The educational landscape is changing. Primary schools across England are preparing for a curriculum change and so are we. Following the publication of the Curriculum and Assessment Review interim report in November 2025, it is clear that a new national curriculum is on the horizon.
As a result, many primary schools have been asking the same question:
How do we prepare now without creating more work later?
At Cornerstones Education, we believe curriculum development should be proactive rather than reactive. That’s why we have been developing a new Cornerstones Curriculum that supports schools to build strong foundations today while preparing confidently for tomorrow based on the aims of the new national curriculum.
We’re ready for the national curriculum change
Innovation has always been at the heart of our curriculum. Since 2010, the national curriculum has undergone significant change, with evolving expectations, assessment requirements and approaches to teaching and learning set by the Department of Education and Ofsted.
Throughout this time, we have remained committed to supporting primary schools by continually reviewing, refining and enhancing our curriculum offer. Rather than standing still, we choose to actively adapt and evolve in response to national change, ensuring that our schools have access to a curriculum that remains relevant, rigorous and meets statutory requirements.
Our goal is simple: To give primary school leaders and teachers confidence that their curriculum is ready for the future, allowing them to focus on what matters most, which is delivering high-quality teaching and learning that helps every child thrive.
That’s exactly why we’ve created our New Cornerstones Curriculum.
Designed to bridge the gap between today’s curriculum and the future direction of education, this new collection of projects and curriculum guidance gives schools a slimmer, more manageable framework, staying true to the knowledge-rich foundations that matter most while keeping Cornerstones’ immersive, creative pedagogy at the heart of what we provide.
“We’ve witnessed first-hand that Cornerstones always adapts to the national changes required by the DfE or Ofsted. The curriculum evolves alongside the changes and always feels current and up to date. We regularly receive updates from you on curriculum developments, which are especially valuable to us as a small school without a dedicated curriculum lead. In many ways, we have that support in place, with this area expertly managed. We don’t have to jump the gun when national changes occur, as we feel secure knowing that Cornerstones will have it covered.’
Daryl Bunton, Acting assistant headteacher and reception teacher, St Paul’s CE Primary School
New Cornerstones Curriculum
At the heart of the new Cornerstones Curriculum is a commitment to a coherent sequence of essential knowledge, concepts and skills that children need to acquire from the start of EYFS through to the end of their primary education.
Structured through carefully sequenced half-termly projects, our new curriculum provides a clear and manageable framework that supports progression, reduces unnecessary complexity and enables children to make meaningful connections across their learning.
Each project has been designed to ensure that foundational knowledge is secured before children move on to more complex ideas and deeper understanding. This approach helps children develop confidence in their learning while supporting teachers to deliver a coherent and ambitious curriculum.
Preparing children for the future
While remaining firmly knowledge-rich, the curriculum reflects many of the priorities emerging across the education sector.
Our new curriculum projects provide opportunities for children to develop:
- Oracy and communication skills
- Creativity and innovation
- Problem-solving and adaptability
- Collaboration and independent learning
- Environmental awareness and sustainability
- Understanding of local, national and global communities
- Appreciation of diversity and representation
- A balance of skills and knowledge
These elements are carefully woven throughout the curriculum, helping children develop the knowledge, skills and dispositions they need to thrive in an ever-changing world.
A clear and manageable curriculum structure
One of the greatest challenges facing schools is balancing ambition with manageability.
The new Cornerstones Curriculum has been designed with reducing teacher workload in mind. The projects are housed on our digital curriculum platform, Maestro. This enables our recommended model, what to teach and when to teach it, to be adapted at a curriculum, project or even lesson level to give the required flexibility for individual school contexts.
The result is a rigorous curriculum with live monitoring of its impact on individual learning, enabling schools to focus their time and energy on high-quality teaching, learning, and integrated formative and summative assessment rather than on extensive curriculum redesign.
Promoting creativity and innovation
A key feature of the new curriculum is the inclusion of Innovate Boards within history, geography and science projects.
These opportunities encourage children to think creatively, solve problems, work collaboratively and take greater ownership of their learning. By applying their knowledge in meaningful contexts, children develop deeper understanding while building confidence as learners.
Combined with Cornerstones’ established four-stage pedagogy, these experiences help create learning that is engaging, purposeful and memorable.
Built on strong curriculum foundations
Every project within the curriculum has been developed using robust curriculum design principles and is underpinned by carefully researched content.
Projects are:
- Knowledge and skills rich and coherently sequenced
- Authentic and meaningful
- Carefully researched and fact-checked
- Designed to support long-term learning and progression
- Aligned with high-quality curriculum development practices
This ensures schools can have confidence that the curriculum is both educationally rigorous and practical to implement.
Ready for the next phase of curriculum development
Curriculum development is an ongoing process, and primary schools need solutions that can evolve alongside national expectations.
The new Cornerstones Curriculum has been designed to support schools as educational priorities continue to develop. As further guidance emerges through the Curriculum and Assessment Review process, our curriculum framework will continue to evolve, helping schools remain informed, prepared and confident.
Rather than responding to change at the last minute, schools can begin building strong foundations now, creating a curriculum that is ready for the future while continuing to deliver high-quality learning experiences today.
Ready to prepare your curriculum for the future?
Whether you’re exploring ways to strengthen curriculum coherence, reduce workload or ensure your provision reflects the latest thinking in primary education, our curriculum advisers are here to help.
Book a free curriculum conversation to discuss your school’s priorities, explore the new Cornerstones Curriculum and discover how we can support you in building a curriculum that is both ambitious for children and manageable for teachers.