By Simon Hickton, former primary Headteacher now CEO of Cornerstones Education
One of the great joys and challenges of primary education is that nothing ever stays the same. With every new academic year comes a fresh start, a new class and often a shift in the expectations placed on us as teachers and leaders. But that’s also where the beauty of our profession lies: the chance to evolve.
I’ve always been a firm believer in evolution over revolution. Change, when guided by the voices of those who live and breathe the classroom, can lead to meaningful improvement. And let’s be honest, there’s no shortage of change in education. Sometimes it’s welcome, sometimes it’s externally imposed, and occasionally, it comes from those a little too far from the coalface. But when we take hold of that change and shape it with our own professional judgement, we create something better for our children and for ourselves.
How has Cornerstones evolved?
We’ve always believed that any change should have a very clear purpose and not change for changes sake. Evolution has guided our work from the beginning. Over the past 15 years, we’ve listened to the voices of thousands of primary teachers and leaders. You’ve told us what works, what doesn’t, and what you need to do the job well. We’ve kept pace with policy and inspection frameworks, often anticipating shifts before they land fully in schools.
Which brings us to the present day, as we prepare for another government-led Curriculum and Assessment Review. While many schools may feel uncertain about further changes to the national curriculum, you can rest assured that, as a Cornerstones Curriculum user, we’ll take care of all the updates for you. Our team will ensure your curriculum stays fully aligned and up to date, so you can focus on teaching, not on rewriting plans.
So, what’s new for you?
This term we’re proud to launch the latest update to Maestro, our curriculum and teaching platform. It’s not just a facelift. It’s a carefully considered step forward, shaped by schools’ feedback and designed to make planning, assessment, and curriculum leadership simpler, clearer and more aligned with what truly matters in primary education.
At the heart of this update is the transformation of ‘My timetable’ into ‘My planner’ a tool that supports real, practical planning. It’s designed to help teachers spend less time on admin and more time focusing on what matters: children’s learning.
Not currently using Maestro?
Book a demo with one of our curriculum advisers to discover how the Cornerstones Curriculum and Maestro functionality can support teaching and learning in your school.
How will Maestro updates make life easier for you?
You can use the new ‘My Planner’ to plan your teaching and learning for the week or term, quickly adapt lessons and assess learning.
Within a project, we’ve simplified the interface so that you can clearly see the sequence and concept focus of any lesson.
The skills and knowledge are easy to view and now you can quickly add any lesson to your planner.
Re-designed lesson plan to give you everything you need at your fingertips. Add your own teaching note and quickly record coverage or assess formatively.
Clicking Taught? helps you to support children in keeping up rather than having to catch up. The recorded attainments are viewable by anyone in school and will help to support summative assessments at the end of term.
Senior leaders can click to view assumed attainment in previously taught lessons, enabling informed conversations with children about their learning.
What next?
We know the educational landscape is about to shift once again. And a new Ofsted Framework will soon be in place. That’s why Maestro isn’t just evolving to keep up—it’s evolving to stay ahead. At Cornerstones we are committed to continue supporting your school, reducing your workload and saving your precious time.
This update is just one step in a longer journey. We’ll continue to refine, improve, and add to Maestro in response to what you tell us and what the system demands.
Because at the end of the day, it’s not about ticking boxes. It’s about ensuring every child receives the high-quality education they deserve, and that you are supported to make it happen.
New projects!
We have released 5 new History projects, listed below. They are perfect for refreshing your curriculum. Shorter, easy to fit into a half term, develop historical thinking and enrich children’s learning.
- The Great Fire of London Y1
- Schools Then, Schools Now Y1
- A Titanic Tragedy Y2
- Flight through Time Y2
- Age of the Aztecs Y2
Every school’s curriculum is unique and we’re here to help you integrate these new projects seamlessly into yours.
Please get in touch with our curriculum advisers via email, phone or live chat for free online 1-to-1 support, included in your Cornerstones licence.