Summary Melanie Moore visits Spilsby Primary Academy in Lincolnshire to talk to headteacher, Andy Clark and Mel Standbrook, the Chair of Governors. The school have taken on the Cornerstones Curriculum and adapted it in creative ways to suit their school. They discuss how they have approached this and share tips for successful homework, project books… Read more
Posts categorised: Podcasts
The Curriculum is a podcast that features news, tips and useful information for UK-based primary school leaders and teachers. It comes from the team here at Cornerstones, the people behind our own creative curriculum, which is used in more than 2000 UK primary schools.
While our team are on hand to share their experience and expertise, The Curriculum also features a range of special guests. That includes school leaders, teachers and others working in primary education. It’s great to hear them share their own perspectives, ideas and experiences too.
Got plans to improve or reimagine your school’s curriculum? Looking for new ideas that you can use in the classroom? Want to stay up to date with what’s happening in primary education? Then The Curriculum is for you.
Episode 21: How to choose the best primary teaching resources
Summary Host Caroline Pudner talks to Curriculum Manager, Catherine Scutt, who leads the resource team at Cornerstones. They discuss the important role that resources play in supporting a coherent curriculum and what to consider when choosing them. Catherine also describes the quality control process that her team follows to create the resources for the Cornerstones… Read more
Episode 20: ‘Children only have one childhood and we have a responsibility to get it right’
Summary Host Caroline Pudner talks to Creative Director and author of the Cornerstones Curriculum, Melanie Moore. Mel explains the inspiration behind it, the principles it is built upon and how her passion for helping children enjoy learning through experience has come to fruition, thanks to the incredible work of thousands of senior leaders, teachers and… Read more
Episode 19: An interview with Sean Harford, Ofsted’s National Director of Education
Summary Episode 19 of The Curriculum features an exclusive interview with Sean Harford, recorded at Westminster in May 2018. We took the opportunity to raise some important questions about Ofsted’s curriculum work and to gain a sense of what might feature in the new inspection framework. Sean Harford’s guidance is straight-to-the-point and offers an insight… Read more
Episode 18: Coherent curriculums: Why are they important?
Summary Episode 18 of The Curriculum explores the benefits of having a coherent curriculum in place, supported by high quality resources. Host Melanie Moore talks to Caroline Pudner about the recent curriculum report from Policy Exchange, and her own experience of the pitfalls of not having a coherent curriculum in place. They also share some… Read more
Episode 17: Coherent curriculums: how to be part of the curriculum revolution
Episode 17 of The Curriculum explores how a coherent curriculum can help a school make remarkable progress. Host Caroline Pudner talks to Bev Dodd – teacher and Education Consultant at Cornerstones. They discuss Bev’s latest visit to an exemplary primary school in Rochdale, who have used the Cornerstones Curriculum to help them move from Special Measures to Outstanding in a relatively short space of time.
Episode 16: Beyond the word wall: building vocabulary in the classroom
Episode 16 of The Curriculum examines the curriculum requirements for building vocabulary and offers advice to teachers. Host Melanie Moore talks to Amy McCaw and Caroline Pudner – both primary teachers, English specialists and Cornerstones Consultants.
Episode 15: Teaching English across the primary curriculum
Episode 15 of The Curriculum explores how English can be taught across the curriculum in primary schools, with host Melanie Moore talking to Amy McCaw, primary teacher, English specialist and Cornerstones consultant. Issues discussed include what English across the curriculum looks like, the benefits of this approach and practical advice for teachers.
Episode 14: The importance of history in the primary curriculum
Episode 14 of The Curriculum explores the place and importance of history in the primary curriculum, with host Melanie Moore talking to Al Ritchie, primary teacher, history specialist and Cornerstones consultant. Issues explored include the importance of history, how to teach chronology and overcoming barriers to teacher expertise.