By Melanie Moore – Author and Curriculum Director.

I have recently had the privilege of being involved in the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Education on The Loss of the Love of Learning. This has involved attending a round table event in a call for evidence; working alongside other teachers, pupils and educational professionals who have a passion for bringing back a love of teaching and learning in and out of the classroom.

As a result of the call for evidence, the APPG has since released a report, which presents a sobering picture of a profession under strain and a powerful reminder of something many of us have felt for some time: too many teachers are burnt out, too many children are switching off, and the joyful spark that should characterise school life is flickering dangerously low. In this blog, I’ll outline some of the main headlines from the report, but it is certainly worth a taking a look at the full report to appreciate the bigger picture.

What the evidence says

As someone who has spent decades teaching, designing and championing curriculum that makes space for discovery, creativity and joy, I know just how painful and avoidable a loss of love of learning can be. I have seen, particularly over the last few years since Covid, the problem worsen, with quick fix curricula such as Oak Academy in particular, turning children off learning and teachers off teaching. A quote from the APPG report, ‘Learning has become a high-pressure sprint through content rather than a journey of discovery.’ speaks to this effect. APPG Report, 2025

At Cornerstones, we’ve worked with thousands of schools to help them reignite a love of learning. The APPG’s findings couldn’t align more closely with what we’ve always believed and what our curriculum has always stood for.

Here are just a few of the findings from the APPG report:

• Over 90% of teachers have considered leaving the profession in the last year.
• Many teachers are losing the ‘spark’ that drew them to teaching in the first place.
• Lessons are becoming ‘tick-box exercises’ in a race to cover content for tests and inspections.
• Creative subjects are being squeezed out, leaving children without the ‘hook’ that keeps them engaged in learning.
• Teachers feel they have little or no autonomy over what or how they teach.

The sad result of all of this is, a perfect storm of teacher disillusionment, disengagement of children and curriculum that feels more like a checklist than a meaningful learning journey.

How the Cornerstones Curriculum helps

The APPG report highlights the urgent need to rebalance the curriculum, to make space for teacher autonomy, creative subjects, and deep, engaging learning that sparks curiosity.

This is exactly what the Cornerstones Curriculum has been designed to do.

Here’s how we do it

1. We promote a pedagogy of curiosity, not just coverage

Rather than rushing through the Stone Age, Romans, and Tudors in one year (as one teacher in the report lamented), our projects are designed to be immersive, meaningful, and manageable. They invite children and teachers to dwell, wonder, and explore.

And with our new, shorter projects like Titanic, The Great Fire of London, The Aztecs, and The History of Flight, schools can fit rich history into half a term without compromising on depth, creativity or understanding.

2. We provide space for the arts, humanities and enrichment

The report highlights how many schools have cut back on arts, music, drama and D&T, subjects repeatedly described as essential for fostering a love of learning. Our curriculum keeps these subjects at its heart. Every project includes creative opportunities, cross-curricular links where appropriate, and enrichment activities that allow children to express themselves, get hands-on, and discover what excites them.

‘Creative subjects give children avenues for personal expression, agency, and tangible achievement’.

APPG Report, 2025

3. We empower teachers, not tie their hands

Too many teachers, the report says, feel they can’t go ‘off-script’ or adapt lessons to the interests of their pupils, even when a brilliant learning moment is right there in front of them. At Cornerstones, we believe that teachers should be trusted to bring their professional judgement, creativity and knowledge to the classroom. That’s why our curriculum is fully adaptable, with built-in flexibility and support that allows teachers to make the curriculum their own. It is not ‘Are we one slide 8 yet’. NEU 2025

‘A passionate, energised, and supported teacher is far more likely to inspire a love of learning in students’.

APPG Report, 2025

4. We advocate meaningful assessment without pressure

We’ve long known that excessive accountability and audit culture are harming teacher wellbeing. That’s why our Maestro platform provides clear, purposeful assessment tools that fully integrate curriculum and assessement, and are linked to real learning outcomes, not paperwork for its own sake.

A call to reignite the spark

I was particularly moved by the comments of a headteacher from Devon who said, ‘We want school to be unmissable. We’ve built a very creative curriculum that brings learning to life every day.’

That is exactly what we believe at Cornerstones. Every child deserves to experience the joy of learning. Every teacher deserves to feel inspired, trusted and supported. And every school deserves a curriculum that allows room to grow, create and connect.

If the APPG report makes anything clear, it’s that the love of learning is not lost, it is alive and well, but not necessarily flourishing due to social, political and curricula issues. Yet, if we want our children to love learning, we must ensure that the curriculum is vibrant and engaging and that teachers have agency over what they teach and how. A love of learning must be protected, nurtured, and prioritised if we truly want to make a change to what is happening in and out of our classrooms.

By Melanie Moore, Curriculum Director at Cornerstones Education