all subjects, all three terms). Pay via M-Pesa Till 5310731, instant PDF download.
The underlying principle
Your scheme of work is a commitment to your class — not a bureaucratic document. When it's honest, realistic, and revisited weekly, your teaching gets sharper and your learners' outcomes get better. When it's rushed into place and forgotten, your term becomes reactive.
The three weeks before each term open are the highest-leverage planning period of your entire year. Use them well.
Aligned with: KICD Grade 7 Curriculum Designs (all learning areas), CBC (now CBE) framework. For the official KICD curriculum designs per subject visit the Ministry Guidelines page.
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