Cornerstones Curriculum

As a school, we were delighted to introduce a new curriculum in January 2023, as part of our exciting school developments, to make sure we are providing the best quality of education possible for your children. 

 

As a leadership team, the driver for these developments was the ‘voice’ of pupils, parents and staff- so thank you if you let us know your thoughts on curriculum during our surveys last year!

 

 

The ‘Cornerstones Curriculum’ is based on inspirational learning activities which take place in a classroom environment that allows children to learn in a way that motivates and interests them. 

Cornerstones will provide our children with challenge, giving them opportunities to solve problems, apply themselves creatively and express their knowledge and understanding across the curriculum.

Every class will experience 6 projects in a year- a range of ‘Imaginative Learning Projects’ and some ‘Knowledge Rich Projects’. During some terms, there will be ‘companion projects’. Each individual project is split into four stages of learning: Engage, Develop, Innovate and Express

Engage– At the ‘Engage’ stage, children:

  • get an exciting introduction to the projects
  •  gain memorable first-hand experiences, such as going on a visit or inviting a special visitor into school
  • begin researching and setting enquiry questions
  • get lots of opportunities to make observations
  • develop spoken language skills
  • take part in sensory activities
  • have lots of fun to fully ‘engage’ with their new project.

Develop-At the ‘Develop’ stage, children:

  • improve their knowledge and understanding of the topic
  • develop and practise their new skills
  • compose, make, do, build, investigate, explore, write for different purposes and read across the curriculum
  • research their own questions and those set by others
  • Follow new pathways of enquiry based on their interests. 

Innovate– At the ‘Innovate’ stage, children:

  • apply skills, knowledge and understanding in real-life contexts
  • solve real or imagined problems using everything they’ve learnt
  • get inspired by imaginative and creative opportunities
  • revisit anything not fully grasped at the ‘Develop’ stage.

 
Express- At the ‘Express’ stage, children:

  • become the performers, experts and informers
  • share their achievements with parents, classmates and the community
  • evaluate finished products and processes
  • link what they have learnt to where they started
  • celebrate their achievements!

If you would like to find out more about the Cornerstones Curriculum, please visit their website at www.cornerstoneseducation.co.uk

  • Teachers will keep parents informed about the projects each term, via Class Dojo. 

If you have any other questions about our curriculum, please contact teachers by talking to them, via Class Dojo or via the school office office@arnesby.embracemat.org