Updated October 2026. About 7 minutes to read.
What is a scheme of work?
A scheme of work is the teacher's plan for a whole term in one learning area. It breaks the curriculum design into weeks and lessons, so that by the end of term every planned sub-strand has been taught. In Kenyan schools it is also a professional document: head teachers approve it, and quality assurance officers ask to see it alongside lesson plans and the record of work.
What you need before you start
- The curriculum design for your grade and learning area, from KICD. Use the current, rationalised version your school has adopted.
- Your timetable, so you know how many lessons a week the learning area has.
- The term dates, including half-term, public holidays and any exam or assessment weeks.
- The approved course books and resources your school uses.
The columns of a CBC scheme of work
Layouts vary slightly between schools, but most Kenyan schemes of work use these columns:
| Column | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| Week | The week of the term (1, 2, 3...) |
| Lesson | The lesson number within that week |
| Strand | The broad area of learning from the curriculum design |
| Sub-strand | The smaller topic within the strand |
| Specific learning outcomes | What learners should be able to do by the end of the lesson, starting "By the end of the lesson, the learner should be able to..." |
| Key inquiry question(s) | The question that drives the lesson |
| Learning experiences | The activities learners will do |
| Learning resources | Books with page numbers, materials, local resources |
| Assessment methods | How you'll check learning: observation, oral questions, written tasks, projects |
| Remarks / reflection | Filled in after teaching: taught, not taught, carried forward |
Step 1: Count the lessons you actually have
Multiply the lessons per week from your timetable by the teaching weeks in the term. Then subtract the lessons you'll lose to half-term, public holidays, opening and closing days, and assessment weeks. This number, not the number in the design, is what your scheme has to fit.
Step 2: List the sub-strands for the term
From the curriculum design, list the strands and sub-strands planned for this term, in order, with the number of lessons the design suggests for each.
Step 3: Share out the lessons
If you have fewer lessons than the design suggests, reduce each sub-strand in proportion rather than dropping the last one. If you have more, leave a few lessons spare for revision and catching up. Write one row per lesson.
Step 4: Write a learning outcome for each lesson
Each lesson should have one or two outcomes that can be observed in that lesson. Use action verbs such as identify, describe, demonstrate, compare or draw. Avoid outcomes like "understand" or "know", which you can't see a learner do.
Include the three domains across the sub-strand: knowledge (identify, describe), skills (demonstrate, measure) and attitudes (appreciate, enjoy, value).
Step 5: Add the inquiry question, experiences and resources
The key inquiry question should be open, something learners can investigate: "Why do we need to keep water clean?" rather than "What is water?". Learning experiences should be things learners do, not things the teacher says. Name resources precisely, including book page numbers and local materials.
Step 6: Choose how you'll assess
CBC assessment is mostly formative. Match the method to the outcome: an observation checklist for a practical skill, oral questions for a description, a short written task for a calculation.
Step 7: Get it approved, then keep it alive
Submit the scheme to your head of department or head teacher. During the term, fill in the remarks column as you teach. If lessons are lost, adjust the remaining rows rather than leaving the scheme out of date.
Common mistakes
- Copying last year's scheme without checking this term's dates and timetable
- Outcomes that can't be observed in a single lesson
- Every lesson using the same learning experience
- Resources listed without page numbers
- An empty remarks column at the end of term
Doing it faster
Most of this work is mechanical: counting lessons, copying strands and outcomes from the design, numbering rows. That's the part NyotaSkul does for you. The CBC scheme of work generator reads the curriculum design once, counts the lessons from your timetable, and prepares the scheme in this layout for the teacher to review and approve.
Prepare this term's schemes in one click
See it with one of your own classes in a 30-minute demo.