The Cornerstones Curriculum comprises of over 100 projects, including Knowledge-rich Projects (KRPs), Imaginative Learning Projects (ILPs), Nursery and Reception projects (Early Years) and a range of companion projects. All of our projects are developed with our four-stage pedagogy in mind and have a main driver AoLE, such as humanities or science and technology. Each project will provide coverage for several other AoLEs, as well as focusing on the main driver AoLE.
Schools can choose from the range of projects available on Cwricwlwm Maestro and from projects that their school has created. The different types of projects can be used in the construction of their curriculums, and schools do not need to limit themselves to just one type. This is one of the ways that schools can create a completely bespoke curriculum that reflects the needs of their context and aims.
The Imaginative Learning Projects (ILPs) deliver the content of the Cornerstones Curriculum in a thematic and cross-curricular way. Each ILP contains a vast range of lessons and activities directly related to the Cornerstones skills and knowledge framework and the Curriculum for Wales statements of what matters.
For those schools looking to introduce a more AoLE or knowledge-based approach to curriculum planning, our KRPs offer a way forward. Based on Cornerstones’ four stages of learning, and planned sequentially, these projects are designed to give children the maximum opportunity for knowledge retrieval. Purposefully written to provide a balanced primary approach to the acquisition of knowledge that includes AoLE-based and cross-curricular skills.
The Nursery and Reception projects are built around a range of interesting and imaginative themes. Each activity is linked to typical early years behaviours and foundation phase what matters statements, with ideas for enhanced/continuous provision, focused group activities, opportunities for independent learning and ideas for celebrating, sharing and documenting children's learning.
There are two types of project design: single aged (original Cornerstones projects) and mixed aged projects (new projects), all of which are mapped to the WMS for Curriculum for Wales 2022.
The new mixed aged project overview can be seen here.
Maestro helps you to deliver all primary AoLEs, but our partnership with White Rose Maths takes your maths coverage and monitoring to the next level. White Rose Maths are one of the largest and most respected maths education providers in the UK. They offer maths support for leaders, teachers and parents, plus schemes of learning, sequenced into 18 projects for Y1 to Y6, with premium worksheets, answers, activity presentations and mini assessments.
Delivering White Rose Maths on Curriculum Maestro allows you to:
· Fully integrate and tailor high quality maths into your curriculum
· Automatically link content to a detailed maths skills and knowledge framework
· Plan, teach, resource and assess maths, all from one place
· Monitor actual, live maths coverage and children’s progression
Tip: Ensure that your school has access to the additional White Rose Maths premium resources, including home learning materials and videos, by purchasing a White Rose Maths premium resource licence.
Cornerstones has a partnership with Barefoot, Computing at School to provide schools with the ability to deliver the computing curriculum with downloadable lessons and resources, mapped to the Cornerstones knowledge and skills framework. Barefoot makes computing easy to teach and fun to learn, with or without a computer.
Tip: You will need to register on the Barefoot website and create an account to download the resources. This can be created free of charge.
Schools can create their own projects using Create school projects. This can be for a particular contextual project, mathematics projects or one built around annual celebrations or events.
Read our article on: School projects
There is an authentically linked mini expressive arts project or a mini design and technology project for each KRP, to help children to widen the context of their learning. These mini projects contain a series of six lessons, which can be taught either at the end of a KRP or alongside it. The mini projects enable schools to make choices about how they design and deliver their curriculum, either through a more AoLE-specific or integrated approach.
There are also fifteen Welsh humanities projects, which may be linked to relevant KRPs or which may stand alone as a short ILP. These focus on Welsh history and culture, helping schools to build this aspect into their curriculum, and include resources in the Welsh language.
Love to Investigate is a series of comprehensive science investigations written and tested by Dr Fran Barnes, Cornerstones’ expert in primary science. They develop and improve children’s investigative skills and reinforce key knowledge. These mini projects and investigations help schools to cover tricky topics and ensure that working scientifically is authentically linked and embedded into a school’s curriculum.
Love to Celebrate contains a range of projects based around a religious festival from Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism and Sikhism. The skills statements are taken from a framework published by the Religious Education Council of England and Wales.
These are projects that Cornerstones release from time to time to celebrate historical events or great sporting occasions, such as the Olympic Games.